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.
Joined this week by my friend, Pat Hegewald this week for a fun episode.
Here’s how Pat describes himself:
Technology sales, sports enthusiast, decent father, excellent grandfather and all around solid citizen. Playing fantasy sports since 1988, working in sports talk radio in some capacity since 1990 with over 400 live play by play calls for high school and college games. Lover of all things Wisconsin (the Brewers run in the summer of ’18 was epic) and equal proponent of all thinks Kenosha….my hometown.
Pat and I talk about his love of sports and how that spawned a part-time career in sports broadcasting and sports talk.
He hosts Kenosha Sports Extra each Wednesday night on AM 1050 WLIP in Kenosha, WI and runs the Kenosha Sports Extra website.
He’s also a technology professional by day. We also talk about his regular caller, “Shirley.”
Let’s hear what Pat has in the works and as Pat always says… KTown Rocks!
Rick is joined by Alex McCarthy of CheerLife this week.
CheerLife is the first and only digital social platform designed to connect the entire world of cheer while tracking, changing, and rewarding behavior in athletes all over the world. Created by a team of cheerleading world champions and Skylab’s cutting-edge technology, the app collaborates with influencers, sponsors, and brands to help recognize and reward young athletes for being consistent and reaching their goals.
CheerLife’s partnership with Skylab has enabled them to team up with major brands such as German sportswear manufacturer, Puma.
Puma is now rewarding athletes who display the following basic building blocks of life with 25% off all purchases at Puma.com
McCarthy said they stress:
Actions to become a better cheerleader
Actions to become a better person
Actions to make the world a better place
Example actions include positive behaviors such as completing homework, giving parents compliments, and making a new friend.
The kids earn digital badges for completing these actions a set amount of times and then modeling their behavior for others by sharing online and within the CheerLife app.
“We are excited to team up with such a motivational brand. It’s a great feeling to align with a brand such as Puma simply to reward those student-athletes that work hard both on and off the mat” – Alex McCarthy, CEO of CheerLife. McCarthy explains that there are big plans to keep growing in the future as the sport of cheerleading keeps growing.
McCarthy is a successful engineer, that turned the idea of connecting the cheerleading industry with an application into a reality for cheerleaders across the globe.
Running the show from San Diego, California, Alex has a vast array of experience both in and out of the cheer world. He has competed at the top level as an athlete, coach, and choreographer – competing & coaching with the California All-Stars since 2007. Accompanying a very successful career in cheer, Alex can be seen in films such as Bring it On 5: Fight to the Finish and Fired Up. Outside of cheer, Alex’s experience is in engineering, with a Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering.
Great to talk dogs this week and ways to train your dog and keep him healthy with Nick Hill, from Sure Petcare.
Worn on a dog’s collar, Animo comes with three different sized attachment bands, making it suitable for dogs of all sizes. Weighing just 22g, Animo is lightweight, comfortable and waterproof. It sits flat against the collar and its “twist and lock” fitting not only makes it easy to attach and detach, but also holds the unit firmly in place. It operates using a standard coin cell battery which lasts for six months, preventing the need for regular charging.
Nick says this is a the lifelong activity and behavior monitor which learns and accurately interprets the unique behavior and activity patterns of a dog. Animo delivers insights into a dog’s activity and sleep, as well problem behaviors such as shaking, scratching and barking. These insights help owners to understand the changing needs of their pet over its lifetime, enabling them to provide proactive and personalized pet care.
Key features of Animo and the Sure Petcare app include:
Activity: Set and monitor daily activity goals, check last walked time and view activity reports by day, week, month and year. Sleep Quality: Hour-by-hour sleep quality report throughout the night; a poor night’s sleep can be an indication of stress, discomfort or illness Calories: track the calories burnt by your dog and compare this to a recommended daily target based on their breed, age and weight Behavior tracking: receive alerts for increased barking, scratching or shaking Connect with family and friends: Animo can be synced by any member of your app household and owners can share access to the app with their friends and family.
Enjoy this talk with Nick as his company gets ready for CES 2019 in Las Vegas.
We talk Foria Wellness this week, with Kiana Reeves and Ben Odell.
Lower back pain and pelvic pain are incredibly common ailments for men: half of all men will experience prostatitis in their lifetimes, along with other ailments like sciatica that cause pain in the lower back and pelvic regions. Fortunately, there’s an unorthodox new method for men to treat lower back and pelvic pain that’s not only safe but also highly effective: CBD suppositories.
Foria Wellness has released a new line of suppositories with broad-spectrum CBD and other organic ingredients (including cocoa butter) that’s designed to treat lower back pain and pelvic pain in men. Foria is currently conducting research with Harvard Doctor Staci Gruber to understand more about how the endocannabinoid receptors in the pelvis work; but what we do know now: Back and pelvic pain are dramatically reduced with this product and all without harmful drugs or surgeries.
There is a lot of misinformation about CBD products out there and Kiana and Ben are helping educate.
Kiana is the Community Education Director at Foria, a wellness company that makes cannabis-infused sexual and whole body wellness products. She is also a full-spectrum doula, a somatic sex educator, and a STREAM practitioner – a “hands on/ hands in” approach to supporting women and people with vulvas in healing scar tissue, birth injuries, and other common pelvic issues. She is also the Co-founder of The Tulip, a platform to educate and offer tools that support lifelong sexual wellness, pelvic and vaginal self-care.
Ben directs branded content at Foria — from product packaging to video interviews to deep dive blogs on the science of sex and cannabinoids. He’s been in the natural products industry over a decade, with a focus on traceable supply chains and transparency marketing for ethical companies in fields ranging from biofuel to organic food and mobile apps. Ben studied English Literature at Harvard College, and Architecture at UCLA.
We ask about the rise of CBD products and if athletes can benefit from the products.
Everyone is trying to eat cleaner and more healthy, but Rick’s guest this week has a product that helps everyone “eatCleaner.”
Mareya Ibrahim is an award-winning entrepreneur, chef, author and inventor. She is the founder and CEO of Grow Green Industries, Inc. (www.growgreenindustries.com) creators of patented, plant-based organic and Kosher solutions formulated to enhance food safety practices and extend produce shelf life under the brands eatCleaner®, eatSafe™ and eatFresh™.
As a nationally recognized expert on food safety and eating clean, she has been a featured speaker for the Network for a Healthy California, the Los Angeles Green Festival, the California School Nutrition Association and the California Fit Expo. She has also been featured in top media outlets, including oprah.com, The Huffington Post, Parents Magazine, Sunset Magazine, The New York Times, Epoch Times, INC Magazine, NBC’s Today in LA and The Daily Buzz and is a regular guest on several news shows, KTLA, Fox 5 and San Diego 6.
Her goal is to help families come to the table to enjoy cleaner, safer meals. She is one of the signature ‘Daniel Plan’ Chefs and created the meal plans for the NY Times bestseller written by Dr. Rick Warren, Dr. Mark Hyman and Dr. Daniel Amen. She is a featured chef on the Emmy-nominated cooking show “Recipe Rehab’ and is a fit lifestyle expert for eHow.com, Livestrong.comand San Diego Channel 6 News. Her book “The Clean Eating Handbook” was released in May 2013 and is being touted as the ‘go-to’ guide for anyone looking to eat cleaner and get leaner. Her column, “The Fit Foodie”, appears in Edible Orange County Magazine.
Mareya was a finalist for Inc. Magazine’s Newpreneur of the Year 2010 and is the winner of the Disney iParenting Award and the World’s Best Technology Gold Prize. She is also the recipient of the 2013 Women Making a Difference Award for demonstrating extraordinary dedication and contributions to health and well-being, a designation awarded by California Senator Lou Correa.
Great information from Mareya this week and you can see all the products at www.EatCleaner.com.
Rick is joined by Antonia Townsend this week. She is the Founder, CEO and “Chief Knicker Officer” of [ENCLOSED] — the first and only lingerie gift-giving service specifically designed to empower men to create high-end, romantic gift experiences for the women they love.
Since launching in 2013, the San Francisco-based e-commerce lingerie subscription company has generated multimillion-dollars in revenue while servicing 30,000 customers in 20 countries.
Townsend launched [ENCLOSED] after watching her friends struggle with romantic gift giving and seeing an underserved niche just below Agent Provocateur but considerably higher than Victoria’s Secret. Heck big tough guys and even professional athletes need help with these type of purchases.
[ENCLOSED] offers a monthly, three, six or 12-month subscription of lingerie deliveries with the ability to cancel at any time. Prices range from $55 to $1,300. [ENCLOSED] gets the fit right 98% of the time and offers a no-hassle fit guarantee.
Prior to launching [ENCLOSED], Townsend spent nearly 25 years working as a CEO, CMO and c-suite executive for companies including Clear and Edit.com. She earned her BA from Wesleyan University and her MBA from Columbia University. She resides in San Francisco with her husband and baby.
Here is how it works:
· Personal Service: [ENCLOSED] experts work with gift-givers and hand-select a personalized gift for each recipient.
· Luxury Products: Sourced from the finest luxury designers worldwide, just below Agent Provocateur but considerably higher than department stores.
· Flexible Subscriptions: Gift-givers can select a monthly gift or choose a three, six or 12-month plan with the ability to cancel at any time. Let her anticipate what’s coming next month and be a hero all year long.
· Pricing and Fit Guarantee: Prices range from $55 to $1,300. They get the fit right 98% of the time on the first try and offer a no-hassle fit guarantee.
