Next month you'll be able to purchase this new super-stretchy Rocket Skin swim suit which has just entered the skirmish into the ongoing swimsuit technology battle and controversy.
The new suite is the brainchild of triathlete Marcin Sochacki, who says the suite is faster than Speedo's LZR swimsuit worn by the fastest swimmers at the Beijing Olympics this year.
His Austin, Texas based company received approval from FINA in September for the new swimsuit, and the company is ready to start selling the suit for $300 to $399 to anyone with the funds to go fast. Unlike Speedo's LZR, the Rocket Science Sports suite has long sleeves, so it covers more of the body in that low-drag material.
"If I tell you if you eat peanut butter before practice you will go faster, would you not do it?" Sochacki says. "And how many purists swim without goggles? When goggles were introduced, the number of world records broken went up."
According to Austin360.com:
"But the high-tech suits — those made by Speedo and other big names, along with a wave of new entries from companies like Rocket Science Sports and Blueseventy that previously focused on triathlon gear — are controversial.
Swimming purists say the high-dollar suits ruin the essence of the sport and give an unfair advantage to those who wear them. Some swimmers don two suits at once (a practice not permitted at the Olympics), creating pockets of air that help "float" them. And some argue that the suits themselves are a trifle buoyant.
Still, Sochacki and others say the "super" suits bring needed excitement and buzz to the sport. Swimmers are going faster than ever, drawing in fans. They also say it's natural for sports to incorporate changing technologies. Cyclists have adopted carbon fiber instead of aluminum bikes, for example, and tennis players use rackets with larger "sweet spots."
