Nike Swift Hockey Innovation Debuts With Team USA
December 20 2005 - 1:03PM
PR Newswire (US)
Heritage Meets the Next Generation BEAVERTON, Ore., Dec. 20
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Today, Nike and USA Hockey introduce the
new uniforms for Team USA for the XX Olympic Winter Games and the
innovation behind it that will help make the men's and women's
national teams among the fastest in the world when they step on the
ice in Torino, Italy in February. (Photo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051220/SFTU062-a
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051220/SFTU062-b
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19990818/NIKELOGO ) Nike, a
proud sponsor of the U.S. Olympic Team and USA Hockey, introduces
Swift Hockey, performance-driven apparel that's a true revolution
in hockey-wear. Comprised of material and design innovations for
team jerseys and socks, Swift Hockey matches today's players and
their dynamic style of play, and is designed for and tested by
elite athletes and national team members from around the world. USA
Hockey's men's and women's national teams will wear Swift Hockey
when they skate in Torino at the XX Olympic Winter Games. Each Nike
Swift innovation -- developed by Nike's Advanced Innovation Team
that unleashed the Nike Swift suit for track and field in Sydney
and Salt Lake's Nike Swift Skin for speed skating -- provides
another way to out-skate and outperform the competition. In a game
now measured in fractions of inches and precious seconds, every
advantage and added efficiency counts. Nike has advanced
traditional hockey apparel with a superior focus on speed,
mobility, endurance and comfort. The Swift Advantage Aerodynamics
in hockey? It's a genuine revolution. There are those who call
hockey the fastest game on earth. Unlike any time in hockey's
history, the action on the ice is faster and quicker, with blinding
speeds and unfathomable power. With pucks traveling at 100 miles
per hour, and players slicing the ice at 20 mph, demands on player
performance have never been greater. And that goes double for
apparel. Without sacrificing an ounce of heritage, and passing
rigid International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) standards, the
Nike Swift Hockey Jersey and Sock reduces overall weight, adds
increased mobility and comfort while making the jersey
aerodynamically the most advanced in the world. Overcoming Air
Resistance While 25 percent of a hockey athlete's energy is spent
fighting the friction of the ice, 75 percent of his or her energy
is spent overcoming air resistance. Unheard of in the world of
hockey, rigorous wind-tunnel testing has shown that the Nike Swift
Jersey -- with its advanced design, hockey-specific articulation
and fit, reduced weight, and innovative materials -- provides
nearly a 20-inch advantage over a 50-yard sprint, delivering nearly
15 percent reduction in aerodynamic drag compared to standard
hockey jerseys. That's a big break-away advantage for today's
up-tempo game. Thermoregulation and Weight Reduction The Swift
Hockey Jersey and Sock help increase player efficiency by paying
particular attention to thermoregulation and weight reduction.
Strategic mesh venting is located at gaps in the under protection,
allowing air to flow directly to the body, increasing evaporative
cooling and comfort. Through perspiration, a hockey player can lose
up to one kilogram of body weight per period. Using lighter weight,
less absorbent materials integrated strategically into the jersey
and sock design, the uniform takes on far less moisture than
traditional products, staying lighter throughout the game. Overall,
the Swift Hockey Jersey has reduced average dry weight by
approximately two and a half pucks' worth, saving 230 lbs. in
lifted weight per game for a typical forward. The Swift Sock weight
offers a 40 percent weight reduction compared to a standard hockey
sock, with a combined jersey-and-sock reduction of 33 percent in
overall kit weight. Less weight equals more speed. The articulated
fit is snugger and more streamlined, reducing bulk and requiring
less or no taping. Mobility, Fit and Comfort For mobility, the
Swift Hockey Jersey features optimal material integration,
hockey-specific articulation for greater freedom of movement, and
zoned stabilization in the forearms and elbows, for example, for
protective equipment control. The jersey's snug, streamlined fit
helps defeat a defender's jersey-grabbing grip, but with underarm
stretch material, for great freedom of movement. The
position-specific goalie jersey incorporates more durable fabrics
across the entire face of the jersey, and is cut larger to
accommodate goalie pads. In the heat of battle, players want to
think only about playing performance, and not uniform hindrance. To
that end, the Swift Jersey features a waist Lockdown Gasket System
that helps keep the jersey conveniently and efficiently in place.
Welcome to the Revolution Skates are lighter, players are quicker
and more powerful, and the game's overall speed is off the charts.
With Nike's Swift innovation, the hockey athletes' need for speed
is satisfied, proving that hockey apparel is not an accessory --
it's equipment. About Nike, Inc. NIKE, Inc. based in Beaverton,
Oregon is the world's leading designer, marketer and distributor of
authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for
a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly owned Nike
subsidiaries include Converse Inc., which designs, markets and
distributes athletic footwear, apparel and accessories; Bauer NIKE
Hockey Inc., a leading designer and distributor of hockey
equipment; Cole Haan (R), which designs, markets, and distributes
fine dress and casual shoes and accessories; Hurley International
LLC, which designs, markets and distributes action sports and youth
lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories and Exeter Brands Group
LLC, which designs and markets athletic footwear and apparel for
the value retail channel.
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051220/SFTU062-a
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051220/SFTU062-b
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19990818/NIKELOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Nike CONTACT: Dean Stoyer
of Nike, +1-503-532-6018, or Web site: http://www.nikebiz.com/
Copyright