OR
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Boulder, CO - November 13, 2008
(BOULDER, Colo.), October 20, 2008 – Spyder, the leader in technical ski racing apparel is giving back to the race community this season through its innovative Speedfreaks program. Speedfreaks is a first-of-its kind program that joins competitive junior ski racers and elite World Cup athletes together in an environment that fosters technical racing skill and downhill speed compulsion. Team members are hand chosen from all over the United States for their proven passion and competitive results.
Founded in 2007, the Speedfreak program provides a platform for training, gear, and exposure, which is unusual for the race discipline; most ski brands reserve marketing funds for the highly exposed X Game-friendly freeski genre. Additionally, the program offers a once-in-lifetime opportunity for the young racers to pair up with ski racing legends to improve their discipline. Spyder is the only ski apparel brand to have such a program that caters to the discipline and furthers the sport.
Program founder and Spyder Product Director Phil Shettig explained the evolution of the team. "Spyder's heritage is racing, so it's natural for us to give back to the sport that's part of our DNA," he said. "There's a passion within the junior race community that hasn't had an accessible platform to speak within itself or even outward to draw others in. That's the intention of Speedfreaks; to give voice to this community. When some of our World Cup athletes heard what we were doing, they approached us and asked to be part of the team. We're all just a bunch of speed freaks coming together."
Spyder scoured national US Ski and Snowboard Association rankings and extended team invitations to category J3 (13 and 14 year-olds) and J4 (11 and 12 year-olds) regional powerhouses. The brand outfits them in performance race apparel and puts them in physical and virtual proximity of current and former US Ski Team World Cup athletes like Daron Rahlves, Steven Nyman, Caitlin Ciccone, Bryon Friedman, Dane Spencer, Jake Zamansky, and Errol Kerr.
The elite Speedfreak athletes are gluttons for speed by their own admission. Some, such as Daron Rahlves and Steven Nyman, are currently at world-class competitive levels. Errol Kerr, the sole Jamaican Ski Team member, loves skiing to the extent that he created the one-member national team to represent his father's country in multiple ski disciplines during the 2010 Olympic Games. Other Speedfreaks have recently been de-selected from the US Ski Team due to circumstances such as injury, and are poised as underdogs, trying to collect enough World Cup points to represent the US in the Vancouver Games.
Gathering these Speedfreaks together imparts knowledge from the experienced to the learning. The taste for speed is shared and encouraged. The program offers an online microsite at www.spyder.com/speedfreeks, giving these athletes a forum to voice their experiences, thoughts, and communal excitement for the sport. On this site, outsiders act as voyeurs into teammate's comments, blogs, and posted experiences.
From November 2 through 5, an inaugural Speedfreak Training Camp will be held at Copper Mountain, Colorado. Top level athletes will train together, potentially the only time in the season they'll have the opportunity to do so. Kerr, Rahlves, Ciccone and Nyman are slated to attend, as are many junior team members.
Spyder objectives for this camp are to provide a high intensity training opportunity for elite Speedfreak members and to offer the ability for World Cup athletes to mentor the junior Speedfreaks. Guest coaching, on-snow interaction, skiing and structured lectures are part of the agenda. Members of the media are encouraged to attend to gain first-hand reporting on this unique culture.
Spyder has secured hill training space for the following times:
The media are invited to attend any training day, and Monday, November 3 is slated as Media Day. Elite and junior Speedfreak athletes and Spyder spokespeople will be available for photos and interviews. There will be question and answer forum on Monday November 3, at 10:00 a.m. at Hasty's, located in the downstairs of the conference center located at the base of Copper Mountain between the American Eagle and American Flyer lifts. For media lodging rates, contact Jeizel at Turner Public Relations, jeizel@turnerpr.com, 212.889.1700.
Currently celebrating its 30th anniversary year, Spyder revolutionized ski apparel in 1978 with a padded slalom sweater designed "for racing, by racers." Renown for integration of high-tech fabrication, function and fashion, Spyder is a worldwide leader of four season, mountain-based apparel and related accessories, and is the choice of the US Alpine and Canadian Alpine World Cup Ski Teams. Based in Boulder, Colorado, Spyder is distributed in over 50 countries worldwide.
In 2008 Spyder acquired Cloudveil Mountain Works, credited as starting the modern day soft shell revolution. Cloudveil draws inspiration from its home-base of Jackson, Wyoming, building innovative and functional apparel for the outdoor, snowsports, fly fishing and casual apparel markets. For more information, visit www.spyder.com and www.cloudveil.com
"The Contenders" - Spyder supports these world-class athletes, and they in turn mentor the junior freaks.
Daron Rahlves - The most decorated American Downhill and Super G skier in history and most accomplished speed skier in American history. After retiring from the US Ski Team in 2006, he's blazing a new trail by focusing on Skiercross (aka Skier-X), a new Olympic event debuting at the 2010 Games.
Steven Nyman – a current A Team member of the US Ski Team, Steven's competitive drive and personality makes him the quintessential Speedfreak. Currently at the top of his game, Steven loves the taste of speed. He's championed this team and the junior race program. Perhaps because of his experience in winning the 2002 World Championships Junior Slalom as a coach's discretionary pick, he recognizes that a chance is all some kids need to succeed.
Caitlln Ciccone – a former member of the US Ski Team, who, like Daron, is using her speed skills to master the Skiercross course. Previously a US National Champion in Giant Slalom and second in Slalom and Combined, Caitlin is posed to dominate the podium. Her effervescent personality attracts Speedfreaks and the common person wherever she goes.
"The Underdogs"
Bryon Friedman – known as "Freedog" and coming off of potentially career-ending injury, this musician (Bryon is to skiing what Jack Johnson is to surfing) is fired up physically and mentally and is ready to fight his way to Vancouver.
Dane Spencer – skiing for the US Ski Team and a member of the 2002 Olympic team, Dane's life has been skiing since he was 6 years old. He's determined that injury doesn't determine the fate of his ski career.
Jake Zamansky – former US Ski Team GS specialist Jake has what it takes to gain FIS World Cup points to get to the games. Rehabilitating a knee injury simply stored up his kinetic energy, and he's ready to charge the mountain with all he's got.
"Jah Man"
Errol Kerr - Cool Runnings on the ski slopes! THE Jamaican ski team (member) with a very real shot at medals in 2010. Having a Jamaican father and American mother and brought up on the Squaw Valley race program, Errol has an amazing personal story, not to mention incredibly diverse talent on the slopes – competitive at an almost unheard-of range of disciplines including GS, DH, Slalom, Super-G, Combined, and Skiercross.
(BOULDER, Colo.), October 20, 2008 – Spyder, the leader in technical ski racing apparel is giving back to the race community this season through its innovative Speedfreaks program. Speedfreaks is a first-of-its kind program that joins competitive junior ski racers and elite World Cup athletes together in an environment that fosters technical racing skill and downhill speed compulsion. Team members are hand chosen from all over the United States for their proven passion and competitive results.
Founded in 2007, the Speedfreak program provides a platform for training, gear, and exposure, which is unusual for the race discipline; most ski brands reserve marketing funds for the highly exposed X Game-friendly freeski genre. Additionally, the program offers a once-in-lifetime opportunity for the young racers to pair up with ski racing legends to improve their discipline. Spyder is the only ski apparel brand to have such a program that caters to the discipline and furthers the sport.
Program founder and Spyder Product Director Phil Shettig explained the evolution of the team. "Spyder's heritage is racing, so it's natural for us to give back to the sport that's part of our DNA," he said. "There's a passion within the junior race community that hasn't had an accessible platform to speak within itself or even outward to draw others in. That's the intention of Speedfreaks; to give voice to this community. When some of our World Cup athletes heard what we were doing, they approached us and asked to be part of the team. We're all just a bunch of speed freaks coming together."
Spyder scoured national US Ski and Snowboard Association rankings and extended team invitations to category J3 (13 and 14 year-olds) and J4 (11 and 12 year-olds) regional powerhouses. The brand outfits them in performance race apparel and puts them in physical and virtual proximity of current and former US Ski Team World Cup athletes like Daron Rahlves, Steven Nyman, Caitlin Ciccone, Bryon Friedman, Dane Spencer, Jake Zamansky, and Errol Kerr.
The elite Speedfreak athletes are gluttons for speed by their own admission. Some, such as Daron Rahlves and Steven Nyman, are currently at world-class competitive levels. Errol Kerr, the sole Jamaican Ski Team member, loves skiing to the extent that he created the one-member national team to represent his father's country in multiple ski disciplines during the 2010 Olympic Games. Other Speedfreaks have recently been de-selected from the US Ski Team due to circumstances such as injury, and are poised as underdogs, trying to collect enough World Cup points to represent the US in the Vancouver Games.
Gathering these Speedfreaks together imparts knowledge from the experienced to the learning. The taste for speed is shared and encouraged. The program offers an online microsite at www.spyder.com/speedfreeks, giving these athletes a forum to voice their experiences, thoughts, and communal excitement for the sport. On this site, outsiders act as voyeurs into teammate's comments, blogs, and posted experiences.
From November 2 through 5, an inaugural Speedfreak Training Camp will be held at Copper Mountain, Colorado. Top level athletes will train together, potentially the only time in the season they'll have the opportunity to do so. Kerr, Rahlves, Ciccone and Nyman are slated to attend, as are many junior team members.
Spyder objectives for this camp are to provide a high intensity training opportunity for elite Speedfreak members and to offer the ability for World Cup athletes to mentor the junior Speedfreaks. Guest coaching, on-snow interaction, skiing and structured lectures are part of the agenda. Members of the media are encouraged to attend to gain first-hand reporting on this unique culture.
Spyder has secured hill training space for the following times:
The media are invited to attend any training day, and Monday, November 3 is slated as Media Day. Elite and junior Speedfreak athletes and Spyder spokespeople will be available for photos and interviews. There will be question and answer forum on Monday November 3, at 10:00 a.m. at Hasty's, located in the downstairs of the conference center located at the base of Copper Mountain between the American Eagle and American Flyer lifts. For media lodging rates, contact Jeizel at Turner Public Relations, jeizel@turnerpr.com, 212.889.1700.
Currently celebrating its 30th anniversary year, Spyder revolutionized ski apparel in 1978 with a padded slalom sweater designed "for racing, by racers." Renown for integration of high-tech fabrication, function and fashion, Spyder is a worldwide leader of four season, mountain-based apparel and related accessories, and is the choice of the US Alpine and Canadian Alpine World Cup Ski Teams. Based in Boulder, Colorado, Spyder is distributed in over 50 countries worldwide.
In 2008 Spyder acquired Cloudveil Mountain Works, credited as starting the modern day soft shell revolution. Cloudveil draws inspiration from its home-base of Jackson, Wyoming, building innovative and functional apparel for the outdoor, snowsports, fly fishing and casual apparel markets. For more information, visit www.spyder.com and www.cloudveil.com
"The Contenders" - Spyder supports these world-class athletes, and they in turn mentor the junior freaks.
Daron Rahlves - The most decorated American Downhill and Super G skier in history and most accomplished speed skier in American history. After retiring from the US Ski Team in 2006, he's blazing a new trail by focusing on Skiercross (aka Skier-X), a new Olympic event debuting at the 2010 Games.
Steven Nyman – a current A Team member of the US Ski Team, Steven's competitive drive and personality makes him the quintessential Speedfreak. Currently at the top of his game, Steven loves the taste of speed. He's championed this team and the junior race program. Perhaps because of his experience in winning the 2002 World Championships Junior Slalom as a coach's discretionary pick, he recognizes that a chance is all some kids need to succeed.
Caitlln Ciccone – a former member of the US Ski Team, who, like Daron, is using her speed skills to master the Skiercross course. Previously a US National Champion in Giant Slalom and second in Slalom and Combined, Caitlin is posed to dominate the podium. Her effervescent personality attracts Speedfreaks and the common person wherever she goes.
"The Underdogs"
Bryon Friedman – known as "Freedog" and coming off of potentially career-ending injury, this musician (Bryon is to skiing what Jack Johnson is to surfing) is fired up physically and mentally and is ready to fight his way to Vancouver.
Dane Spencer – skiing for the US Ski Team and a member of the 2002 Olympic team, Dane's life has been skiing since he was 6 years old. He's determined that injury doesn't determine the fate of his ski career.
Jake Zamansky – former US Ski Team GS specialist Jake has what it takes to gain FIS World Cup points to get to the games. Rehabilitating a knee injury simply stored up his kinetic energy, and he's ready to charge the mountain with all he's got.
"Jah Man"
Errol Kerr - Cool Runnings on the ski slopes! THE Jamaican ski team (member) with a very real shot at medals in 2010. Having a Jamaican father and American mother and brought up on the Squaw Valley race program, Errol has an amazing personal story, not to mention incredibly diverse talent on the slopes – competitive at an almost unheard-of range of disciplines including GS, DH, Slalom, Super-G, Combined, and Skiercross.
