Sam Newman cools down and fires up with new cooling vest
Media commentator and former AFL player, Sam Newman, has arrived on the Gold Coast in his new Lamborghini Diablo and has test-driven the new body cooling vest that AFL players will wear during training sessions this summer.
Competing in the Jack Newton Celebrity Golf Classic at Twin Waters at the weekend, Mr Newman also took the opportunity to test drive his new red sports car for the weekend with a 4,000-km round-trip from Melbourne.
Mr Newman was chilling out in the revolutionary new cooling vests following the AFL's announcement last week to supply each club in the league with vests manufactured by Arctic Heat Products Pty Ltd.
The cooling vest reduces body temperature and prevents players from overheating.
The AFL has agreed to endorse the Arctic Heat cooling vests by supplying them to its players for the next three years to combat any pre-season heat problems that may affect some players.
Mr Newman said he "fired up" during his drive from Melbourne last week so he sported the Arctic Heat vest to cool down during his journey.
"The brightly coloured body cooling vest matched my red sports car and it kept me very comfortable on the long, hot journey," Mr Newman said.
"The vest added to my driving pleasure!"
AFL football operations manager, Andrew Demetriou said: "The welfare of our players is crucial at all times and we believe the cooling vest will be an important addition for all clubs, both pre-season and during the season."
General Manager of Arctic Heat, Shane Williams, said players could wear the vests during training and on the interchange bench during each game in the football season.
"The AFL has shown great initiative to address the problem of heat stress, particularly following last year's early start to the season in the warm summer months and the significant change in temperature that players experience during games in the cooler months," Mr Williams said.
Arctic Heat has supplied 350 cooling vests to players and coaches in the 16 clubs throughout Australia.
Arctic Heat's Research and Development manager, Andrew Bews, said the cooling vests are manufactured out of scientifically tested and proven body-cooling materials - sportwool, microfibre and pockets of gel that hold any temperature for a long time.
Mr Bews, a former captain with Geelong, Brisbane Lions player, AFL life member and now coach of Williamstown in Victoria, said sportwool was the key property in reducing the body temperature and preventing players from overheating.
Sportwool is a new body cooling material recently developed by CSIRO and the Woolmark Company. It combines the unique high-performance composite or bi-component fabric structure of Merino wool with other fibres to take advantage of wool's unique properties.
"The vest maintains the core temperature of players by simply dipping the garment into water to activate and swell the gel crystals embedded in the material. The gel crystals absorb the water and maintain a constant temperature for several hours," Mr Bews said.
"The wicking effect of sportwool transfers moisture from the skin to the outer microfibre that keeps the skin dry and comfortable and prevents tacky humid moisture forming on the skin.
"The wool qualities of the vest create a natural climate-control system that can reduce ‘post exercise chill’ and allow the garment to breathe naturally.
"Recent scientific testing has proved that by keeping the skin temperature cool in line with the sweating process helps the body to stay cool.
"This can result in much longer sustained performance, lower heart rate and reduced sweating which results in far less body fluid loss.
Mr Bews said the Arctic Heat cooling vest can drop skin temperature by up to 25 degrees Celsius, keeping the body cool and allowing the wearer to perform at maximum capacity.
"The vest will allow AFL players to train in comfort for sustained periods as well as enjoy a faster and more efficient recovery," he said.
"Most importantly, the cooling vest greatly reduces the chance of being affected by any form of heat stress that can have a significant effect on both athletic performance and health."
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