SPORTS EQUIPMENT DEVELOPMENT; MATERIALS, DESIGN AND THE FUTURE. Paul D Ewart, Kim Pickering. Department of Materials and Process Engineering. University of Waikato.

To Follow. Introduction. Sporting equipment. Materials Technology. Recent developments. Juniors in sport. Conclusion.

Introduction. Physical skills – coached. Knowledge of the rules and technical aspects – learned. Psychological aspects of competition – conditioned. Sports Equipment - ? Equipment materials - ?

Sporting equipment. Historical construction of wood; Skis, golf clubs, kayaks and paddles, vaulting poles, hockey sticks and even bicycles Restrictions of international governing bodies [1-8] ensure skill is dominant element of success, as well as etiquette and competition rules; Cricket, tennis and baseball Many sports create equipment for junior athletes, generally based on cut down full size equipment.

Materials Technology. Coupled with war-time metals shortages of World War II, composites were put into structural parts and process developments took place. Composites development aided by; Corvettes all composite body 1953 Aerospace support The development of carbon fibre 1960s Materials of the future; Metal matrix and ceramic matrix composites initially developed for space and military applications

Recent developments. 1995 Canoe Racing NZ (CRNZ) development kayak (DK), the Swift. NR Racing introduced European concept junior kayak in 2002; The foundation of paddling in many european countries Sisson Kayaks tried to service the needs of junior paddlers with disastrous results financially; ‘juniors are not scaled down people, therefore scaled down kayaks do not work and neither do scaled down paddles’ Kiwikayaks will manufacture specifically for junior paddlers; The cost of a boat designed for a junior paddler is going to cost the parent or club the same amount as that of a boat for a senior paddler

Juniors in sport. Little science has been applied to equipment design for children, yet ill fitting equipment can significantly effect child learning ability [9-10], and may take years to correct. Stanbridge et al [11] completed an investigation of the effect of tennis racket properties amongst children. Beginners - short light racket Intermediate players - medium length racket Advanced players - longer heavier rackets.

Conclusion. Tremendous growth in participation; Current financial membership ~ 3000 Active paddlers estimated at 32,000 Canoe/kayak community resource pool; A truly national level Suitably equipped kayaks, paddles and accessories; Age group specific Future development of suitable equipment; Design Materials.

References. [1] ICF Flatwater Racing Competition Rules Version 4.00 Issue Date: 1 January 2003 [2] ICF Slalom Racing Competition Rules - Version 2003.01 - Issue date: January 1 st, 2003 [3] ICF Marathon Racing Rules Version 2001.01 - Issue date: January 14th, 2001 [4] ICF Wildwater Racing Competition Rules Version 2001.01 - Issue date: January 14th, 2001 [5] ICF Canoe Polo Rules - Version 5.00 - Issue date: 14 t h January 2003 [6] International Tennis Federation, 2003 Rules of Tennis. International Tennis Federation [7] The Marylebone Cricket Club, 2003. The Laws of Cricket (2000 Code 2nd Edition –2003) [8] The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, 2004. Rules of Golf (2004-2007 Edition) [9] Maltby R. 1990. Golf Club Design, Fitting, Alteration and Repair: The Principles and Procedures, Newark: Ralph Maltby Enterprises. Cited in [12]. [10] Shoup, T.E. 1986. Anthropometric Sizing of Golf Clubs for Juniors. In 39th Annual Conference on Engineering in Medicine and Biology, pp 36 Baltimore. Cited in [12] [11] K. Stanbridge, S. Mitchell & R. Jones, 2002. The Effect of Tennis Racket Properties on Forehand Stroke Performance Amongst Children. Loughborough University, England. [12] K. Stanbridge, R. Jones and S. Mitchell, 2003. The effect of shaft flexibility on junior golfers’ performance. Loughborough University, England.

Acknowledgements. New Zealand Canoeing Federation Inc.