Summary: A grand total of 108 new world swim records were set in 2008. There's little disagreement in the swimming community that these new records were set (to a large extent) with the aid of new swimsuit technology. Next month you'll be able to purchase this new super-stretchy Rocket Skin swim suit which has just entered the skirmish into this raging technology battle and controversy. The new suite is the brainchild of triathlete Marcin Sochacki, who says the suite is faster than Speedo's LZR swimsuit worn by the fastest swimmers at the Beijing Olympics this year. His Austin, Texas based company received approval from FINA (the international governing body of swimming) in September for the new swimsuit, and the company is ready to start selling the suit for $300 to $399 to anyone with the funds to go fast. Unlike Speedo's LZR, the Rocket Science Sports suite has long sleeves, so it covers more of the body in that low-drag material. "My point of view is that technology and sports really go hand in hand," said Sochacki. "Look at golf, golf clubs which transfer the energy and the power of the stroke are now much greater than they were before. Would we want to see Tiger Woods play with a wooded golf club? Probably not." he added. Both Speedo and Blueseventy have introduced new swim suits to the world stage that are dramatically more hydrodynamic, more slippery, and offer much more speed. The outcome---swimming world records are falling like snow flakes in Alaska. This was apparent to anyone who watched Michael Phelps and the Olympics this summer. But now many of the word's swim coaches are now crying foul. They believe that the new swimsuit technology offers an unfair advantage to most swimmers, and they worry that it is too expensive for many young developing swimmers. Sochacki believes that you can't turn back the hands of time. "People used to ski on wooded skis," he said. "Now they race on alloy and different types of composite skis. The materials and different types of technologies enhance the sport, make the sports safer, and also make the sport more fun to watch." Sochacki is betting that come next month his new full body swimsuit will continue to speed up both swimmers, and the rapid increase in new world records. Please don’t forget to please visit http://www.everymantri.com for more podcasts and endurance sports news and views.
