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IN PARTICULAR, THE VENTS ON THE
BACK OF THESE SUITS CREATING
DRAG IS SLOWING THE ATHLETES
DOWN.
WHAT DO YOU SAY SOME.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING
ME.
I APPRECIATE IT.
IT'S GREAT TO BE ABLE TO WITH
YOU TODAY.
THE BOTTOM LINE HERE IS THAT
UNDER ARMOR IS ALL ABOUT TRYING
TO MAKE ATHLETES BETTER AND WE
PUT IN AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF
TIME AND RESEARCH AND EFFORT AND
THEY CREATE THE FASTEST SUITS
THAT THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN.
WE ARE CONFIDENT IN THE SUITS AS
CONFIDENT TODAY AS WE HAVE BEEN.
THE NOTION THAT THE VENTS IN THE
BACK OF THE SUIT WERE A PROBLEM
HAS BEEN PUT TO REST EVER SINCE
THE WOMEN'S 1,000.
OUR GOAL IS TO GIVE THE ATHLETES
AND THE COACHES WHAT THEY WANT.
THEY ASKED US TO MAKE
ADJUSTMENTS TO THE SUIT AND THE
ONE PERFORMANCE-RELATED
ADJUSTMENT IS CAN WE GET RID OF
THAT VENT.
PRIOR TO THE WOMEN'S 1,000, ALL
FOUR OF THE SUITS IN THAT RACE
WERE MODIFIED AND THEY TOOK OUT
THE PANEL AND REPLACED IT WITH
THE MORE RUBBER-LIKE FABRIC FROM
THE FRONT OF THE SUIT.
>> WAS THE VENT AN ISSUE?
>> ARE YOU SAYING IT WAS AN
ISSUE?
>> THE VENT WAS NOT AN ISSUE.
THE RESULTS ARE THE SAME WITHOUT
THE VENT AS THEY WERE WITH THE
VENT.
>> HOLD ON.
YOU MENTIONED THE 1,000 METERS.
HEATHER RICHARDSON, TEAM U.S. IS
NOT BLAMING THE SUIT, BUT SHE
DOES RANK NUMBER IN THE 1,000
METERS AND SHE FINISHED MORE
THAN A SECOND SLOWER THAN THE
WINNER.
I AM SEEING HER QUOTE.
SHE SAID I WOULD LIKE TO THINK
IT'S NOT THE SUIT.
THAT'S INTERESTING THAT SHE
DIDN'T WIN.
SHE IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE SUIT.
>> I THINK OUR JOB IS TO MAKE
THE ATHLETES AS COMFORTABLE AND
CONFIDENT AS THEY CAN BE.
THAT'S WHY WE MADE THREE
DIFFERENT SUITS FOR THE
ATHLETES.
THEY USED DIFFERENT SUITS AT
DIFFERENT TIMES DURING THE
TRAINING AND THEY HAVE BEEN
USING THE SUIT THAT WE CALLED
THE MACH 39.
ON JANUARY 31st, WE HAVE BEEN
MAKING TWEAKS TO THOSE.
WHEN ATHLETES WERE AS TALENTED
AS WE HAVE, WORLD CLASS ELITE
ATHLETES LIKE THE U.S. TEAM,
THEY ARE NOT STEPPING UP ON THE
PODIUM.
THE QUESTION IS WHY NOT?
EVERYBODY IS LEFT SCRATCHING
THEIR HEADS AND VERY
PROFESSIONALLY LOOKING AT EVERY
POSSIBLE VARIABLE THAT CAN GO
INTO ANSWERING THAT QUESTION TO
THE PILLOW THEY SLEPT ON THE
NIGHT BEFORE TO THE REST AND THE
BLADES AND THE DIET AND THE
TRAINING AND THE SUITS.
>> LET ME ASK YOU.
>> WE WILL FIND A WAY TO MAKE
THEM AS COMFORTABLE IN WHATEVER
SUIT THEY CHOOSE TO WEAR.
>> DID THE ATHLETES TEST THE
SUITS.
DID THEY SKATE BEFORE THEY
COMPETED IN THE OLYMPICS?
>> OF COURSE, OF COURSE.
>> THIS STARTED IN 2011.
WE AGREED TO A SCHEDULE IN
COLLABORATION WITH U.S. SPEED
SKATING THAT SAID THE SUITS
WOULD BE DELIVERED ON JANUARY 1.
WE HAD THE FIRST ATHLETE SKATING
IN NOVEMBER AND EVERY STEP ALONG
THE WAY IT SEEMS LIKE IT HAS
BEEN OVERWHELMINGLY POSITIVE.
THIS IS SO FAST.
GET IT OFF OF ME BEFORE OUR
COMPETITION SEE THESE SPECIAL
FEATURES.
THEY ALL GOT THE SUITS ON
JANUARY 1st.
THE TEAM USED THEM AT VARIOUS
POINTS ALONG THE WAY, NOT IN
COMPETITION, BUT IN SALT LAKE
CITY AND ITALY THEY ARE TRAINING
IN JANUARY AND OBVIOUSLY AGAIN
IN SOCHI WHILE TRAINING PRIOR TO
THE OLYMPICS AND ALL THROUGHOUT
THE FEEDBACK HAS BEEN POSITIVE
AND WE PUSHED AND PUSHED.
>> LET ME ADD TO THAT.
>> YOU JUST SAID WITHOUT A
DOUBT, THEY TESTED THE SUITS.
WE REACHED OUT AND ASKED THIS
QUESTION DIRECTLY.
DID YOU TEST THESE SUITS PRIOR
TO THE OLYMPICS?
YOU ARE SAYING YES.
HERE'S WHAT'S INTERESTING.
THEY DID NOT ANSWER THE QUESTION
DIRECTLY FOR ME.
WHAT THEY DID WAS RELEASED THIS
STATEMENT.
WE ARE WORKING WITH OUR
ATHLETES, COACHES, TRAINERS AND
EQUIPMENT PARTNERS TO FIGURE OUT
WHAT WE CAN DO TO PRODUCE BETTER
RESULTS FOR TEAM USA.
BOTTOM LINE, KEVIN, DO YOU THINK
IT'S THE ATHLETE AND NOT THE
SUIT?
>> I THINK IT'S THE ATHLETE OR
THE SUIT.
THEY WILL COME RIGHT OUT AND
TELL YOU IT'S NOT THE SUIT.
THE EXEC TER DIRECTOR IS ON THE
RECORD IF YOU THINK A SKATER
LOSES BECAUSE OF A SUIT, YOU
DON'T KNOW ABOUT SPEED SKATING.
IT DOESN'T MATTER.
WE ALL WANT THE ATHLETES TO WIN.
THEY INVESTED FOUR YEARS OF
THEIR LIFE AND GIVEN UP
EVERYTHING TO GET ON THE PODIUM
IN SOCHI AND SACRIFICE IN A WAY
THAT MOST PEOPLE CANNOT
COMPREHEND.
WE WANT TO GET THEM ON THE
PODIUM.
WHETHER IT'S THE SUITS AND THE
SKATES AND THE BLADES AND WHAT
THEY SLEPT ON THE NIGHT BEFORE,
WE DON'T CARE.
WE WILL GET THEM COMFORTABLE
WITH WHATEVER SUIT THEY PUT ON.
IF THAT MEANS POWERING UP THE
VENTILATED PANEL OR PUTTING THEM
IN A DIFFERENT SUIT THAN THE
THEY SKATED IN IN THE LAST RACE,
THAT'S WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO.
WE HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE SUITS