Fast suits

The Wisconsin State Journal has weighed in on the fast suit controversy; details here:

http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/sports/314156

A few thoughts:

-- The WIAA has been very clear about this; the Oct. 24 WIAA Bulletin addressed the issue. See this under "High-tech suits:" http://www.wiaawi.org/rules/swimming/swimrulesqa.pdf

-- DeForest did create a buzz in the Baraboo sectional crowd when they came out for warm-ups in the blueseventy nero wetsuit. But most of the buzz wasn't about their legality; it was how much it cost to outfit an entire team in the suits, which run at least $350 a piece. But DeForest wasn't the only team sporting the suits; two of Milton's best swimmers (Jennah Haney and Hailey Foss) sported them, as well.

-- The cost issue is a bit of a red herring. Having spent time recently wandering around University Ridge golf course at the state golf tournament, there was a wide range of equipment used by tourney competitors. The issue is endemic whenever equipment (broadly defined) comes into play for a sport -- tennis (raquets), baseball (bats), basketball (shoes), hockey (sticks). Let's face it -- when parents (and/or booster clubs or even schools themselves) want their athletes to compete at the highest level of the sport, they are likely to seek (within legal means) any advantage they can, and that includes top-of-the-line equipment.

-- Do the suits make a difference? Probably -- the evidence is pretty clear that times this year at sectional meets in both divisions were faster than a year ago, before the new high-tech suits became widely available. Did it give DeForest (and others who wore them) an unfair advantage? Not likely. It's not as if DeForest came out of the blue with its performance; the team has won two state titles in a row -- and is favored for a third this week -- and the team is known for peaking (tapering, in swim lingo) at the very end of the season, when it matters most. The two Norskies who arguably swam the best at the Baraboo sectional -- freshmen Leah Winckler and Chelsea Statz -- did have eye-popping performances, based on their season performances, but it's not all that unusual for freshman in swimming (especially girls swimming) to dramatically improve toward the end of their first season.