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!
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