04/19/24
March 11, 2004
Looking like a bunch of surly Calvin Klein Obsession models, U.S. Olympic swimmers are modeling Fastskin FSII, which Speedo bills as the world's fastest swimsuit fabric because it reduces drag by four percent. USA! USA!
The US should add heating to its Olympic pools.
posted by mkn at 07:17 AM on March 12, 2004
Good to see this thread has gotten off to such a mature start. Anyway, these suits are precisely the reason why the Olympics are unfair to smaller countries. They have no chance in some competitions, because the bigger countries are able to afford this equipment to give them an advantage. Until all countries have to use the same gear in events, there will be no fairness.
posted by bcb2k2 at 08:36 AM on March 12, 2004
Make em all swim naked. Then at least the Sports Illustrated annual skin fest would make more sense. .." Umm, they're not...ummm... models...they...are...ummm... SWIMMERS! Yeah, that's the ticket!" ;)
posted by scully at 09:26 AM on March 12, 2004
The guys in the back look like waxed zombies. Scary.
posted by worldcup2002 at 09:50 AM on March 12, 2004
Hey, not just USA, USA but Germany, Germany, Britain, Britain, Austria, Britain! And Italy and Australia, Australia, Australia! But really, they say it "increases a swimmer's speed in the water by reducing drag by 4%." This just seems to me to be a PR event. Their old first-gen Fastskin suit had the claim that "Final testing results found the new fabric has a 3% lower surface resistance than the Aquablade which 77% of medal winners wore in the 1996 Olympics". So is the new suit 4% fast than the old suit? or is it a further 1% improvement over the 1996 standard? (Though maybe 1% is a big deal in swimming, particularly in the long distances.) or is it 4% better than a swimmer with no special suit? Not dissing the link or the suit (heck, I'd start swimming if I could be a shark too), just trying to contextualize the hype. The technology has been around for years and I am not sensing that this is not revolutionary so much as the launch (on three continents at the same time no less) of a new and slightly improved product that they've sunk a load of money into the r&d and need to make a, um, splash when they roll it out.
posted by gspm at 12:14 PM on March 12, 2004
I swam competitively in college, when the first generation of these suits were introduced. I tried the pants-only version while training, the one that looks like bicycle shorts, but I never felt comfortable in them. Instead I shaved my head and entire body and squeezed into a racing suit two sizes too small (for the championship meets only). First person to send me $1000 gets the pictures... The teammates that did use them said they were primarily a mental edge. They *felt* faster, but their recorded times were always in the same range as when they used normal Speedo suits. I think only one guy used his suit regularly. At the very highest levels, they might make a slight difference, but I'd bet the difference between a full head of hair and a shaved scalp is greater. The freaky-looking guy in the back probably has that figured out.
posted by dusted at 01:39 PM on March 12, 2004
You are a braver man than I, dusted. Arms, chest, legs, sure, no problem. Scalp -- what if it doesn't grow back? Back -- what if it grows back it did on my club coach in high school? No thanks, I will wear a cap and go .04 slower on the 1650. Seriously though, I think most of the time drop most folks see is from tapering, anyhow. Maybe it makes a difference for the top level swimmers.
posted by eckeric at 04:44 PM on March 12, 2004
I'm convinced that tapering was the main reason for the improved times, but if you shaved down before and went fast, you can't change course the next year! Everything grows back the same as before - your club coach has wookie genes to blame for the back hair, not shaving. Besides, would you pass up a chance to have several hot female teammates shave you down? Good memories...
posted by dusted at 05:44 PM on March 12, 2004
Yikes, how 'bout a "tiny package alert" next time, rcade?