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Speed Skating Suit
American speedskaters may have another edge in their quest to medal; the clothes they're wearing. Recently Nike unveiled what may be the secret weapon for American speedskaters in the upcoming Olympics.
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(Jan. 14, 2002)------View Real Video - Click On Desired Bandwidth
Speed Skating Suit
Probably the main thing that helped Utah get the chance to host the Olympics is all the snow we get each year...and the kind of snow it is...powdery for the most part.
It's called, "The Greatest Snow on Earth.
But when these Olympic Games are over...Utah might be better known as the place with "The Fastest Ice on Earth."
Already several world records have been set at the Olympic Ice Oval in Kearns.
Most experts think the key to all the records is the high altitude in Utah....
that makes for less wind resistance and can improve the density of the ice.
Others say it's the way the Oval was engineered...
and the way the ice is kept in top condition.
But American speedskaters may have another -edge in their quest to medal...the -clothes they're wearing.
Today Nike unveiled what may be the secret -weapon for American speedskaters in the upcoming Olympics.
It's a state of the art body suit that is designed to help skaters go even faster.
News Specialist Sam Penrod is live with more.
Like all of the speed events...medals are won and lost in fractions of a second in speedskating.
And now teams from three countries, including the USA are hoping high tech uniforms are the answer to Olympic medals.
The Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns will host the short and long track speedskating competion next month.
Already called the fastest ice on earth, after several world records were set last year,
A new uniform unveiled today by Nike is suppose to give American Athletes an advantage.
Rick MacDonald/"Swift Skin" Co-Designer: "I WOULDN'T CALL THE SUIT COMFORTABLE FOR STANDING UP IT'S NOT FOR STANDING UP, IT'S DESIGNED FOR SKATING."
Nike has been in the middle of a major research and development project on the suit, for nearly four years.
It's the offshoot of a suit used by track and field athletes in Sydney's summer games.
[show guy in tunnel 2:04]
Designers tested various fabrics in a wind tunnel to find what would offer the least amount of air resistance.
Rick MacDonald/"Swift Skin" Co-Designer: "THE SWIFT SKIN TESTED CONSIDERABLY FASTER THAN ANY OTHER SUITS WE TESTED, THIS INCLUDES OUR OTHER LINE WE EXPERIMENTED WITH."
Athletes from the Netherlands, Australia and the United States are the only teams which will be able to use the swift skin suits in the upcoming Olympics.
Designers worked closely with members of the speedskating teams to get feedback and suggestions to improve the suits.
Nate DiPalma/U.S. Speedskating Team: "I DID NOTICE I WASN'T GETTING AS MUCH DRAG, I FELT LIKE I WAS REALLY CUTTING THROUGH THE WIND, AND PARTICULARLY IN MY MID SECTION THROUGH MY STOMACH AND SHOULDERS AND THAT THE RUBBERIZED SECTION OF THE SUIT."
These new aerodynamic uniforms use six different types of fabric and are being called just as important as the skates the athletes wear.
Nate DiPalma/U.S. Speedskating Team: "PEOPLE HAVE ALWAYS LOOKED AT SKATE TECHNOLOGY AS BEING THE NEW DEFINING REVOLUTION FOR SPEED SKATING, BUT I THINK THIS YEAR IT IS GOING TO BE THE SUIT."
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