Posts Tagged ‘NCAA’
Written by KineticShift on 29 March 2011
Wilson, at least Wilson the Volleyball, who was Tom Hank’s “friend” in the movie Cast Away, hasn’t gotten much attention in recent years. Probably like Babe the pig, the rolls for a volleyball are few and far between. But Wilson the Basketball, which we assume is a cousin of the volleyball, is heading to court.
Not a legal or regal court however, but the much more high profile basketball court. Wilson will be the Official Basketball of NCAA Men’s and Women’s Championships, and will be part of every winning shot, pass, dunk and dribble. The composite leather cover, composite laid-in channels and Cushion Core Technology variety was first introduced in 2003, the first non-leather NCAA tournament game ball. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Alan Davenport, Basketball, College Basketball, Final Four, Houston, Indianapolis, NCAA, Tom Hanks, Wilson
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Written by Peter Suciu on 18 February 2011
With baseball season about to swing out, there will be a significant change in the swinging. The NCAA has changed its rules on what constitutes a “legal” bat. Some alloy metals have been at least temporarily banned, as these reportedly give an unfair advantage to players.
What does this mean exactly? For one, college hasn’t struck out aluminum bats in general. While still banned in the Major League, the aluminum bats remain legal – but the so-called “sweet spots” has shrunk, leaving approximately an area of about three-inches where the bat can make solid contact. Bats that have too much of a spring effect are reportedly “not legal.”
While this is affecting college baseball the most, some high school baseball teams are feeling the hit too. Last August the California Interscholastic Federation had announced high schools baseball teams’ bats would have to carry the Bat-Ball Coefficient of Restitution to be considered legal for this season. But as of this week it was reported that some stores still don’t have the bats – and training is already underway. Let’s hope this is resolved by opening day.
Bat-Ball Coefficient of Restitution
Tags: baseball, Bat-Ball Coefficient of Restitution, bats, BBOCR, NCAA
Posted in Equipment, Outdoors | No Comments »
Written by Brian O'Connor on 15 December 2010
Do you participate in a sport or fitness activity regularly? Do you enjoy trying out the latest technology? Can you offer technical praise or criticism of a product? Can you keep a secret? I you answered ‘yes’ to these questions, you might be a perfect candidate to become a ‘wear tester.’
A wear tester is an individual under agreement with a manufacturer to test and evaluate a product before it arrives to market. This is a non-paid position, but can be rewarding if you enjoy testing new products and you can provide written product evaluation in a timely manner. As a bonus, you may even be allowed to keep the product after testing or evaluation by the manufacturer. The downside is you cannot tell anyone that you are participating in the program; you cannot give away, loan or sell the item; you cannot photograph the item; you cannot post pictures on a social networking site… basically the first rule of wear testing is to not talk about wear testing. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Brooks, NCAA, NDA, New Balance, Nike, Pearl Izumi, Wear test, wear tester
Posted in Apparel, Footwear, Research | No Comments »
Written by Enid Burns on 26 March 2010
NBA player Tim Duncan wearing adidas TechFit gear.
Basketball is not the sport you associate with padding. Those flimsy polyester shorts and tops don’t provide much in the way of armor. Many players are starting to add a layer of compression or padding under their uniforms to get an edge over the competition. Adidas TechFit line has both compression and padding options. While NBA players are adopting the gear into their game, NCAA members competing in March Madness finals are also said to be wearing the new garments.
The PowerWeb line combines compression fabrics and a Web of strategically placed Thermoplastic Polyurethane bands to boost power to key muscle groups. Compression gives power to musicle groups for more efficient movement, increasing acceleration; improving endurance; and reducing fatigue.
TechFit Padded uses closed cell foam padding to protect athletes and provide maximum flexibility. High-impact resistance helps players avoid injuries when they come into contact with other players or the hard wood surface of the court. A CNN article details some of the practical uses and injuries that were lessened by the extra layer of protection.
Players can choose padding, compression, or a combination of the two in shorts, tops, knee and elbow garments based on the position they play and their individual needs.
Adidas TechFit
Tags: Adidas, Basketball, compression garment, March Madness, NBA, NCAA, padding garment, TechFit
Posted in Apparel, Pro Sports | No Comments »
