Category Archives: Tech of Sports

From the shoes we wear on our feet to the high definition televisions in our living room, wearable devices, the sports universe is a breeding ground for technology. Writer and Photographer Rick Limpert will examine this each week on The Tech of Sports – With guests which include athletes, inventors and journalists that cover the intersection of sports and technology.

Kyle Groth, CEO of Whiskers

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Rick is joined this week on ‘Tech of Sports’ by Kyle Groth, CEO of Whiskers.

Whiskers’ Made-in-the-USA golf laces coordinate in style and color with the footwear and apparel brands PGA Tour players and amateur golfers’ wear. Crafted with ultra-durable poly-nylon tech weave and high-grade aglets, they are available in multiple styles, flat and oval shapes, and 30- to 45-inch lengths. Best sellers include navy and light blue, orange and white, berry and black, green and blue, and purple and pink. They also come in color palettes of college and professional sports teams.

“PGA Tour players and golfers worldwide are paying more attention to how they look. As an accent brand, Whiskers subtly adds to their unique personalities without being too loud.”

“Whiskers is reimagining a category that’s been long overlooked yet is now becoming an essential part of premium wardrobes,” says Groth. “Tour players are taking charge by personalizing and dressing up their shoes in fashionable and fun ways.”

The company plans to similarly outfit caddies, LPGA Tour players and social media influencers. Customizing laces is also on Whiskers’ roadmap.

In November, 2021 Whiskers entered the $84B annual golf economy that saw rounds climb more than 10% over 2020 with millennials – who especially relish self-expression that Whiskers laces promote – representing one of the fastest growing golf segments. Sales of golf equipment, apparel and accessories measurably rose in 2021.

In addition to golf, Whiskers designs and manufactures laces for dress and casual shoes, sneakers and boots. Overall, the company is creating a movement in becoming the world’s most iconic, inspirational, aspirational and ubiquitous premium footwear accessory.

Mark DiMassimo , DiGo on March Madness Advertising Strategies and Branding

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Rick is joined by Mark DiMassimo of DiGo this week.

March 13th is the start of March Madness, and as many fans begin thinking about their brackets, companies should also begin thinking about their advertising strategies.

How can companies use advertising during March Madness to ensure desired behavior changes are met among consumers?

Mark DiMassimo, Founder & Creative Chief of DiGo, a creative agency promoting better habits by building businesses using Positive Behavior Change marketing can give an in-depth look into:

Consumer habits companies should consider when advertising during March Madness
How companies can best ensure they gain the desired habituation among consumers through advertising
Issues impacting college athletes companies should consider in advertising to inspire positive consumer habits
The future of advertising during college sports, and what this year’s March Madness will reveal

A fun and informative talk. Mark and Rick get you ready for what you may see along with the blocks, dunks and buzzer beaters.

Pete Charleston, Co- founder and President GolfLogix

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What’s new from GolfLogix?

Pete Charleston, Co-founder and President stops by ‘Tech of Sports’ this week.

Charleston co-founded Premium Cigars International and helped take the company public on the Nasdaq. Charleston served as vice president of sales for Premium Cigars International, where he successfully launched an in-store humidor program in over 10,000 retail outlets, negotiating contracts representing over 25,000 retail locations and managed 50 sales reps. Charleston now leads GolfLogix’s marketing, sales, and business development efforts and helped successfully negotiate the acquisition of GolfLogix by Emigrant Capital Corp. in 2014. Having been in the golf GPS business since its inception in 1999, Charleston is one of the most experienced executives in the Golf GPS industry.

What’s new?

GolfLogix/EZGO are providing a solution to golf course customers that will allow walkers to be tracked in their Textron Fleet Management (TFM) system along with the golf cart riders. GLX built features that show up only if they at an EZGO course.

Benefits to Course

Track walkers on their clubhouse pace management screen
Send page of play, inclement weather, and other types of messages to walkers
Walkers can use GLX App to order food/beverages
Cart riders will see GLX Approach view w/ QR code ability to purchase GLX App and/or GLX Green Books

Benefits to Golfer

Access to all existing GLX App features w/ option to upgrade to Plus
Ability for walkers to order food through the GLX App
Distance to Pin -course will set daily pin position and all walkers will see them in GLX App
Blind shot notifications – golfers will see players in fairway ahead which will add safety

 

Dani Hansen, Two-time Paralympic Medalist in Rowing, Hydrow Athlete

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Great to talk with another rower this week, Dani Hansen, Team USA Paralympic athlete in Rowing and a Hydrow athlete.

Hansen is a 6’1″ rower from Modesto, Cal. She competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro. She has won a gold medal and five silver medals from the World Rowing Championships and a silver medal from the 2016 and 2020 Paralympic Games.

Hansen is the only two-time Paralympic medalist in the history of USA rowing

Hansen was diagnosed with Erb’s palsy in her left arm. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of Washington. In 2018 she was a coach for the women’s rowing team at the University of Washington.

She represents Hydrow. Hydrow is the leading and only at-home connected rower that streams the live on-water experience of rowing live to users home.

Hydrow is more that your everyday workout! With 3,000+ live and on-demand workouts, you will be transported from your home or office to breathtaking waterways around the world in cities like London, Miami, Boston, Lucerne and more. See firsthand what workouts can look like outside of studio walls.

 

 

Aquil Abdullah, Olympian, First African American Male Team USA Rowing and Hydrow

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Rick is joined by former Olympic rower, Aquil Abdullah this week.

He was appearing at CES 2022 at the Hydrow booth.

Hydrow, the leading and only at-home connected rower that streams the live on-water experience of rowing live to users home had a great area at CES this year.

The booth was equipped with the brands’ category-leading rowers built on patented electromagnetic tech that auto adjusts 240 times per second to mimic the feeling of being on the water. It’s here where I had the opportunity to talk with Abdullah. We talked his career, the Olympics, Hydrow and what he is up to now!

With 3,000+ live and on-demand workouts, you will travel to breathtaking waterways around the world in cities like London, Miami, Boston, Lucerne and more. See firsthand what workouts can look like outside of studio walls.

It’s good for the body and mind. There’s no pounding or jerking. No whirling, bouncing, or spinning furiously… It’s smooth, rhythmic, poetic. The fluid movement of rowing pushes the body and releases the mind. This is a machine that moves with you. You adapt, change, grow… and it grows along with you.

A great talk with Aquil, truly an inspiration all!

 

DJ Mitchell, Former Major League Pitcher, RockBox Fitness

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Rick is joined by former Major League pitcher and owner of the latest RockBox Fitness, DJ Mitchell.

Fitness in Marietta, Ga. will never be the same.

A former college, Minor League and Major League pitcher, DJ has many great stories to share and his unique philosophy when it comes to fitness. DJ worked his way up through the Yankee organization and hold the rare distinction of being traded for a future Hall of Famer when he was part of a trade for Ichiro Suzuki to the Mariners.

When Mitchell moved to Atlanta he wanted to be involved in a business that utilized his athletic background and gave him the chance to make an impact beyond the field of play.

As co-owner of RockBox Fitness with his wife Beth, opened Jan. 10 in the Parkaire Landing Shopping Center in East Cobb, DJ and his staff are teaching boxing-based workouts, in a state of the art fight club meets nightclub environment.

The studios are equipped with high-end sound systems to rock the tunes that keep members pumped and pushing hard. Color-adaptive lighting is also used to cue another level of psychological motivation. When the lights change, so does the intensity.

The RockBox full body workout includes a 50-minute HIIT combination of boxing, kickboxing and functional strength training with kettle bells, battle ropes and sleds. The workouts change every day and circulate through two different boxing stations and 10 iPad kiosks, each with a different functional exercise. Each kiosk is loaded with over 900 different exercises, ensuring variety with every class. During any given workout, you can expect to punch, kick, push, pull, and more and burn up to 1,000 calories.

“RockBox changes lives, and brings together people from all over our city into this community of fitness and fun,” says DJ, “We are on a first name basis here, and on your team to help you achieve your personal goals.”

Listen and hear more from DJ and Rick!