No sport involves less equipment than swimming, but even that purest
of aquatic pursuits was affected by technology in the first decade of
the new millennium.
And apparently not in a good way.
Because
FINA, the international governing body for aquatics, has stripped away
the rubber and polyurethane full-body suits while deciding its sport
is better suited to the previous incarnation. As of Jan. 1,
swimmers can wear whatever they want to train in, but competition
swimsuits can only be made of textiles and must amount to a much less
encompassing garment. For men, it means no material below the kneecap
or above the navel. Women can't use full-body suits, nor can they
employ zippers, buttons or Velcro fasteners.
To flatten the pool
for nations both rich and poor, gone are the hideously expensive,
head-to-toe tech suits that reduced drag, compressed the body and sent
swimmers through the water like missiles capable of smashing world
records into tiny pieces.
Technology had swum amok. Body suits made their debut at the 2000
Olympics in Sydney, where Australian hero Ian Thorpe won a ton of
medals while wearing one manufactured by Adidas.
But it was the Speedo LZR Racer that turned the swimming world on its ear.
Swimming associations in the United States and Australia led the retro
movement and FINA (Federation Internationale de Natation) abolished the
high-tech suits last summer.
THIS BASKETBALL IS FLAT
Another technological advance that didn't last
was the National Basketball Association's new synthetic leather ball.
Introduced in 2006 by Spalding, it was a dud with players who
complained it was too slippery and its bounces too erratic and less
lively than the previous leather standard. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark
Cuban had experts at the University of Texas study the physics of the
new ball, leading the NBA to revert to leather.
HOCKEY'S MATERIAL CHANGES
Other sports will never turn back
the clock. Hockey, for instance, has gone ga-ga over technology, from
one-piece composite sticks that increase the velocity of even a
beer-leaguer's wrist shot, to Kevlar skates that protect against the
impact of those shots, and featherlight goaltending pads and protective
pieces.
Easton led the charge to composite sticks with its Synergy model in the late 1990s. Other makers soon joined the fray.
GOLFING LONG AND STRAIGHT
Golf technology can be charted by
the growth of clubheads. TaylorMade's website shows the shocking size
differential between their 1997 Ti Bubble 2 with a head size of 285 cc
and the 2009 edition. The largest driver head that still meets United
States Golf Association specs is 460 cc and there are plenty on the
market.
Balls have come -- and gone -- a long way too. Take the new, five-layer ball by Taylor
Made called the Penta. It's the first five-piece ball on the market,
which is still dominated by three-piece models, including the Pro-V 1.
The
harder you hit it off the tee the less it will spin. That means it's more likely to fly straight. It's also
useful in a short game as it spins well off an iron to hold the green.
BETTER FOOTBALL HELMET
In football, technology during the past
decade has been focused on making helmets more effective in the battle against
concussions. Riddell developed the new Revolution Speed in 2008 and it has received rave reviews.
Riddell began this line of helmets with the Revolution in 2002 and
updated it with the IQ in 2007.
It has a slightly larger shell that allows the helmet liner system more
room to manage the energy of potentially concussive hits. Padding is
strategically located in the sides of the head and face. Better
peripheral vision allows players to dodge oncoming hits.
GREAT STRIDES FOR WOMEN
Runners invest all kinds of money in
the right pair of shoes. It can mean the difference between finishing a
marathon and hitting the wall early.
Gender-specific footwear has made the biggest leaps in the past decade.
In the past, the industry norm was to "shrink it and pink it"-- in
other words take a men's shoe, make it smaller and make it prettier. Women's
biomechanical needs are unique and most footwear companies now address
these needs in their footwear design. In general, shoes have become lighter and more responsive in the past 10 years.
Since the early 2000s, more efforts in biomechanical research have
led footwear manufactures to rethink the trend of over-built and overly
corrective shoes. Footwear designs are now trying to take advantage of
the dynamic range of motion of the foot rather than restrict it too
much. Many suppliers are now using lighter materials for the upper part
of the shoe along with making the midsoles lighter.
Nike has developed the Lunar Dynamic Support system which attempts to
give support only where it is needed. Brooks has a
new DNA midsole technology that adapts to the various amounts of force
and pressure points. Asics continues to redesign their upper technology
to better suit the human foot.
Overall it seems as though the
focus of many of the footwear manufacturers is on building footwear
that feels as though it has been custom-made for each and every
runner's feet.
So to sum it up - what a decade! We look forward bringing you the latest in sports technologies in the new year and beyond.
Happy New Year!
