SPORTS EQUIPMENT

   

   Revision

   In which sports do we use the following equipment?

   Paddle – bat – stick – pole – bow – club – rod – fin – oar – ribbon – saddle – belt – binding
   – harness – shin guard – goggles – sabre – mouth guard – cochonnet – handlebars – compass –
   anchor - snorkel

   

   Reading

   Is the Use of Advanced Materials in Sports Equipment Unethical?

   INTRODUCTION

   This article addresses the role of advanced materials in sports. At the highest professional
   level, sports are a highly competitive occupation with millions of dollars depending upon
   fractions of a second or tenths of a centimetre. However, even the dedicated amateur is
   willing to invest a great deal of money to improve his or her performance. Thus, just as in
   other fields, the use of advanced materials in athletics can be justified if it leads to
   enhanced performance.

   

   SPORTS EQUIPMENT DESIGN

   The optimum design of sports equipment requires the application of a number of disciplines,
   not only for enhanced performance but also to make the equipment as user-friendly as possible
   from the standpoint of injury avoidance. Clearly, this design includes materials science,
   mechanical engineering, and physics; however, knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and
   biomechanics is also necessary. Biomechanics can be simply defined as the science of how the
   body reacts to internal and external forces. Thus, it is an attempt to apply the basic laws of
   physics and mechanics to the joints, ligaments, and tissues of the body as they are subjected
   to loading.

   

   THE IMPACT OF ADVANCED MATERIALS

   Running

   Shoes, in particular, have shown substantial improvements in the running events. However, this
   improvement has been much more in the comfort/avoidance-of-injury arena rather than in
   absolute performance enhancement. Thus, during the first Olympics in 1896 when Spiridon Loues
   won the marathon, all of Greece celebrated with him as he just broke three hours with a time
   of two hours, 59 minutes. Almost 100 years later, the Olympic record is two hours, 12 minutes,
   and 36 seconds, about a 30% improvement. The majority of this improvement can be attributed to
   an improvement in human performance.

   

   Cycling

   Cycling is a highly efficient form of transportation, with energy consumption lower than that
   of a walker and much lower than that of powered vehicles. The bicycle has been around for
   almost 200 years, maturing from the 1817 Draisienne (walking device). Today, advanced
   materials, in combination with aerodynamic consideration, have led to vastly improved
   bicycles.

   A number of advances have contributed to the high efficiency of the modern-day bicycle,
   including the development of spoked wheels, the chain concept, pneumatic tires, and
   accessories (e.g., seats, brake levers, and pedals). However, the two major advances are in
   the frame and wheels.

   Tennis

   Until about 25 years ago, tennis rackets were made from wood. In the late 1960s, metal frames,
   generally fabricated from steel or aluminium, were introduced. Presently, composite rackets
   are very popular both from the viewpoint of efficiency (accelerating the ball across the net)
   and in terms of reducing the dangerous vibration that can lead to tennis elbow. The impact
   force experienced by a player on returning a tennis ball travelling at 160 km per hour is
   approximately equivalent to lifting a weight of about 75 kg. These forces can transmit a high
   load leading to damage to the small blood capillaries in the muscles and tendons around the
   elbow joint. Better technique can help, but an improved racket can also make a major
   contribution.

   

   ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS

   Although some examples of the use of advanced materials in sporting goods have been discussed,
   there are certainly more possible. Where the sporting achievement can be measured in absolute
   terms, great improvements have been made in those sports where equipment is critical. However,
   the use of advanced materials in sports equipment presents some ethical  questions. We can
   clearly enhance behaviour by allowing the use of advanced materials, but where should the line
   be drawn, or should there be no restrictions?

   This brings us to a second question: should we allow competition at the highest level to be
   only affordable to the elite because of the high cost of equipment?

   Where should this end? Can we ensure that people are competing and not the advanced materials?
   Certainly, we do not want to go back to a wooden pylon. But how about electronically guided
   darts, solar-energy-enhanced bicycles, and terrain-following golf balls that automatically
   find the lowest local elevation on a surface (the bottom of the hole)?

   Lots of questions, few answers. What do you think?

   

   (adapted from http://www.tms.org/pubs/journals/JOM/9702/Froes-9702.html)

   

   

   Vocabulary

   Match the expressions on the left with their collocations on the right.

   Mechanical

   Advanced

   High

   Injury

   Dedicated

   Enhanced

   Efficiency

   Amateur

   Materials

   Engineering

   Performance

   Avoidance

   

   

   Questions

    1. What is the role of sports equipment in sports?
    2. What disciplines are applied in sports equipment design?
    3. Summarise the impact of advanced materials in running, cycling and tennis.
    4. Give more examples of technology impact from your sport.
    5. What are the burning issues in this field according to the author?