U.S. speedskaters have been skating in the new Under Armour suits and iterating with them for about a yearGETTY IMAGES
Under Armour at the '14 Sochi Games received criticism for its production of the U.S. speedskating suits after the team under-performed, and UA Chief Innovation Officer Clay Dean said at the Pyeongchang Games, he wants to see a “redemption" of the company's technical capability to "prove we do indeed create and innovate and design great equipment.” Dean, appearing on NPR yesterday, said the new suits are made from “three different types of materials,” so when “you see them in the Games you’ll see different colors.” Dean added one of the biggest innovations is the "configuration of the suit itself and how it’s actually built ... to maximize the athletes’ movements.” Dean also noted Team USA has been "skating in our suits and iterating with them for about a year, so they’re familiar with what the suits can do and what we’ve been able to do is constantly fine tune, iterate, fine tune, iterate -- so the suits that they’re going to skate with in the Olympics this week they’re very familiar with” (“Here & Now,” NPR, 2/7).
A SECOND CHANCE: In DC, Rick Maese notes Sochi was "such a debacle that the skaters abandoned Under Armour’s much-hyped suits midway through the competition." Still, UA and U.S. Speedskating actually "re-upped their partnerships" before Sochi concluded. All sides have now had four years for "ironing out wrinkles and re-thinking their entire approach." The speedskaters said that that they enter Pyeongchang with a "much better suit and much more confidence." U.S. speedskater Joey Mantia said, “It seems like everything is taken care of. We have everything we need. Basically, all of our staff has handed us all the tools that we need to get medals. It’s just up to us now” (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 2/8). Mantia added, “If you believe in what you’re racing in that’s a big step in the right direction. I think we’re all really happy with where the suits are and that’s not going to be a factor this Games” (REUTERS, 2/8).
