The Beckham of Field Hockey?

“We saw them adapt with a lower heart rate and rate of perceived exertion,” said Strength and Conditioning Coordinator Steve Bamel. “They’ve asked the girls how they feel in Beijing and they say they feel prepared. I think mentally as well, they feel like we prepared them for the worst case scenario”

The acclimatizing was conducted every other day for a total of eight sessions in the period leading up to the Olympics. According to Bamel, the scientific literature suggests that acclimatizing to heat can easily be achieved in that period of time. The chamber was set to around 94 degrees and 90 percent humidity while the 24 girls completed a series of exercises over 48 minutes (light lifting, bicycle, abs, etc.). The size of the tent limited any field hockey specific exercising (though archers did use the tent for practice). Heart rate, sweat rate and a series of other metrics were tracked throughout the sessions. A control session in more moderate climate was used as a baseline. With each session, the girls inched closer towards their original baseline suggesting the glorified tent did its job.

The Team Destroyer FH : Build a better shoe.  Nike

The Gear

If you’re familiar with this series, you won’t be surprised to learn that Nike has a special shoe for field hockey. The Team Destroyer FH is first and foremost waterproof. The exact turf used in Beijing was tested to design a hard cleated rubber to maintain traction in the intentionally soaked conditions. The turf in Beijing is shorter and denser that other surfaces using a low sliding resistance microfiber yarn with a built in shock layer. Nike tested four designs before finalizing the Destroyer design.