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Maybe it's just me, but it seems like every swimming race at the Olympics ends with a new world record. I'm still in awe of Michael Phelps and what he has been able to accomplish, but the women's races are doing it too.
Is it the suits that they are wearing now? What gives?
First off, you have to assume that better training and conditioning is part of it. Other than that, I have a friend that used to swim competitively and he said that the governing bodies have allowed swimmers to push off differently than in the past. Now a swimmer can do a rolling push off with only a half turn with the body instead of a complete turn end over end. My friend said it doesn't look like much but that you can cut a half second off of each turn. Add those up and there is your difference. I know! I know! I was confused too.
Yeah, and what gives with the my-goggles-were-full-of-water-personal-best-time in winning the Butterfly gold medal????Originally Posted by StrayDawg
Louisiana Tech University
Flagship of the University of Louisiana System
I know that Speedo introduced a new suit that some countries are wearing this year and it was contoversial because it is so much better than the original suits. The swimming "purists" (haha) were predicting all these world records this year and were upset about it I think.
I thought this was a great article about all the advancements and the speed of the swimmers.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/...olyrecords.php
I'm not exactly sure what "ultrasonic welding" is, but apparently it works. I've also heard the swimmers say that if they were going to design the ultimate competitive pool, the one in Beijing would be it.
Chris
But did you notice that Phelps didn't wear the full bodysuit in his individual event yesterday? And he still set the world record with goggles full of water!
We just have better athletes, training, and equipment. It's a combination of all three.
One of the boys in my Boy Scout troop is ranked in the top 100 nationally in his age group. He just got one of the new suits this summer and he loves it. He cut several seconds off of his 100m IM because of the suit and better training.
Did I hear wrong -
With Phelps diet and training regimen, he consumes 18,000 calories a day!!!
Starts it off with THREE bacon, egg, cheese and mayo sammiches -
WOW!
''Don't be a bad dagh..."
I thought I heard 8 to 10,000 caloried per day, but I could be wrong.
So could I - but I KNOW I heard the breakfast menu and it would choke a good man like JAY!
''Don't be a bad dagh..."
On another discussion group, some of the people have said that the design of the pool also contributes to the fast times. The pool is supposedly a bit deeper and wider than some pools and thus absorbs waves better.
According to this article, that is only HALF of his breakfast...
http://www.nypost.com/seven/08132008...rge_124248.htm
I have heard several people talk about the pool being 9 ft deep instead of the usual 6 ft, and the ultrasonic welding on the suits doesn't leave seams exposed, which supposedly creates less drag.
Mark Spitz did all of this with a floppy hairdo, a Rollie Fingers mustache, and nothing but a speedo. Yesterday on PTI, Rick Reily was sitting in for Kornheiser and mentioned that no one is calling for asterisks in these swimming records, but they are all falling at the same games.
I'm still impressed by what Phelps is doing, but it does make you wonder a little about the integrity of the records.
Every sport goes through these periods when technology changes the way it's played. Baseball is a significant example. Records have ALWAYS had a shelf-life during which the comparison retains meaning and after which you are comparing apples and oranges. I think the way technology has been developing over the past 70 years that those records are continuing to diminish.
I mean, Spitz's Speed-o would have been seen as a major advantage compared to what they were wearing 10 years before that. Boxers haven't always worn gloves. Hell, the original olympians competed buck naked.
But we humans love us some records, so I guess we'll keep setting them. But this olympics is crazy.
What is interesting is that many of these records were set in the last couple of years, and the suits have been around at least that long, right? Many of the records Phelps is breaking are his own records!
And do they still shave their bodies a la Spitz??
Louisiana Tech University
Flagship of the University of Louisiana System
One other thing I just heard Summer Saunders say on the radio. They changed the rules about how they make turns. She said it would make a 2-3 second difference in some races.
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