Swimsuits: Why we Wear What We Wear 

By John Leonard

     Swimsuits – years ago, it was sooooo simple. Now, we have high tech suits (Technical suits) that focus on coverage and “compression of the body” that makes the athlete MUCH faster than without the “tech suits”. (roughly 1 second per 100).

     Those suits, as Mom or Dad (whomever buys the child’s swimsuits) are VERY expensive…$350-$500 per suit. Worse, the technical nature of the suit and the material, don’t last long at all…perhaps 10-15-20 swims, max, before they decline dramatically. That’s a LOT Of money to pay in a sport where we only ask a maximum of $130 a month to train your child for up to 80-90 hours a month!

  Different teams have different policies. I respect the “right” of parents to support their child, but after 45 years of coaching, I have strong opinions on what should be learned and earned, and when.

When children are 10 and under, their primary emphasis should be on STROKE MECHANICS and Consistency in getting to practice.

When children are 11-14, their primary emphasis should be on STROKE MECHANICS and QUALITY of consistent training.

At 15-25, in addition to quality training, and learning to race well, race times become very important as a measure of success.

The more athletes wear a “tech suit” the less effective they become.

For our 15 year old plus, athletes, we’ll wear a tech suit if you can afford one, for championship meets and perhaps, for 1-2 swims “during the season”.

For 11-14’s, we’ll wear tech suits (if you can afford one) ONLY at championships meets ONCE YOU HAVE QUALIFIED FOR JO’s WITHOUT THE SUIT.  (This means they might last more than one season.)

10 and unders are NEVER going to wear a tech suit. See what they should be concentrating on above.

And we are NOT INTERESTED in having parents “buy success” for their child,  that should properly be earned with attention to stroke technique, consistency of practice attendance and honoring their teammates in creating an environment of hard work at practice.

Thanks for understanding. Any questions, ask myself or your group coach.

All the Best, 

John Leonard