SOAR Blog

If you ever need a boost of inspiration about the potential of diet and exercise (specifically cycling) to overcome one’s weight challenges, you’ve got to read yesterday’s story on The Gear Junkie: “Large Fella on a Bike” (4-18-08).

In summary, Scott Cutshall went from 501 pounds to 232 pounds by strictly following a self-imposed regimen of cycling and a 1,200-calorie per day diet, and he did so in a little more than two years.

I won’t go into more details here, but major, major props to Cutshall for his shining example to all of us, weight-challenged or not.

In addition, thank you “Gear Junkie” Stephen Regenold for bringing Scott’s story to light. I loved it!!!

Burke challenges bike manufacturers to actively support advocacy efforts, including boosting donations to advocacy organizations to 0.5 percent of annual sales

SAN DIEGO, January 20, 2008 — John Burke, president of Trek Bicycle Corporation, started his closing keynote presentation at the Bicycle Leadership Conference by stripping off his sweater to reveal a No. 4 Brett Farve jersey and show his passionate support for the Green Bay Packers. 

He closed his speech by quoting President Abraham Lincoln who said his pastor had not delivered an excellent sermon because “He did not ask us to do anything great tonight,” and then Burke delivered an impassioned challenge to BLC attendees to do something great and increase their support of bicycle advocacy programs to half-a-percent (0.5 percent) of their annual sales.

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So it’s already late Wednesday evening, 9/26/07, and team SOAR is four days into our Interbike 2007 experience. (Yeah, that’s my lame attempt at an excuse as to why I haven’t written anything about my Interbike experiences yet.)

Anyway . . . so Chip, Maura, Lindsay, Melea and I rolled into Vegas on Sunday in preparation for this year’s Outdoor Demo, held again in Boulder City, Nevada (although some 300 yards to the west of prior locations).

But what a nice new location. The City’s done a nice job with initial landscaping and xeriscaping of the “entry area” into Bootleg Canyon, the layout is more open and feels larger than prior years,  and the extension of the blacktop from city into the canyon area is a nice touch.

According to Interbike,  more than 3,300 show attendees braved the wilds of Nevada to participate in Outdoor Demo on Day One alone, a new record turnout.

In spite of a brutal travel day (departing from Salt Lake City for San Diego at 6:40 a.m. and landing back in SLC at 11:55 p.m.the same day), Chip and I had a great Friday in southern California.

The purpose of our trip? Checking out ASR 2007 — the Action Sports Retailer show which attracts top manufacturers in the surf, skate, snow, swim, style, moto and youth industries and the shops/dealers (and distributors) that sell/distribute such goods. (ASR is a Nielsen Business Media show, the same company that produces Interbike and Health+Fitness Business Expo, two SOAR Communications clients.)

As California natives now living in Utah, it was fun for both Chip and me to A) soak up the wonderful early September weather in San Diego, as well as B) reconnect with our skateboarding/surfing roots.

One of my pastimes as a teenager was riding on a three-foot long wooden skateboard, what today would be considered a “long board.” Conversely, Chip learned to surf in the Pacific swells off the southern California coast.

Although we both got a real eye-full at ASR, five “new” products caught my eye at ASR.

1.    The carbon fiber surfboards from Aviso Surfboards are very cool. Certainly more expensive than a typical surfboard, but dramatically stronger, lighter and more durable.

2.     The Spinners from Skubs take the concept of those crazy spinning rims from expensive wheels/cars and bring them to the skateboard and skater worlds.

3.    Yoga Stick-e Socks from Libby’s Luxuries are a patented new look at sock for wear while practicing yoga (naturally), as well as in any other exercise or sport where going barefoot is appropriate but wearing socks would be better.

4.    The brand new Si-Boards from Si-Boards take a whole new approach to balance
boards.

5.    And finally, the AquaSkipper from Inventist, which is probably weirdest-looking personal watercraft I have ever seen in my life. (They call it a human-powered hydrofoil.) Inventist also was showing off some wheeled products at the show:

• The Wheelblazer;
•  The Swerver Ultimate Carving Streetboard;
•  And a new type of skates (no page available on the Web site).

Okay, this is part two of my morning-long visit to the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007 show in downtown Salt Lake City.

Again, there were tons of exhibitors so this is by no means conclusive, but it certainly shows the extent of the show and the fact that there were exhibitors there representing all kinds of stuff. Here’s the second half of what I saw while strolling along.

GoPro HERO camera. You’ve probably seen all those homemade stunt and extreme sports videos on the Internet or in your e-mail, well these guys are facilitating these videos. The HERO cam is currently available with wrist attachments and will be available later this year with attachments for your head — or helmet. In this picture, Neil Dana, was kind enough to model the upcoming head and helmet mounts for the HERO camera.

This really is a cool concept and can provide almost an hour of TV quality recording on a 2GB memory card.

Next up is another ‘green’ product. the SOLIO hybrid solar charger is a must-have for anyone who hikes and has a bad sense of direction or is being led by the Cheshire Cat. This gadget uses solar panels to recharge various portable consumer electronics, from iPods to cell phones and maybe more. Their current, classic, model is already on the market but they will soon be launching the H1000 that appears to be more rugged and durable and has a carabiner clip to hook to your belt, backpack, etc.

(Photo Credit: Atomic MPC)
Suzanne informed me that not only is the SOLIO a green way to recharge your devices in the wild, but it is also made of very green materials.

In the world of the incredibly-shrinking gadget, Industrial Revolution’s grilliput was definitely cool. Ever thought that a portable BBQ didn’t have to be the size of your kitchen sink? Well these guys’ grill fits into your pocket, practically.

Another cool gadget from Industrial Revolution was the Spork. Now this is different from the cafeteria creation of a spoon with fork prongs on the end. This spork may in fact be a true spork. And I thought it was a nice touch to put the serrated edge on the fork, who couldn’t use that already?

And last, but not least, some of my fellow statesmen, Adventure Trading Inc., from Washington State were selling Hacky Sacks and other Guatemalan imports. If you thought the Hacky Sack craze was over, you’re dead wrong. General Manager Luke Lawson told me he braces every year for the drop off in popularity and every year it doesn’t come; I guess there’s just something catchy about a little woven bag with beads in it you bounce off your foot.

Their display was, by far the catchiest most creative one I saw while walking around, wall-o-Hacky-Sack!

Well, that’s it for Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007. There were definitely some cool products and exhibits for vendors, media and other attendees to peruse. I can’t close without mentioning the schwag we got, I’ll simply list them.

Keep2go (product), Hi-Tec (shoulder bag), Eagle (poster & badge holder), Patagonia (stickers), Crazy Creek (stickers), scarpa (stickers), H2O Guides (cool stickers)

SOAR is looking for a new account coordinator! See below for a full job description.

SOAR Communications a Utah-based, full-service marketing communications agency focused on the sports, outdoor, athletics, recreation and sporting goods industries is looking for a recreational/outdoor enthusiast who also has the skills to be an awesome account coordinator.

The job entails writing PR releases, coordinating marketing projects and helping to service clients. You must have a degree in Public Relations, Communications or Marketing with at least one to two years experience in marketing.

Send your resume, a few writing samples, and a brief explanation of what makes you a recreational/outdoor enthusiast. Attention: Chip Smith, csmith@soarcomm.com

Hours: Full-Time
This job is salaried.

These guys are certifiably insane!

Who in their right mind would ride down an 80-foot ramp, soar over 70 feet of nothing while attempting some crazy stunt and then try to reach heights of 20 feet above the quarter-pipe with just a helmet and knee pads? I think it’s the acrophobiac in me, coupled with seeing this clip:

.

You have to admit, though, it’s pretty cool some of the things they do. I love watching the X-Games, and I’m glad ESPN has picked them up.

Paul Zane Pilzer, keynote speaker at Health+Fitness Business Expo & Conference, raised an interesting question during his address. What industry are we in today?

Is it the exercise industry? The fitness industry? The health industry? The weight loss industry?

With the graying of America and the increasing living standards (both here in the U.S. and abroad), Pilzer suggested that, in fact, the companies, organizations and individuals attending H+FB were now in the “Wellness Industry.”

The Wellness Industry touches all things concerned with keeping people “well,” as opposed to the medical industry which is focused on getting people “better” when they get sick.

Pilzer claims that the Wellness industry already generates more than $500 billion in revenues per year and is on its way to topping $1 trillion annually in the near future.

I think this was a new concept for most listeners in attendance.

And although I wish he would have used a PowerPoint presentation to support his speech, I thought Pilzer was spot-on with this concept.

Often the most important thing an executive can do from time to time is to objectively analyze one’s industry, company, product/service mix, positioning, branding, messaging, etc. and ask reflectively, “Are we still on point?” In other words, “Has anything changed in the marketplace that we need to be aware of and make adjustments for?”

Pilzer’s presentation gave me great food for thought about the entire “Wellness Industry” in all of its various aspects, something I hope the other attendees experienced as well.

So I’m heading off to Denver tomorrow to attend Health+Fitness Business Expo & Conference (a SOAR Communications client), the Nielsen Business Media trade show focused on the home exercise equipment marketplace.

This will be my first trip to HFB, so I’m excited to see the show, meet many of the players and support the PR needs of HFB, the exhibitors and the journalists.

In addition, I’ll be participating in the 2nd Annual SNEWS Golf Scramble tournament tomorrow afternoon at the Green Valley Ranch Golf Course outside of Denver. Should be an interesting afternoon as I haven’t played a round of golf since my shoulder surgery 18 months ago.

I’ll let you know how it went.