How will FINA rules affect blueseventy?

Napier New Zealand March 18th 2009

blueseventy’s CEO Steve Nicholls is confident that blueseventy will be able to adapt to any rulings that have come from the FINA Dubai charter.

“We’ve been involved, along with FINA and the other major manufacturers for the last few months in making sure that our products are meeting any restrictions, both in the immediate and long term future” said Nicholls.

Fina’s rules, issued in a two-stage process, will limit suits on thickness, buoyancy and other areas as of March 31st this year. This will be the standard until Jan 1st 2010, when the restrictions of phase two will come into effect.

“Phase one should not affect the legality of our current suits at all. All our in-house testing has shown that our current suits meet all of the phase one restrictions, including those relating to buoyancy. There has been a lot of incorrect information, and personal viewpoints ushered into the public arena, and we feel that some of these tests will help reduce the confusion that seems to be out there.”

“Phase two, will limit suits based on permeability, and dependant upon what that permeability ruling is, theoretically we may need to adjust our designs to make sure we retain a viable swimskin product beyond 2010. Since the FINA think tank in February, we’ve changed our design focus around those possible rulings and have some exciting concepts already in the pipeline.”

That’s for the future. For now blueseventy suits are fast becoming the suit of choice for swimmers globally, none more so than in the US college season, where blueseventy Nero suits took more State championships than any other brand. The current suits should remain in circulation until Jan 1st 2010 when, pending the new permeability rulings they may be phased out.

Commenting on the rulings, Global sales and marketing manager Dean Jackson said “We’re committed to being a long term partner of FINA, and swimming, that’s why we’ve invested back into the sport already, with sponsorship of US masters, and the FINA open water 10km Marathon series. This means that we are listening to coaches, athletes and others in order to ensure we are designing products that meet with the direction of the sport that FINA is charged with protecting. “

blueseventy boosts confidence in Aussie World Champ trials

Going into Day Four Finals session of the 6 Day meet of the 2009 Australian World Champs Trials swimmers in blueseventy are blitzing the pool.
Achievements by Swimmers choosing to wear blueseventy include 2 Commonwealth and three Australian Records, 5 Gold Medals 3 Silver and so far 5 swimmers qualifying for the Australian world Champs swimming Pool Team to be held in Rome in August.
Notable swims include Ryan Nepolean being the first Australian swimmer to qualify for world champs Australian Swimming Pool team wearing blueseventy. The 18 year old came a close second in the 400m to book his ticket to Rome.
Ash Delaney set a new Australian record in the 50m Backstroke on night two wearing blueseventy then went on to swim a 1:55 on night three in his 200m Backstroke to set a new Commonwealth and Australian record.
Sprint Butterfly queen, Marieke Guerher, who set a world record in the blueseventy during FINA world cups late last year has continued to wear blueseventy and continued her fine swimming form with a Commonwealth and Australian record in the 50m Fly and silver in the 100m Free and a place in the World Champs Team.

Other Australian athletes to qualify in the nero suit include breastroker's Christian Sprenger who claimed his first Australian Champsionship win in the 100m breatroke and Sarah Katsoulis who won the 50m Breastroke on night two.
Day Four Finals are just about to unfold and no doubt swimmers in blueseventy will continue to pull out amazing swims!

The cold is no excuse!

Barry Davis loves to swim so much that not even the chilly temperatures stop him - including swimming amongst ICE! Luckily he has a blueseventy synergie wetsuit to help keep him warm. Here a local news TV crew follows Barry for a morning swim in Quadra Island in Canada...

Spotted! Double Olympic medalist wearing the nero!

blueseventy's nero comp has just made a splash in 2009 at the British Gas Swimming Championships, held at Ponds Forge Aquatic Centre, Sheffield.  The five day event has seen British and World records broken and has featured our ever popular blueseventy nero comp swimskin.  David Davies (pictured above) double Olympic medalist, winning bronze for 1500m in Athens 2004, and Silver in Beijing for his strong effort in the new marathon 10km Open Water event, (unknowing to us at blueseventy) chose to wear the blueseventy nero at the Ponds Forge event.  He has had great success so far in this week's Championships with his nero comp bodyskin, winning Gold in the Mens Open 400m Freestyle and Bronze in the Mens Open 200m Freestyle.  The 1500m final, Davies' specialty event, takes place tonight so all eyes will be on him.

Heather Frederikson, who was once an endurance specialist, winning both the British 10km Open Water Championship and 4.5km Grand Prix on the same day in 2004, proved her strength and determination at the Beijing Paralympics when she fought her way back to pool competition after an accident left her with limited use of her right arm and leg.  She won 4 medals, including gold in the 100m Backstroke and has set numerous records.  Heather, with her bubbly personality and contagious smile is another great ambassador for blueseventy.  She broke the S8 World Record this week in the 100m Backstoke and gained the S8 British Record and another Gold medal in the 50m Freestyle all in her nero comp bodyskin.  

The feedback about the nero comp on pool-side has been fantastic!  Both coaches and athletes are keen to get on board with blueseventy and make waves in pool against our rival suits.  For this reason the Nero is in high demand, which is fantastic for the year ahead with plenty more meets to come as well as the British Nationals in 18 weeks time.

Update of NSCA Junior Swimming National Champs; Day 3

Day 3 at Junior Nationals in Orlando showcased some of the top sprinters in the meet in the 50 meter fly and 50 meter breaststroke races.  One third of the evening's finalists in these events competed in blueseventy!
Athletes also competed in the fan's favorite - the 200 meter freestyle.   Nearly half of the races were swum in blueseventy including an exciting 1st, 2nd, and 3rd finish on the women’s side with a World Championships Trials qualifying whilst the 1st and 3rd place athletes on the men’s side both qualified for World Champs Trials in the blueseventy nero.
The final individual event of the evening was the 400 IM where the 4th and 5th place finishers both qualified for World Champs on the women’s side in blueseventy and the winner of the mens 400 IM also qualified for the Trials in a nero.

Overall stats - about 1/3 of athletes last night competed in the blueseventy nero swimskin.
For blueseventy, the high point of evening was the 1st, 2nd,and 3rd finish in the Women's 200 Freestyle; all qualifying for World Champs!
Congratulations to all blueseventy athletes!

Brian Stover's helix wetsuit review

Brian Stover wanted to find the fastest wetsuit for himself to last the next few triathlon seasons. He borrowed a whole pile of suits from Trisports.com to trial - one of them was the blueseventy helix.
To ensure unbiased results as possible and make the test as fair as possible, he did two rounds of testing for each suit. Each day's testing consisted of 2×400 on the 6:00. Then he changed suits, swam 200 to make sure the suit was on properly and swam another set of 2×400 on 6:00. Two suits got tested per day. He did not know which suits in round one were being tested until that morning. During the second round he swam the suits in the reverse order of the first round to hopefully eliminate fitness gains.

He wrote about his review of the helix:
"Four swim times were 4:25, 4:27, 4:24, 4:28. Average time 4:26.
This suit stands in stark contrast to the Xterra. That suit [helix] feels like you’ve been shot from cannon. This suit swims fast but feels slow. I kept checking the clock every 50 and thinking no way is this suit this fast..."

For Brian's entire review please go to
http://accelerate3.wordpress.com/

It's blueseventy & Goliath at the 2009 NCAA Swimming Championships

Macalester College was proud to host the 2009 NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving Championships at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis over the weekend, which has provided some interesting statistics for us here at blueseventy...

This meet has been a benchmark for blueseventy, with team after team appearing in the brand. Among those teams whom donned the nero were:

Harvard
Wisconson
Nevada
Indiana
Virginia
Minnesota
Stanford
Virgina Tech
North Carolina
Arizona
UC Davis
Colgate
Arkansas
US Navy
William and Mary
Georgia
Kentucky
Penn State
Missouri
UC Santa Barbara

Our VP of swimming, Roque Santos was stationed in Minneapolis for the meet and counted over 20% of swimmers in the blueseventy nero!

blueseventy makes bold statement at the US 2009 NCSA Junior National Championships

Down in Florida, we've had our swimming staff on the ground at the NCSA Junior Swimming National Championships following and providing nero swimskins for the super quick. Megan from our Seattle office updates us on who's wearing the nero and how well they're doing...

Day 2 of Junior Nationals 2009 Orlando, FL

Finals of Day 2 showcased sprint events and middle distance stroke races. Nearly half of the men swimming in the 100 meter freestyle finals session were wearing blueseventy swimskins, 5 of which were in the final heat.
Nero swimskins were a very popular choice in both the mens and womens 100 meter breastroke events as well. A quarter of the women and half of the men in the evening heats of the breastroke were competing in blueseventy. The first and second place finishers in the womens 100 breaststroke not only scored big points for their teams but achieved qualifying times for the World Championship Trials to be held in Indianapolis this July - all in blueseventy. The winner of the men's 100 breast wore a Nero swimskin when he swam to victory while also achieving a World Champs Trials cut.
The women's 200m backstroke saw a 1,2,3 finish by blueseventy with 3 World Champs cuts while the 3rd place male finisher in the event also qualified for the meet in a Nero.
The final individual event of the evening was the 200 meter fly where 2 women and 1 man qualified for World Champs in blueseventy.

Overall, 30% of Day 2's top 8 finalists in each event wore blueseventy and 10 of those swimmers will be racing at the World Championship Trials this summer, hoping to earn a spot on the team headed to the World Championships in Rome.

blueseventy introduces Lucy!

This year we welcome Lucy Chatfield who is the latest member to join the blueseventy staff as UK Sales Manager. Lucy has worked in the fitness industry prior to her joining us and brings a great wealth of experience and swimming talent.
Lucy just recently placed a stellar 3rd in her age group in her first race of the year which was the pool-based NUTS Aquathlon (hosted by the Nottingham University Tri & Swim Club) in February. Her first triathlon for the 2009 season will be East Leake sprint on March 29th; a helix will certainly be required in the chilly temperature!
Lucy took up triathlon last year and completed 3 x sprints, 1 x olympic and 2 x aquathlons (pictured above in action).

Welcome Lucy!

Rob Matthews; blind aspirations..

Here is the remarkable story of New Zealander Rob Matthews, a blind athlete who doesn't let anything get in the way of doing what he loves. Watch how his coach, Spencer Vickers (who happens to be our model in our blog heading picture and image above) works with Rob to achieve amazing results.

http://tvnz.co.nz/breakfast-news/breakfast-thursday-march-12-2537699/video?vid=2537939

Ferguson revokes Lawn's crown at Bonita Ironman New Zealand

Above, Stephen Bayliss powers through the swim course at Ironman New Zealand

Bonita Ironman New Zealand delivered the familiar and the new in Taupo on the weekend as Cameron Brown won his eighth title while blueseventy's Gina Ferguson ended the six-year reign of Jo Lawn.

The women’s race hinted that an historical change was afoot when 29-year-old Ferguson stopped Lawn’s record run of six consecutive victories.

For the majority of the bike leg there was never more than seconds separating Denmark’s former world champion Lisbeth Kristensen, Lawn and Ferguson, before the Danish mother of one pulled away to open up a three and a half minute advantage on to the marathon run.

It was Ferguson who responded strongest on the run, though, moving first past Lawn and then a tiring Kristensen before the halfway mark. Ferguson held strong to win in 9:18.26, more than four minutes ahead of Lawn with Australia’s Charlotte Paul passing Kristensen for third.

The Christchurch athlete had no doubts as to the importance of the occasion.

“Yeah, this is my biggest win, the race was really competitive with Jo and Charlotte and earlier Lisbeth and it is here in New Zealand so yes, this is definitely the most important win of my career so far,” Ferguson said.

Lawn was gracious in defeat.

“That was an incredible experience, the crowd was amazing again, I just wish I could have finished first, but Gina had a great day today and was too good. We pushed each other, I think, and that’s what makes champions.”

Ferguson pinpointed one aspect of her race and training that she felt made the difference today.

“I’ve been working hard on my cycling, and I’m pleased it is coming along nicely. I came off the bike six or seven minutes down on Jo last year, but his year was a 1:45. So I think that was the difference today, I didn’t have to chase her down so much on the run.”

In the men’s race all eyes were on seven-time winner Brown or fellow kiwi debutant and Foster Grant Ironman World 70.3 Champion, Terenzo Bozzone. Brown answered that question in emphatic style, putting together a near perfect race to set a new race record of 8:18:05. For Bozzone there was no disgrace in second today, an amazing result on debut at the ultimate triathlon distance.

The swim did little to separate the contenders and for much of the bike it was a tight group of six riders at the head of the field, with Brown, blueseventy's Dirk Bockel, Bozzone, Stephen Bayliss (also a blueseventy athlete) and Jan Raphael (GER) to the fore. Bockel worked hardest over the final 40km to open up a three minute lead, a move the Ironman debutant would suffer for later in the run.

Brown was his usual metronomic self on the run, cutting out the marathon in an amazing 2:44:08 as he wore down Bockel and left Bozzone running for second. The 36-year-old Brown appeared invigorated by today's challenge and was delighted with his eighth Taupo title.

2009 Bonita Ironman New Zealand (3.8k swim, 180km bike, 42km run)

Professional male: Cameron Brown, AUCK, 8.18.05,1 (new race record); Terenzo Bozzone, AUCK, 8.25.37 2; Dirk Bockel, LUXEMBOURG, 8.27.12, 3; Jan Raphael, GERMANY, 8.32.32, 4; Richard Ussher, AUCK, 8.35.56, 5

Pro Women: Gina Ferguson, CHRISTCHURCH, 9.18.26, 1; Jo Lawn, AUCK, 9.23.08, 2; Charlotte Paul, AUS, 9.30.25, 3; Lisbeth Kristensen, DEN, 9.32.51, 4; Bella Bayliss, UK, 9.41.04, 5.

Ferguson wins in NZ

Congrats Gina on a fantastic win in NZ. :-)



Top 5 women Ironman NZ 2009

1. Gina Ferguson (NZL) 9:18:26
2. Joanna Lawn (NZL) 9:23:07
3. Charlotte Paul (AUS) 9:30:24
4. Lisbeth Kristensen (DEN) 9:32:50
5. Bella Bayliss (SCO) 9:41:03

Dealing with it; the incredible story of Dave McGuire

Dave McGuire has an amazing story about not letting ANYTHING get in the way of a high aspiration - especially things like doing an ironman. Dave shared his incredible journey with us and sent us a picture of himslef in his brand new blueseventy reaction wetsuit. Best of luck Dave, from the team at blueseventy.

One day I passed out at work. I was working as a collections officer for a really big bank. I collected personal products, overdrafts, mortgages, credit cards and student loans. When I passed out at work, I was sent home.
 
Before I could return to work I had to get clearance from my employer's insurance company. I had to see their doctor's, specialists etc. This took about two months. While waiting to go back to work, I went onto a disability income from our insurance company. This sounds great but the issue with this is that there is a two month delay from short term disability (that is fast and it's when you need a week or two off work) to long term disability (when you unable to return to work within a couple of weeks). So my employer no longer paid me my salary, the insurance company did.
 
So here I was going two months with no paycheck. I had prescriptions to pay for, x-rays, MRI's etc. All of this I get reimbursed for, but I have to pay for it upfront. During this time I have rent to pay, groceries, Internet, cell phone, and home phone bills. Not to mention being with my new love.
 
All I wanted was to go back to work. One day while at home I was watching Judge Judy!! I do remember this, and my TV decided to stop working. The screen crackled and sparked and then went dead. This was the straw that broke the camels back.
 
I phoned my now wife, then fiance, and was very whiny. "I can't work, I have no money, I can't afford my prescriptions and now my TV explodes" Mandy (then girlfriend now wife) is a very calm individual. She suggests that I calm down and go have a bath. This is the last thing I remember.

 
If you would like to read more on what happened to Dave and his amazing journey, he also keeps a blog of his own; http://davidsjourneytoironman.blogspot.com/ 

Win with Flo Swimming and blueseventy!

In conjunction with Flo Swimming, blueseventy are giving you the chance to win blueseventy gear!!

Upload your rawest Swimming Photos to the blueseventy Swim Shot page on Flo Swimming (http://www.floswimming.org/blueseventy/swim_shot), to win blueseventy gear each week during a ten week contest.

The uploading/voting period will be from Tuesday 12am to Monday 11:59pm each week starting 3/2.

So get your friends, family, and teammates to give you some love. Begin voting as soon as your photo is uploaded. All college, HS, and former swimmers are invited to participate. You can upload photos from old swimming seasons too...show us that 80's retro suit!!

Check out the fantastic shots sent in already - some of them are pretty funny!

Throwing The Hammer Down, Thompson Sets National Record

Matt Thompson sets national record after a day where he felt horrible finishing his 200 Yard IM with a 1:45.75. On February 14th, he set the National all time record and he wasnt even tapered....

For Matt's take on his race in his blueseventy nero swimskin check out the following video...

Tim's take on swimskins

Below is an excerpt from an article written by Tim Warsinskey, a US high school sport reporter.

"During the finals, I kept track of the 80 individual and relay champs, 23 wore the controversial Speedo LZR bodysuit, which retails for $550, and 10 wore other LZR products. The most popular was the BlueSeventy bodyskin ($395), worn by 34 state champs. The rest wore a variety of styles from the same or other manufacturers, the cheapest of which is about $200. The LZRs are good for about five to 10 swims. Many of the cheaper suits last longer."

for the full article please find it at:
http://www.cleveland.com/timstake/index.ssf/2009/03/tim_warsinskey_swim_skins.html

Another win for Luke McKenzie

blueseventy athlete Luke McKenzie just rocked to another Ironman title with his win at the 2009 Ironman Malaysia. Congrats Luke. Bryan Rhodes was the runner up. Go Rhodesy.

Top 5 men:

1. Luke McKenzie (AUS) 8:26:48
2. Bryan Rhodes (NZL) 8:32:52
3. Brian Fuller (AUS) 8:38:06
4. Hiroyuki Nishiuchi (JAP) 8:48:23
5. Petr Vabrousek (CZE) 8:50:48


Top 5 women:

1. Belinda Granger (AUS) 9:21:10
2. Nicole Leder (GER) 9:36:40
3. Maki Nishiuchi (JAP) 9:57:13
4. Donna Phelan (USA) 10:03:18
5. Christine Waitz (GER) 10:05:32