KIDWCKED
01-08-2010, 08:49 PM
c\p from espn
The Calgary Olympic Oval is home to a giant, modified treadmill that motors at speeds of up to 60 km/h and sees speed skaters strapped into harnesses, watching mirrors, cameras and screens so they can alter their form if required.
It also levitates to simulate uphill climbs, doubling as a training ground for nordic skiers. And although it's in the Oval, it's been a secret training weapon for Canadian athletes in the run-up to the 2010 Games.
It's one of many.
Canada's snowboarders have been hiding their secret weapon all season - an elaborate composite base that makes their boards extra flexible. And alpine skiers have been wearing a GPS system on their backs to find out how to best cut down those Olympic slopes in Vancouver.
These high-tech gadgets are all part of Canada's Top Secret project, an $8-million Own the Podium project that was largely hush-hush until Friday, when details were revealed in MacLean's magazine.
The secret's out because it's too late for other countries to catch up and replicate what Canadian researchers spent years developing, says the magazine's Vancouver bureau chief and co-author of the article, Ken MacQueen.
"I think it's a bit of a head game, you know, it gives our Canadian athletes a psychological advantage, and maybe puts a little bit of scare into some of the other nations," MacQueen told Canada AM Friday.
The Snowboard team's new gear was developed in part by reigning world champion Jasey-Jay Anderson. The team has been training with low-friction base snowboards, and a composite plate Canadians have been hiding from their opponents.
"If you've been noticing, our snowboard team has been lighting it up, they've been on the podium all season long so far," MacQueen said. "It's been driving the opponents crazy because no one can get a look at what this is."
Jan Hudek is among the Canadian alpine skiers using the missile guidance system, designed to find out how to shave off those hundredths of a second that could prove to be difference-makers in Vancouver.
"They were basically just finding a way to cut through the Olympic hills at the best possible angles, how to attack the gates, and so forth," MacQueen explained. "Any advantage they can get on that hill is vital."
A speed skating sling-shot, curling sweeping technology, and a para-alpine sit-ski with extra stability are among the other developments that emerged from the Top Secret plan.
The Calgary Olympic Oval is home to a giant, modified treadmill that motors at speeds of up to 60 km/h and sees speed skaters strapped into harnesses, watching mirrors, cameras and screens so they can alter their form if required.
It also levitates to simulate uphill climbs, doubling as a training ground for nordic skiers. And although it's in the Oval, it's been a secret training weapon for Canadian athletes in the run-up to the 2010 Games.
It's one of many.
Canada's snowboarders have been hiding their secret weapon all season - an elaborate composite base that makes their boards extra flexible. And alpine skiers have been wearing a GPS system on their backs to find out how to best cut down those Olympic slopes in Vancouver.
These high-tech gadgets are all part of Canada's Top Secret project, an $8-million Own the Podium project that was largely hush-hush until Friday, when details were revealed in MacLean's magazine.
The secret's out because it's too late for other countries to catch up and replicate what Canadian researchers spent years developing, says the magazine's Vancouver bureau chief and co-author of the article, Ken MacQueen.
"I think it's a bit of a head game, you know, it gives our Canadian athletes a psychological advantage, and maybe puts a little bit of scare into some of the other nations," MacQueen told Canada AM Friday.
The Snowboard team's new gear was developed in part by reigning world champion Jasey-Jay Anderson. The team has been training with low-friction base snowboards, and a composite plate Canadians have been hiding from their opponents.
"If you've been noticing, our snowboard team has been lighting it up, they've been on the podium all season long so far," MacQueen said. "It's been driving the opponents crazy because no one can get a look at what this is."
Jan Hudek is among the Canadian alpine skiers using the missile guidance system, designed to find out how to shave off those hundredths of a second that could prove to be difference-makers in Vancouver.
"They were basically just finding a way to cut through the Olympic hills at the best possible angles, how to attack the gates, and so forth," MacQueen explained. "Any advantage they can get on that hill is vital."
A speed skating sling-shot, curling sweeping technology, and a para-alpine sit-ski with extra stability are among the other developments that emerged from the Top Secret plan.