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Penn State: Penn State swimmers hope suit makes the difference(U-Wire Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) UWIRE-02/17/2009-Penn State: Penn State swimmers hope suit makes the difference (C) 2008 Daily Collegian via UWIRE By Audrey Snyder, Daily Collegian (Penn State) UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Editor's note: This is the first in a three-part series about the impact of swimsuit technology. When the Penn State women's swimming and diving team hits the pool for Big Ten Championships on Thursday, it will be doing so in style. The Nittany Lions will be competing wearing compression suits, which the team purchased from the swimwear company TYR. The suit, which coach John Hargis described as "very similar to the Speedo LZR," is revolutionizing the sport. Over the past year, people from around the world watched as American swimmers Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte and Natalie Coughlin experienced success at the Olympics. All three individuals accomplished these feats wearing Speedo's most recent creation, the LZR Racer. The LZR Racer, which Speedo claims is "the world's fastest swim suit," was originally created with top-tier athletes in mind. In September, the NCAA allowed colleges to compete wearing all suits approved by the Federation Internationale de Natation. FINA is the international governing body of water sports and allowing college swimmers to wear elite suits will have many ramifications on the sport. The Lions, along with numerous colleges and universities, decided to buy top-notch compression suits for competition at Big Tens and NCAAs. The suits, which Hargis described as, "more hydrodynamic than the human skin," come in different styles and use different fabrics. According to press releases from Speedo, the LZR, which was developed with the help of NASA, reduces skin friction drag and boasts 100 percent bonded seams. The advantages of the skintight LZR have been well noted in Beijing, but when it comes to the collegiate level, the impact of the LZR and TYR's similar model the Tracer Rise, will have on the sport will be seen in the coming weeks. "There is no way you can compete with other universities if you don't have them on," senior Kaitlin O'Brien said. "It gives you that much of an advantage, and even though it's only a few hundredths of a second, that's how close the teams are in the Big Ten." O'Brien's point was very valid, especially considering Ohio State head coach Bill Dorenkott acknowledged at the Big Ten Championships the Buckeyes would be wearing whichever suit they deem to be the best. "It's a shame that the suits are becoming the focus over the athlete," Dorenkott said. "In our case, the suits aren't going to do the competing, it's the athlete behind the suit, but it's a shame it's now the focus of our sport." Both the Buckeyes and Lions are Nike sponsored institutions, but Hargis said Nike told them they were free to compete in any type of suit. Nike currently does not offer any comparable product to either suit, so it was a financial burden for each team to decide which suit to use. Within the past 12 years, Speedo has revolutionized the sport while prices for the product have skyrocketed. Starting with the women's Aquablade in 1996, then transitioning to the Fastskin FSII in 2004, the Fastskin FS-Pro in 2007 and finally with the LZR Racer in 2008, prices have jumped from $86 to $425. The cost of the LZR Racer is one of the many challenges facing college athletic departments. Although both suits are in the $400 range, both Speedo and TYR were offering discounts to teams ordering its product. Hargis said the Lions debated about which company to buy from, but ultimately the price was one of the main differences. Even with the prices, the team also has to take into consideration the number of races it can be used in. With the average suit lasting for about two races, colleges are really in a bind. "They're expensive," senior Kelly Nelson said. "Fortunately we're in a situation where our school can provide us with suits, but I guess if you want to be at the top with everyone else, then you need the fast suit." Hargis said many times the LZR suits, which take about twenty minutes to put on, are so tight against the skin that the athletes need to be cut out of them. Many athletes for Big Ten's alone will need at least two suits and then a few more for NCAAs. When asked about how much the order placed with TYR would cost, Hargis said he was glad the university was able to support the team and was also thankful the football team made the Rose Bowl. Hargis did say the team estimated about 40 athletes needing the suits for Big Tens and then approximately 20 athletes using them again at NCAAs. "I think the suit definitely play a difference," Hargis said. "My administration is great and they want to make sure the kids to have what they need to compete and this is just another example of that." ##30## ((Distributed on bahalf of U-Wire via M2 Communications Ltd - http://www.m2.com)) ((U-Wire - http://www.uwire.com)) Copyright ? 2009 U-Wire |