What type of suit should swimmers wear for meets?
I have talked to all of our coaches about racing
suits, and we agree as to the type of suits we would like our swimmers to wear for competition.
For our younger and inexperienced swimmers, a good fitting polyester suit is
very good for racing and can also be worn for practice.
For our age group swimmers who train regularly and swim in most of our
recommended meets, a tight-fitting lycra or Speedo Aquablade is the best racing suit.
Boys can get these suits in a brief or jammer. These suits should be worn
only in meets. A good nylon, polyester, or old racing suit should be worn for
practice.
The high-tech suits manufactured by Speedo and Tyr should only be worn by our
most experienced swimmers 15 and older (exception for sectional qualifiers), and then only on special occasions such as state championships,
sectionals, national meets, etc. The suits are effective for only a few
swims as the material wears out quickly, and they should not be worn
during warm-ups. Also, make sure the suit is
fitted properly by a trained sales person. If the suit is not tight enough,
it will not give a swimmer any advantage.
I believe that an age group swimmer who really wants to be a good swimmer
should first attend practice on a regular basis, pay attention to their
coach, and work hard. This will make a swimmer better. Buying a high-tech
swim suit is only a temporary fix. After one or two meets the effectiveness
is gone.
We realize that many of our younger swimmers already have a Fastskin and so
we ask that they not be worn except for the occasional special meet or in
some cases a special event—but only by first checking with their coach.
Many of the top clubs in the U.S. prohibit their 14 and under swimmers from wearing a high-tech suit at
any time. The Southern California's LSC (Local Swimming Committee) also prohibits 14
and under swimmers from wearing high-tech suits in their meets.
As a reminder, MI Sports in Loveland is our official team
supplier and gives a discount to our swimmers. MI also supports FAST by
selling at our larger meets and giving us a percentage of their sales.
FAST Coaches
Why are warm-ups important?
Meet warm-ups are a very
important component of preparing to have a good meet.
Warm-ups not only loosen up the
body, but also if done correctly they get the muscle memories going so that
strokes and turns are most effective. Warm-ups also elevate the heart rate
which is important in being race ready.
But the most important thing that
a good warm up can do is to prepare the swimmer mentally.
We want our swimmers to ALWAYS be
at the pool at least 15 minutes before actual warm-ups start so that they can
prepare themselves to get into the pool. When a swimmer is late getting in, it can totally disrupt the swimmers who
are already in the water.
Preparing to get in means having
suit on, goggles and cap ready, and doing some mild stretching. It is also
helpful for swimmers to know what events they are swimming before warm-ups.
This lets swimmers focus on strokes, starts, turns, etc. for the day's
events.
At the very least, please show
respect for the coach who is trying to prepare everyone to have a good meet.
Most warm-ups are crowded and very chaotic; swimmers who are late only add to
the confusion.
So please remember that warm-ups are very important for
many reasons. Please, always be at least 15 minutes
early for warm-ups. You can find warm-up times listed in the Meet
Information for each meet posted on our
meet schedule. In addition, the host team normally posts specific lanes
and times a few days prior to the meet on their own team web site, which
should also be listed in the Meet Information.
Thanks!
FAST Coaches
