Made in Maryland: High-Tech Uniforms for U.S. Speedskaters

American speedskaters taking to the ice next week at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, will wear a high-tech uniform produced in secrecy by Maryland companies Under Armour andLockheed Martin.

The Baltimore-based sports apparel brand asked the Bethesda defense and aerospace company to help it craft the most aerodynamic suit possible, using computer modeling based on filming the athletes and hundreds of hours of wind tunnel testing, reports the Baltimore Sun.

"We feel going in to Sochi, we have the fastest suits in the world," said Ted Morris, executive director of US Speedskating, told the Sun. "That's an advantage from a performance standpoint, and a huge advantage from a psychological standpoint."

Under Armour also is supplying uniforms and training outfits for the U.S. bobsled and skeleton and Canada snowboard teams. Exposure during the Olympics may give the activewear company a sales boost and promotes its slogan of "making all athletes better."

The super-speedy suit, named the Mach 39, has been under development for two years, the newspaper reports. Under Armour respresentatives say the speedskating suits are legal and have been approved by both the International Skating Union and theInternational Olympic Committee.

>>Read the full Baltimore Sun story on U.S. speedskaters at: http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bs-bz-under-armour-speedskate-suits-20140131,0,3510367.story?tr...