Archive for January 2008
SKI Channel set to launch
29. January 2008 by Tridad.
The Ski Channel has inked a multiyear distribution partnership with Cox Communications ahead of its launch later this year.
The amount of subscribers added through Cox was not disclosed, but industry sources said the pact gives Ski Channel about 3 million additional homes for a total of 13 million subscribers. The network expects to be in more than 20 million households at launch.
The parties said the deal puts the Ski Channel in all Cox video-on-demand enabled systems, making it one of the first original ad-supported sports-focused VOD networks to be fully rolled out across the MSO.
“The Ski Channel is out in front of where our business is headed,” Cox senior vp programming Bob Wilson said. “They are building this service for and targeting it to a well-defined niche of passionate people who are underserved on television and with unique needs the channel intends to fulfill on every level.”
Meanwhile, Ski Channel chairman and CEO Steve Bellamy said that the network also is forming a Ski Channel Film Festival, devoted to mountain sports, activity and lifestyle genre films and programming.
“The quantity of films made in ski, snowboard, mountain biking, rock climbing and most mountain activity every year is staggering,” Bellamy said. “I don’t think there is a more prolifically filmed subject matter.”
The festival will feature categories in ski, snowboard, mountain biking, rock climbing, directing, best athletes and various others. One of the main awards will be given on behalf of ski film pioneer Warren Miller. The Warren Miller Award will recognize someone each year for a significant lifetime achievement in the sport.
The channel is in discussions with U.S.-based ski resorts and mountain towns to host the festival.
Bellamy added that the festival will receive a great deal of promotion, including on the channel itself. The Ski Channel also is taking advantage of the fact that NATPE coincides at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas this week with a ski industry trade show and has arranged for a major marketing presence at the Mandalay.
USA Triathlon Announces Multisport Shop Program
29. January 2008 by Tridad.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (January 28, 2008) — USA Triathlon is proud to introduce its new Certified Multisport Shop program. This is a group of retailers around the country targeting those athletes who love to swim, run and bike.
Following is the criteria the listed shops have met to become a part of the program:
· Have a USAT Certified Coach formally affiliated with the shop
· Sponsor at least 1 USAT sanctioned event per year
· Provide at least 2 beginners clinics per year
· Have a certified bike fit specialist on staff for shops that sell bikes
· Provide gait analysis for shops that sell running shoes
· Be an authorized dealer of triathlon specific products
· Provide a discount to USAT members
· Provide USAT membership and educational program information in a prominent place in the shop
If your favorite shop is not listed but you think they should be please have them contact Skye Wagstaff Krhoun.
The program currently includes multisport shops from Texas, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Missouri, New York, Massachusetts, Maine, Georgia, Florida, Colorado, and California.
A complete listing of shops in the program can be found at the USAT website.
About USA Triathlon
USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the national governing body for triathlon - the fastest growing sport in the U.S. - as well as duathlon, aquathlon and winter triathlon in the United States. USAT sanctions 2,300 races and connects with more than 100,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work with athletes, coaches, and race directors on the grassroots level, USAT provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including World Championships, Pan American Games, and the Olympic Games.
Website: USATriathlon.org
AFLAC to sponsor Iron Girl
25. January 2008 by Tridad.
NEW YORK, Jan. 24 /PRNewswire/ — Aflac has signed a multi year title sponsorship of Iron Girl. With 10 events nationwide, ranging from 5K/10K, duathlon and triathlons, Aflac Iron Girl empowers women of all ages to lead a healthy and active lifestyle.
To illustrate the collective commitment to this partnership, the iconic Aflac Duck and Iron Girl’s Grace have been combined to create a new logo for the Aflac Iron Girl event series.
“Aflac Iron Girl events promote health and wellness and provide women with opportunities for competition and camaraderie,” said Paul S. Amos II, President, Aflac; COO, U.S. Operations. “We are pleased to partner with Iron Girl to provide a venue to allow women to achieve their personal best.”
The 10 Aflac Iron Girl events for 2008 are:
-- April 5 - Aflac Iron Girl Clearwater, Fla. (10K/5K Run/Walk Event)
-- April 12 - Aflac Iron Girl Lake Las Vegas, Nev. (Triathlon)
-- May 4 - Aflac Iron Girl Denver, Colo. (5K Run/Walk Event)
-- June 22 - Aflac Iron Girl Solana Beach, Calif. (10K/5K Run/Walk Event)
-- June 29 - Aflac Iron Girl Atlanta, Ga. (Triathlon)
-- July 20 - Aflac Iron Girl Irving, Texas (Triathlon)
-- Aug. 24 - Aflac Iron Girl Columbia, Md. (Triathlon)
-- Sept. 7 - Aflac Iron Girl Seattle, Wash. (10K/5K Run/Walk Event)
-- Sept. 21 - Aflac Iron Girl Bloomington, Minn. (Duathlon)
-- Dec. 6 - Aflac Iron Girl Tempe, Ariz. (10-Mile/5K Run/Walk Event)
“Iron Girl is excited to partner with a company that promotes a similar mission; one that supports women’s health and wellness. The partnership with Aflac will provide a new platform and greater opportunities for both brands to empower women toward a healthy and active lifestyle,” said Vice President of Iron Girl, Judy Molnar.
The Aflac Iron Girl experience provides women with a competitive platform and unique event amenities such as: a post-race catered Breakfast Cafe, performance shirts sized just for women, IPICO timing, personalized race bibs, custom finisher’s medals, post-race giveaways and much more.
About Aflac
For more than 50 years, Aflac products have given policyholders the opportunity to direct cash where it is needed most when a life-interrupting medical event causes financial challenges. Aflac is the number one provider of guaranteed-renewable insurance in the United States and the number one insurance company in terms of individual insurance policies in force in Japan. Our insurance products provide protection to more than 40 million people worldwide. Aflac has been included in Fortune magazine’s listing of America’s Most Admired Companies for seven consecutive years and in Fortune magazine’s list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America for 10 consecutive years. Aflac has also been recognized three times by both Fortune magazine’s listing of the Top 50 Employers for Minorities and Working Mother magazine’s listing of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers. Aflac Incorporated is a Fortune 500 company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AFL. To find out more about Aflac, visit aflac.com.
About Iron Girl
Iron Girl has grown from two 10K/5K events to ten events nationwide, consisting of run/walk, duathlon and triathlon events. To date, Iron Girl has celebrated with finishers ranging in age from 5 to 78 years of age and from beginner to professional status. The average age of the Iron Girl athlete is 37. Iron Girl’s mission is to empower women toward a healthy lifestyle. The brand is supported by partners such as Gatorade, Luna Bar, Celsius, Polar and Aqua Sphere. Fundraising efforts will benefit the Ulman Cancer Fund to help support young adults living with and recovering from cancer. By logging on to www.IronGirl.com, athletes can enjoy an interactive Web site filled with training tips, guest columnists and nutrition information. Iron Girl has also enhanced its offerings with the addition of the IronGirlShop.com with new items such as hydration and nutrition products, jewelry and sports bags. Additionally, Iron Girl will be launching a new technical apparel line in 2008.
Triathlon Season Kickoff
24. January 2008 by Tridad.
TRIFEST 2008, presented by TriSports.com, invites triathletes from around the world to sunny Tucson, Arizona and its world-class training grounds February 26th through March 6th. This 10-day event features triathlon training camps, a consumer triathlon expo and a triathlon conference featuring industry-leading speakers. The goal of TRIFEST is to promote and celebrate the sport of triathlon while bringing athletes from around the world in contact with industry leaders, product vendors and professional athletes. The 10-day event will allow all participants a chance to kick-off the multisport season in a non-race environment.
This venue looks like the ideal place to check out the hottest gear and latest race techniques for the upcoming season. All that along with mingling with other cool triathletes like the Lovato’s, Andy Potts and more.
New treatment for heal pain
23. January 2008 by Tridad.
CHICAGO (Ivanhoe Newswire) — It’s not unusual for your feet to feel a little run down at the end of a long day, but when feet become persistently painful, there’s something wrong. Heel pain is one of the most common complaints when it comes to sore feet and it can be debilitating. Debbie Warner spends a lot of time on her feet. When she’s not on a walk, she’s training for her next triathlon. “I love it. I would do it for a living if I could, but I’m not that good!” Warner says.
Last year, intense heel pain stopped her in her tracks. “At times, I didn’t even want to go from my desk to the bathroom,” Warner says. Some experts say up to 40 million Americans have heel pain. “The band of tissue at the bottom of the foot gets inflamed and it pulls and it gets tight and that causes pain,” says Marlene Reid, D.P.M. a podiatric surgeon at the Family Podiatry Center in Westmont, Ill. And that pain can be debilitating.
“I’ve had patients that have told me they crawl. It’s so painful to walk that they crawl,” Dr. Reid says. Now Dr. Reid is healing heels with radio-frequency energy. “You go through the skin without actually opening it up, without actually doing an incision,” Dr. Reid says. After mapping out the target points, Dr. Reid delivers the radio-frequency energy with a wand. It breaks up scar tissue and increases blood flow. “The success rate so far is much greater than open heel surgery,” Dr. Reid says.
Called the Topaz procedure, it takes less than 20 minutes. “It’s changed their lives. Topaz literally changes people’s lives,” Dr. Reid says. After five months of intense pain, Warner had the procedure. “It was pretty amazing that it worked pretty quickly,” she says. And just seven months later, she was able to finish her second Iron Man triathlon pain-free. “I don’t know what I would have done if I couldnt run again,” Warner says.
The Topaz procedure is a quick, outpatient procedure, but does require light anesthesia. It’s covered by most insurance plans and patients are generally back on their feet — pain free — in less than two weeks.
Head to http://www.topazinfo.com for more information. This site is designed more for doctors, but there is a directory of physicians if you want to locate one that performs the procedure.
Snowboarders’ bones twice as likely to break
21. January 2008 by Tridad.
Snowboarders are twice as likely to break their bones on the pistes than skiers – with ‘Foosh’ set to blame.
This article recently appeared in…
Those heading to the pistes with boards strapped to their feet are most likely to fall foul of a Fall Onto an Out-Stretched Hand, or Foosh as emergency staff dub the injury.
“Snowboarding is a relatively new sport – but now we are seeing just how hazardous it could be, with 34 per cent of snowboarders – compared to 17 per cent of skiers – likely to sustain an injury from their sport,” said Diane Jackson, spokesperson for Debenhams Travel Insurance, which has carried out the research.
Those most likely to suffer a snow boarding injury are people aged 15 to 24.
Despite the increased risk of snowboarding, many travellers are putting themselves at risk by not organising travel insurance to cover them – either falling back on standard policies or just a European health insurance card (EHIC), which only covers basic treatment costs.
“Winter sports holidaymakers shouldn’t think all they need is an EHIC card,” warned Ms Jackson.
“While it does provide free or reduced cost medical treatment, it doesn’t cover expenses such as being air-lifted off a mountain top – and that could cost thousands.”
She added: “Winter sports insurance is also essential to safeguard your holiday against piste closure, avalanches and theft of equipment – all things that can put an end to the week’s fun.”
Ski Club of Britain research shows there are 210,000 snowboarders in the UK, around a sixth of the snow sports market.