Watersports blog

Olympian Mark Foster has joined in the call of Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington and world record titlist Liam Tancock in the implementation of new swimsuit regulations, which involves getting rid of advanced swimsuits and going back to traditional ones during competitions.

The wearing of Speedo LZR since February 2008 resulted to more than 200 world records being set which included the Olympic Games in Beijing, China. There have been complaints that these swimsuits are performance enhancers.

FINA, the international governing body on aquatic sports, have decided that starting January 1, 2010 all swimsuits used in competitions should be made out of textile only.

Michael Phelps’ coach Bob Bowman threatened to withdraw the 14-time Olympic champion from competitions if changes were not established.

This forced FINA to act ruling that from January1, 2010 all suits will be textile only with far less coverage of the body.

Foster said that this is a great welcome for everyone since it no longer about the swimsuits anymore but the swimmers, which should be the point of the competitions in the first place.

The Dive Equipment and Marketing Association, considered to be the largest trade expo in the scuba diving and snorkeling industry was held earlier this month in Orlando, Florida. The exhibitors showed the must have snorkeling and scuba diving gears which can be useful in tropical vacations in islands. These gears are slated for wide release in the coming months. The items that got massive attention was the Hydroacoustics Inc. Diver Interdiction System which costs $60,000, the Proteus 500 ROV which costs $33,000.

Not to be missed was the Liquid Image Underwater Camera Mask which makes it easier for photographers to shoot videos of colorful fish and coral without having to schlep around a camera and strobes. This costs $150. The Liquid image works to up to 115 feet deep, enough to get those hard to get images of underwater creatures.

Active wear maker Lululemon Athletica is now attempting to enter the “tween” market in Canada through its Ivivva Athletic brand. Lululemon is known for providing outfits to mothers ranging from yoga outfits to gym clothes.

Lululemon Chief Executive Officer Christine Day said that they are confident about the prospects of the teenage market embracing their products, adding that they have the opportunity to give the younger women the option to upgrade their dress sense.
Ivivva targets girls aged six to twelve and the line is making a grand debut at Lululemon’s main store in Vancouver later this month followed by its launch in Calgary and Victory by December.
Day said Ivivva will soon be an independent store, but for now the products will be sold in Lululemon stores to properly introduce the line to the new market.

Lululemon ventured into the pre-teen market after positive revenues posted on its third quarter period and with the holiday season coming up, sales are expected to grow as well.