WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHY of Racing Suits

Who What type When to wear Why What makes this so special Image
All the time, at all meets
Swimming Canada supports keeping
swimmers should be in a basic
Any Speedo Training suit children out of tech suits until they
Speedo swimsuit.
an ISLAND SWIMMING CLUB suit are at a Senior National Level.
12 & Under Every Island Swimming Club swimmer wears one! They come
or a tighter than normal Lycra suit
Athletes Exceptions can be made for 12 in ISC colours and logos.
This sends the message that a
year old female athletes
$45-85 swimmers preparation, not the suit,
qualified for Age Group
makes the result! No magic tricks.
Nationals

These suits are only appropriate for

Aquablade Recordbreaker, Provincial level and above athletes Made of knitted fabric - as opposed to the woven fabrics of
Kneeskin or Jammer Peak championship meets. competing at their peak true tech suits. Knitted fabrics have generous four-way
These are AAAs, Age Group championship meet. stretch capabilities and are less expensive. Because the suits
13-18 year old
Power Plus Recordbreaker, Nationals, Westerns, Nationals stretch easily, the swimmer must size down to ensure both
AAA+ Athletes
Kneeskin or Jammer or whenever directed by the These are not necessary. But we good fit and as many wearings as possible. Generally they last
coach. introduce a different racing suit here much longer than tech suits at a fraction of the cost. Black
$50- $145 as a middle step between training and green are the team colours!
and tech suits.

Only the fastest swimmers benefit

from the small margin of difference
these suits make. They are not for
LZR Racer Pro Recordbreaker, reaching qualifying standards but
Jammer or Kneeskin rather used at the major meet for
maximum readiness.
15 & Over LZR Elite 2 Kneeskin or Jammer Trials, Nationals, Major Games
Senior National or whenever directed by the Note: ISC swimmers who meet the
Athletes LZR X Kneeskin or Jammer coach. National standard receive one tech
suit free through our Speedo
Contract!
$280 - $550
In other words, dont wear one if
you arent fast enough to get one for
free!
Made of woven fabrics with sewn seams. Woven fabrics are
incredibly lightweight and do not hold water. They do not
have the four-way stretch of the knitted fabrics and thus are
more difficult to put on. Research has shown that
compressed muscles perform more efficiently. Since most of
these suits relax with wear, it is best to size down to a very
tight fit to allow the swimmer to wear the suit as many times
as possible. (Top)
The more expensive tech suits provide a great deal more
compression than other suits. Instead of sewn seams, the
seams are bonded for streamlined surface, which is critical
when hundredths of a second count! (Bottom)
Island Swimming Club Suit Guidelines
10&Under Athletes:

All 10&Under athletes should have one black Competition level suit in BLACK, Ideally an ISLAND suit. This will be their go to suit at all meets.

Female: Endurance +, Endurance Lite, Core Fly back, Solid Super Pro, Solid Cross Back, Core Super Pro Back, Solid Super Pro , Any plain black Speedo suit (Without a FINA Approved label)
Male: Endurance +, Endurance Lite, ProLT, Pool Deck Series Solid, Core Solid, Any plain black Speedo suit (Without a FINA Approved label)

Coachs comment: These suits are basic, often Lycra (or similar fabric), suits. Boys may wear Jammer style or Brief style. These suits should be smaller and more fitting than a training suit. Most new swimmers order suits (both practice and
racing) that are 1-2-3 or 4 sizes too large.

10&Under athletes should for no reason be racing in Performance level suits. If you have a question as to an appropriate suit please ask your childs coach or Director of Swimming, Ben Keast.

11-12 Year Old Athletes:

ALL 11-12 year old athletes should have one black Competition level suit in BLACK, Ideally an ISLAND suit. This will be their go to suit at most meets. Appropriate examples:

Female: Endurance +, Endurance Lite, Core Flyback, Solid Super Pro, Solid Cross Back, Core Super Pro Back, Solid Super Pro , Any plain black Speedo suit (Without a FINA Approved label)
Male: Endurance +, Endurance Lite, ProLT, Pool Deck Series Solid, Core Solid, Any plain black Speedo suit (Without a FINA Approved label)

Coachs comment: These suits are basic, often Lycra (or similar fabric), suits. Boys may wear Jammer style or Brief style. These suits should be smaller and more fitting than a training suit. Most new swimmers order suits (both practice and
racing) that are 1-2-3 or 4 sizes too large. This suit should NOT have a white FINA APPROVED label on the suit.

11 or 12 year olds that are Age Group National qualified may also wear a Performance level suit at selected meets. These suits have stitching. Stitch-less suits are for Senior National athletes.

Options:
Speedo Aquablade Kneeskin, Recordbreaker or Jammer
Speedo Power Plus Kneeskin, Recordbreaker or Jammer

SOME 12 year old female athletes attending AAAs may wear a Performance level suit at selected meets.

Options:
Speedo Aquablade or Power Plus Kneeskin (Female only)

Coachs comment: These Performance suits should only be worn at championship meets or other high level meets selected by the coaching staff. Please consult your coach one which meets would be appropriate to wear your Performance level
suit.

11-12 year old athletes should for no reason be racing in Higher Level Performance Speedo Elite suits. If you have a question as to an appropriate suit please ask your childs coach or Director of Swimming, Ben Keast.

Suit Notes:
Athletes should wear their standard black competition suit in most racing situations.
It is important that all swimmers wear Speedo brand suits. Speedo is one of our largest sponsors.
Performance suits have a very short life. Their use can be measured not in meets, but in races. Please follow all proper care tips to extend the life as much as possible.
If you have a question as to an appropriate suit please ask your childs coach or Director of Swimming, Ben Keast.
Island Swimming Club Suit Guidelines
13 &Older Athletes:

ALL 13&Older athletes should have one black Competition level suit in BLACK. Ideally, this will be an ISLAND suit. This will be their go to suit at most meets.

Some Examples of Appropriate Speedo Suits:

Female: Endurance +, Endurance Lite, Core Flyback, Solid Super Pro, Solid Cross Back, Core Super Pro Back, Solid Super Pro , Any plain black Speedo suit (Without a FINA Approved label)
Male: Endurance +, Endurance Lite, ProLT, Pool Deck Series Solid, Core Solid, Any plain black Speedo suit (Without a FINA Approved label)

Coachs comment: These suits are basic, often Lycra (or similar fabric), suits. Boys may wear Jammer style or Brief style. These suits should be smaller and more fitting than a training suit. Most new swimmers order suits (both practice and
racing) that are 1-2-3 or 4 sizes too large. This suit should NOT have a white FINA APPROVED label on the suit.

SOME 13&Older athletes may also wear a Performance level suit at selected meets. Depending on Age and Ability some appropriate options include:

Speedo Aquablade Recordbreaker, Kneeskin, Jammer or Brief

Speedo LZR Racer Pro Recordbreaker
Speedo LZR Racer Elite/Elite 2
Speedo LZR Racer X

Coachs comment: These suits are high-level performance suits. These types of suits should be worn at Olympic Trials, Senior Nationals, Age Group Nationals, Westerns and other Swimming Canada/Swim BC Championship-like meets that may
include, at coachs discretion: AAAs, AAs, Richmond Fastswim Classic, EKI, or High School Provincial Championships.

Summary: 13&Older athletes should have one Competition level suit. Some 13&Older athletes will also be permitted to wear a Performance level suit to at Championship Type Meets. If you have a question as to an appropriate suit please
ask your childs coach or Director of Swimming, Ben Keast

Suit Notes:
Athletes should wear their standard black competition suit in most racing situations.
It is important that all swimmers wear Speedo brand suits. Speedo is one of our largest sponsors.
Performance suits have a very short life. Their use can be measured not in meets, but in races. Please follow all proper care tips to extend the life as much as possible.
If you have a question as to an appropriate suit please ask your childs coach or Director of Swimming, Ben Keast.

Its important to note that all kids develop at their own rate, this holds true for athletes too coaches will advise when your child can begin to
wear anything outside of a traditional practice suit. Racing suit readiness is at the sole discretion of ISCs coaching staff.