We’re excited to introduce you to Canada’s fastest woman in the 200m, Crystal Emmanuel. We met up with her where she trains to talk sprinting and her first experience in a set of Pommello Sweats™.

And, you’ll also see her striking images through out the pages of our site. Here’s what Crystal had to say after wearing our gear for the first time:

Pommello™:So, you had an opportunity to actually try this gear. How fast did it take you to warm up?

Crystal: For me, to warm up was pretty fast in the gear. Without the gear, for me, it takes me awhile. I have to warm, like, my hamstrings, maybe roll, stretch to get my muscles warm, but when I started jogging, I felt warm. ‘Cause, where I train is really cold, so it took me a few, like, maybe five minutes to warm up in the gear. It’s pretty warm.

Pommello™: Was there anything about it that surprised you?

Crystal:Yeah, that I started sweating. I started sweating before, like, you can’t see the sweat, but I felt the heat inside. And, I’m not usually a person that warms up really quickly, so in the gear it feels really warm. For me, it’s surprising.

Pommello™:In your sport, why is heat so important?

Crystal:For us, for sprinters, if we don’t warm up enough you can either pull something or something gets really tight, so in, like, Europe, sometimes you get unexpected weather. For me, unexpected weather, [means] I have to warm up longer, I need more time to get to the track, to warm up, be inside back and forth to get warm. For this to be in Canada, and I’m outside in Canadian weather, and it’s snowing, [this gear] is really warm and is very good for, I would say, sprinters.

 

Pommello™:What do sprinters normally wear to keep themselves warm?

Crystal: Long pants, like tights, sweats, a jacket, like a long sweater, and maybe a raincoat. Yeah, if it’s raining and cold then you have more layers.

Pommello™:What’s the disadvantage of wearing so many layers as a sprinter?

Crystal:For us, we have to wear it when we warm up and then, to take that off, it’s not a bad thing, but then, like, if you have less [on] while you warm, then you can move more, you can get more stuff done. You don’t have to take as long if you’re warm quicker and it keeps your heat, so that [works] really well with the suit.

Pommello™: Do you see an advantage with this over other clothes sprinters wear?

Crystal:Yeah, for sure. The heat keeps your body warm. I lifted my top and I, like, felt the heat; I put my hand inside and felt the heat. So, the heat in your body, staying in and you’re keeping warm as you warm up, that’s really good.

Pommello™:Is there anything else about the gear that surprised you?

Crystal:The pocket on the side, for your phone, and it doesn’t move because the gear is really tight. And when we warm up we want to have our phone or iPods, and some people put it in their bra, some people put it in their pockets, then you see it flying everywhere. Um, but the little pocket is great.

Pommello™:How was the mobility?

Crystal:It is great. The stretchiness of it, ‘cause some [gear] is tight, like you can’t really move, but this — that surprised me as well — the movement, because [sprinters], we need it to move our legs, get us warm, stretch, so it’s really stretchy and nice.

Pommello™:Anything else come to mind?

Crystal:I love it. I don’t want to take it off.

Pommello™:How do you like the look and the design?

Crystal:I love the look. Fabulous, you can see all the curves and stuff. The design, the material is very nice. Everything about the suit is lovely.

Pommello™:How does it feel to be in it?

Crystal:To be in it? I don’t want to get out ‘it. Yeah, that’s what it feels like. I could sleep in it, but it just feels like really good material, very stretchy. I can work out in it and not be like: Okay, like, this is very uncomfortable. It’s like, it’s really good for working out and keeping your body warm outside, because Canada’s weather is up and down. So, you never know.

Pommello™: Have you ever worn a wicking garment and you sweat in it and then as you’re pulling down it feels cold?

Crystal:Yes.

Pommello™: So, how do you feel like this compares to that?

Crystal:Uh, hot. So, for us, sometimes when I take my sweats off I feel the cold before I take my jacket off, once the wind hits inside, but this, I feel heat, that’s it, just heat and warm. The suit isn’t like when you’re outside and the breeze hits you and it’s like: Oh, I still feel a bit chilly because of my sweat. But under here it’s very warm.