Source: Sporturf Dalton, Ga. (May 21, 2013) - Sporturf, an international manufacturer and builder of synthetic turf fields, has significantly expanded its presence in the Midwest with the opening of the company's third regional field office in Kansas City, Missouri. Sporturf Midwest is under the leadership of President Craig Shonk, and will focus on Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas. "This strategic move opens up a market that Sporturf has not really been in before," noted Shonk. "Bringing an ISO manufacturer and a Midwest-based ASBA certified field builder together gives clients the best of both worlds." Sporturf Midwest recently completed their first, full-size turf install in Nebraska with the practice field at Millard North High School in Omaha, the largest high school in the state. Millard North benefitted in many ways from the new field, including having access to the most current fiber technology. Their team, the Mustangs, will play soccer and football games on Powerhouse 3C featuring a custom blend of monofilament and tape fibers that are the wave of the future. Peru State's historic Oak Bowl is the next project to take advantage of Sporturf's local "grassroots" plan of allowing direct access with their synthetic turf manufacturer. "Building long lasting relationships gives everyone involved unprecedented peace of mind," added Darby McCamy, Sporturf Fields Vice President. "We have bridged the gap between owner and manufacturer with our local team of certified field builders, who focus on the design-build process more than the next sale." The Sporturf main office and mill is located in Dalton, Georgia, and San Diego-based Sporturf International started in 2003. In addition, Sporturf International serves some of the most prominent sports facilities in South America and the Caribbean, such as the Haiti FIFA National Stadium and Eddy Coello Stadium in Ecuador. About SporturfHeadquartered in Dalton, Georgia, Sporturf supplies large and small customers alike with the widest variety of turf in the world. The company is a division of Controlled Products, one of the leading manufacturers of synthetic turf worldwide. Sporturf has engineered synthetic turf fields for baseball, soccer, football, lacrosse and hockey programs in 30 states and the D.C. area. Notable installs have included Clemson University, Samford University, The Citadel, Detroit Silverdome and hundreds of high schools ranging from Beckman Catholic High School in Dyersville, Iowa to Grace Academy in Knoxville, Tennessee. May 22, 2013
Source: National Athletic Trainers' Association DALLAS, May 15, 2013 - With the spring sports season well under way and summer preseason practices and youth league games around the corner, young athletes are already enjoying warm weather activities and competition. "Every team and athlete should have sports safety as a top priority," says Larry Cooper, chair of the National Athletic Trainers' Association Secondary School Committee and head athletic trainer at Penn Trafford (Pa.) High School. "It's vital for coaches, athletic trainers, parents and the athletes themselves to maintain good communication and follow guidelines to ensure all participants are fit for play." NATA hosted the 4th Youth Sports Safety Summit earlier this year with the support of the Youth Sports Safety Alliance, now composed of 109 organizations committed to keeping athletes safe, and launched the first-ever National Action Plan for Sports Safety and Student Athlete Bill of Rights (www.youthsportssafetyalliance.org). "Each athlete is entitled to appropriate care, prevention and treatment of injuries should they occur," says Cooper. NATA offers several sports safety tips to keep athletes in the game: 1. Make sure the athlete is physically and mentally in the game: Parents, with assistance from coaches, should determine whether their children are physically and psychologically conditioned for the sport/activity level they're playing. Do not push children into something they do not want to do. Additionally, if an athlete has been injured and is returning to sport, it's critical for him or her to have the right mind set and confidence to return to play and avoid repeat injury. May 15, 2013
Source: WhiteWaterWhiteWater is pleased to announce Latin America's first water coaster featuring LIM technology at Xocomil Waterpark in Guatemala. The AdrenaLIM Blaster which features cutting-edge linear induction technology was installed to celebrate IRTRA Xocomil's 50th Anniversary and boost the largest drop in the world. Xocomil's newest addition is based on WhiteWater's award-winning Master Blaster® water coaster and utilizes LIM (Linear Induction Motor) magnetic propulsion to blast riders up six hills with a stunning mega drop at the end. It accommodates 4 passengers in inline inflatable boats and is unique in that riders can opt to wear bathing suits or street clothing, and stay relatively dry. "The AdrenaLIM Blaster is a perfect example of WhiteWater's continuing evolution as the leading, most innovative waterpark and attractions supplier in the world", said WhiteWater CEO, Geoff Chutter. "The ride in itself is thrilling and adding LIM technology takes it over the top. Plus, as both a 'wet' and 'dry' ride, the value to riders and parks is essentially doubled." For more information on how WhiteWater, The ORIGINAL Waterpark & Attractions Company, brings the fun, please visit www.whitewaterwest.com. About WhiteWaterWhiteWater brings the fun as The ORIGINAL Waterpark & Attractions Company in two splashy ways; the first is just that - being first. In 1980, WhiteWater dove in feet-first; growing from a successful waterpark operation into a thriving designer and manufacturer of waterpark attractions, we've been making waves ever since. May 13, 2013
Source: LiveU Athens, GA, May 13, 2013 - Georgia IMG Sports Marketing has contracted with LiveU (www.liveu.tv) to deploy its cellular bonding technology for live transmission for coverage of UGA Athletics this Fall, 2013. UGA will utilize LiveU's LU70 cellular transmission backpack to send live video from pre and post-game activities, locker room, live Olympic competitions, and more, directly to its official site at www.georgiadogs.com, as well as to their in-stadium video boards. LiveU devices bond together multiple cellular and other data connections across all major 4G LTE and 3G carriers and utilize proprietary antenna solutions to obtain stronger signal even in some remote or congested areas. LiveU solutions are currently deployed with a variety of NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL franchises and groups, as well as various colleges and conferences across the US. According to Mike Bilbow, Executive Director of New Media at Georgia IMG Sports Marketing: "LiveU gives us the ability to capture and create more appealing live content than ever before, without the need for expensive satellite trucks or installing hardwired connections in remote venues. The video is integrated directly into our existing workflow, so we didn't need to make any changes with our video streaming providers". "We're very excited to have UGA adopt LiveU" said Tim Prukop, Head of Sports and New Media at LiveU, "LiveU technology is the perfect fit for colleges as they move towards creating a variety of new and engaging content for fans." LiveU will next demonstrate its products at the IMG College Partner Symposium, Delivered by UPS, in Atlanta May 14-16. Mr. Prukop will speak at the Trending Now: New Media Opportunities panel on Tuesday May 14, 2013 while there. LiveU will also demonstrate its products at the NACDA Convention in Orlando (June 10-15, 2013), booth #410. About LiveULiveU is the pioneer of broadcast-quality, video-over-cellular solutions that allow live video transmission (HD and SD) from any location around the world. With top-tier customers in 60+ countries, LiveU's solutions have been used for breaking news and high-profile events, including the 2012 US Presidential Campaign, London 2012 Olympics, Hurricane Sandy, 2011 British Royal Wedding, Japanese Tsunami, GRAMMY Awards® and Super Bowl. From backpacks to smartphones, LiveU offers a complete range of devices for live video coverage. LiveU's solutions include multiple 4G LTE/3G, HSPA+, WiMAX and Wi-Fi cellular links, which are optimized for maximum video quality based on the available network conditions. May 13, 2013
Source: Precor Woodinville, WA - May 13, 2013 - President Paul Byrne announced today that after 28 years with Precor, including 13 as President, he will begin his retirement on September 1. Precor Vice President - EMEA & APAC, Rob Barker, will assume the presidency in the culmination of a long-developing succession plan. When announcing his retirement Byrne shared: "Over the past 35 years, I have been fortunate to have been part of an industry that has contributed to the well being of so many people, and to have spent 28 of those years at Precor has been beyond fortunate. It has been an immeasurable gift. I will retire with great pride in what we have accomplished and with eager anticipation of what lies ahead." Byrne, one of the most recognized and respected executives in the fitness industry, began his career as the co-founder of Concept 90, a chain of stores that helped introduce the concept of specialty fitness retail in the United States. In 1985, Precor founder David Smith invited Byrne to join the then fledgling company as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. In 2000, Byrne took the helm as president. Over the course of 28 years Byrne has been a consistent visionary, guiding the transformation of Precor, the fitness industry and the way millions of people exercise. Under his leadership, Precor: · Grew from a $20 million manufacturer of home rowing machines in the United States to a $350 million supplier of home and commercial fitness experiences globally· Developed a corporate culture admired for openness and loyalty which is regularly recognized in media surveys of "Best Places to Work"· Introduced the Elliptical Fitness Cross-Trainer (EFX®) , establishing what is now the second largest category of cardio equipment found in homes and gyms· Introduced the Adaptive Motion Trainer (AMT®), the most personalized piece of cardio training equipment available· Established the standard in the newly developing category of networked fitness with Preva®, which now operates in more than 1,000 commercial installations across 37 countries Upon Byrne's recommendation, Rob Barker was unanimously approved as the new President by the Amer Sports Board of Directors and Heikki Takala, President & CEO of Amer Sports. The promotion of Barker continues the legacy of internal leadership development at Precor. The expectation of a smooth transition and continued success of Precor was emphasized by Byrne: "Rob has been part of the Precor family since 1995, and I consider him a great colleague and a great friend. He has done an extraordinary job leading our international business and helping to shape our overall strategy as part of the global senior management team. I am confident in the future of the Precor business and the Precor culture with Rob as our new President." Barker joined Precor in 1995 as the U.K. Sales and Marketing Manager and has developed his experience through several positions. For the last five years Barker served as Vice President - EMEA & APAC and as a member of the global Precor senior management team where he has helped shape the company's growth strategy. During his five year tenure at the helm of EMEA & APAC, the Precor business has grown dramatically. From 2008 through 2012, sales increased 133 percent and now represent 45 percent of all Precor revenue. Barker will begin his transition now, enjoying several months of overlap with Byrne. He and his family will relocate to the United States this summer. In response to the announcement Barker remarked: "I am honoured and excited to be asked by Paul Byrne and Heikki Takala to become the Precor President upon Paul's retirement. I congratulate Paul on his strong career and admire his extraordinary efforts in shaping Precor into the world-leading company that it is today. It has been my good fortune to work closely with Paul for many years and to see first-hand how Precor has, under his stewardship, innovated entirely new categories of fitness equipment and services like the EFX, AMT and Preva. It will be a pleasure to work with our employees worldwide to continue the Precor legacy of innovation." Precor operates as the fitness segment of Amer Sports, where the traditional Precor expertise in exercise is complemented by the other brands' deep understanding of sports and advanced sports equipment. Heikki Takala, President and CEO of Amer Sports, added: "I would like to thank Paul for his great contribution to the company as President of Precor. Paul leaves a huge legacy, with very strong business momentum coupled with a tremendous strategic business transformation from 'traditional' fitness company into a 'networked' business behind the successful introduction of Preva. As to Rob Barker's appointment, I'm really glad that we have been able to internally grow a professional like Rob to assume Paul's role. Rob's many years of experience with Precor has given him the skills to succeed in the new position." About Precor Precor designs and builds premium fitness equipment for effective workouts that feel smooth and natural. With a passionate focus on ergonomic motion, insight driven innovation and superior engineering, the company continually advances the home and commercial fitness industry with breakthrough new product categories, including EFX® Elliptical, Adaptive Motion Trainer® and Preva® Networked Fitness. Precor is a subsidiary of Amer Sports Corporation, the world's largest sports equipment company, with internationally recognized brands Wilson, Atomic, Suunto, Salomon, Arc'Teryx and Mavic. May 13, 2013
