Seeking Solutions To Help Football Players Beat The Heat (NAPSA)—High school football players are gearing upfor football season and this year’s searing heat isn’t playing favorites when it comes to the well-publicized cases of heat exhaustion. Footwear and apparel leader Nike is currently testing innovative solutions designed to help keep athletes at all levels comfortable and performing at optimum levels despite the heat. The company’s new line of Pro Compression apparelis currently available to consumers and includes moisture managementfabric which pulls moisture away from the skin and to the outside of the garment, aiding in evaporation. Nike’s addressing heat-management issues with its technically advanced line of Nike Pro Compression apparel. “Our Nike Pro Compression product represents a very impor- tant area of development for Nike because our mission is to provide products that enable athletes at every level of competition to reach their full potential,” said Mark Koppes, general managerfor Nike apparel. “While the ultimate solution is likely a couple years down the road, athletes who are cur- rently wearing Pro Compression fortable and performing at an optimum level which is critical to my success.” The roots of the compression line began 14 years ago when Nike pioneered Dri-FIT, the engineered material responsible for the moisture wicking capabilities found in Pro Compression. Wicking is achieved through a combination of fibers, the layer closest to the skin pulls moisture through the garment, to an outer layer which spreads it out to enhance evaporation. feat sit D: Terrell Owens in Nike Pro Compression with ProVent. with ProVent certainly have an advantage over athletes wearing conventional cotton garments.” Manyof the NFL's top athletes including Michael Vick, Terrell Owens, Marshall Faulk and Der- rick Brooks are currently wearing Pro Compression with ProVent to gain a level of relief from the heat while enhancing their performance. “In the competitive world of professional football, I try to find every advantage I can,” said Vick. “Mentally and physically, Nike’s Pro Compression keeps me com- “As a Nike athlete, you know that you are going to have the opportunity to wear products that are on the cutting edge of technology,” said Owens. “They are always trying to find new waysto give us a competitive edge.” Through constant evolution and advancements made by Nike engineers, properly fitting Pro Compression products with ProVent help slow the rise of core body temperature and provide greater support for muscles. The resulting productis a lightweight, moisturecontrolling “second skin” for athletes designed to contour and encapsulate the body’s muscles. To learn more, visit the Web site at www.niketown.com.
