Suits sabotage U.S. speedskating? Your Say

The poor showing of U.S. speedskating athletes at the Sochi Games prompted a switch from new Under Armour suits to an older version. Comments from Facebook are edited for clarity and grammar:

Suits don't win races. The U.S. speedskating athletes just aren't as good as they used to be. Training in Salt Lake City was a mistake. The team should have trained in the Midwest where the altitude better matches the one in Sochi, Russia.

— Greg Mauer

I have heard several times that athletes weren't gliding on the ice very well. The conditions in Sochi just might be the real issue vs. the suits. Only a handful of Olympic records have been broken in speedskating during the Games. This could indicate the ice is a little slower, which might bring other competitors who adapted better into contention.

— Brian Behling

It is possible that the suits had a negative psychological effect. Sport involves the mind as much as the body, and if you think you are invincible with a superman suit, your mind controls your body in a different way. The science behind the suits was excellent, except they forgot the science of psychology.

— Theodosius Mandelbrot II

Leading up to the Olympics, there was so much coverage of potential terrorist attacks that I think the low scores could be from nerves. I would be on edge and unable to concentrate, too, with this sense of "something bad is going to happen here."

— Jonathan Lund