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.

Barak Fainaro, Founder of Combat Wipes

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Rick talks with entrepreneur and former member of the Israeli special forces, Barak Fainaro.

Barak has released the Combat Wipes line of products and they are catching fire here in the US. This is a fascinating look at a great product and the problems it solves.

There are available online here or through Amazon and coming to retailers near you.

“Serving in one of the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) special forces, I was spending a lot of time in the field with no shower and so always had a pack of baby wipes in my gear. I never found the wipes that would serve serve me well in terms of strength, cleansing effect and of course would be biodegradable. Years after, and whilst still part of the reserves forces in Israel, and having had over 10 years’ experience in technical sales, I decided to make the wipe I have always wanted to have for myself so other outdoor enthusiasts and users could enjoy it as well.”

These are wipes with the active person in mind.

“Combat Wipes are a 100% biodegradable wipe that you can bury after use and forget. It goes back to nature 100%, has recyclable packaging and a cleansing and refreshing formula that has all the right ingredients for anyone experiencing the outdoors. This is not just another baby wipes pack, it specifically designed to the outdoor enthusiasts.”

Combat Wipes:

  • THE IDEAL OUTDOOR WET WIPE- These wipes are essential for ANYONE experiencing the outdoors who does not have access to a shower or fresh water, yet wants to stay clean, refreshed and environmentally conscious.
  • 100% BIODEGRADABLE WIPES: No more carrying dirty moist towelettes around. These Eco-friendly outdoor cleaning wipes are 100% biodegradable and have no synthetic materials. Just bury the biodegradable wet wipes in the soil or compost to dispose them completely guilt-free.
  • POCKET SIZE and SINGLE WIPE PULL OUT – Every wipe is conveniently folded on its own, designed to easily pull one out without the hassle of fighting the next one to remain inside the package. Great for rock climbing, golfing, festivals, soldiers, hunting, gym, and all your other sweat-dripping pursuits.
  • GENTLE ON SKIN: Get hygiene wipes that not only clean but soothe. The antibacterial cleansing formula is alcohol-free and the 100% viscose wipes are infused with aloe and vitamin E. Safely use COMBAT WIPES ACTIVE on the face, as body bath wipes, or as camping toilet wipes whenever nature calls.
  • BUY RISK FREE: We’ve got your back with a total satisfaction guarantee. Reach out to us in case of any issues or queries and we’ll quickly get back to you. Click ‘Add to Cart’ now for heavy duty personal wet wipes designed to complement the most intense of outdoor adventures!

It was an honor to be joined by Barak and can’t wait to see what is next! Have a listen!

Jeni Janover, Founder of Liquid Motion

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Rick talks with Jeni Janover, founder and certification instructor of Liquid Motion®.

Liquid Motion® is a methodology that can apply to any aspect of life, from everyday movement to technical dance vocabulary. This program teaches how to achieve a seamless and natural movement quality by applying basic dance theory and sensual movement exploration.

Liquid Motion® stands out from other classes because our methods apply to any type of movement, enabling students to immediately feel successful, as well as continue their education beyond the class. This approach to movement makes our program an invaluable resource that provides long-term benefits, including a higher level of self-esteem, a deeper knowledge of oneself on all levels, and a stronger, healthier body that moves with confidence and grace.

Certification in Liquid Motion is a 3 ½ day training designed to provide the participant with the tools and opportunity to teach your very own 75-minute Liquid Motion® class. It’s open to anyone who wants to who just want to further their movement education and gain a deeper knowledge of the Liquid Motion® Method, as well as teach Liquid Motion®.

Jeni Janover is the passionate founder and owner of Liquid Motion®. In addition to being an XPERT and ElevatED certified pole instructor, Jeni has an extensive background in performing and visual arts, ranging from Classical ballet to sculpture and graduated at the top of her class in the school of Fine Arts at Syracuse University. She began her pole dancing career in 2010, and was instantly addicted. Jeni created Liquid Motion® because she wanted to develop a methodology for people of all levels and backgrounds that teaches students the fundamentals of movement through basic dance theory and exploration of natural instincts. Jeni has taught her signature workshops all over the United States, Mexico and Canada, and is excited to be able to bring this new 75 Minute liquid Motion class to Body and Pole.

Jeni describes her style of dancing and teaching as a combination of life, love, sex, and raw emotion. She believes that knowledge, exploration, and education are the keys to bringing the aerial arts to the forefront of modern culture and is excited to be a part of the ever growing pole dance community.

Listen and learn about a movement that will be sweeping the country- Liquid Motion.

Check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIEzPqThgJs

Warrick Dunn, FedEx Junior Business Challenge and Warrick Dunn Charities

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An honor to be joined by former NFL All-Pro running back, Warrick Dunn, this week on “Tech of Sports.”

We all know what Warrick has done on and off the football field, but I talk with the former NFL-er at the PGA Tour Championship as he was a judge in the FedEx Junior Business Challenge. Think of this as a part 2 this week to the previous “TOS” with Rosa Santos.

Dunn is involved in many different business interests, so he was the perfect person to judge and give advice to these young competitors and entrepreneurs.

Dunn started Homes for the Holidays in 1997 during his rookie year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The program is a tribute to his mother, Betty Smothers, a Baton Rouge police officer, who as a single-mother of six, worked tirelessly to achieve the American dream of owning her own home.

While working a second job as a security guard, she was ambushed and killed. Ms. Betty was never able to realize her dream.

Warrick Dunn, former all-pro running back and philanthropist, began Homes for the Holidays during his rookie season in the NFL to honor his late mother, Betty Smothers.

Since 1997, thousands of children and families have benefited from programs activated by NFL great Warrick Dunn.

Warrick Dunn greet competitors

Rosa Santos, Tropical Wave and FedEx Junior Business Challenge Finalist

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Junior Achievement students from across North America pitched original business concepts for the chance to generate a $75,000 donation from FedEx at the 2018 TOUR Championship.

One of the competitors, from Jacksonville, FL, was high school student, Rosa Santos. Santos and her team’s goal is to provide fresh fruit cups to the students at her high school as a replacement for unhealthy snacks. Santos and her Tropical Wave team won her regional and presented in Atlanta.

Tropical Wave provides an affordable healthier snack alternative during and after school. Wolfpack’s Tropical Wave’s goal is to encourage students to choose a better snack to nourish a healthy mind and body. 

Although they didn’t win first prize, their presentation was impressive and it was good to hear that athletes at her school are some of their best customers.

On Wednesday, September 19, the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club hosted the second-annual FedEx Junior Business Challenge finals.

At the event, Junior Achievement (JA) students from across North America presented original business ideas to a panel of judges for the chance to generate a $75,000 donation from FedEx to their local JA chapter. The panel judge will be headlined by 3x Pro Bowler and Atlanta Falcons Ring of Honor member Warrick Dunn and 3x PGA TOUR tournament winner Marc Leishman.

In conjunction with the PGA TOUR, the FedEx Junior Business Challenge is a collaboration between FedEx and JA Worldwide to help empower the next generation of entrepreneurs. This season, qualifying events have been hosted at: the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, THE PLAYERS Championship, the RBC Canadian Open and the Dell Technologies Championship. One student group from each of the four qualifying events have advanced to present at the finals.Judging Panel:
⦁ Warrick Dunn – 3x Pro Bowler and Atlanta Falcons Ring of Honor member
⦁ Marc Leishman – 3x PGA TOUR tournament winner
⦁ David Cunningham – President and chief executive officer of FedEx Express
⦁ Ryan Lane – Owner of Dream Beard and FedEx Small Business Grant Recipient
Participating JA Chapters:
⦁ JA of Central Texas (WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play winner)
⦁ JA of North Florida (THE PLAYERS Championship winner)
⦁ JA of Central Ontario (RBC Canadian Open winner)
⦁ JA of Northern New England (Dell Technologies Championship winner)

Since 1996, FedEx has donated more than $14 million to JA Worldwide in support of the small businesses and entrepreneurs of tomorrow.
Launched in 2017, the FedEx Junior Business Challenge is currently in its second season. It is part of the FedEx Cares global giving initiative, in which FedEx is investing $200 million in over 200 global communities around the world by 2020.

FedEx
Rosa Santos and her booth

Don Rosenfeld, Executive Producer, Cradle of Champions

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Great to speak with Don Rosenfeld this week on ‘Tech of Sports.’

Don is the Executive Producer of this amazing documentary about Golden Gloves Boxing in New York City, CRADLE OF CHAMPIONS.

CRADLE OF CHAMPIONS follows three extraordinary, inspiring individuals—James Wilkins, Nisa Rodriguez, and Titus Williams—on an urban odyssey through a ten-week tournament, founded in 1927, that has produced more professional world champions than the Olympic Games.

Telling a compelling story of dreams, heartbreak, and redemption, the result is a unique work of art. CRADLE OF CHAMPIONS is edge-of-the-seat drama with the polish of a Hollywood feature film and the intimacy of a gritty cinéma vérité classic.

New York City’s Golden Gloves is the largest amateur boxing tournament on the planet, and the launching pad for some of the sport’s biggest names, from Muhammad Ali to Sugar Ray Robinson. This documentary takes a raw and intimate look at four participants, thereby showing New York’s many faces while relaying unique yet universal personal struggles on the path toward the championship.

Don is the perfect guest and the person that can take us behind the scenes of this documentary that boxing fans and the general public will find intriguing.

Boxing is not what most people associate with Rosenfeld, who’s best known for his lyrical, literary dramas; between 1987 and 1998, as president of Merchant Ivory Productions, he brought films like Howards End and Remains of the Day to the screen. (Though as he notes, he’s been making docs that are “far afield,” for years, including Jodorowsky’s Dune and the four-hour Andy Warhol). It was during his time at Merchant Ivory that he befriended Emma Thompson, who promised she would write him a screenplay one day. That was the exquisite Effie Gray, a biopic of Victorian proto-feminist Euphemia Gray, who wed the painter John Ruskin as a teen, then escaped what turned out to be a horrible, stultifying union. When Effie Gray premiered in 2015 (it showed at SLIFF that year) it was 10 steps ahead of the collective; in 2017, in the wake of Wonder Woman and #metoo, it’s easy to forget how historically tough it is to make movies with strong female protagonists.

“No one wanted to make it,” Rosenfeld says. Despite the challenge of movie-industry sexism—and the multiple frivolous lawsuits the production weathered—the film was released to critical acclaim.”

CRADLE OF CHAMPIONS has aired on Showtime, and now id available on Showtime “On Demand.”

Josh Ziering, Founder of Kittyhawk.io

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Let’s talk drones this week as Rick caught up with Josh Ziering, of Kittyhawk.io at the 2018 InterDrone show in Las Vegas.

Drones in the world of sports is just one of the topics they cover.

Josh is the Founder of Kittyhawk, a drone operations and management solution backed by Boeing. He is also a founding member of the FAA Unmanned Aviation Safety Team and an FAA Part 107 certificate holder.

As an accomplished UAV pilot, Josh has flown all manner of uncrewed aircraft for over 15 years and flown professionally for the NHL, ABC Television, and various manned-aviation airshows.

A recognized visionary leader, he regularly writes about drone-related topics where he eagerly shares his love of aviation and (often-polarizing) opinions on the future of the industry. Josh is oft quoted in news publications and frequently presents at conferences and participates in panel discussions. A self-taught software programmer and serial entrepreneur, Joshua holds a bachelor’s degree in poetry from Arizona State University.

Drones in sports:

The Steelers just erected a Tarp to prevent people from flying drones and seeing their plays. This is the same football team that sells a branded drone.

Stadium and team owners have seen drones as a looming threat for a long time now.

Temporary Flight Restrictions only apply to stadiums when there are games scheduled. So, technically, its not out of the question to film some other teams practices by drones. 4K Video of every play they’re running wouldn’t be a trivial advantage.

-Drone incidents at stadiums.

From drone fleet asset management to realtime secure video streaming, Kittyhawk has all the functionality and integrations needed to tame the chaos of managing your drone fleet. It was great to talk with Josh about drones and at the end about a famous relative of his.

Josh Ziering