Pendulum Swings on the Great Suit Debate

PHOENIX, Arizona, September 2. IN A Voice for the Sport in the September issue of Swimming World Magazine, publisher Brent Rutemiller writes about the Great Suit Debate.

No issue has polarized the swimming community more than the advancement in swimsuit technology and its introduction into the competition environment.

Records have been broken at every level of the sport, leaving any relative connection to the sport's rich history in its wake. Some argue that our history is today, not yesterday. Others argue the opposite.

Meanwhile, the "Great Suit Debate" rages on, forcing the pendulum on history's clock to move back and forth. To the far right are those bent on turning back the hands. To the far left, times have never been better.

The debate has never been more evident and vocal than the comments posted on SwimmingWorld.com's Reaction Time feature that allows for public discussion. Here are just a few of the hundreds of comments posted so far:

* "The new suits go beyond a swimmer's natural potential, erases bad habits and mistakes in less talented swimmers, and I think the 195 world records in 18 months is argument enough. THIS IS NOT PROGRESS." —JakedBadForYou

* "Show me a running shoe from 1959, and I will show you a Spira or Nike LunarGlide+ (that) returns energy back to the runner. Show me a tennis racket from 1959 and compare them to Serena Williams' racket, which is wider, lighter and has changed tennis into an athlete's game rather than a stylists' game. Tour de France circa 1959 versus Lance Armstrong's time trial bike 2009, and note the angles, the composite materials and the aerodynamic hubs. The lowering of the pitchers mound in baseball in 1969 so more home runs could be hit. Sports move into the future, and so should swimming. – Watch our briefs and jammers once again become the object of ridicule and derision. —Groovydoo

* "We had a young girl come look at our program. She did not seem concerned that she was the only black child in the whole facility. I was thrilled to have some diversity on the team. Her parents found out about competitive suit costs and said, ‘I didn't know this was such an elitist sport.' The child is now a volleyball player." —NP

* "Well, I wore briefs at my nationals and got slaughtered." —medina

We encourage everyone to voice his or her opinions as the sport navigates into a new era. Is there a place for suit technology in Masters and open water? Should a professional league be started that welcomes new innovative products that expand the overall aquatic industry? Should FINA, NCAA, high school, YMCA, club and country club programs remain true to their history? Visit SwimmingWorld.com and join the debate.

Swimming World is proud of its ability to allow readers to voice their opinion in public forums. We actively monitor comments, allowing for intellectual discussion that is meaningful and not mean-spirited. We believe that freedom of speech is a fundamental principle of a democratic and free society and the core value of any legitimate media outlet.

In the coming months, Swimming World will be encouraging those who post comments to use their real names. This may be against conventional Internet practices, but is congruent with standard newspaper editorial policy dating back to Benjamin Franklin. Although this new policy may discourage some participants, we believe it will foster more thoughtful and civil comments in the long run.

The policy will be simple: if you can't put your name to it, then don't post it.

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Video Preview of September Issue

September 2009 Issue
Contents of The September issue:

7 ARRIVADERCI, SPEEDSUITS! by Jason Marsteller
As swimmers said goodbye to Rome and the 13th FINA World Championships, they also bid farewell to the new speedsuits that helped contribute to an unprecedented 43 world records!
13 DOWN TO THE WIRE by Jason Marsteller
The girls from The Baylor School (Tenn.) won Swimming World Magazine's national high school championship by just four points over Carmel (Ind.).
18 A NEW POWER by Dan Albano
Swimming in the shadow of perennial powerhouse Bellarmine Prep, Saratoga High School of northern California showed that quality can beat depth by winning its first-ever Swimming World Magazine boys' national high school championship.
24 CELEBRATING 50+ YEARS IN AQUATICS: 1989-92 by Jeff Commings
As we celebrate 50+ years in aquatics, Swimming World Magazine will be taking a trip through history, highlighting some of the top moments of the magazine's existence.
26 THEN AND NOW by Jeff Commings
Speed, endurance and versatility—that is what it takes to win the individual medley. And in their respective day, both Tamas Darnyi and Michael Phelps dominated the 200 and 400 events.
DEPARTMENTS:
6 A VOICE for the SPORT
39 FOR THE RECORD
43 NISCA ALL-AMERICANS
51 CALENDAR
54 PARTING SHOT

In the Swimming Technique portion of the magazine you will find the following:

33 Q&A WITH COACH RYAN MALLAM by Michael J. Stott
35 HOW THEY TRAIN: Craig Jordens by Michael J. Stott

In the SWIM portion of the magazine you will find the following:

28 THE POOL'S EDGE: Rev-up Your Heart! by Karlyn Pipes-Neilsen
The goal of the REV-UP set is to transition your body—and mind— from going easy to getting ready to swim fast.
30 WORKOUT CARD: Training with Academy Bullet Masters
by Chris Colburn

In the Junior Swimmer portion of the magazine you will find the following:
37 SPEEDO AMERICAN RELAY by Judy Jacob
38 TYR AGE GROUP SWIMMER OF THE MONTH: Jackson DeFore

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