The Swift Revolution Continues BEAVERTON, Ore., Dec. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- In long track speedskating, ice friction isn't the major factor. Air is. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051208/SFTH111-a http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051208/SFTH111-b http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19990818/NIKELOGO ) Nike continues to evolve its successful Project Swift -- a project that is lead by Nike's 35-member worldwide Advanced Innovation Team. It started prior to Sydney 2000 and helped put many athletes on the medal podium in Salt Lake City in 2002, Athens 2004 and the Tour de France with innovative designs in high-performance athletic apparel. For the fiercely competitive sport of long track speedskating, Nike's Advanced Innovation Team has combined even better aerodynamics with an increased focus on thermoregulation, fit and freedom of movement to help further improve the performance of Team USA's long track speedskaters in 2006 at the XX Olympic Winter Games. Nike is a proud sponsor of the U.S. Olympic Team and USA Speedskating. Aerodynamics While about 25 percent of a skater's energy is spent fighting the friction of the ice, 75 percent of his or her energy is spent overcoming air resistance. The new Nike Swift Long Track Skin draws on the team's further study of zoned aerodynamics to advance the Nike Swift Skin concept for long track skating, offering even more efficient airflow and drag reduction. Nike has spent more than 900 hours in the wind tunnel developing Project Swift, and for the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, research showed that Nike's Swift Skin helped improve athletes' skating speed by more than one percent -- a huge advantage of just over one second in a 1500-meter race. Recent wind tunnel testing has shown that the new Nike Long Track Swift Skin for 2006 is even faster. The wind tunnel testing has shown that though smooth surfaces can reduce friction drag and are appropriate for use on larger horizontal areas like the torso, on cylindrical body parts like arms and legs, they may not reduce pressure drag, thus creating a large wake behind the athlete. Counter- intuitively, a textured surface (much like a golf ball) can reduce pressure drag by reducing this wake. Applying the right texture to the right body part is the key to Nike's patented Zoned Aerodynamics technology. Based on testing some 64 materials in the wind tunnel, Nike has completely re-fabricated this Nike Swift Skin for '06, offering even lower drag. Whereas past efforts have utilized unbreathable rubber coated materials for the smooth sections, this evolution of Nike Swift Skin has come 180 degrees, using a newly-developed high-stretch/high-recovery/high breathability fabric. Improved textures using Nike Sphere technology are incorporated in the critical forearm and lower leg areas to complete the Zoned Aerodynamics overhaul (a total of four different fabrics are used in the Nike Swift Skin). Improved Fit and Comfort Additionally, the Nike Swift Skin has eliminated seams wherever possible, to improve aerodynamics, fit and comfort. Overall, if a seam is needed it will first be placed out of the airflow or in an already turbulent body zone. In speedskating this would be behind the arm, and the back of the legs. Where seams in the airflow are necessary, they are aligned with the direction of the airflow to reduce interruption. The Nike Swift Skin is also built in the body position of the skating athlete, using articulation at the waist and joints. Articulation reduces fabric creasing, increases freedom of movement, and eliminates excess material. The Nike Swift Skin also features Nike's patent-pending No-Sew hood facing and ankle cuffs, and a low-friction panel at the inner thigh for efficiency in the skating motion. The Nike Swift Skin's body-hugging fit and aerodynamic superiority will be found on national teams from The Netherlands, China, United States Belgium, South Korea and The Ukraine in the coming 2005-06 season, and will each feature strong country color designs and iconography. Nike's 35-member worldwide Advanced Innovation Team has conducted extensive research to produce superior apparel performance and design, helping world-class athletes achieve 57 Olympic medals (17 in Athens alone), 15 world records, nine Tour de France stage victories and overall increased athlete performance in a variety of sport disciplines since the program's inception in 2000. 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/20051208/SFTH111-a http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051208/SFTH111-b http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19990818/NIKELOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Nike, Inc. CONTACT: Dean Stoyer of Nike, +1-503-532-6018 or Web site: http://www.nikebiz.com/

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