| Scientists | research new | shapes | |for sports; FOR HIGH-performance runners, being an old smoothy may be a real help, but being a good egg is not, says a researcher at Simon Fraser University. Kinesiology graduate student Leonard Brownlie, with his men- tors Drs. Eric Bannister and Igor Mekjavic, has been studying the aerodynamic effects of runners’ clothing. - Traditional loose shorts and singlets are a drag, he found: they “inerease the runner’s wind resistance. In wind-tunnel tests, they ballooned cut around the runner. . Something smoother seemed to be in order. So Brownlie tested runners using a new, stretchy, tight-fitting suit of shiny fabric. This suit considerably reduced wind drag on the runner, he found. By far the best results were ob- tained when the runner also wore a tight hood of the same fabric. Hair, it turns out, offers a surpris- ing amount of wind resistance. For, everyday joggers, the dif- ferences in wind resistance may be largely irrelevant. But in interna- tional competition, such a hooded. suit may help runners literally win by a hair — shave a few hundred- ths of a second off the hundred- metre dash, or as much as three seconds off a mile, Brownlie says. In their quest ‘for the aerodynamically perfect runner, the researchers also investigated padding the suit to make the run- ner’s body egg-shaped. An egg-shape is aerodynamically very efficient; downhill skiers try to crouch into an egg shape and bicycle racers . wear swept-back helmets fo make themselves as egg-shaped as possible when leap- ing over the handlebars. So the SFU researchers thought an egg-shaped suit would help runners really get cracking. Unfor- tunately, the concept did not work; the egg-shape didn’t make any significant aerodyuamic difference and the foam padding used tended to jounce around. Brownlie is not sure what recep- tion a shiny, sleek, hooded suit will meet in international competition. Though the rules do not specifical- ly forbid such garb, it may initially be resisted on aesthetic or tradi- tional grounds, he says. The running-suit research was funded in part by a grant from the National Research Council; the new ‘slick suit’ was designed and made by the Fitz-Wright Company of Surrey. (Canadian Science News) Na | SUSHI COOKING Made Simple is a course being of- fered by Eagle Harbour Community Centre. Wendy Young, course leader, will focus on creating several types of sushi, the use of Japanese utensils, and the history and proper presentation of sushi. 7 to 9:30 p.m. information and for registration call 921-7425. CANADIAN HOME SHOPPING CLUB The Canadian Home Shopping Club is a revolutionary new way to shop at home. Now you can say good-bye to crowds, line- ups and parking lots because The Canadian Shopping Club allows you to see what you're purchasing on your own TV set! Seven days a week, you can select from a wide range of discounted products, including jewellery, collectibles, housewares, sporting goods and much more 50%.) Just use your Ara. Imagine being able to choose from over thousands of different products at big savings, right in your own home! Tune in to The Canadian Home Shopping Club channel in your area and simply call our toll free number. . ib Every order comes with a full 30-da a guarantee and will be delivered/by courier) within 7 to 10 working days. And when you join The Canadian Home Shopping Club, you will receive free membership and an introductory $5 discount on your first purchase. The Club will be featuring contests, free Spendable Kash $$ give aways and much, much more. Now you can save big and win prizes at the same time! Watch The Canadian Home Shopping Club and shop the discount store of the future. (yest The course will be offered Thursday, Jan. 29 from Eagle Harbour Community Centre is located at 5575 Marine Drive in West Vancouver. For further | |