 Michael Phelps in Speedo LZR / Speedo image
Since
its introduction in mid-February the Speedo LZR racer, a $550 swimsuit designed
by rocket scientists, has broken 44 world records. Is
it fair to credit the swimsuit over the swimmers? In this case
it is. The LZR smooths the contours of the swimmers so they are more
hydrodynamic. On top of that the surface of the suit repels water
and also makes the swimmers float a little better. For
some body types the LZR
swimsuit can make a profound difference. Professor Raul
Arellano of the University of Grenada in Spain observed a master level
swimmer with a wide mid-section lop off SIX SECONDS of time for the 100
meter butterfly to set a new record for her age class. That's a
gargantuan improvement in a sport where the difference between first
and second place is often measured in 1/100ths of a second.
There has been a lot of debate about whether or not the suits are fair.
It seems clear that
swimmers who don't wear equivalent suits will be disadvantaged. And what about the world
records themselves? Should the records be defined as pre and post LZR?
If changing body shape with a swimsuit is ok wouldn't it be
even more ok to have webbing surgically added between the toes... maybe
a little cartilege to extend the webbing into a full fledged
fins? Where should the line be drawn?
The Olympic committee has approved the new suits for this year's
competition in Beijing. The race is now on for everyone to get into one
before August. But getting into the suit is tricky. It is really and
truly skin tight and rips easily. An extra donut in the morning could
mean a new $550 swimsuit in the afternoon.
Interesting commentary at SportScientists.com
Speedo
LZR website
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Outlook as of July 5, 9:45am - Knee high today with light onshore wind. Low tide at 8pm. Tomorrow offers the same. Tropical low Bertha is forecast to tighten up and make the swing northward. There's a chance that next weekend we could see 2X overhead hurricane swell.
July 4, 9am -Knee to thigh high through Sunday. Wind is generally light onshore or offshore. Low tide is at 7:15pm. Water is still cold. 3/4 with boots is comfortable. There is a tropical low that has left the coast of Africa heading west - it might make the turn northward and give us some thing to shout about late next week.
July 3, 7:20am - Nantucket buoy showing 3.6' at 5 secs from S. Thigh high waves today. Wind will be blowing at 20+ from SW this afternoon, low tide at 6:15pm. Possible waist high tomorrow with morning rain showers. Small waves through weekend with intermittent thunderstorms.
July 2, 6:15am - Nantucket buoy showing 4.6' at 7 secs from S. Waist to chest high waves. Wind today is from S at 10 mph. Low tide this afternoon is 5:22. Wind will blow hard tomorrow from SW at 15-20 erasing much of the swell we've seen. Wind diminishes and blows onshore Friday and Saturday with wave heights respectively knee and waist.
July 1, 8am - Nothing like getting into the water to confirm a forecast. Waves this morning are waist to chest. Water is bumpy at Orleans from SSW wind. Should be cleaner at beaches N of Eastham. Water is cold... go with full suit (up to 3/4) with boots.
6:30am -Nantucket buoy showing 6.2' at 8 secs from SSW. Chest+ waves with light wind this morning. Wind increases to 12mph SSW during the day. Low tide today at 4:15 this afternoon. Tomorrow looks like chest high with 10mph wind from S.
June 30, 2:15pm - Nantucket buoy showing 5.9' at 9 secs from SSW. Looks nice out there! Wind isn't as strong as forecast. Chest+ this afternoon, chest high tomorrow, waist+ on Wed. Wind will be mostly SW. Go and get it! Low tide is at 3:25 this afternoon.
June 29 - Swell building from the south tonight through Monday with wind blowing SSW at 18 mph and gusting up to 25 on Monday afternoon. Wind diminishes on Tuesday to 15 mph from SSW and still more on Wednesday morning to around 10 mph from SW.
NOAA forecast for the Cape Cod area. |
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