Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Suits sabotage U.S. speedskating? Your Say

 

Suits don't win races. The U.S. speedskating athletes just aren't as good as they used to be. Training in Salt Lake City was a mistake.Ladies can get their specific information at our website Discount Homecoming Dresses for sale. The team should have trained in the Midwest where the altitude better matches the one in Sochi, Russia.I have heard several times that athletes weren't gliding on the ice very well. The conditions in Sochi just might be the real issue vs. the suits. Only a handful of Olympic records have been broken in speedskating during the Games. This could indicate the ice is a little slower, which might bring other'petitors who adapted better into contention.It is possible that the suits had a negative psychological effect. Sport involves the mind as much as the body, and if you think you are invincible with a superman suit,White satin round neck lace beaded ball gown wedding dresses your mind controls your body in a different way. The science behind the suits was excellent, except they forgot the science of psychology. 

Leading up to the Olympics,Discount Spaghetti Straps Beading Taffeta Short/Mini Cocktail Dresses Prom Dresses there was so much coverage of potential terrorist attacks that I think the low scores could be from nerves. I would be on edge and unable to concentrate, too, with this sense of "something bad is going to happen here."Amid a contentious battle over whether a suit designed by Under Armour is leading to slower times from America's top speed skaters, U.S. Speedskating has received permission from the International Olympic Committee to switch back to the suits used during the recent World Cup season."For the remainder of the Winter Olympic Games, Team USA speedskaters will be wearing the previously-approved Under Armour skin suits used during recent World Cup'petition," U.S. Speedskating President Mike Plant said in a statement. 

These World Cup suits — also worn by skaters during the Olympic trials, and also designed by Under Armour — are in Sochi, as one of three suits supplied to U.S. Speedskating by the apparel'pany in advance of the Games.To make the change, the entire U.S. team has to change.The organization's decision'es after the new Under Armour suit — called the "Mach 39" — came under heavy scrutiny for perceived designed flaws, notably a panel of mesh fabric on the back that skaters worried was creating excess drag.While American skaters have not placed blame on the new suit for the team's disappointing performance at the Winter Games, one skater, Heather Richardson, did ask for a slight alteration to the mesh panel prior to her seventh-place finish in the women's 1,000 meters.

U.S. speedskaters cleared to change suits



"They did adjust one part on the back, but it was just putting rubber over the mesh there," Richardson said, adding, "It had no effect, really.""We are constantly evaluating all aspects of race preparation and execution to help our athletes improve their output and maximize their physical and psychological advantages," Plant said in the statement. "Under Armour's mission is to make all athletes better, and they are working tirelessly with Team USA to ensure each athlete steps on the ice with 100% confidence so they are positioned to capture a spot on the podium. U.S. Speedskating is proud of its long-term, successful partnership with Under Armour, and we all look forward to the u'ing races.Discount White Chiffon A-line Sweedheart Beaded Rhinestone Evening/Prom Dresses" 

Under Armour outfitted the U.S. Speedskating team with three different suits, Kevin Haley, the'pany's senior vice president for innovation, told USA TODAY Sports.One suit is the Mach 39, which has been used in each event by the overwhelming majority of skaters. The second is identical to the Mach 39 with one slight change, a removal of the "higher-tech folded shapes" from the original. It was worn by one racer in the men's 1,Wholesale Cheap Taffeta sweatheart Embroidery beaded a-line Quinceanera Dresses000 meters with no noticeable change in time, Haley said."We're happy to make the skaters as confident as they can be by letting them use whatever suit they want," Haley said.The third are the World Cup suits. 

"It's a suit that we have total confidence in," Haley said. "They've performed well in it in the past.we want to bring more benefits for customers from all over the world Discount Cocktail dresses for sale."But Haley added that Under Armour testing has shown the Mach 39 suit, and its near-doppelganger, have tested faster in the past — if only by hundreds of tenths of a second."When you're dealing with the margins that you're dealing with, it's more important to put the skater in a suit that the skater feels'fortable in and confident in," he said. "We're confident that all of the suits have shown the ability for athletes to skate fast in them."Star U.S. skaters Shani Davis and Brian Hansen are back on the ice on Saturday in the men's 1,500 meters.As the disappointments mount for an American speedskating team with significant Olympic expectations, skaters such as Brittany Bowe, Heather Richardson and Shani Davis find themselves attempting to explain what might be inexplicable.