Category: Pro Sports

SNOWBoarding Comes to the Pad With HD Photos

The board is on the pad, or more accurately TransWorld SNOWboarding magazine is now available in app form for the iPad. The current iPad version features the Photo Annual, the yearly issue that wraps up the year in snowboarding. Photo Annual comes jam packed with the best action photos of the year in unreal clarity, depth and more full-screen images than any other issue!

From the iPad readers can practically take to the slopes and enjoy hi-def photography, as the Photo Annual showcases an impressive look back at the sport in 2010. Highlights from the issue include: “The Best Biggest Greatest Trip Ever”, an Alaskan photo feast with boarders Travis Rice, John Jackson and Mark Landvik dropping sheer cliffs and clearing canyon-size gaps; “A Chilean Volcano Venture”, riding a live Andean volcano with DCP, Lucas Debari and Xavier de Le Rue– splitboarding to the extreme; and “The Top Ten Photos of the Year”, which are the best daydream and powder-envy inducing images of the year.

The app is available now for free download, while Photo Annual issue is available for $2.99, from the Apple App Store.

Is it the End for Wooden Hockey Sticks?

If you ever played floor hockey in school you probably used a cheap plastic stick. But the wooden sticks aren’t just missing in gym class; they’re pretty much gone from the big leagues too. According to a story from The Montreal Gazette last month the last of the holdouts of wooden sticks has switched to the composite variety last season.

This is an interesting turn of events, as just 20 years ago wood was all the rage and hardly anyone used composite materials. But as leather skates gave way to other materials, so wood has left the ice. This isn’t the only example where composite, or other so-called “space age” materials have replaced the tradition. Just 20 years ago steel was still widely used in high-end road bikes and now virtually every pro rides on carbon fiber, while golf clubs have gone from steel to titanium and other materials. Continue reading Is it the End for Wooden Hockey Sticks?

ROTOR Bike Components – More Than Meets the Eye as New Co-Sponsor

This week ROTOR Bike Components announced that it will supply both the Geox-TMC Transformer Team and the elite women’s Diadora-Pasta Zara Team. The company will supply both teams with its Q-Rings oval chainrings, 3D cranks, Press-Fit and BB1 bottom brackets as well as chain catchers and seat mast topper.

The ROTOR components have been popular with numerous riders include 2008 Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre,and Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana winter Denis Menchov.

For 2011 Geox-TMC Transformer Team and Diadora-Pasta Team will use the innovative equipment.

“We are very pleased to be part of this long-term project,” said Pablo Carrasco, ROTOR President and R&D Director. “The agreement with Fuji and Geox-TMC Transformers will be for the next five years. We are expanding our range of products, with the focus on ROTOR becoming a global company. Fuji is an important part of a truly global corporation as well as a great bike manufacturer with whom to work in achieving our goals for growth.”

ROTOR Bike Components

Nike Hits the Field with Air Zoom Alpha Talon

While it seems late in the season – given that the playoffs are just around the corner anyway – for Nike to introduce new equipment. But enter the Air Zoom Alpha Talon shoes. These feature a fully adaptable traction system, with retractable cleats on the interior of the forefoot. These extend when pressure is applied, giving the player more traction at times when it is needed, and then retracting afterward. The cleats also utilize Nike’s new Flywire technology, which provides lightweight support for sideways movement, and to help cushion the foot the Air Zooms further provide Pro Deflex padding. The new shoes will hit the gridiron this weekend and will be used by a variety of NFL players. Continue reading Nike Hits the Field with Air Zoom Alpha Talon

Flippin’ With the NHL

There are many ways to show your team spirit. You can paint your face, dress up like the team’s mascot or you could really flip for your team. Cisco and the NHL have teamed up to offer team-designed Flip Video Cameras, which include 30 uniquely designed NFL versions. The line includes the Flip UltraHD, MinoHD and SlideHD.

“Hockey fans are in a class of their own when it comes to diehard loyalty,” said Dave McCarthy, NHL Vice President Integrated Marketing. “Owning a Flip video camera representing their favorite team is a great way for fans to show support and more importantly have fun sharing their passion with fellow hockey fans and friends around the world.”

The NHL Flip video cameras are a great holiday idea for that hockey fan, and what we like about these is that they also encourage users to get out and capture the moment whilst showing their team spirit.

NHL Flip Official Website

Quiznos Pro Challenge Announces Five Top Pro Teams for 2011

And now there are five, as in the first five teams to sign on for the inaugural 2011 Quiznos Pro Challenge professional cycling race that will host as many as 128 professional cyclists from 15 teams.

Today race organizers officially announced the first five teams, which include Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) pro teams: Team RadioShack (USA), Liquigas-Cannondale (Italy), HTC-Highroad (USA), Slipstream Sports/Garmin-Cervelo (USA), and BMC Racing Team (USA). 

Among the racers that are confirmed include seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, world champion Thor Hushovd and former world champion Cadel Evans; along with team directors Johan Bruyneel and Bob Stapleton. 

“It’s exciting to see that the Quiznos Pro Challenge is already considered one of the most important races in the United States,” said Ellen Kramer, General Manager of the Quiznos Pro Challenge.  “Our goal is to connect new audiences in America with the sport of professional cycling; having several of the premier international teams already signed up is a huge step in that direction.”  Continue reading Quiznos Pro Challenge Announces Five Top Pro Teams for 2011

Training Tech is Key for Pro Cycling

There is no denying that the British take cycling very seriously. Maybe not as much as the French or Spanish in the world of professional cycling, but when it comes to the Olympics, the British have done very well. And much of that begins long before the games begin. With London hosting the summer games in 2012 you know the British are going to try to have a strong showing, and thus they’re pulling out all the stops and taking it to the next level in their preparation.

While there remains strict rules and regulations with the actual equipment used in the Olympics and professional cycling, the real arms race is in technology used for training. British cycling pro athlete Sir Chris Hoy (above, photo: Getty)  is employing new sensors and gear during the pre-season and for his training rides to get him ready for the 2012 Olympics. An article in The Telegraph this week hints at some of these technological advancements and the people behind these innovative training techniques. Continue reading Training Tech is Key for Pro Cycling

Luxembourg Pro Cycling Get Crafty With Apparel

Andy and Frank Schleck, along with Fabian Cancellara, Jakob Fuglsang, Jens Voigt and Stuart O’Grady will be looking crafty this summer as they take to the roads of France and beyond. As part of the new Luxembourg Pro Cycling project they’ll be deck out in Craft Performance Apparel reports Velonation.

The apparel company will work with the team in 2011 and beyond, and offer riders the sleek clothing that it has developed for skiing and speed-skating. For the Schlecks as well as Cancellara it won’t be much of a change as they wore Craft attire with Saxo Bank as well.

Craft is the latest sponsor to join the new Luxembourg squad, as equipment suppliers Trek and Mercedes were previously on board. Now all that’s left is to see the actual uniform take shape.

[Via Velonation: Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project to use Craft Performance Apparel clothing]

The New Nike Club

Earlier this week we noted that some golf clubs have been banned for their laser grooves, and while still for sale might not be the best investment in the long run. However, Nike Golf has introduced a new set of irons to the VR line that will be totally legal and could just help your game. The new VR Pro Combo irons are a premium Tour-level iron set that offer higher trajectory on long shots. These use a new linear Center of Gravity (CG) Mapping that makes the clubs ideal for optimal launch and consistent distance control.

The irons are precision forged out of 1025 Forged Carbon Steel , and each face is milled to a perfectly flat surface and then die-stamped, pressing grooves to exact specifications, which conform to new USGA and R&A rules. These new X3X high-frequency grooves provide extremely low variance for shot-making consistency, along with better performance and distance control.

[Via Sandbox8.com: Nike Golf Introduces VR Pro Combo Irons]

Nike Golf Official Website

Banned on the Course: What’s the Deal With Grooved Clubs?

Would you think about buying a banned item to improve your game? That’s been a question raging all year over certain golf clubs. It didn’t attract as much mainstream media attention when it came up last winter, but there was the little scandal involving a certain high profile golfer.

But the USGA last year banned certain clubs that got their groove on, or rather had too much of a groove. The issue is more complex because certain clubs such as the Cleveland CG14 Wedge was banned, while initially the CG15 Wedges were in the clear. To the untrained eye both wedges have the same laser-milled groves.

In its holiday gift guide round-up Wired magazine noted that the CG15s won’t be sold after this year – so get them while you can, or not. The clubs are, according to the outlet, verboten for amateurs after 2024. So if you plan to keep the same clubs for the next dozen years you might want to reconsider. But in the meantime check the USGA Equipment Overview site to see if your clubs conform to the “rule of golf.”

Of course it is possible the ruling will be overturned too. By 2025 the USGA might be banning anti-gravity balls.

Cleveland CG15 Wedges Official Website

SAUR-SOJASUN Team to Use ROTOR Components

The Continental SAUR SOJASUN Team will be riding with ROTOR Bike Components for 2011 it has been announced. These include the company’s unique and innovative components including the Q-Ring oval chainrings, 3D+ cranks and BB30 bottom brackets, as well as chain-catchers and race-plate holders.

The revolutionary shaped Q-Rings have the promise of increasing power by maximizing the use of efficient zones of the pedaling stroke and reducing the intensity of the “dead spot” zones, while helping reduce joint and tendon loadings. The 3D+ cranks are 100 percent compatible with any BB30 or Class BAS threaded frame on the market.

ROTOR will be sharing the sponsorship with French bike manufacturer TIME. “France is one of our leading markets, in which we have quite a number of fans and high customer fidelity, so we want to thank them for this support by sponsoring one of the country’s leading teams,” said  Ignacio Estellés, ROTOR CEO, during the contract signature in Rennes. “A strong professional team, well placed in the 2010 UCI rankings – above some ProTour teams – is a new proving ground for our technologies, increasing the brand´s fame and customer’s confidence in our products.”

ROTOR Official Website

Pro vs. GI Joe: Season 2 of Rehabbing with the Troops

This week saw the kick off of season 2 of Rehabbing with the Troops, which this year includes a live event with the Washington Redskins form their training facility in Ashburn, Virginia. This year fans can check out live training of 20 wounded warriors working out alongside the Washington Redskins as well as live webcam feeds of warriors from USO Centers in San Antonio, San Diego and Baghdad, Iraq!

Rehabbing with the Troops was created as a partnership with the Wounded Warrior Project and the USO, and sponsored by Armed Forces Insurance. The goal is to connect pros and troops through video games and focusing solely on wounded warriors, providing them fun, yet intense workouts using the Ninetndo Wii console and EA SPORTS Active titles with professional athletes acting as their training partners. This season’s workouts will come from the just-released EA SPORTS Active NFL Training Camp and our warriors’ pro trainers are the Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers.

Wounded Warrior Arena Official Website

The Fish Can Swim, But They Can’t Hide

Fishing can be a tranquil sport, just you with a pole and all the time in the world. Sometimes you don’t even care if the fish are biting. But the rest of the time you probably want to catch something, and for that there is a nifty little device called a fishfinder. Sure, these devices have been around for more than a decade, but Garmin International has announced its new echo series line of standalone fishfinders that raises the standard for finding the fish.

This line includes devices for all pricepoints as well, from the economical 8-level grayscale unit to the full array models that do everything but cast off for you. The top-of-the-line models include Garmin HD-ID target tracking technology.

The premier high resolution echo 550C offers state-of-the-art technology that almost makes it unsporting (and we mean that in a good way). This unit features an ultra-sharp video-quality 640×480 pixel 5-inch VGA screen, a powerful 500-watt sonar transmitter, and offers excellent fish arch display and bottom tracking as deep as 1,900 feet. The echo 550c is dual beam (200/77 kHz) capable and gives optimum deep or shallow water performance with up to 120 degrees of effective fish scanning area. The step down model echo 500C boasts the same aforementioned premium features, and offers a crisp 256-color QVGA display which gives 320×234-pixel resolution for extra-sharp detail on fish returns, structure and bottom soundings. Continue reading The Fish Can Swim, But They Can’t Hide