Swimming Supersuits: Enough is Enough
When swimmers first started wearing body suits I wasn't swimming, and I found them curious. The technology was pretty marginal, but before long they became de rigeur at all of the top swim meets. Now, it is hard to find anyone, even at masters swim meets, wearing anything else.
When Speedo brought out the LZR Racer, I didn't get too excited, and even though the record books were being rewritten, prefered to focus on the improvements that were being made in coaching, scientific support and even facilities. The sport seemed to be gaining in profile, and maybe that accounted for something too.There were plenty of people out there, such as Craig Lord, who writes for swimnews.com, who were publicly calling for the suits to be banned.
At the Olympics, almost every finalist wore the LZR Racer, so I thought, "well, it's a level playing field, so what".
Since then a number of other suits have been brought out that make the LZR Racer look like, well, a swimsuit.
The LZR Racer has panels made of polyurethane, the same material as a wetsuit. The new alternatives are single, polyurethane suits and have sparked even greater controversy - most recently at the French championships.
In the French Championships Alain Bernard became the first man to break 47 seconds for 100m freestyle (in a long course pool), posting 46.94 in the new Arena X-Glide suit (which has still to be ratified by FINA, the sport's governing body, although an application was lodged before the French champs). He then ditched the new suit for the final, finishing 3rd in 47.51, behind Frederick Bousquet who wore another similar suit, made by Italian manufacturers Jaked. Bousquet's time of 47.15s was the third fastest of all-time.
There are statistics to be found everywhere for the impact of the new suits, and just as many opinions.
One man who didn't go for a full bodysuit was triple Olympic bronze medallist Hugues Duboscq. Duboscq was fourth in the 50 breaststroke final after pocketing 18 of the past 20 French titles.
His coach, Christos Paparadopoulos, summed up the feeling of many in swimming when he said; "We work every day hoping for a good performance and it is all ruined because we do not have the right suit."
Another interesting perspective is that these suits may change the physical profile of an elite swimmer entirely. Traditionally swimmers, even sprinters, have not been overly muscular, but some of the current crop are much bigger and more defined. It may be that the buoyancy gained from the suit allows for a more muscular - and less buoyant - physique
At another level altogether, I witnessed another suit in action this weekend - made by Blue Seventy. I haven't seen the others up close, but having done so this weekend: It is a wetsuit. I don't care how "thin" it is.
Now, to be honest, if at Olympic level everyone is wearing them, should we really care? I mean, like I thought when I watched the Olympics in Beijing, it's a level playing field, right?
Wrong. What about at the levels of the sport where swimsuits aren't given by sponsors, but bought?
People could make National teams, get funding, win titles not because they are the best swimmer but because they have the right suit. And at up to £300 a go, there will always be haves and have nots. It may also be that their impact is greater on moderate swimmers than it is on the best - which may promote inferior swimmers to elite levels.
What frightens me most is the impact that these suits could have in youth swimming, on so many levels. What message does it send out to the swimmers if so much is down to the suit? What about talent identification? I mean, competition performance alone shouldn't be used to indicate talent, but it also can
't be ruled out completely and every competitor tested for physical or other markers of talent?
Apparently the rules will be changed so that no more than 50% of a suit can be made of polyurethane.
To be honest, I've been talking to friends who were swimmers*, and they now have no faith in the record books. What would Popov, Biondi or Jaeger have done in one of these suits? We'll never know. And we may never know what Bernard or Bousquet could do in a good, old-fashioned pair of trunks.
It's time to get back to basics. Stop tinkering around the margins. I'm buying the argument that men should race in trunks, women in 'normal' swimsuits. The problem is, until FINA get a grip of the rules, you can't blame swimmers for wanting the best technology they can have...
*Credit to Mike Wynn and Pete Henry for inspiring this blog. Like them, I think we should get back to trunks. But I won't share their ideas for revolutionising women's swimming.
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Rob Robson
Co-founder, iStadia.com
Wenger Transfer Policy Criticism Highlights Need for Balance
Emmanuel Petit, who played for Arsenal through many of their most successful years under Arsene Wenger, has criticised the club's transfer policy - highlighting the need to balance short term results with long-term strategy.
The worlds of business and sport are increasingly focused on short-term results. Football managers can be sacked within weeks if results go badly and confidence is lost. Business leaders talk of the need to get through the next quarter as being the priority to keep shareholders on side. In the current climate, financial collapse can be just around the corner, as many big names will testify.
Few doubt that Arsene Wenger is building a squad of players that could deliver success in the long-term, but in the meantime he has sacrificed trophies and tested the patience of many fans who expect more. Petit's criticism revolves around Wenger's unwillingness to spend big on new players, break the wage structure, and his apparent willingness to let senior players go when the squad may benefit from their experience.
Chelsea, in particular, among their rivals would appear to have taken the opposite approach, backed by Abramovich's deep pockets. Critics might point to the lack of evidence of a pipeline of home-grown talent. Clubs who buy are at risk of building a house of cards - when the current crop of players goes, where is the bench strength to replace them?Balance is not easily achieved. Manchester United have done it, although recently they've depended more on bought talent than home-grown. But they have been able to keep refreshing their squad, building for the long-term while maintaining results.
The same can be said to be true for any sport, whether 'professional' or not. Some years ago I was involved in the review of a major Olympic sport and their 'World Class' programmes. Within the sport there was some appetite for shifting focus (and funds), from what was seen as a bloated and ineffective senior programme, to their talent development programmes. A closer look, however, showed that success at the senior elite level was a crucuial driver of the whole system and that focusing on getting it right at the senior end could bring funding for the other programmes. A shift towards the junior programmes could be highly risky and ultimately result in the loss of overall funding.
Likewise, in professional sports such as football, the first team is the economic driver of the whole system. Revenues from TV, sponsorship, ticketing, prize money and other commercial ventures are dependent on success of the first team. The first team is the 'brand' in so many ways.
So maybe Emmanuel Petit is right. Clearly Arsenal aren't a bad team, but perhaps Wenger and the board have been a little dogmatic in their approach; perhaps just a little too focused on the future and not quite enough on the here and now.
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Rob Robson
Co-founder, iStadia.com
Psychology of 'Cup Teams': Motivation or mental weakness?
Up in Scotland there's a nice little football team called Dunfermline Athletic (The Pars). Yes, I admit it they're "my" team. I'm pulling my hair out, like most of our fans, because in the league progress has been downwards for most of the last five-ish years and after half-threatening to push for promotion back to the Scottish Premier League (SPL) we are now again flirting with relegation.
Yet in the the cups we're giants; world beaters; nay SUPERHUMAN! Well, almost. A snippet of our history in the last 5 years or so (mostly from the club's official site) is given below but take it as read that we have been like two different teams between the league and the cups.
The fans have a number of pet theories.
Probably the favourite is that the team performs better because they get paid bonuses in the cup but not the league. Due to an ongoing financial crisis (our total wage budget would not buy ONE decent player from the English Premier League) we do not pay win bonuses in league games.
However, the counter argument is that when the team crosses the white line on a Saturday, that's unlikely to matter. They are footballers. They want to win, right?
In professional sport, surely the absence of a financial bonus wouldn't impact on a team's desire to win? Would it? That's extrinsic motivation. Not 'proper' intrinsic motivation. Or as Herzberg would have put it, isn't the financial bonus structure just a 'hygiene' factor? But then, hygiene factors are things that need to be in place - they don't motivate especially but when they are missing....
Ah, wait a minute. So maybe rather than affecting a team's desire to win, the poor financial reward (let's face it, their base pay isn't much to start with) affects general satisfaction, and maybe even introduces stresses on players that you wouldn't necessarily expect in pro footballers, such as ability to keep paying the mortgage - especially when on short-term contracts.
Ok. So there may be something in that, though I don't think it's a 'Saturday afternoon thing'. I suspect that it has an impact on the players from day-to-day and gets in the way of creating a high performance culture.
What about alternative explanations?
Mine is that the differential in performance is a sign of mental fragility or weakness. Here's why. The league is where the pressure is from week to week. The cup is just a diversion for a team like Dunfermline. A good diversion - don't get me wrong - but a diversion. It isn't the main event. The league is what really matters. And mentally tough competitors peform when it really matters. Dunfermline, on the other hand, have not been consitently performing when it matters and have put in some superb performances (those cup finals haven't been all down to luck) when it doesn't really matter.
Dunfermline are a club that expect to be in the SPL, but don't really have the resources. Expectations, with the inability to exercise control mean that anxiety and stress are likely to be factors. Confidence is also likely to be lacking. Take away expectation, such as when a big SPL club comes to play us in the cup - and we're heroes again!
There you have it. Like everything, there's probably a mixture of factors involved, but the manifestation in this case is to create a "Cup Team". Do you recognise any of this in your team?
Dunfermline Athletic's 'Schizophrenic' Recent History
2004 Dunfermline achieve fourth place in the SPL and in the process reach their highest ever Premier League points total (53). The club also reaches their first Scottish Cup Final for 36 years, but were eventually beaten 3-1 by Celtic, and qualify for the UEFA cup. Immediately after the match, manager Jimmy Calderwood resigns to take up the manager's post at Aberdeen.
2005 Manager David Hay is sacked after failing to steer the club away from relegation. With just three games of the season to go, Jim Leishman is appointed as manager for the second time and works a miracle by keeping Dunfermline in the SPL. Despite appeals and an attempt to lay an improved artificial surface, Dunfermline are ordered by the SPL to replace the artificial surface with grass. The players accept a freeze on bonuses to help stave off financial problems.
2006 Dunfermline reach their seventh major national final but go down 3-0 to Celtic in the CIS Cup Final in March. After a disappointing start to the new season, manager Jim Leishman relinquishes the manager's post in October to return to his previous post of Director of Football. The Board makes a surprise appointment, with Irishman Stephen Kenny becoming the club's new manager.
2007 Poor league form put Dunfermline firmly at the foot of the table and despite a late rally were relegated. Despite that the club enjoyed a terrific Scottish Cup run to reach their third national final in three years. In the Final Dunfermline narrowly lost 1-0 to Celtic.
Dunfermline reached the Final of the Scottish League Challenge Cup only to lose 3-2 to St Johnstone. In December after continuing poor league form and the threat of further relegation, manager Stephen Kenny was dismissed to be replaced by Player-Manager Jim McIntyre.
My additions..
2008 Finished fifth in the Irn Bru First Division.
2009 Struggled again with league form, and currently sit in the bottom half of the first Division, but reached the Quarter Final of the CIS (League) Cup and are due to play Falkirk in the Scottish Cup semi final.
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Rob Robson
Co-founder, iStadia.com
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Values, Ethics and Professionalism in Sports
It's shaping up to be an interesting week in professional sport, from a 'values' point of view. We often expect athletes to be role models, but when we do we are often let down. It's not cut and dried that professional athletes should shoulder that responsibly, but we still can't help feeling disappointed when their values are called into question.
I've picked up two examples this week, both of which are completely different.
The first, and higher profile, incident was Lewis Hamilton's disqualification from the Australian Grand Prix after he and the McLaren team were found guilty of "deliverately misleading " race stewards in a post-race hearing.
Sitting on the outside, it is hard to say where the culpability lies, but sporting director Dave Ryan has been suspended by the British Team. That hasn't stopped the international media from having a field day, with Hamilton described as a "liar" and the values of the McLaren team called into quesion. German paper Bild printed a doctored photo of Hamilton as Pinocchio.
This could have implications for Hamilton's career, as well as McClaren's status with potential sponsors. Assuming that Hamilton was acting under orders, one can sympathise with the dilemma that he would have faced - risking his employment for the sake of his integrity - but would hope that integrity and honesty have a higher value than one championship point.
The other story is closer to my own heart, as a Scot. It is different in that it refers to two Scotland footballers, Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor, who were dropped from Wednesday's game against Iceland for a breach of team discipline (related to drinking).
Rather than accepting that their punishment, both players where photographed displaying 'V' signs as they sat on the bench - a petulant and immature display of arrogance and immaturity. McGregor is a relatively young and inexperienced player at that level but Ferguson was the Scotland and Rangers captain, and a highly experienced 'professional' of whom we should expect higher standards.
I also highlight this because, reading between the lines, this is not just about the unprofessional act of publicly displaying dissatisfaction with a decision. There have been a number of indications that all is not well in the Scotland camp, and this act could have been read as an attempt to wield 'player power' and undermine the manager, George Burley. Again, ethics come into the equation if this was a political act.
In the end, with the Scottish Football Association defending their manager, and Rangers suspending both players (and stripping Ferguson of the captaincy), their actions have backfired and they may just have strenghtened Burley's position.
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Rob Robson
Co-founder, iStadia.com
Golf's Young Pretenders: Teens Chasing the Green Jacket at Augusta
The first of this year's golf majors, the US Masters Golf Championship (The Masters) tees off this weekend at the Augusta National Country Club in Georgia. 93 of the world’s best golfers, from the PGA Tour, European Tour and Asian Tour, will compete for the Green Jacket.
While much of the attention will be on the return of Tiger Woods, and his prospective duel against other major winners such as Padraig Harrington and Phil Mickelson, three teenagers will be in the line up this year. While none will be among the bookies favourites for the Masters, they could all have a real impact on the championship.
Young Pretenders at the Masters
1. Danny Jin-Myung Lee (이진명, 18), a naturalised New Zealander born in South Korea, is the world's leading amateur.
When winning the US Amateur Championships last August he became the youngest ever champion - taking that accolade from Tiger Woods (1994).
This February, Danny Lee won the Johnnie Walker Classic in Australia, becoming the youngest ever winner of a European Tour (who co-sanctioned the event) tournament.
Reputed (inaccurately) to have turned down $100m in endorsements since winning the US Amateurs, to stay amateur, he plans to turn pro after the Masters.
I listened to Danny Lee being interviewed last night on Radio Five Live (which is what promtped me to write about these guys) and he showed great humility, a very level head, and seemed very unphased but excited about the prospect of playing in the Masters. That bodes well for a career at the top of the sport. He also seemed to have the long-term perspective that he didn't need to go chasing money now, but by looking after his golf the money would look after itself.
2. Rory McIlroy (19), from Holywood, Northern Ireland also made a big impact as an amateur, winning the silver medal (top amateur) at the 2007 Open Championships at Carnoustie. During that tournament he tied for third place after 18 holes, and seemed set for a big future. Indeed, he had already appeared in a European Tour event, as a 16 year old in the 2005 British Masters.
McIlroy first made the cut on the European Tour aged seventeen at the 2007 Dubai Desert Classic, a tournament that marked his first win as a Pro, in February of this year.
In the Autumn of 2007 Rory McIlroy turned pro, and finished 3rd in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, and when he tied for 4th at the Madrid Open a week later he became the youngest affiliate member in the history of the European Tour to earn a tour card.
Early in 2008 McIlroy broke into the world's top 200, and in September 2008 missed out on his first tournament victory in a playoff, at the Omega European Masters. By the end of the season had made the top 100 of the world rankings and finished 36th on the European Tour's Order of Merit.This winter has seen McIlroy go from strength to strength, finishing 2nd in the UBS Hong Kong Open, 3rd in the South African Open, and earning his Masters place by ending 2008 at 39th in the world (the youngest player to reach the top 50). His win in Dubai took him to 16th, before he reached the semis of the 2009 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.
3. Ryo Ishikawa (石川 遼, 18) is Japanese and a professional who also became his Tour's youngest winner. As an amateur in 2007 Ryo, known as "Hanikami Ōji" (Bashful Prince), won the Munsingwear Open KSB Cup aged only 15 years and 8 months.
After turning professional in 2008, Ryo won the Mynavi ABC Championships and become the youngest player to reach the world's top 100.
This year Ryo Ishikawa has been invited to play in a number of PGA Tour events, including the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Northern Trust Open and the Transitions Championship. He makes his Master debut as an International invitee of the Augusta National Golf Club, the hosts of the Masters Championships.
I think it is interesting and exciting that 3 youngsters, so close to each other in age, from different parts of the world, are making such an impact on the game. Let's hope that we can still see these guys playing on the Sunday at Augusta. If so, you never know...
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Rob Robson
Co-founder, iStadia.com
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Rob Robson
Co-founder, iStadia.com
