Olympic Tech
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From Sport Techie: Three Technologies that Have Helped Define the 2014 Sochi Olympics Continue reading Weekend Reading List (02.22.2014): Olympic Tech, Flu Recovery, Curling Tech
Tag: Speed Skating
Under Performaning
The Under Armour designed speed skating uniforms were supposed to be super suits – there was already talk of a potential ban as the suits could give an unfair edge to the competitors. However, as The Wall Street Journal reported late last week – the super suits were a super dud!
Gold medal favorite Shani Davis didn’t show super speed on the ice and the paper reported that the suits may have a design flaw that could be slowing down skaters. This is the vent on the back, which is designed to allow heat to escape. Instead it is allow air to enter and is creating drag, which in turn is making it difficult for the skaters to maintain their low position.
[Via The Wall Street Journal: Under Armour Suits May Be a Factor in U.S. Speedskating’s Struggles]
Armed for Sochi
While security is tight at Sochi some American athletes will be suited up in armor – or at least Under Armour’s new speedskating uniform. For the 2014 games Under Armour partnered with Team USA and Lockheed Martin to create a skinsuit that should be a speed machine on the ice. The Mach 39 could be a game changer that helps Americans bring home the gold this year.
Mats Come to Speed Skating
While speed skaters already wear helmets for protection from concussions, the Cambridge Speed Skating Club in Canada installed a special mat system this year to further protect skaters should they have a spill in races. All speed skating clubs in Canada will eventually be required to fit rinks with a mat system within the next two years.
The new mat system reportedly consists of three layers and a total of 28 inches of foam. The new mats cover the boards in all of the “red zones” – the areas where high-impact crashes might occur, including behind the nets and at the left-turn walls. The layers include nine inches of highly compressible foam, with an additional nine layers of firmer cushioning, along with a final 10-inch mat with a honeycomb-style interior designed to reduce impact with the boards. A total of 36 mats are used during practice and 112 during competitions. Continue reading Mats Come to Speed Skating
BMW Drives Multi-Year Olympic Sponsorship
Years ago it was BMW Films. Short pideos of theater-quality storylines that highlighted the auto brand and were fun to watch. Now BMW is putting money behind the United States Olympic Committee.The six-year deal makes BMW the Official Mobility Partner of the United States Olympic Committee and of four National Governing Bodies: USA Bobsled & Skeleton, U.S. Speedskating, USA Swimming and USA Track & Field. This is multi-million dollar agreement isn’t just a monetary commitment. The sponsor will provide the USOC with fundraising opportunities and the four NGB groups will gain access to BMW Group technical expertise. BMW group will use its experts, deep technology base and facilities to help the Olympic and Paralympic Teams improve their training and performance. Teams will get to use the auto manufacturer’s facilities including the wind tunnel to test aerodynamics.
via: MediaPost
Electric Ice Cleaning Machines Fail at Olympics
The Vancouver Olympics have not been without disappointment. The Russians lost out in the mixed figure skating for the first time in decades, and there were disappointments for snowboarders as well. But the most underwhelming performance may have been from the elec
tric powered ice cleaning machines. This followed delays in speed skating as the machines broke down.
This Olympic attempted to be “green,” and the results were less than spectacular. So much so that a traditional propane powered Zamboni machine was brought in from Calgary. We like the idea of a “greener” Olympics, but what exactly is so much better about an electric machine – especially if it doesn’t work?