No Excuses

"I think there's three options for Michael," Cavic said. "The first option is to use the suit that he's wearing, the second option is to get one of these [polyurethane] suits, which I guarantee Arena will provide him within the hour, as soon as he wants. The third option would actually be a dream of mine, to have the whole final everybody swimming in briefs. I swear to God, this is it, this is what I want, but this is the most unrealistic of all scenarios."

This is what all purists want to see in swimming, who IS the Champion. The field is level and MP can do what he wants. The whole issue of the technical racing swim skin will still be talked about for some time. There is talk of a professional swimming circuit, kind of like rodeo, or NASCAR. How about an X Games kind of swimming competition. There is ample room for technology and innovation in these arenas of oompetition. Some may even call these sports.

There may still be a competitive swimming venue where the new technology can and may be tolerated and welcomed. That would be the world of Masters Swimming. The technology is perhaps a boon to the older swimmer. The compression factor that these suits offer helps keep the old body together. My back certainly benefits from the extra support that even the old Speedo Fastskin offers. I think that a full length swimskin or tights for a male swimmer probably offers extra support for the knees. the added compression factor really helps keep the creaky knees, surgically repaired backs and other loose joints and other parts of ones anatomy from hurting. The slimming efects of the technical racing swim skins are not to be overlooked. Many years ago, when the original body suits began appearing, I remember the great Jenny Thompson saying that the suits act as a swim girdle, they are so tight and slimming. They do offer a better hydrodynamic profile, especially where needed.

I was really uptight when USMS took Blueseventy as an official sponsor. Just as Speedo has been part of the whole suit issue and is a major sponsor of USA Swimming and so many of our swimmers, USMS took the issue to bed with them and wound up having as a sponsor, an extremely controversial development of swim technology. So controversial that suits and the materials such as the kind used by b70 has brought about the ban of this sort of swim technology.

I believe that USMS adopts the basic rules of FINA. There are exceptions and the use of compression devices through the wearing of full body technology may be tolerated. There may even be a double standard implemented. Wait and see.