If these new uniforms weigh 30 pounds lighter during the 4th quarter than traditional uniforms and provide fewer 'tackling handles,' the team that doesn't switch to them would be at a definite competitive disadvantage, similar to the new swimsuits. As I understand it the new swimsuits are faster in the water than naked human skin.
GatorAde gave the Gators an advantage in the 1960's when it was being tested on the team and noone else had it. It produced the Silver Sixties, including Steve Spurrier and Florida's first Heisman and several years of outstanding records and bowl appearances and victories. We were fresh in the 4th quarter while other teams were dragging. A. Leon Polhill, Gator "I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did. I said I didn't know." - Mark Twain ________________________________ From: Gatornet Admin <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Sun, November 29, 2009 4:01:57 PM Subject: RE: [gatortalk] Re: [gatornews] [SUN]: Will new uniforms give Gators an edge? [Boothe] I’m fine with whatever, but I’m a traditional guy. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. J Randy From:Helen Huntley [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Sunday, November 29, 2009 1:23 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [gatortalk] Re: [gatornews] [SUN]: Will new uniforms give Gators an edge? [Boothe] Don't you love the photo--Earl Everett, fashion model! I thought the uniforms were fine except for the white on the pants. They look weird from the back. On Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 12:15 PM, Shane Ford <[email protected]> wrote: Will new uniforms give Gators an edge? The uniforms are designed to be lighter. Doug Finger/Staff photographer Buy photo James Smith and Earl Everett, at right, display the new Nike Combat Florida uniform last week. The Gators will wear the uniform today against Florida State. By John J. Boothe Gainesville SUN Correspondent Published: Saturday, November 28, 2009 at 6:01 a.m. Last Modified: Friday, November 27, 2009 at 9:22 p.m. It's the start of the fourth quarter and you're saturated with two hours' worth of sweat and moisture from the hot, humid air. By this time, your uniform is beginning to bog down. Your drenched jersey feels pounds heavier as you slosh down the field in water-logged cleats. This week is different though. As you line up across from a number clad in garnet in gold, you smirk. You're not wearing last week's uniform. Jason Baisden, University of Florida head football equipment manager, believes that Gator players will have a technological edge while wearing the team's new Nike Pro Combat uniforms against FSU today. The new gear is almost half the weight of FSU's uniforms, Baisden said. "It doesn't sound like a lot to the layman, but that is a tremendous amount during the game," Baisden said. "It's a big advantage when the fourth quarter comes around." Nike's football division has completely revamped Florida's football equipment line for today's rivalry game. The Gators will be wearing new, high-tech helmets, jerseys, pants, pads, gloves and cleats, free of charge to the university. Baisden describes the uniforms as a "futuristic-retro design" with its '60s-style, white helmets and sleek, aggressive lines across an all-blue jersey and pant combination. Baisden expects the uniform's impact to come late in the game, when the players' equipment normally becomes heavier from the water and sweat it accumulates. With the Pro Combat gear, this moisture is shed off the material, making it 46 percent lighter than a typical Gator uniform when wet, according to Nike. In addition to wicking away moisture, the four-way stretch twill that is used in the jersey and pants effectively "shrink wraps" itself around a player's body, said Nike spokesperson Loren Hoppes. This allows for the uniform to contort to every angle in which pad and flesh meet, preventing opposing players from grabbing onto a Gator's jersey. Beyond the technological advantages of the new uniform, Baisden said, is the mental and morale boost of Florida's players getting these hyped uniforms. "Stuff like this, with these guys, is like Christmas morning," he said. "Looks are important to them. They think about it all week long, so I know that will play into it." Nike designers came to Florida back in the spring to research the team's traditions and personalities to help craft a line of equipment that would reflect the current roster. Hoppes said that Nike designers will incorporate the Pro-Combat technology into the Gators' gear for next season. "There was one great insight last spring that we got from one of the players when he said, 'We don't dress for a football game; we dress for a track meet,'" Hoppes recalled. -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us-- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us
