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Competive Swimming - Polyurethane Swimming Suits

            Polyurethane swimming suits were introduced into the international world of swimming in the 2009 World Championships in Rome when USA swimming superstar Michael Phelps suffered his first individual defeat in almost four years to a no name German swimmer called Paul Biedermann in the 200m freestyle. (Crouse, 2009) Biedermann shocked the swimming world when he also smashed the World Record and improved his personal best in the 400m freestyle by almost 8 seconds. This astonishing event alarmed FINA (Federation Internationale de Natation or International Swimming Federation) and also raised questions about the suit worn by Biedermann and what the sport of swimming was becoming. After the race Phelps said this in an interview Now its not swimming. The headlines are always whos wearing what suit. (Crouse, 2009) .
             Polyurethane was invented in the 1930s and is made in the form of foam and flexible plastic. It was originally used in automobile seating, car and bike wheels. After the success of the partially polyurethane Speedo Swimsuit in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, swimsuit manufacturers began developing these suits except using 100% polyurethane. Some of these suits were banned by FINA whereas others were approved. (No Author, 2010) These suits are made of polyurethane foam which is made up of closed-cells which contain gas that is less dense than water. The lower density allows swimmers to float in the pool which gets more of the swimmers body out of the water. Drag on the human body when moving in water is around 780 times more than the drag on the human body in air (Barrow, 2012) so it makes sense that having more of your body out of the water is a much better thing as it makes a big difference in the swimmers speeds and times. The suits also reduce the effects of muscle fatigue meaning that swimmers can work harder for longer without the pain in their muscles that are doing lots of work.


Essays Related to Competive Swimming - Polyurethane Swimming Suits

1. Swimming

Swimming. ... Basic, sound swimming comes down to this: Lean into the water with your upper trunk (to balance) so your suit is just breaking the surface; rotate your hips around your spinal axis (to propel), getting them completely out of the way as each hand passes through. ... Meet; this is when swimmers or swimming teams come together to compete. ... Over the years swimming suits have evolved into different fashions. ... Two teams compete by attempting to shoot a buoyant ball into a designated goal at both ends of the pool. ...

  • Word Count: 1714
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Observation: YMCA Swimming Pool

The swimming pool I observed is located at the YMCA on Richmond Ave. ... One ten year-old girl I spoke with, Gia, stated it very simply, "You"re only cool if you have the right bathing suit. ... "Her bathing suit isn't in [style] so no one talks to her much. ... But, no matter what, if you are caught wearing an underwear [Speedo style swimming suit] you"re a sissy and no one likes to be around a sissy." As I looked around, I noticed all the boys wearing trunk-style swimming suits and realized peer pressure is still influencing the actions of pre-teens today as much as it was ten years ...

  • Word Count: 829
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Swimming

Swimming The sun sleeps as the desolate city streets await the morning rush hour. ... There was a time, three weeks into my new swimming endeavor, I somehow persuaded my coach to let me enter the annual age group competition. ... With my friends, time is increasingly spent in the pursuit of the next swimming objective. ... This is a little sweet success for my swimming, after all that work I have put in. but I still have a long way to go. I have learned that, as in swimming, life's successes often come in small increments. ...

  • Word Count: 282
  • Approx Pages: 1
  • Grade Level: High School

4. The Benefits of Swimming

Swimming is a full body workout. When swimming, you are using your arms, legs, and your core. ... Swimming is really a sport for the people. ... Swimming is kind of a cure. ... The moral of the story, swimming is great....

  • Word Count: 535
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

5. Swimming

I feel tense and I am shaking, yet I am firmly determined to achieve my goal. With just seconds before the start of the race, images of the past five months cloud my thoughts. Unpleasant memories of waking up at pre-dawn hours and arduous after-school practices flash through my head. I will soon kn...

  • Word Count: 274
  • Approx Pages: 1
  • Grade Level: High School

6. Swimming as a unifying device

In this story, "Touching bottom", by Kari Strutt, swimming was used as a unifying device. ... When related to swimming, touching the bottom makes the swimmer feel like the surface isn't too far away. ... The body of the story itself has a lot of imagery related to swimming. ... For the narrator herself, I think swimming represented her life. ... I think by the end of the story, the narrator realizes that change is a part of life, and she starts swimming at the YMCA pool again, even though the water there is now murky. ...

  • Word Count: 267
  • Approx Pages: 1
  • Grade Level: High School

7. Swimming

"Swimming" In swimming there is no stroke harder to learn then the Butterfly stroke. This is the stroke where the swimmer swims kicking like a dolphin and pulling with his or her hands at the same time under the water and recovering for the next stroke above water with both arms at the same ...

  • Word Count: 1063
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

8. My Experiences in Competitive Swimming

In swimming, true competition lies not within the talent of other swimmers, but within the daunting challenge of defying water. ... My mom drove me to a far suburb where I was able to compete with swimmers my age. ... I was overjoyed to have earned my first swimming medal but I knew that I still had a lot of work to do before earning a first place medal come. This may not have been the biggest accomplishment of my swimming career but it definitely laid the foundation for my future endeavors....

  • Word Count: 761
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

9. unforgettable day

Since the first grade, I was interested in swimming because my family and I always went to my oldest brother's swimming contests. ... My dad decided to enroll me in swimming classes after school. ... As I entered the swimming pool for the first time, I saw a lot of children with their swimsuit ready to learn. ... One day as I was getting ready to practice as usual, my coach came up to me and told me that I was selected to compete in a national swimming contest in two months. ... When I headed to the locker room, I saw all the swimmers I was going to compete with. ...

  • Word Count: 1032
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

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