FOUNTAIN VALLEY, California (AP) -- The Speedo LZR Racer swimsuit is making such a splash in the pool that Bishop Johnson believes every record in the sport could fall at the Second Annual Fountain Valley Memorial Day Triathlon.
Since the suit was unveiled in February, twenty-three triathlon world records have been set. The new Speedo suit has been worn in all but one of the 23 records.
The FV3 Triathlon's world governing body (FV3-TWGB), chaired by Timmy T. "my foot still hurts" Templin, decided last weekend not to ban the new high-tech suit, despite claims of buoyancy and "technological doping" by some critics (Beau "Russian Sub" McCraney).
"I wouldn't be surprised to see every world record broken at the Triathlon, and hopefully I'll get one of those," said Bishop Johnson, one of the most outspoken supporters of the new swimsuit.
NASA and battle star gallactica each had a hand in designing the LZR, and Speedo claims it makes swimmers go two percent faster.
"They say that the suit is rocket science, but the stats are not rocket science," Johnson said. "The proof is in the pool."
Johnson said he will go so far as to recommend that every member of the FV3 Ward wear the Speedo suit during training in April and May -- even if they are sponsored by another company.
"I would strongly advise them to wear the suit during training, or they may end up at home watching on the blog," Johnson said. "Do you go for the money or for the gold? These athletes have been dreaming about winning the FV3 Triathlon for more than a year now and nobody can afford to give up two percent."
Four prominent members of the ward are sponsored by Nike -- Kaz "I don't need no stinkin' swimsuit" Augustus, Mindy "I train upstream at the River" Stewart, Ritchie "sign me up for another" Blake and Jeff "why train?" Farr.
The Richardson and McCraney Clans wear "Arena" and teams Bell and Kendrick use "Mizuno" swimwear.
The Fountain Valley 3rd Ward Triathlon Equipment Review Committee (FV3-TERC), chaired by Jen "I'm putting Paul in a Speedo" Hafen, met with the other swimsuit manufacturers on Saturday, and there are no plans to ban the LZR. According to Hafen, "the other companies are clearly behind."
"I feel very sorry for them," Hafen said. "Get with it."
Bob "really, I'm not racing again" Johns -- the new head coach for McCraneys -- has said wearing the LZR amounts to "technological doping."
Beau "Russian Sub" McCraney, who has won 17 medals and was a co-champion in First Annual FV3 Triathlon, said something needs to be changed "right away."
"It's not a matter of technology," McCraney said. "The matter is one suit has much more flotation. If I were to go out there in a scuba suit it wouldn't be fair either. There's something not right about it.
"It has to be fair for everyone."
McCraney is using a new Arena suit that was supposed to compete with the LZR, but he said it hasn't changed much.
"I have the new one, but it's just lighter than the old one," McCraney said.
Ginny "watch your back" Richardson, another prominent competitor wearing Arena, agreed.
"We're at a big disadvantage," she said. "I think we all need to have the same (type of) suit at the Triathlon, and Arena is working on it. But they've got to hurry. We're behind."
In an open letter published in Friday's editions of the Fountain Valley View, Bruce "the pen is mightier" Richardson called for "urgent" action due to the "firestorm of publicly expressed concern" over the new suits.
Richardson said the sport faces an "irrecoverable loss of credibility, just a few months before the Triathlon."
"As a consequence, a reliable and transparent analysis of these materials, as well as a careful assessment of approval procedures, is urgent," Richardson wrote. "Such action is in the supreme interest of the sport."
The letter was dated the day before FV3TERC issued a statement saying it will not ban the suits because there is no scientific evidence supporting claims of buoyancy.
Speedo is a top sponsor of FedEx's olympic and triathlon athletes and Bishop Johnson made his comments while wearing a polo shirt emblazoned with Speedo's logo.
"I'm not saying this just because they pay part of my salary," Johnson said. "I'm all about performance and I believe in the product."
Madeline "Dad hooked me up" Johnson used the LZR to set a world record in the "keep the ball away from the old guys" tournament on Saturday at the Greenbrook pool.
"It's definitely good for the sport but the bottom line is you still have to swim hard," Madeline said. "All suits for me are mental."
Good luck to all participants!
[See also, http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/04/11/lzr.record.breaking.ap/index.html ]
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