Sports Product Review

Going somewhere? For times when weight and space are critical, Gore-Tex Paclite (www.gore-tex.com) is a must have for cool morning walks, protection against sudden summer storms or as a layering piece for a windy boat ride.

Light and packable, these efficient shells weigh in at less than a pound, yet their streamlined design features windproof, waterproof zippers and “zipper garages” along with “tiny” seam tape and micro-seam allowances for secure storm protection. And not forgetting that a warm, dry head makes any outdoor activity more pleasant, they offer an integral wide-billed storm hood with bungee adjustments on the sides to ensure you’ll mock the wind, rain or spray trying to send a chill down your spine. Smoothskin neoprene waistband with adjustable bungee drawcord and splash closures complete this highly compressible pullover’s mission, which is to ensure that water won't get in. And the highly breatheable, lightweight fabric means you won’t feel like you’re trapped in a steamy hefty bag.

The folks at Gore-Tex take this seriously. They combine the best science and technology can offer with relentless testing. The result? They guarantee you won’t get wet

Just having this jacket makes me want to go outdoors. In the rain. And wind. On a rocky coast buffeted with sea spray. If your work or leisure activities mean you’re often cold and damp, you owe it to yourself to step up to the top-of-the-line in comfort and protection, with Gore-Tex

Source: Gore-Tex

Mission Product (www.missionproduct.com) is not only about marketing, though if great packaging, website, athlete endorsements and tag lines count for anything, this skincare line has a bright future. Take these slogans, for instance: For Mission Lip Protector SPF 20: Conditions in All Conditions. Daily Offense sunscreen: The Sun Doesn’t Take Time Outs. Anti-Friction Cream: Don’t Get Rubbed the Wrong Way. Foot Synergy Gel: Help Your Feet Compete. And our favorite phrase, from Mission’s Revive Gel: Giving Everything You’ve Got Takes a Lot Out of You.

But once you go beyond the cool, sleek look, the world-class athletes and superior website, there had better be quality products or a lot of money spent on flash and sizzle will go down the drain. Fortunately, like a player who tells you he’s good, and then backs it up in the game, Mission’s products deliver solutions for skincare worthy of their dynamic marketing.

Teaming up with scientists and skincare industry veterans, the entire Mission Product line is designed, and has been proven, to meet the specific needs of athletes and sports enthusiasts across all sports. By providing vital nutrients and antioxidants, Mission provides the best equipment for your skin, so athletes can focus on their sport and maximize their performance.

Some of the world's most accomplished athletes, including two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash, two-time Olympic gold-medal swimmer Amanda Beard, two-time Olympic gold-medal soccer player Mia Hamm, 2008 X Games Halfpipe Gold Medalist Gretchen Bleiler and extreme endurance athletes Charlie Engle and Hunter Kemper, have joined the team at Mission Product and are intimately involved in product innovation and development.

We tried each of the Mission products, and they really perform as advertised. The sunscreen and lip balm provide powerful sunblock, and the Foot Synergy Gel softens and relieves calloused and cracked feet. The Revive Gel helps re-hydrate, re-nourish and replenish skin by replacing precious nutrients lost by sweat and prolonged exposure to the sun. All are oderless and greaseless, chock full of vitamins and antioxidants, and can turn the leather skin of the Old Man and the Sea into a chamois. And if you want to feel good, and feel good about feeling good, check out the charities Mission Product supports.

So in a world where great sizzle doesn’t necessarily mean great steak, it is nice to find something that gets it right on both fronts. Yes, the folks at Mission Product can talk the talk, but, to their credit, they can also walk the walk. And, then, after the walk, they’ll make your skin feel better.

Source: Mission Product

I volunteered to handle my Little League’s all-star uniform order this year. That meant ordering belts, socks, jerseys and caps for six teams of thirteen players and three coaches, as well as coordinating sizes and jersey numbers. I’d had this job before and, not only was it a ton of work, I was never thrilled with the finished product. Since this was my last son’s final year in Little League, I wanted his 12 year-old all-star uniforms to be something special.

I stumbled upon the folks from Victory Athletic, (www.victory-la.com), and instantly felt a kinship. One look at their website and I knew that these guys made top-of-the-line stuff. Their custom-made pants and jerseys have the tailored look of the professionals and they use only the finest materials available. But it was when I began talking to them about our needs that I felt as comfortable as their uniforms looked.

We had a big order, and we needed it in a short time. My rep, Ray, couldn’t have been more of a pro. He was in constant contact and worked with me every step of the way, guiding me through the selection of sizes, materials, colors, fonts, and everything else needed to create a stunning uniform from scratch.

I felt like a little kid myself waiting in anticipation of the uni’s. And when they arrived – meeting our ambitious deadline – they didn’t disappoint. The soft, breathable jerseys and wool flex-fit caps were the best-looking gear our league’s all-stars had every sported. And the “Ohh’s” and “Sick!” comments I heard from all the kids when we pulled them out of the box made the work that went into the project worthwhile. 

If you’ve volunteered to do your basketball or baseball team’s uniforms, for Little League, travel, high school or any level, you owe it to yourself, and the kids, to give Victory Athletic a shot. They’ll manage all the details to ensure that while your team experiences the thrill of “Victory,” they’ll look great doing it.

Source: Victory Athletic

I hear it every year as a board member of my local Little League. When parents of six year-olds find out that their son has to play tee ball his first year in the league we hear them whine that he’s already hitting live pitching in the backyard and he’ll be bored hitting off the tee.

The tee gets a bad rap. Consider this quote from Hall-of-Famer, Tony Gwinn, arguably the finest pure hitter of his generation: “For me the most effective way to practice hitting is to use a batting tee and a bag of wiffle balls. Tee it up and start hacking. Even after 18 years in the big leagues, every winter I go home and break out the tee and wiffle balls. It's not the most exciting thing, so you have to be creative. I put my headphones on and listen to my favorite music while I concentrate on my hitting technique.”

So, if it’s good enough for Tony Gwynn, I’d say it’s good enough for your player. But when Tony said “It’s not the most exciting thing, so you have to be creative,” he probably didn’t know about the Multi-Tee (www.multi-tee.com).

What makes the Multi-Tee better than an average tee? It’s hard to know where to start. Until now, most batting tees have used only one upright tee – good for practicing those pitches down the middle. But what about getting help on the other 90 % of the pitches you’ll see from a good hurler? The majority of amateur baseball and softball players have not been taught the correct position of ball and bat contact for pitches in the other two hitting zones, (inside and outside). When you use the Mult-Tee, you can easily rotate the swing arm to the proper position for proper bat and ball contact. This is why the Multi-Tee is especially useful to those who don’t fully understand basic hitting techniques. Not only can this training device be set up to hit a ball in the three primary positions, you can vary it in dozens of increments in between, creating nearly unlimited practice scenarios.

I talked my kids into trying the tee out, in the garage, using wiffle balls. I tasked them with hitting twenty-five inside, twenty-five outside and twenty-five down the pipe. Before long, on their own, they were adding cuts to the twenty-five I’d suggested because the variety the tee offers breaks up the monotony of ordinary practice. Plus the unique double tee feature allows them to work a unique “High Hands Drill” and a “Hands-Through-the-Ball Drill,” both of which teach proper fundamentals and can only be accomplished with the Multi-Tee.

So don’t be in such a big hurry to get “beyond” the tee. In fact, if you take Tony’s advice, the tee will always be part of your training regimen. And if that’s the case, why not use the only device that teaches the proper swing, in the proper zone, and that takes an activity that used to be a chore, and turns it into a challenging and skill-enhancing exercise for kids from Tee Ball to the Hall-of-Fame.

Source: Multi-Tee

Gnarly, dude. Trying to act like I know surf lingo is the surest way to make my kids roll their eyes. Even though I’ve lived half my life in Southern California, I’m not exactly part of the surfing and snowboarding scene. But I do know that athletes in any sport can benefit from a strong sense of balance. Using a balance board has been proven to not only enhance an athlete’s stability, but also increase strength and flexibility in knees and ankles, helping stave off injuries. Maybe the coolest boards are made by the folks at HoloHolo (www.holoholo.tv). I’ve had one sitting in the house for a couple weeks and it is fun watching all my kids walk by it on their way somewhere, stop, hop on and fall off a couple of times.

Step on, like riding a skateboard, and the board will have a slight roll and lots of tilt to challenge your balance. Once you are comfortable with the board touching the ground on both sides you can try to stay balanced in the small amount of travel or roll that is allowed by the Pipe-Lock and stops. There is a fine line you can feel when you are centered over the pipe roller and maintaining control. That same senstion is common to most board sports.

Are you a “twin-planker” like me? You can practice your skiing technique by placing your feet on the board inline with the pipe and board lengthwise. From the hips down it really does feel like you’re heading down the slopes. Bend your knees for more challenge.

But if you really want to know who the HoloHolo is aimed at, check out this pitch from the website: Your pint size kids will ride it and then shred the mountains, lakes, surf and sidewalk like never before. This is not just for the little groms, regular size humans love it for all the same reasons they love all of the Holoholo Boards. Like I said, “Gnarly.”