Under Armour and USA Football team up

Under Armour, Inc. which outfits and warms some of the top athletes around the world, just signed a deal to dress youngsters playing football.

Vienna-based USA Football, the sport’s national governing body on youth and amateur levels, had no previous outfitter prior to the deal with the Baltimore-based sportswear apparel company (NYSE: UA).

“It’s a partnership that goes through 2009 with a mix of cash, performance apparel and media,” said Steve Alic, director of communications for USA Football. “Under Armour represents a ground-breaking outfitter partnership for USA Football’s national team program.”

USA Football recently picked Chicago-based Riddell as its official football helmet and protective equipment partner.

USA Football will conduct more than 100 football training events nationwide this year that UA will provide apparel for.

USA’s members that benefit from the training sessions include coaches, game officials and league administrators, who reside in every state and D.C.

The partnership also gives UA the exclusive right to outfit USA Football’s 2009 Junior National Team, America’s first high school-aged national team in football. It will compete this summer, dressed in Under Armour uniforms, against seven other nations at the world championship in Ohio.

UA will also participate in USA Football’s grant program, which awards uniforms and equipment grants each year to youth leagues and high school football programs, based on merit and need.
UA’s existing youth partnerships include the Under Armour High School Football All-America Game, and it recently amped up its relationships with universities.

Late last year, Under Armour inked a deal to spend $11 million over five years to outfit the entire Texas Tech University athletic program.

In September, Under Armour and the University of Maryland athletic department announced a five-year, $17.5 million all-apparel pact.

Source: Washington Business Journal

McDavid HexPad Technology "The best new protective technology in years!”

What is HexPad?

Hexpad Technology is a padding system that bonds dozens of individual athletic foam pads permanently into fabrics. Hexpads are machine washable and cost effective allowing the development of a new generation of apparel that incorporates protection right into the shirt or pant, unlike anything seen before. Hexpad Technology allows the replacement of your existing undershirts, pants and sleeves with true performance products.

Comfort: Hexpad Technology utilizes super- lightweight athletic foam that conforms to and stretches with your body. It doesn’t pinch or bind like traditional sports padding. It breathes for comfort and maximizes the benefits of our Ultra hDc™ moisture management technology, keeping you cool and dry.

Protection: Hexpads use high quality closed cell athletic foam padding, the same padding density and impact resistance that is used in pads for football and other impact sports. The lighter weight Hexpads allow for greater coverage at the same or less weight than traditional padding systems.

Compression: Incorporated into compression (spandex) shorts and shirts, Hexpad products also offer all the benefits of this snug fitting fabric. It supports large muscle groups to help reduce pulls and fatigue. It moves with your body to prevent skin irritation, chafing and abrasions.

Durability: Products using Hexpad Technology have been designed and tested to be durable. They have been used in some of the most rugged sports like football and rugby and wear well through at least one full season. They may be machine washed and dried. Follow directions on the label.

Acceptance: Hexpads are being embraced by athletes in virtually all contact and collision sports including most college football and basketball, all NBA teams, elite soccer teams, lacrosse, rugby and volleyball to name a few.

Source: McDavid

Scholarpreps.com

An Air-Cooled, Football Shoulder Pad System That Works...Cool!

• Introducing the latest advanced technology in combating heat stroke and heat related illnesses in football players. Developed by Physicians and Scientists from the University of Florida Research Foundation.
• Significant changes in the body core temperature cause conditions ranging from mild weakness and fatigue to decreased athletic performance, coma and death.
• Cool, compressed air enters the pad then flows through vertical air flow channels that are open next to the chest and back of the player.

Athletes, coaches, and even armchair quarterbacks know that successful athletes need conditioning. But did you realize that they need ‘air’ conditioning?

One of the most dangerous health risks to football players has always been the risk of heat stroke. Two years ago, after having gone through the tragedy of losing an athlete to heat related complications during practice, Physicians and scientists from the University of Florida immediately began researching a means to prevent this dangerous and sometimes fatal condition.

It was determined that the air temperature under the players’ shoulder pads often reached dangerously high levels leading to severe dehydration through perspiration. Although players frequently removed their helmets, this only fooled their bodies into thinking that they were cooler, when in fact, the temperature surrounding the player’s body remained dangerously elevated.

It was farther determined that the way to alleviate this condition was to lower temperature of the body’s core. The researchers found that they were able to successfully cool the body core by passing cool air over the strategic areas of the player’s shoulder and back.
Dr. Nik Gravenstein from the University of Florida came up with the concept of a pad that players could wear that would address the real issue of heat-related illness. This invention was brought to Fred Williams of Williams Sports Group, LLC of Jacksonville, Florida. Mr. Williams has invented numerous protective designs which are being used by numerous NFL and college football programs.
Fred Williams developed an ‘air flow channel system’ which, when built into the protective cushion of an existing shoulder pad would provide a unique system of air delivery. This system is the revolutionary new ‘Temperature Management System’ (TMS).

In the TMS system, cool, dry air effectively lowers his core body temperature, keeping it from rising to dangerous levels. The device was field tested by University of Florida research scientists and has been incorporated into the Douglas Custom Pro and Riddell Power Shoulder Pads.

• Heat related illness is second only to head injuries as a cause of death among athletes in the United States.
• The TMS system will replace the air across a players chest and back over 100 times per minute.
• A rise in body temperature is also associated with a decline in athletic performance.

Source: Williams Sports Group

Scholarpreps.com

Schutt Begins Shipping All-New AiR XP Football Helmets

Excited football players across the country will soon be getting their hands on one of the most anticipated new helmets in years – the AiR XP™ from Schutt Sports. The company has already begun shipping XPs, and teams across the country are putting them on their players as fast as they get them.

Many college and pro teams have already had the chance to get some playing time in the new AiR XP™ Helmets. Gus Granneman, Equipment Director for the New York Jets, got his hands on his set of AiR XP™ helmets a couple of weeks ago.

“We received our AiR XP™ helmets from Schutt in time for us to fit them on players for our first mini camp,” said Granneman. “The players that are using the AiR XP™ are very pleased with the comfort, fit and performance of the helmet.”

Schutt Sports rocked the football helmet industry by introducing two new helmets within the last seven months. The ION4D is a large standoff helmet that uses TPU Cushioning in the form of SKYDEX2®, while the AiR XP™ is a traditional helmet shell shape that also packs the TPU Cushioning. According to test results from independent research labs, the AiR XP™ absorbs up to 37% more impact than a Riddell® VSR-4 in game-like conditions. As opposed to the foam padding found in older traditional helmets, TPU Cushioning performs equally well at higher temperatures, does not take a compression set, eliminates the break-in period for the helmet and, unlike, is highly resistant to mold, bacteria and mildew.

“We’ve been overwhelmed by the demand for this helmet,” says Mark Watts, Regional Sales Manager for Schutt Sports. “I’ve been here 18 years and have never seen reaction to a helmet like this. The NFL® teams are eating it up, as are the major college programs. We’re sending them out the door as fast we can make them.”

College teams have been so impressed with the AiR XP™ that they’re buying bunches of them all at once. Traditionally, teams are cautious about adopting new helmets, buying a few here at a time, slowly acclimating their players to the new product. That’s not the case with the AiR XP™. UNLV, for example, has purchased 60 of the helmets and already has plans in the works for more next year.

Other colleges that have lined up heavily with the AiR XP™ already include:
USC, Michigan, Georgia, Tennessee, Air Force, Stanford, SMU , Oklahoma State, Boston College, Illinois, BYU, Texas A&M, South Florida, TCU, Kentucky and Wyoming. More are on the way, as sales indicators at the Division 1 level are overwhelming.
The AiR XP™ has also picked up a lot of traction at the team dealer level, both in the United States and internationally. Hayden’s Athletic, in Montgomery, Illinois – near Chicago, received AiR XP™ helmets, which they plan to sell to high schools in their territory, as well as to collegiate and pro customers.

“We’ve had very good success pre-selling the AiR XP™,” says Dave Cruz, of Hayden’s Athletic. “Now that we have them in our hands, we’ll fill existing orders for the helmet and really get out there and push. We think we’ll be able to open some doors with the XP.”

For those players who prefer the traditional helmet shell, the AiR XP™ is the perfect choice to help them perform at their best. And, thanks to some fantastic work by the manufacturing staff at Schutt Sports, the AiR XP™ is in the hands of players, coaches and equipment managers right now – ready to hit the field.

Source: Schutt