Talent trumps technology!

There are two camps in the world of sports. The first camp believes that athletes should compete on the merits of their ability. The second camp believes that technology should be leveraged to enhance ability. I can see the merits of both, but in my (not-so-humble) opinion, those in the second camp tend to the be athletes with the fatter wallets.

Just about every sport is now a "rich man's sport"- meaning that in order to compete at the highest (and sometimes not-so-high) levels, you need all the gear. All that gear brings with it the hope of going just a bit faster, farther or more efficiently- and a hefty price tag.

Swimming had entered this second camp. It was painfully evident at the 2008 Olympics. Swimmers were decked out in "sharkskin technology", "seam technology" and every other kind of technology available. It eliminated the level playing field, and many are fine with this.

However, there has been a tremendous amount of backlash surrounding this technology. As a result, United States Masters Swimming, the governing body for "older" swimmers, just handed down a ruling stating that swimming is going "old school". That means no more "sharkskin technology"and no more "seam technology"; just good old-fashioned ability leaving the blocks to duke it out on a level playing field.

As a vocal member of the first camp, I couldn't be happier. Way to go USMS for having the courage to switch camps.