A major wardrobe change can’t keep some of the area’s top swimmers from still looking good in the water.

The record-setting times posted at last winter’s boys swimming state championship helped provoke the Illinois High School Association to ban the popular high-tech suits believed to have contributed to faster results in recent years.

Girls swimmers are the first group to experience the high school ban in Illinois as the fall campaign nears midseason. Yet, despite returning to more traditional-style suits, times continue to improve.

Downers Grove North’s Haley Sims has placed in the top eight at state in three events over her first two years of high school.

Sims broke her own meet record in two individual events at the Downers North Invitational this weekend, and also reset her own 100-yard butterfly meet record at the Neuqua Valley Invite earlier this fall.

Last season, Sims set all three previous marks in one of the now-banned full body suits used almost exclusively by top swimmers in 2008.

“I feel like I have enough strength and my technique is good enough to carry me through without too much of a difference,” said Sims, the state runner-up in the 100 butterfly last year.

But while she shows no signs of slowing down this fall, the Downers North junior has mixed feelings about the IHSA’s new policy banning the high-tech suits.

“I’m a little upset that they changed the suit rule,” Sims said. “I really liked those suits. They just feel so good when you’re in the water.

“But as far as taking them away, I really don’t feel that my times are going to suffer so much because the races that I swim (the butterfly and 200 freestyle) are so short.”

St. Charles North’s Angie Chokran, who earned two all-state finishes last fall without a high-tech suit, already has broken several records at two different state-powerhouse pools this season.

Still not wearing the special suit, the senior set the new 100 butterfly and 100 breaststroke standards Saturday at Fenwick (ninth at state in 2008). Earlier in the season, Chokran bested the breaststroke mark at Hinsdale Central (second at state in 2008).

Price is wrong
Not banning high-tech suits would have been a costly decision, according to Morton head coach Scott Gourley.

Gourley had two key reasons.

No. 1, he said the suits typically cost $350 to $500, making them unaffordable for most, if not all, of his swimmers. No. 2, the economic challenge translates into an unfair advantage because of what the suits do.

“There were no limitations,” Gourley said. “Outside from putting a motor on your rear and putting fins on your feet, it was anything goes. The dynamic qualities make you faster. It was a technical advantage and action needed to be taken.”

The same sentiment exists in affluent communities like Hinsdale and St. Charles.

“If you didn’t have the suit and it was allowed, you were at a disadvantage,” said Hinsdale Central girls swim coach Bob Barber, whose team tied for second in the state a year ago. “I support the decision to not use it. We are in a competitive sport but not to the point where it is driven by finances.

“This evens the playing field. You don’t put hours and hours of training in to have somebody that has a couple extra dollars pass you up because of technology and money.”
However, St. Charles North coach Rob Rooney said banning the high-tech suits could drive up the cost of the more traditional models.

“The suits that are a step down are going to be the same cost because the companies are going to try and recoup what they lost (not being able to sell the high-tech suits anymore),” he said.

Well-qualified
McGraw said that the IHSA Board of Directors will meet in early October to determine the 2009-10 state meet qualifying standards.

The standards have gotten faster each of the last several years, but that trend could change this fall.

The more difficult qualifying standards and the faster state meet times both were a product of technology, McGraw said.

“It clearly was because of the suits,” he said. “Over the last few seasons, there was an increase of speed in the pool. It was not only attributed to training and conditioning. Last year, the suits became dominant.

“I’m anticipating that the times will go down at the state meet. I’m happy we have come to this point. I’m excited to move on and get past the suit issue. We have had no complaints.”