In keeping with the discussion on the technical swim suits, here’s an article from the November 3rd “Wall Street Journal,” Some Aging Competitors Call High-Tech Swimsuits Dirty Pool.
It kind of rehashes a lot of the discussion that we’ve already heard over the past year or so, but it’s a decent summary in the context of US Masters Swimming. The suits do give an advantage to swimmers because of their added buoyancy, streamlining of the body, and shaved-body-effects without the shaving. I guess what I can say is: If you care about whether you are the winner of an event, you might want to look at putting up the money because your competitor will probably be wearing one until they are banned. If you are competing against yourself, don’t bother because you really wouldn’t be the owner of those seconds that you dropped. It’s up to you.