Crash pads designed by Calgary researchers, Sean Maw Clifton Johnston are helping to protect Olympic speed skaters.
Sliding head-first into a wall at 60 km/h is not unusual in long-track speed skating. It is a necessary hazard of participating in the fastest self-propelled sport in the Winter Olympics. What isn’t necessary, according to researchers Sean Maw and Clifton Johnston, is having those collisions result in serious injury.
Mount Royal University and University of Calgary professors, Maw and Johnston have developed a crash pad system for Vancouver’s short- and long-track speed skating rinks that make wipeouts easier to recover from. Their high-tech system uses different layers of foam, straps and anchoring systems throughout the track to provide the best combination of absorption and bounce at every turn and straightaway.
“The whole arrangement is like a puzzle, with different kinds of pads fitting together in a very specific way,” explains Maw. Corner pads are designed for high-speed, head-on collisions, while the sides are designed for less-forceful glancing blows.
“Hopefully, skaters hit them and get back up without any broken bones or concussions,” says Maw.
So far, it’s working. The oval in Salt Lake City installed the same system in the fall of 2008 after a string of serious crashes sent skaters to the hospital. Since then, there have been no major injuries as a result of hitting the pads. Johnston and Maw are hoping for similar injury-free results in Vancouver.
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