Practice + Pancakes: Virginia Tech Suits Up for 8×100 Off the Blocks

FORM is swim goggles with a smart display. FORM is a sports technology company with a simple mission: to break down the barriers between what swimming is and what it could be.

In conjunction with the Pro Swim Series stop in Greensboro, SwimSwam is embarking on the East Coast Pancake Tour 2019. This tour will be taking fans to various swimming programs along the east coast for Practice + Pancakes, Beyond the Pancakes, and maybe a few more pancake goodies thrown in.

The tour actually started on Saturday morning of the Pro Swim, when we took a drive up to Virginia Tech. The hokies were coming off of a tri-meet with Queens and Pitt Friday afternoon, but head coach Sergio Lopez wasn’t letting the racing stop there. The whole team suited up and dove 8×100 on 12:00 (8 heats on 1:30), 1 @ 90%, 1 @ 100%.

Highlights included post-grad Egyptian Farida Osman touching for a 49 100 free and 53 100 fly, freestyle ace Lane Stone rocking a 44 100 free on the last swim of the day, and school record-holder Antani Ivanov dropping a wowing 46.9 100 fly on his last 100 of the day, only .8 off of his own school record.

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swimfan210_
3 years ago

“FPSD” I wrote that down…still have it months later.

Chase
4 years ago

A d2 school like McKendree would be cool to do a practice + pancakes at. They have some pretty dang fast swimmers this year and can definitely throw down some interesting practices

2 Cents
4 years ago

So is wearing “suits” during a meet the same as using a “trick play” in football? or faking a punt, or doing an onside kick? Or is it more like playing basketball with Chucks instead of Jordans or whatever new Nike shoe is out?

I dont see why “suits” aren’t worn in practice every day too. Do they not help with lactic acid build up because of the compression factor? Isn’t lactic acid bad for your muscles and recovery of them? So why not keep that crap out of your system as much as possible by whatever means possible?? Unless someone can tell me that lactic acid build up is good for you, I don’t understand why not wear… Read more »

Robert
Reply to  2 Cents
4 years ago

Bro its called a lactate set.

2 Cents
Reply to  Robert
4 years ago

Okay Slugger, but if lactic acid build up is bad for you, why would you want that in the first place?

2 Cents
4 years ago

NC State, or Tennessee fan comment: WHAT?!?!? They suited up?!?! sucks for them… now they will swim slower at the end of the year… those suits are sacred and should only be worn at the end of the season with a full shave an taper.. anything else is grounds for persecution!!!

McK YOU KNOW
4 years ago

Check out Mckendree University in Lebanon, IL. We’re a top 5 program in D2 coaches by former Big Ten coach, Jimmy Tierney.

Cynical observer
4 years ago

So colleges claim that they don’t want tech suits in dual meets and still can suit up for a lactate set in practice … rather inane isn’t it? Mizzou certainly has reason and it’s showing all the more now.

DLSwim
Reply to  Cynical observer
4 years ago

I don’t understand the fixation on not using tech suits in dual meets. If putting on a suit provides an advantage, why not use it and get a faster time, and perhaps beat the opposing team in the process? I suppose the down side is that teams would have to spend more $$ on suits because they would wear down faster, but other than that, I don’t see the problem.

Cynical Observer
Reply to  DLSwim
4 years ago

$$ shouldn’t be an issue. Assuming that you get at least two suits per swimmer per year already for a midseason rest meet and an end of season champ meet, and that the swimmer is already coming in with at least two suits, then you should always have at least four EoL suits ready to go at all times. With normal wear and tear through a dual schedule, you have about eight to ten meets, so that’s two to three sessions per suit per year. Assuming you get about 6/7 sessions per suit, that means suits are lasting for two to three years. Those numbers should work without the need to put anything additional in. If anything additional is truly… Read more »

Huh?
Reply to  Cynical observer
4 years ago

Lactate sets and racing aren’t the same thing.

Cynical Observer
Reply to  Huh?
4 years ago

@Huh? I would argue that lactate sets in practice are less important than racing … so why are you using suits for that when you just as well could be using those suits for duals? After all, at this point, it’s not about the money, as they’re both old suits that don’t matter.

Jimbo
Reply to  Cynical Observer
4 years ago

My team puts suits on about twice a year for a practice and we go off the blocks. Always an old suit. There is no harm in it and it simulates a meet better.

Cynical Observer
Reply to  Jimbo
4 years ago

My point is, why simulate a meet when could just as well do it in a real dual meet? The meet results from lactates don’t count, and the atmosphere of a set simply can’t compare to that of a dual meet, even if a dual meet is not a championship meet. It is stupid to suggest that you have the old suits to do it once or twice a year in practice, but can’t put those suits to use once or twice a year instead in duals.

swimgeek
Reply to  Cynical Observer
4 years ago

It’s a fair question: Why use suits for a “simulated meet” when you can just use them for … an actual meet. But there’s a social norm about this — i.e., there’s peer pressure to NOT suit up for a dual meet b/c it’s viewed as gaining an unfair advantage (especially if done unannounced). Mizzou has already gotten some of these comments. But Mizzo is announcing it ahead of time, so opposing teams can decide to join them if they want to even the playing field.

Robert
Reply to  swimgeek
4 years ago

If you suit up for a dual meet you are weak. Change my mind

ClawedKirschner
Reply to  Cynical observer
4 years ago

The point of suiting you for lactate sets is to mimic racing conditions, feel, and technique while increasing physiological stress. Suiting up in a dual meet usually comes down to attempting to win a dual meet that a team would otherwise be outmatched during, which can be seen as kind of misleading as it brings up the conversation of in-season resting and differences in training cycles affecting dual meet results as well. Teams can do what they want though, so I’m not sure why this is a talking point. Everybody just wants something to complain about

Sergio Lopez Miro
4 years ago

Thank You Coleman and SwimSwam for coming to Virginia Tech and filming our Saturday practice #LovePancakes 😉

Todd Kramer
Reply to  Sergio Lopez Miro
4 years ago

Sergio – What are your favorite type of pancakes?

Sergio Lopez Miro
Reply to  Todd Kramer
4 years ago

Apple Cinnamon Pecan Caramel #YummyForMyTummy

Reply to  Sergio Lopez Miro
4 years ago

If only he focused on recruiting as much as Cinnamon Pecan Caramel pancakes that were yummy for his tummy

ClawedKirschner
Reply to  [email protected]
4 years ago

VT has brought in some pretty high level recruits and the swimmers love him, I’d say he deserves some pancakes

DLSwim
4 years ago

46.9 for the fly is insane.

swimgeek
Reply to  DLSwim
4 years ago

And 44-mid 100 free for a distance guy is pretty impressive (Lane Stone)

About Coleman Hodges

Coleman Hodges

Coleman started his journey in the water at age 1, and although he actually has no memory of that, something must have stuck. A Missouri native, he joined the Columbia Swim Club at age 9, where he is still remembered for his stylish dragon swim trunks. After giving up on …

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