With the Nittany Lions preparing to race at the Big Ten Championships in technologically advanced compression suits, many of the athletes are aware of the mental edge the suit provides.
Although TYR Swimwear Company's Tracer Rise suit, which the Lions will be sporting, is the combination of woven fabric and polyurethane, for the swimmers it provides them with the belief they will swim faster.
Mental preparation is just one of the many components going into a race and many of the swimmers realize while the suit is one of the best in the world, it still falls on them to win the race.
"When the kid puts the suit on, in their head it makes a big difference to them," coach John Hargis said. "As soon as they put it on they think they are going to swim fast, and then many of them do."
Hargis, who was a gold medallist in the 1996 Olympics as part of the 400-yard medley relay team, said when he competed they did so in what were called paper suits. Hargis said the $14 suit seemed paper thin, because it was extremely lightweight and fragile. He said had the technology been more advanced in 1996 he maybe would have had a faster time at the Olympics.
However, with the expense of the suit, what type of advantage does it have at the club level? Athletes as young as eight years old want to wear compression suits for club competitions and the advantage it would provide them is more mental than physical.
Hargis said he believes at the highest level of competition it makes a difference in the physicality of the race, but he wasn't so sure about at the club level. He said the change in equipment could be compared to the evolution of the football helmet. Going from leather to helmets with radioing equipment made the athletes of the leather helmet era perceived as tougher.
He said he views it as the same thing with swimming. He said he jokes with his swimmers that he was tougher because he raced in a paper suit.
When dealing with an eight-year-old wearing the suit, the advantage most likely won't be shown by the results in the pool, but rather by how it makes the athlete feel like a better swimmer. Hargis said currently for U.S. swimming, athletes 12 and under aren't allowed to wear the LZR Racer.
Senior Kaitlin O'Brien is one of many Lions who wore the skintight Speedo LZR, or similar suits at last summer's Olympic Trials. She said when she is preparing for a race, her competitors choice of suit does cross her mind.
"It's definitely a mental thing," O'Brien said. "You can wear a paper suit and swim against someone who has a LZR and immediately that creeps into your mind. You think 'They're gonna kick my butt because they have a LZR on.' "
The Lions are hoping by being one of the team's wearing the compression suit, it may make them appear more intimidating to their Big Ten foes. Many of the other teams will most likely be wearing technologically advanced suits, but with the Lions wearing them too, it helps them feel more equal to their competitors.
Penn State sports psychologist Dr. David Yukelson said he regularly meets with many of the swimmers to discuss the mental aspects of their sport.
He said the compression suit is really just another aspect of the race. Because of the quality of the Tracer Rise and the amount of training the athletes dedicate to their sport he said the team should believe it will swim fast.
"When I meet with the team I tell them to be positive, keep their focus and that attitude is everything," Yukelson said. "They are well prepared for Big Tens and if they pay attention to detail, which the suits are just part of that, and focus on the process of the race they should do well."
Choosing the right suit is one of the many challenges the athletes face. Many of them have experience wearing Nike, TYR and Speedo suits and have noted the mental difference each suit provides.
"You can tell the difference when you wear a suit," senior Kelly Nelson said. "You feel lighter in the water, a little more buoyant. I feel that adds to the mental attitude. When you warm up and you feel good in the water, or not good in the water, it plays games with you."
The head games are one of the many problems the team looks to avoid throughout the championship. The confidence from the suit, coupled with the team's routine will help to keep it mentally prepared for the meet.
Nelson described wearing the Tracer Rise as a bit of reward after a season full of training and called it "icing on the cake."
"We shave down our bodies so we're smooth in the water and then we put on those suits," Nelson said. "It's kind of like a ritual for us. It's just another process that helps you get mentally into the meet."
Nelson admitted it is nice to know they will be wearing their "fast suit," but said it still comes down to the team swimming fast, regardless of what they are wearing.
"It's nice to live in this era and have this technology and to be able to experiment with it," Nelson said. "But, it still comes down to guts and glory."
