Picture a teenager who committed to a sport almost his entire life, came to every practice and dry-land training session for many consecutive years and begged his parents to buy him a six-hundred-dollar polyurethane swim suit only to be somewhat similar to the infamous Micheal Phelps, Ryan Lochte, or Jason Lezak. Now picture the same kid being told that he can no longer wear that ÃÂtechnicalÃÂ suit at any swim meets and that he has to resort to the primitive ÃÂjammersÃÂ swimsuit, which has not been used in the Olympics since 2004. This all sounds ridiculous; however, it is ridiculously true.
At the annual 2009 Convention of USA Swimming Delegates, representing clubs from all 50 states, an overwhelming vote had been cast for early implementation of a ban on high-tech swimsuits. Only to follow in near future, that is on Jan 1st of 2010, will be the same response from the NCAA, FINA, and numerous high school swimming organizations, including New YorkÃÂs PSAL.
English: U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps shows off his...
English: Jason Lezak at the Maccabiah Games 07/200...
English: Ryan Lochte during 2008 Olympic Trials (O...The USA Swimming ban will take effect on October 1st, 2009 and will throw away the dreams of countless youngsters, hard-earned money of countless parents, and strive for innovations in the world of competitive swimming all into the bin.
If an individual works his heart out both physically and mentally in order to achieve a certain goal, shouldnÃÂt he be given the same opportunities as those who already achieved that goal? A typical high school teen who is part of a USA swimming club outside of school regularly spends and average of twenty hours in the pool weekly. Completing workouts that total over 5 miles daily, which is more that most individuals walk, the teen who undergoes such mental and physical stress is uncontrovertibly determined toward achieving a certain goal. If any type of turbulence is...