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Lodi's Haley Ring, left, and Tokay's Katelyne Herrington don blueseventy Nero Comp swimsuits during Thursday's Sac-Joaquin Section swim championships. The suit is designed to reduce friction drag through the water, and the fit is supposed to allow a better stroke. (Jennifer M. Howell/News-Sentinel)
High-tech swimsuits may equal faster times for local athletes, but can cost over $400
High school swimming may never be the same again.
High-tech swimming suits, similar to the sleek Speedo LZR Michael Phelps wore to win his record eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, have filtered down to the prep level.
Thursday marked the first day the high-tech suits have been allowed in the Sac-Joaquin Section swimming meet. While one section record was broken and another was tied in Thursday's girls trials, which is a common annual feat, numerous swimmers notched All-American times and set their fastest personal marks ever.
"There are a lot of fast times today and I think that is why we are seeing so many All-American times," said Lodi head swim coach John Griffin. The new suits are made of special material designed to fit tightly to the body and repel water, minimizing drag and helping swimmers glide through the water faster. Some even have polyurethane membrane panels embedded in the fabric and placed on strategic positions, causing the suit, and the swimmer, to be more buoyant.
The result is faster times. The problem is cost and equality. The suits vary from the LZRs at $435 to Finis suits, which reduce drag and repel water but don't have the polyurethane element, for $200. Not all swimmers can afford to buy the expensive swimwear, especially considering the suits only last about 40 swims before it becomes too stretched out and lose its benefit.
"I think that it is unfortunate because it is so expensive and you have the haves and the have-nots," Griffin said. "Your kid has to be fast anyway for them to work, but they are a benefit. I would recommend them to anybody who wants to go fast."
Tokay junior Katelyne Herrington was one of the fast swimmers. Herrington, a previous All-American who is already being recruited by schools like UCLA, USC, Texas A&M and Arizona State, wore a blueseventy high-tech suit. It was her first time using it for the 200 freestyle and the 100 butterfly. She was fastest in both events and will enter Saturday's finals as the top seed. She said she liked wearing the suit, which is being worn by many of the Tigers thanks to a donation from Tokay's booster club.
High-tech swimsuits at a glance
Made famous in the 2008 Olympics by swimmers like eight-time gold medalist Michael Phelps, high-tech swimsuits are taking over the sport. This is the first year high school swimmers can use the suits in Sac-Joaquin Section meet, which started Thursday and will go through Saturday.Here are some of the suits at the meet:
Speedo's Fastskin LZR Racer: $435
blueseventy Nero Comp: $394.95
Finis Hydrospeed Race Tight 24: $199.99
(All prices are for full-legged suits)
Sources: www.speedo.com, www.blueseventy.com, www.finisinc.com
"It is different. You are all sucked in and high in the water. It is nice. Everyone is wearing them. It is the new thing," Herrington said. "But I feel that it doesn't matter what suit I wear, I feel like I can swim fast. I have confidence, but I thought that I would try it out and I liked it."
Herrington's time of 25.74 seconds in the fly and 1:49.24 in the free were the fastest she's ever recorded. Her fly time tied the section record.
Thursday's swimmers were dressed in all kinds of suits. There were high-tech suits of all costs and lengths, from traditional cut at the hips, to midthigh or to the ankle. There were older high-tech suits with less technological advancements. There were also traditional suits that have been worn for years.
The Galt High swimmers were wearing their usual traditional suits. Warrior coach Kalah Westlynn said she sees the issue from both sides.
"I have heard they can take a half second off per lap, so it's a disadvantage to people who can't afford them, but it is great for people who can," she said.
The majority of the faster varsity swimmers had some sort of high-tech suit. Griffin, whose swimmers had to individually buy high-tech suits if they wanted them, said he expects that number to go up in Saturday's finals. That's because swimmers like Lodi High's Lori Scheideman are saving their fast suits for the finals.
Scheideman wore a traditional suit on Thursday and still qualified for the finals in the frosh-soph 200 and 500 free, as well as in a pair of Lodi's relays. Her 400 free relay team, with two Flames in high-tech suits and two in traditional, placed second and shaved six seconds off its seeded time.
Scheideman admitted she wanted a blueseventy, which many of Thursday's coaches and swimmers said was the best, but settled for a Speedo Fastskin II. The Fastskin doesn't have the polyurethane and floating ability the blueseventy does, but it still limits drag and helps swimmers move faster through the water. Scheideman said wearing more buoyant suits is both fair and unfair because the fastest swimmers — who would probably win anyway — will wear the suits. She also sees the other side.
"It is almost unfair because, it's a wetsuit and it is so much more buoyant," she said.
Federation Internationale De Natation, the international governing body for swimming, and the National Federation of State High School Association's swimming and diving rules committee consider both high-tech suits with and without polyurethane legal. FINA is currently in the process of considering possible rule amendments relating to requirements of legal swimwear. FINA is expected to make a decision and new rules will go into effect January of 2010.
A memo from the NFHS said that any proposed changes would most likely have an impact on NFHS rules. Griffin doesn't see the new suits going away.
"I don't know how we would not ever have them around," he said. "The door is open."
Under current NFHS rules, swimmers are even allowed to wear two high-tech suits for maximum buoyancy. According to Scheideman, that crosses the line.
"You would be so buoyant, that's what I find really unfair," she said.
Contact reporter Joelle Milholm at joellem@lodinews.com.
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