the17thman

Kastaway Has Speedo LZR Racer Elite Now On Pre-Order!

The Kastaway Blog has announced that the store is now taking Pre-Orders on the all new FINA Approvd Speedo LZR Racer Elite LINK.  Here is the run down on prices:

The LZR Racer Elite Jammer will retail for $260.00, which is more than the FS-Pro Jammer ($180.00) but less than the original offering of the now-illegal LZR Racer Jammer ($290.00).

The LZR Racer Elite Recordbreaker Kneeskin is priced at $375.00, which is more expensive than the FS-Pro Recordbreaker Kneeskin ($260.00) but less than the old LZR Racer ($425.00).

The LZR Racer Elite Recordbreaker comes out at $270.00, which is more expensive than the FS-Pro Recordbreaker ($190.00) and does not compare to the old, illegal LZR Racer because that suit was never offered in a Recordbreaker cut.

As for what suit I'll be wearing in 2010 I've yet to really even ponder it.  I have been pondering which of my new personal best times in my b70 may never be duplicated.  But that will be a whole other post sometime soon.

FIRST LOOK: LZR Racer Elite and LZR Racer Pro

BREAKING: Kast-A-Way Swimwear will begin taking pre-orders for the 2010 line of LZR Racers in the very near future!

The LZR Racer Elite and LZR Racer Pro are the latest technical suits from Speedo that are FINA Approved for use under the new FINA suit guidelines. LINK

FINA Puts Out List of Approved 2010 Suits

Here it is the list that swimmer's have been waiting for...drum roll...

Applicant / Manufacturer Type of Swimwear

ARENA -

Arena Italia S.p.A. X-Flat classic men

Arena Italia S.p.A. X-Flat pants-short men

Arena Italia S.p.A. X-Flat classic women

Arena Italia S.p.A. Powerskin Version A classic men

Arena Italia S.p.A. Powerskin Version A pants-short men

Arena Italia S.p.A. Powerskin Version B pants-short men

DESCENTE -

Descente OAR-0528M pants-short men

Descente OAR-0522W full-knee women

Descente Shin_rev ARN-8509M classic men

Descente Shin_rev ARN-8504W classic women

Descente Aile bleue ARN-6009M classic men

DIANA -

Diana Submarine 201M pants-short men

Diana Submarine 213W full-knee women

Diana Submarine 243W full-knee women

FINIS -

Finis Inc. Hydrospeed 2 Bladeback classic women

Finis Inc. Hydrospeed 2 Brief classic men

MIZUNO

Mizuno Corporation MX pants-short men

Mizuno Corporation MX full-knee women

NIKE -

Nike Hydra II – brief TCSS0096 classic men

Nike Hydra II – jammer TCSS0097 pants-short men

Nike Hydra – Jammer N76000 pants-short men

Nike Hydra N76002 classic men

Nike Swift II -Jammer TCSS0093 pants-short men

Nike Swift II – brief TCSS0092 classic men

ORVAR -

Orvar/Aquazone USA R-1 pants-short men

Orvar/Aquazone USA R-1 classic women

Orvar/Aquazone USA R-1 full-knee women

ROCKET SCIENCE SPORT -

Rocket Science Sports Rocket Light classic women

SPEEDO -

Speedo AQUABLADE Record Breaker Kneeskin full-knee women

Speedo AQUABLADE Hydroshort pants-short men

Speedo Fastskin FS II Record Breaker Kneeskin full-knee women

Speedo Fastskin FS II Jammer pants-short men

Speedo FSPro Record Breaker classic women

Speedo Fastskin XT Record Breaker Kneeskin full-knee women

Speedo Fastskin XT Brief classic men

Speedo Fastskin XT Jammer pants-short men

Speedo Fastskin Record Breaker Kneeskin full-knee women

Speedo Fastskin Jammer pants-short men

Speedo LZR Racer Elite Record Breaker classic women

Speedo LZR Racer Elite Record Breaker Kneeskin full-knee women

Speedo LZR Racer Elite Jammer pants-short men

Speedo LZR Pro Record Breaker classic women

Speedo LZR Pro Record Breaker Kneeskin full-knee women

Speedo LZR Pro Jammer pants-short men

Speedo LZR Comp Record Breaker classic women

Speedo LZR Comp Record Breaker Kneeskin full-knee women

Speedo LZR Comp Jammer pants-short men

TYR -

Tyr Sports Inc. Tracer Light Racer classic men

Tyr Sports Inc. Tracer Light Aeroback classic women

Tyr Sports Inc. Tracer Light Straight Racer classic men

Tyr Sports Inc. Tracer Light Racer C Series classic men

Tyr Sports Inc. Tracer Light Aeroback C Series classic women

Tyr Sports Inc. Tracer Light Aeroback SII classic women

Tyr Sports Inc. Tracer Light Aeroback SII C Series full women

Tyr Sports Inc. Tracer Light Straight Racer C Series classic men

Tyr Sports Inc. Tracer Light Openback C Series classic women

Tyr Sports Inc. Tracer Light Openback classic women

Tyr Sports Inc. Tracer Light Titan Racer classic men

Tyr Sports Inc. Tracer Light Titan Racer C Series classic men

Something To Ponder: FINA: We Have Two Tribes!

Over at Swimming World guest commentator Tony Austin (SCAQ Blog) has posted an article called "FINA: We Have Two Tribes!".  I'm not going to copy and paste anything but urge you to click on over LINK and read his commentary.  I think what Tony has to say is relevant to the Tech Suit Debate as it relates to US Masters Swimming. 

USMS Statement on Swimsuits

The FINA Masters Committee has recommended that the FINA Bureau, meeting in mid-January, approve its recommendation that Masters swimmers be governed by the same swimsuit rules as the elite pool swimmers. If the Bureau approves the committee's recommendation, it is anticipated it would go into effect after the Bureau meeting. If this recommendation becomes policy with the FINA Bureau, USMS will implement it for our sanctioned swim meets.
 
For the time being and until the FINA Bureau issues its policy for Masters, the June 1, 2009 ruling that allowed technical suits in USMS swim meets is still in effect. If you choose to compete in a USA Swimming sanctioned meet, you must follow USA Swimming rules.

If you would like more information on purchasing technical suits, you may contact your swimsuit dealer or any of the following:

blueseventy; blueseventy.com
FINIS; finisinc.com
Speedo; speedo.com
TYR; tyr.com

Gizmodo: 10 Gadgets That Help You Cheat At Summer Sports

Gadget blog Gizmodo listed the 10 Gadget That Help You Cheat At Summer Sports which  listed the Speedo LZR:

#7.  Until these high tech bodysuits like the LZR Racer are officially banned from major swimming competitions starting next year, athletes are going to continue to break world records at an alarming rate.

Now I don't call wearing a LZR or B70 or Jaked cheating but one has to wonder if geeks will be walking around the beaches up at Big Sur this summer in Lzr's?  See all of the 10 Gagest at Gizmodo

Ryosuke Irie Will Swim Again In Descente Suit

Ryosuke Irie is brushing aside all the talk of tech swim suits and vows to once again don the Descente swim suit he wore when he broke the world record in the 200 Meter Freestyle earlier this year.  The Descente suit which didn't make the list of approved suits by FINA is currently undergoing independent testing by FINA.  Irie plans on wearing the same suit this month at the Japan Open and vows to break his own record.  Source: GMA News

Rocket Science Dives Into Swimming World A Splash

Rocket Science Sports may be a new name in the swimming world but it seems like they are starting off with a big splash.  In the first quarter of 2009 the company reported an increased of 30% in growth.  Why is this important?  Well Rocket Science have two swim suits that have been approved by FINA.  The Rocket 2Skin and the new Rocket Sprinter have both been approved. 

As for the increase in growth in quarter one Rocket Science Sports reports LINK:

“We believe our growth is specifically due to the release of our new wetsuit line with Buoyancy Laminated Technology, the new triathlon Rocket Racer at only 140 grams making it the lightest suit ever designed, and entering into the swim market segment which is a new but technically familiar territory for us.”

This is good for all of us as with Rocket Science Sports grows market share in the swim world we swimmers have a choice.  We won't be beholden to Speedo with it's back door bribes to FINA and other swim organization.  When small companies like Rocket Science Sport enter the market they can come up with the breakthrough's in technologies that the big companies are too lazy too make.  To sum it up what is good for Rocket Science Sports is good for Swimming.

Blueseventy To Address FINA's Rules On Wednesday

I have no idea what Blueseventy is going to announce but according to the official Blueseventy Blog they've got something to say:

We remain in the same situation as before and are not on the list. We continue to believe this is an oversight since we can now confirm that our suits passed all the tests that EPFL put them through. We will be in further contact with FINA and will have an update on the situation at 1pm PST weds.

Could this be some sort of legal court action?  An official appeal to FINA?  Stay Tuned!

Japan Sticks With FINA Swim Suit Rules

Last week it looked like the Japan Swimming Federation was  planning to ratify all of the national records set in all suits so far this year – including Ryosuke Irie's world record in the men's 200 backstroke LINK.  But now it seems they've backed off and are going to only recognize records in FINA approved swim suits. 

The Japan Swimming Federation said Sunday that starting next month it will only officially recognize Japanese records which have been achieved in swimwear approved by swimming's world governing body FINA. - source