PORTLAND, Ore. – When Team USA Curling competes in the Winter Olympics in February, athletes will take to the ice in uniforms designed by Columbia Sportswear.
The Portland-based company partnered with Team USA Curling more than a year ago to produce both competition uniforms and village wear. The designers focused on combining outdoor performance with patriotic elements.
“With these designs this year, we really wanted to pay attention to the outdoor elements and kind of bring a little bit of America first and then a little bit of Columbia onto the ice for them to compete,” said Becca Johnson, who led the Columbia design team.
Johnson said the project is a sense of pride for her team.
“This is huge because the Olympics are the pinnacle of these athletes’ careers,” she said. “To be a part of helping them feel comfortable in the outdoors, in the elements and in competitions and getting podium places is just huge.”
Athletes Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin, who recently qualified for the Winter Olympics as a mixed pair, modeled the new uniforms. Both praised the fit and warmth of the designs.
“You need a flexible, very athletic fit and what they've done here is amazing,” Dropkin said. Thiesse added, “I like warmth. The jackets that Columbia created are very warm, but also, as Korey said, form-fitting and breathable.”
Each piece contains hidden details, such as 250 stars marking 250 years of American history. Inside the jackets, the athletes will find a patch on which they can write their name and a note of congratulations.
Columbia Sportswear said the uniforms are designed to provide durability, flexibility and breathability to athletes on the world stage.