PORTLAND, Ore. — When Team USA Curling competes at the Winter Olympics in February, athletes will take to the ice wearing uniforms designed by Columbia Sportswear.
The Portland-based company partnered with Team USA Curling more than a year ago to create both competition uniforms and village wear. Designers focused on combining outdoor performance with patriotic elements.
“With these designs this year, what we really wanted to go after was the outdoor elements and kind of bring a little bit of America first and then a little bit of Columbia on ice for them to compete in,” said Becca Johnson, who led the Columbia design team.
Johnson said the project carries a sense of pride for her team.
“It’s huge because the Olympics is the pinnacle of these athletes’ careers,” she said. “To get to have a piece of that, help them comfortable in the outdoors, in the elements and compete and to get podium spots 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.
“Needing a flexible, very athletic fit and what they’ve done here is amazing,” Dropkin said. Thiesse added, “I like warmth. The jackets that Columbia has created are very warm, but also like Korey said, form-fitting and breathable as well.”
Each piece includes hidden details, such as 250 stars to mark 250 years of American history. Inside the jackets, athletes will find a patch where they can write their names and a note wishing them luck.
Columbia Sportswear said the uniforms were designed to provide durability, flexibility and breathability as athletes compete on the world stage.