Swimming -- Technical Suit Measurements -- Kill me now!

[LisaKinVA]

I am down to 2 suit choices:  The Speedo Girls' FastskinII or the A3 Performance.

 

My dd is still growing, so her proportions haven't evened out yet (which is causing the issues).

 

Height: 5'1"

Weight: 105"

Torso: 60"

Inseam: 24"

Chest: 32-34

Waist: 25

Hips: 30

 

She typically wears a 26 Speedo for practice.  A 28 is still too big, and the swimoutlet rep said because her chest is a 34, she should wear a 34.  o.O

 

While she is mostly swimming freestyle, plus fly and back -- she's also swimming the 200 IM and probably the 100 Breast.  She still has to be able to move.  Most of her competitors (top 15 girls in the league) will be wearing knee-length suits (not sure of the brand), but we're down to these two due to price and recommendation.

 

Help beyond appreciated.  Boys are so much easier.

 

Edited February 8, 2016 by LisaK in VA is in IT

[MysteryJen]

We found that the measurements for the speedo lzr to be very accurate. For my girls, the key measurement is the torso. Dd1 is 5'10", 140 lbs, a B cup. She wears a 30 in a nike practice suit and a 25L in the lzr. Dd2 is 5'2", 89 lbs, thin as a rail. We got an 18 and it was perfect.

 

Everything can be squished into a suit, except your spine.

 

Sorry, just re-read. Are you getting the fast skin (no legs)? Then it should be closer to the size in an aqua blade, your torso measurement will be a good indicator. I would try a 24 and move down from there. Dd2 wears a 22 aquablade for non-championship meets. I would definitely consider a knee suit, the leg compression makes a huge difference in freestyle. We had good luck with blue seventy (intro price knee suit) and the speedo lzr racer pro (it will stretch, buy small) for "reasonably" priced knee suits.

[clementine]

We found the size charts online to be pretty accurate - especially for the speedo.  My daughter has the A3 now and I know she had to go down a size from what she originally ordered.  Those were both with kneeskins - with the shortie, we found you can go a tad smaller.  

[Lolly]

We found that NO measurements are accurate. You really have to try on the suits. I am guessing that is not an option. Both my girls wore 28 in practice suits. The last tech suits I bought were a 22 (5'4"/130lb/34C) Speedo/not sure which one and a 24 long in Speedo lzr(5'8", 110lb/28 or 30C) (knee skins). The different brands are cut very differently. My tall skinny could only wear one brand. It was the only one that wasn't baggy in her thigh. (Fortunately, it was the brand her college team purchased for them! He would have allowed her to purchase her own in a different brand if necessary, but not all coaches would have.) Back when they weren't wearing knee skins, they usually ended up in one size down from their regular suit size. Knee skins are much harder to fit.

Edited February 8, 2016 by Lolly

[LisaKinVA]

I guess it would take a bit of credit card space to try on these suits! Tech suits aren't sold in the sporting goods stores, and I am not sure where there are specialty shops for anything like this. If her torso weren't so freakishly long compared to her other measurements, I'd feel easier. But buying a suit to fit her torso, the other measurements are just so much smaller, I can't believe there would be any compression there!

 

I was looking at a Speedo youth 26. I think the youth 28 measurements are the closest to her actual size. I know the youth sizes tend to run smaller than the women's. Otherwise, I probably need to try the A3 in a 22. The sizing on those is less specific, but she's in the middle of the range.

 

We'll try. Worst case, we send it back, and she just wears her normal team suit!

[MysteryJen]

Our shorthand for tech suits are: speedo good for long, thin girls with smaller breasts, arena is much more generous in the chest. Girls with C or larger cups seem to prefer arenas.

 

I would avoid youth sizes if breast and hips are involved. IMO, the size charts for speedo and blue seventy have been very accurate. We have not sent a suit back yet.

[zimom]

My daughter is 5'1", 110 pounds.   I say she is built like a Mack Truck.  She normally wears a 28 in a practice suit, we just sized her for a 22 for the speedo tech knee suit for trials this summer.  She wears a 24 for club meets.   She has a 24 Arena tech knee but I've never really liked how it fit her.  The Speedos seem to fit her body type much better.  She has the Speedo tech (non-knee) suit and I believe it is a 28 but it could be a 26.   She wears that if I am not around to help her get her knee suit on as she can't do it alone.

[LisaKinVA]

Zimom, sounds like your daughter and my daughter have a lot in common, although most 28's are still too big for her.  I've just had her in a 26.  She probably should have been swimming in a 24 for meets, but her long torso can make that really hard.  Speedos have been the most true to size for her -- and the Italian suits we've gotten off the rack.  I think I'll look into a Speedo tech (non-knee) for some of her meets.  The knee suit will probably only get used at Champs & Divisionals (3 meets).

 

Crossing my fingers on the A3...

[zimom]

I have been very happy with the Speedo Fastskin non-knee tech suit.   It has held up wonderfully and I love how it fits.   Bonus, it doesn't take 15+ minutes with two of us to put it on :)