Coming soon — new information on swimsuits!

I keep getting inquiries about the 2010 swim suits, but I’m not an expert and have as many questions as the next person. So I’ve decided to resort to my “journalism” days and do some old-fashioned phone interviews of a few experts. I’m gathering my notes and promise to write up the information in the next week. Stay tuned, and if you don’t already subscribe to my site, do so in the right hand corner.

Nike Swimsuits “Approved” by USA Swimming

And the beat goes on — the beat regarding FINA and Swimsuits and Rules, Oh My! Only now, there seem to be considerable “waves” regarding Nike swimsuits — at least in the Ozark LSC. Thankfully, one parent from Ozark decided to go straight to the source — Bruce W. Stratton, chairman of the USA Swimming Rules & Regulations Committee. And she recieved an email written response that makes it CRYSTAL CLEAR that Nike Hydra and Nike Swift knee and leg suits ARE ALLOWED in the pool in USA Swimming competitions.

Here is the parent’s email to Mr. Stratton and Mr. Sheehan:

Mr. Sheehan & Mr. Stratton,

I realize you both have probably been inundated by e-mails regarding the swimsuit issue over the past month, and I am simply a parent, but I must address a local issue that has been out of control (Ozark LSC).  I will pass on the information to our authorities regardless of your answer (and give up my quest if it turns out I am incorrect), but I must pursue what I believe to be an injustice being served to our “in-between” local swimmers (those 13 and over who are not necessarily national level).

Since the initial FINA list came out in May and, subsequently the USA Swimming ruling on June 1, our local USA Swimming officials have been pulling 13 and over swimmers out of their events and heats when they are seen wearing the old model Nike Hydra and Swift suits that extend past their hips (if they are girls) and past their knees (if they are boys).  I have tried to make an argument that the old model textile Nike suits, although not on the original list and now not the new FINA approved suit list, would be covered by the FINA release on June 5th regarding old model textile suits that were previously approved but not necessarily submitted for re-approval because they do not fall into the category of high tech suit.

We are a Nike team and although many publications have been presented to the local Officials Committee in argument against their actions (from FINA, from Mr. Sheehan, from Nike), it is falling on deaf ears.  We have many families of those older, yet not elite level, swimmers who are being told they have useless suits leaving them angry and/or in a financial hardship to purchase “approved” swimwear.

 If either of you can at all give some written direction before our next local meet this weekend (beginning June 26), which I may present to the local Officials Chair (Ozark), that she can in turn use to direct our officials, I would greatly appreciate it.

And here is Mr. Stratton’s response, which again makes it clear that USA Swimming IS allowing these suits to be worn in competition:

FINA issued an updated list on June 22, 2009, but it also does not include any Nike suits.  However, in a statement issued by FINA on June 5, 2009, it stated that suits approved prior to 2009 and made of full textile material such as lycra or nylon are acceptable as long as they don’t have sleeves and that any double layers are stuck together.  This would presumably include the Nike suits to which you are referring and they should therefore be acceptable.  There will be a formal announcement to this effect by the Rules Committee very shortly.  If you need further clarification, please let me know.

Bruce

Bruce W. Stratton

Chairman, Rules & Regulations Committee

398 S. 9th Street, Suite 290

Boise, ID  83702

Personally, I just about can’t believe there was EVER a question by ANYONE — parent, swimmer, or official – as to whether these Nike suits were allowed in competition. But I’m very glad the USA Swimming Rules Committee is going to clear this up via a formal annoucement soon. I hope that will fix the problem for any swimmers competing this weekend.

Blueseventy Makes a Splashback

Blueseventy, among others, won a victory last Friday when FINA added the the company’s tech suits to its list of approved suits for swimming competition. Here is the statement issued by FINA. And hereis the statement issued by Blueseventy.

I don’t know how many tech suits that had been on the “need to be modified” list made it onto the approved list as a result of FINA’s June 19 ruling and I don’t have time to do a list-by-list comparison right now. But I’m very happy Blueseventy managed to make the cut because my daughter and many of her teammates own one.

The whole tech suit issue is very controversial, and I’ve written about that controversy here and here and here. To further complicate things, FINA didn’t address ALL swimsuits on their list, and some companies, such as Nike, didn’t submit their suits for approval because the suits aren’t technical suits and therefore, the company didn’t think they needed approval.  I wrote about that problem, and USA Swimming’s response, here.  So, people who have purchased Nike Swift knee and leg suits, and Nike Hydra knee and leg suits may still be wondering if those swimsuits are allowed in competition this summer.

It’s complicated. And if I didn’t already own a Blueseventy or a LZR or a Jaked or one of the other technical suits, I don’t know if I’d go buy one before 2010.  The rumor mill is still alive and well in the swimming community, and some say all tech suits will be banned in 2010.

FINA and Swimsuits and Rules, Oh My!

It’s time to talk racing suits again. I can think of a couple of words that really describe the whole mess surrounding high-tech suits, FINA’s regulations, “the list“, USA Swimming’s muddled response and the misinterpretation of said response by at least ONE Ozark Swimming official, but this is a family-friendly blog.

I had heard that more clarification would be coming down the pipe today from USA Swimming, but at this writing, nothing has yet been made public.

Here’s the problem. FINA issued a list of approved swimsuits but that list was limited to TECHNICALsuits such as the Speedo LZR  and the Blueseventy (not approved).  Hundreds of swimming suits aren’t technical suits. Unfortunately, USA Swimming issued this statement, which basically states that only “swimwear approved by FINA, as reflected on its published list of approved swimwear, may be worn in any USA Swimming sanctioned or approved competition.”

To put it in the wise words of my teen, “That was a fail!”

USA Swimming went on to say that until FINA gets around to publishing a more comprehensive list, swimmers may wear suits NOT on the list if they meet certain criteria, such as not going past the pelvis on females or the knees on males. That means that Nike Swift and Nike Hydra leg suits and knee suits for women are not allowed. Nike didn’t even submit those suits for FINA approval because the suits HAD ALREADY BEEN APPROVED FOR COMPETITION AND THEY ARE NOT TECHNICAL SUITS. Can you see how ridiculous this is becoming? But, the deadline for submitting the suits has passed, and FINA didn’t seem to realize how much  muck they were throwing into the pool by publishing a list of “approved” swimwear.

Here is a copy of some email correspondence between a representative from Nike and FINA:

From: N.D. 
Sent: Jun 8, 2009 10:11 AM 

Subject: Swift and Hydra not banned by FINA

USA Swimming Rules on Tech Suits

Big surprise — USA Swimming amended its rules regarding swimsuits and did little or nothing to clear things up.  Read for yourself here. It reads to me like a big wad of red tape. And it sounds like a whole lot of swimsuits that AREN’T high tech suits are now not allowed until such time as FINA publishes a complete list of approved suits – tech and non-tech.

What a mess. No one is going to be happy except the attorneys.

In the meantime,  Blueseventy is promising more information by 1 p.m. PST Wednesday on the company’s efforts to get their suit moved to the approved list.

FINA’s Recent Ruling on High-tech Suits Raises Questions

UPDATE 6/1/09: More here.

UPDATE 5/29/09: More here.

UPDATE 5/28/09: I know I should update this post, but I still don’t have many  more answers and I’ve been crazy busy with the end of school. I’m not ignoring the topic, but I think things pretty much stand the way they did when I first wrote this post. The Blueseventy is still on the “needs to be modified” list and I think there are dozens, if not hundreds, of attorneys involved at this point on behalf of Blueseventy and the other brands that were either banned or are being required to be modified, as well as for the swimmers whose world records are in question, even though they were swimming in suits that were considered legal at the time they set them. The waters are still very muddy.

UPDATE 5/21/09: USA Swimming, as expected, is not taking any action at this time but will support the FINA regulations when it does take action. See the statement here.

Also, Steve Nicolls of Blueseventy left the comment below on this blog.

“Thanks for the posts, nice to see such a proactive community both for and against.
To clear up a few points mentioned below:
1/ Our suit passed the buoyancy and thickness tests, it does not float, and is not a wetsuit.
2/ the materials in the jaked suit are (to my knowledge) not chloroprene like the our blueseventy nero suits or the TYR titan.
3/ We launched a buy back program 2-3 weeks ago I believe, where any suits bought between now and the end of the year we would buuy back at approx 50% of the purchase price applied as a credit on the 2010 FINA legal model.
4/ Interesting the comments re: pockets of air being the reason the suit is fast… one of the most popular strokes for our suit has been breaststroke, while I’ll not admit to being a total swim geek and having intimate knowledge of breaststroke stroke mechanics, my discussions with athletes on product design has been that of all the strokes this is the one that has the most time underwater…. which would kind of mean that buoyancy assistance is not an advantage…thoughts….
If you have any other questions regarding the suits you would like answered please feel free to mail me:
Steve@blueseventy.com Steve@blueseventy.com, check our website, or our blog…

—–

As is the case with most governing bodies, and as is the case with most decisions made by governing bodies, FINA’s ruling Tuesday on High-tech racing suits leaves as many questions as answers.

This article goes into more detail, stating:

“After reviewing 348 swimsuits from 21 manufacturers,” FINA said in a statement, “the FINA Executive decided the following: 202 swimsuits approved, 10 swimsuits rejected for not passing the tests of buoyancy and/or thickness.”

FINA said 136 other swimsuits needed to be modified to meet the requirement that “swimsuit material shall not be constructed to or include elements/systems which create air/water trapping effects during use.”

FINA said the manufacturers had until June 19 to “resubmit the same swimsuit for FINA approval, with the corresponding corrections.”

My personal interest is that my daughter has a Blueseventy, which is not on the approved list. It is among the among the suits on the list that need to be modified. Blueseventy released this statement about the ruling. So I have a lot of questions:

• Can Blueseventy appeal the ruling?
• If Blueseventy makes the modifications to their suit and gets it approved by FINA, what happens to all the suits already purchased (at a hefty price tag, I might add)? Will Blueseventy replace those suits? Pay to modify those suits? Give a credit toward a modified suit?
• Is this ruling effectively immediately? In other words, can swimmers who own suits not on the approved list wear them until all of the appeals, etc., are complete?
• I have a friend who recently bought a Nike Swift — also not on the approved list — can that swimmer wear that suit at summer long-course meets?

Of course, on a more “local” level, USA Swimming has yet to make a ruling on this other than the ruling it made last fall.  Ozark Swimming, our swim club’s Local Swim Committee or LSC, adopted the same rules regarding high-tech swimsuits (aka Speedo LZR, Blueseventy) as USA Swimming.  Here is the wording that was adopted by USA Swimming at the 2008 House of Delegates:

Swimsuits worn for all 12 & under age group defined competition shall not cover the neck, extend past he shoulder, nor past the knee.

You can read this ruling  from last fall here.

I suspect USA Swimming, and thus, Ozark, will wait until all the dust settles and all the appeals and modification deadlines are passed before making any new rulings on the suits. That makes sense, but again, it leaves room for lots of questions regarding the summer swim season. Do the current USA Swimming/Ozark rules stand, which means our swimmers who own Blueseventy’s can wear them in summer competition, particularly big meets like Championships, Sectionals and Zones?

Interestingly, FINA approved the Speedo Lzr, worn by Michael Phelps and several other swimmers who set world records in the 2008 Summer Olympics.

I’ve written a lot about the Blueseventy controversy on this blog, and at my previous blogging site. If you choose to comment on this topic, please do so on this site, as I no longer write at the previous site or moderate comments there.  I will approve comments that leave a valid email addresss (which won’t be published, but is simply requested for verification). I will not, however, publish comments that are personal attacks on my family. Unfortunately, this issue has brought out the very worst in some people, so this clarification is necessary.

New Sectional Cuts for My Daughter

My daughter achieved two new sectional cuts this weekend at a swim meet at the St. Peters Rec Plex.  She swam the 1000 free in 11:02:54 and the 200 back in 2:13:88.  Congratulations girl!  We’re very proud of and happy for her, as she has been working extremely hard and hasn’t missed a practice in more than three months.

When she got her new cuts, she was wearing her Blue Seventy racing suit, which I wrote about for the first time here.  She wore the suit at the suggestion of her coach.  A large number of other swimmers on our team, as well as other teams, also wore the Blue Seventy for competition this weekend.  Some swimmers in the suit achieved new best times and got new qualifying times.  Some did not. In fact, my daughter was the perfect “case study.”  She achieved new best times in the suit on Saturday, and she added to her best times on Sunday. Like her coach said:  “The suits do not make you fast.  When used properly, they are the finishing part of championship performance.”  (She’s not only a good coach, she’s good at summing things up without wasting words.)  Coach Pete , who writes a blog on Wordpress, tends to agree.  He wrote about it here. 

There has been controversy about these suits within our club and within the sport.  I applaud healthy debate, emphasis on the word ‘healthy.’  Simply put:  FINA has approved the suits, as has USA Swimming and our own LSC, Ozark Swimming, which I wrote about here. More simply put:  If I bought the same golf clubs that Tiger Woods uses, I couldn’t hit a hole in one.  If I wore the same tennis shoes as Michael Jordan, I couldn’t sink a basketball. If my bat was borrowed from Barry Bonds, I doubt if I’d even make contact with the ball, much less hit a home run. I don’t even think the steroids would help me.   The athletes using the equipment in combination with their hard work achieve the results.

Ozark LSC Votes on High-tech (Blueseventy) Swimsuits

Ozark Swimming, our swim club’s Local Swim Committee or LSC, voted today to adopt the same rules regarding high-tech swimsuits (aka Speedo LZR, Blueseventy) as USA Swimming.  Here is the wording that was adopted by USA Swimming at the 2008 House of Delegates:

Swimsuits worn for all 12 & under age group defined competition shall not cover the neck, extend past he shoulder, nor past the knee.

You can read this new rule, as well as all the other legislation passed by the USA Swimming 2008 House of Delegates last month here. (Insomniacs, this is a potential cure).

I’m pleased by Ozark Swimming’s decision.  It supports the restrictions adopted by USA Swimming, but it leaves room for older swimmers to wear these suits.  My 13-year-old daughter wore one of these suits at a competition in August, when no rules had been adopted and FINA, the international governing body of swimming, had approved the suits for competition.  We were reassured that she hadn’t broken any rules, since our LSC had yet to comment on or vote on the suits.  But now that our LSC has ruled on the suits, it turns out she would’ve been within their regulations either way.  I wrote about the “controversy” here.  I’m glad it’s over.