{"id":285570,"date":"2017-11-25T11:06:43","date_gmt":"2017-11-25T18:06:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=285570"},"modified":"2017-11-25T11:06:43","modified_gmt":"2017-11-25T18:06:43","slug":"a-voice-for-the-sport-factors-behind-the-age-group-tech-suit-debate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/a-voice-for-the-sport-factors-behind-the-age-group-tech-suit-debate\/","title":{"rendered":"A Voice for the Sport: Factors Behind the Age Group Tech Suit Debate"},"content":{"rendered":"

Commentary by Brent Rutemiller, Publisher of Swimming World Magazine.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

2017 has seen a tremendous amount of discussion on the need to regulate the use of tech suits by age group swimmers. In some cases, the discussion moved to rule changes by some governing bodies that banned tech suits in age group swimming competitions.<\/p>\n

With the ground swell of debate reaching national levels, the next few months will surely see more rule changes that will limit the use of tech suits by young swimmers. The debate is global in scope and not unique to the United States.<\/p>\n

There are eight factors that are contributing to this debate. The first is the mere definition of what classifies a racing swimsuit as a \u201ctech suit.\u201d The other factors are social-economic, parental, physiological, psychological, philosophical, industrial and legal.<\/p>\n

Combine all of these factors and the issue is complex.<\/p>\n

For the most part, suits that are constructed with bonded seams, meshed seams or kinetic tape are considered \u201ctech suits.\u201d Their prices can range from $90 to $500, depending on the manufacturer.<\/p>\n

The price of these suits fueled the debate by sparking social-economic arguments about the cost of family participation in the sport. The discussion quickly polarized the community into \u201chaves\u201d and \u201chave-nots,\u201d and then escalated to parental rights.<\/p>\n

One side argued that parents have the right to purchase any legal product on the market that may help their swimmer. The other side argued that peer pressure was forcing parents to purchase expensive suits so their child would not be at a competitive disadvantage. Many argued that this was financially hurting young families and, thus, the entry levels of the sport.<\/p>\n

During the parental debate came a flurry of opinions arising from the fact that there are no physiological studies supporting the benefit of tech suits on young swimmers whose bodies have not matured.<\/p>\n

Without physiological proof, the debate morphed into psychological benefits that could help young swimmers overcome plateaus in swimming and catapult them to a higher level.<\/p>\n

\n

At this point, many coaches jumped\u00a0into the discussion to educate parents that race time improvements were just a natural part of maturation. They argued that the majority of improvement by age group swimmers was due to training, technique and biology\u2014and not tech suits.<\/p>\n

Some coaches and clubs took a philosophical approach by implementing team polices banning tech suits until swimmers were older or had reached a national level. The concept was to use tech suits as a reward for hard work and achievement and not as a tool to short-cut or accelerate the process. Conversely, those policies motivated some families to leave clubs and migrate to programs that allowed age group tech suits.<\/p>\n

All of the arguments, debates and divisions have caused a national discourse and the need for a national policy. But any restriction could put financial limits on the industry\u2019s swimwear manufacturers, suppliers and distributors, affecting their sponsorship dollars on a national, club, coach and team level. Restrictions could also spark litigation.<\/p>\n

So far, the manufacturers are not taking legal action against restrictions in the marketplace. They understand the need for a national policy that they can support, and will move forward with new business models.<\/p>\n

Even though the factors behind the age group tech suit debate are diverse, the fabric of our sport is so interwoven that all levels need to come together.<\/p>\n

\"BTR<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"november-17-cover\"<\/h3>\n

Not a subscriber?\u00a0\u00a0Subscribe With This Special 3-Year Offer!<\/a>\u00a0Swimming World Magazine<\/em>\u00a0gives you access to all of the back issues of\u00a0Swimming World Magazine<\/em>\u00a0dating back to 1960! \u00a0Visit the\u00a0Swimming World Magazine Vault<\/a>.<\/h3>\n

Order a single \u201cCollectors\u201d issue\u00a0print copy here<\/a>\u00a0or download a\u00a0single .pdf copy here<\/a>.<\/h3>\n

Save 25% on a\u00a01 year subscription<\/a>\u00a0and download more issues from the Swimming World Vault and get the following:<\/p>\n