Wednesday, April 16, 2008

My Suit is Better Than Yours

Here is my attempt to give some love to The Journal of Modern Armchair Philosophies. I'm not sure if anyone will find this intriguing, but I do. I was a swimmer. I started at age 5. I was on my first team at age 7. I swam on a high school team that was state champs for 13 straight years, until we lost my senior year. I swam in college. All told, over ten years of my life was spent in the pool. I can still recall the first "fast" suit I had in high school. My mom said it was too revealing. I can still recall the "fast" suit we got in college. It was the first neck style body suit and it was awesome. I don't know if the suit made me faster, but I can assure you it sure made me *feel* faster...and sometimes it is all in your head.

Now, Speedo has unveiled its fastest suit ever. The Speedo LZR; it's a body suit with plastic panels that hit all the parts of a human body that inherently create drag in the water. The problem? Well, some say that it is technolgical doping. Others say it is an unfair advantage because not everyone can afford the $500 price tag.

World records are dropping like flies. The Olympics this summer are going to be a swimming sight to behold. So, is it cheating to have the best suit ever? FINA has given the suit its okay. Is that enough? Or is it really cheating? I'd have to say no. Any number of sporting events add in technological advancements. At least it's not drugs, right?