Archive for December, 2011
Soccer Boots Personalization A New Era
A few years ago the only way to recongnize your soccer boots from the other players it was marking them with a permanent marker pen it was the standard way for boots to be identified times have changed and an ever increasing number of players are using the personalised embroidery service on boots. It is offered in various options to personalise your boots depending on which model you choose. But where soccer boots personalisation came from?.
Cristiano Ronaldo Premier League’s best player 20072008 is the one who has been using this personalization in each one of the very recents models of Mercurial Vapor Nike he uses C.R.7 as a reference of his name and jersey number in Manchester United team the initials are placed in the side of each shoe and gives to them a nice and original look but most important the fact of “ownership by C. Ronaldo”. so also considering that Mr. Ronaldo is the current most valuable marketing soccer player he won this name to David Bekham the former star of Real Madrid team is easy to understand why personalisation on soccer boots is increasing all the time.
A few days ago was announced the new Nike’s MERCURIAL VAPOR V and of course were introduced by Cristiano Ronaldo during a match of Manchester United against Liverpool in a local tournament of the english Premier League althought Manchester UTD lost the game there was million of fans which testified the launching of the boots and after the game Cristiano Ronaldo gave his opinion about the boots to a local TV Channel of course the soccer boots were personalised with C.R.7 but C.R. is not the unique who is using this new technology of identification there are other soccer stars players as Zlatan Ibrahimovic from Internazionale Milano and the new wonder from Brazil Alexander Pato from Milan A.C.
All boots are supplied unpersonalised unless requested from customer and if you wish to order personalization you have to be aware of any personalised boots cannot be exchanged and also have to ensure that the correct product size colour and personalisation details are selected prior to your order being placed one other important issue to consider due to the detailed nature of a personalised purchase delivery can be extended up to 710 working days before dispatch.
At the present time there are many supliers wich offer the full personalisation facility on football boots to professional semi professional and amateur club players alike. Many players now use this personalisation service to both improve their boots and to make them easily identifiable in the club environment.
This service cannot be offered on all boots due to restrictions on the embroidery machines.
see more about personalisation at http://www.esportsoccer.com
About the writer: http://www.esportsoccer.com the online store specialized in Latinamerica and International soccer team equipment and soccer boots of main brands
Snorkelling – Scuba Without The Fuss
I hate scuba diving. Thats not to say Ive ever tried it but frankly it seems like a lot of hassle to me. First theres the need to be certified and that requires both training and effort ndash; two things low down on my priority list when Im on holiday.
Then theres the dread: the fear of my mask filling up the terror of running out of air the horror of what my wobbly bits look like in a wetsuit. Generally its just not my cup of tea.
And while Im reliably informed that the vast majority of sea animals found around these parts cant harm me at all that does leave room for a vast minority that can hurt me very much indeed.
So all in I feel quite sure that the key to tropical bliss is snorkelling. It may not reflect the pioneering spirit of Jacques Cousteau but bobbing around on the surface enjoying the sights without disturbing either the wildlife or the underwater fauna seems to be the perfect middle road for people who want to see and be unseen.
And what a lot there is to see here ndash; Malaysias coral reefs are home to one of the most prolific congregations of underwater life on the planet forming an ecosystem some say is rivalled only by the rainforests of the Amazon and the Congo.
Before jumping straight in though there are some basics that you need to know. Obviously your selection of mask and snorkel are important. Fit and comfort are vital ingredients if you want to spend your time looking around rather than having to lift your head out of the water every few minutes to drain away accumulating liquid.
Get this done properly. Half an hour in a scuba shop will see you equipped with a mask perfectly suited to your phizog. To try on the mask move the strap out of the way brush your hair to one side and just push the mask firmly onto your face. If it will remain there unsupported then it is making a good seal.
Once you have determined which masks will fit properly other considerations are comfort field of vision some masks permit more view to the sides than others and of course the cost.
Dont forget to get a snorkel also and maybe a spare strap to hold it to your mask. The snorkel mouthpiece should be soft with flexible edges to be comfortable in your mouth.
Theres nothing worse than having illfitting equipment; says Bob Brunswick a professional diver with more than 25 years of experience in both scuba and snorkelling. If you get a mouthpiece thats too big it just rubs against your gums making them sore.
Its much better to take the time to get the right kit. It may feel like a bit of a pain when you know the hotel youre staying at has masks to rent but I guarantee that youll be the one reaping the rewards when everyone else is struggling under the water.;
If you really feel like waddling into the sea looking like a pro you might want to consider some fins. In all honesty fins aren’t really a necessity for snorkelling; says Bob. But they do help you to get down more quickly so that you can see more of the underwater world on that breath of air.;
With kit on and back thoroughly sunscreened its time to take to the water. But theres one last thing to do. Inform someone where youre going? You definitely should but thats not what I was alluding to. Its the bit that kids especially love: the wellknown divers trick of spitting inside the face of the mask to stop it fogging up.
Spit keeps the air on the inside of the mask from condensing on the glass; explains Bob. Masks fog up because the inside is often dirty or dusty. Spit cleans off the dirt making it much harder for condensation and fog to form. It may not be sanitary but for most divers it works just fine.;
The technique couldnt be more simple: offer up a reasonable mouthful of your finest saliva wipe it around the inside of the mask with your finger and rinse out with seawater just before placing it on your face.
To keep the snorkel upright while you are swimming face down on the surface the snorkel fastening will need to be adjusted properly on the mask strap. Since the snorkeller cannot see the snorkel while it’s in use it may be helpful to have someone watch you to help find the proper adjustment.
Now you can swim along the surface breathing through the snorkel and observing the world below. When you see something interesting you can hold your breath and dive down to have a closer look.
In order to stretch your time below it is important to be relaxed and not expending a lot of energy; says Bob. To dive down under the surface rotate your body so that you can put your head straight down and stick your legs straight up and out of the water.
Then let gravity do its thing and you should be on your way down without moving a muscle. When your downward speed has deteriorated you can start kicking to continue. For the return to the surface tilt your head back and watch where you are going. You wouldn’t want to bang your head on the bottom of a boat.;
Key to doing this without ending up coughing and spluttering with a mouth full of water is to keep enough air in your lungs so that after you break the surface you can send a quick burst of air through the snorkel to help expel any remaining water. Make sure you also keep your head still back so that the open end of the snorkel will be pointing down as you bob up.
Generally scuba divers are taught to return to the surface with one hand stretched upward to prevent them from banging their head and also to be more visible to boat traffic. It’s not a bad idea for snorkellers to do the same.
Plus it gives your friends on the shore a chance to see you having a great time in the water and look on enviously. All that fun ndash; so little effort. Perfect.
About the writer: Richard Ryan is a professional journalist who has worked in the UK Malaysia and Australia. For more information visit http://www.richardryan.co.uk
Skateboarding: The Art Of War – Steve Rocco
In 1989 Brad Dorfman reported a whopping 89million dollars in company turnover for Vision Inc. Not too shabby. Two years prior with business already blooming alongside the 80s skateboard explosion Brad had to make what probably seemed like a rather mundane decision at the time. He kicked 27yearold freestyle professional Steve Rocco off of Sims Skateboards on of Vision’s many lucrative subsidiaries. By 1991 that very same man was at the helm of the bestselling company in skateboarding: World Industries and rumors were churning about Vision’s imminent bankruptcy. What happened? A man living on Naras Kaupas’ kitchen floor maxed out his credit card to buy 6000 dollars’ worth of boards screened them and then proceeded to all but tear down the “Big Five” Vision Powell Peralta Santa Cruz Thrasher and Transworld usher in a new era of street skating give a heavy shot in the arm to the skaterowned company and permanently change the rules by which skateboarders do business. He did so with little more than a keen sense of humor an ear to the ground fearless power moves and an incredible knack for turning his weaknesses into advantages. That man would quickly become known throughout skateboarding simply as “Rocco”. The upcoming Whyte House Productions documentary The Man Who Souled The World tells his story. The following are the broad strokes.
THE BOOT AND THE BIRTH
” It actually never occurred to me to start a company. I was just a skater at the time that had been kicked off a team. I though my life at least the part that had anything to do with skating was over.” According to Rocco it was Zephyr Surf Shop cofounder and onetime Z Boys team manager Skip Engblom who first suggested buying 500 boards and starting a company. Accordingly Rocco pushed all his chips into the middle of the table and with a little hand from Natas and Skip launched SMA Rocco Division. SMA or Santa Monica Airlines was a subsidiary company owned by Santa Cruz that Natas rode for at the time. Very quickly Santa Cruz an established mainstay in the industry over the past few decades demanded he stop using the SMA name for his company. At the same time “SMA World Industries” had been screened on a fiew boards and shirts as a joke for how small the operation actually was. In response Rocco dropped the SMA name and World Industries was born.
THE SEED INVESTMENTS
With an actual company under his belt Rocco began searching for capital by which to sustain his small venture. John Lucero made a quick cameo as an investor then promptly pulled out selling his shares to then unbeatable Powell Peralta freestyle sensation Rodney Mullen for 6000 dollars. Rocco and Rodney had befriended each other earlier via the freestyle circuit and Rocco went on to finance another 20000 dollars of his company through a shady loan shark by the name of Kirby. Essentially within his first year of business Rocco had a choice pay Kirby back the 30 grand with monthly payments of 2500 dollars or find out what happens to your knees when a loan shark doesn’t get paid in full. In Rocco’s words “After many sleepless nights we paid it back and Kirby became a friend and shareholder in the company.
THE FIRST TEAM AND THE BARNYARD BOARD
Rocco’s very first rider would come in the form of Jesse “The Mess” Martinez. While considered one of the top established street skaters at the time Jesse was as rebellious as Rocco and took little convincing in leaving Powell Peralta for World. Former Alva rider Jef Hartsel quickly followed suit and with three established names to screen print on his boards the powers that be a.k.a Powell Vision and Santa Cruz began to take notice of what Steve was up to. Their fears were quickly compounded when Rocco managed to officially swipe Rodney Mullen and a redhot seventeenyearold Mike Vallely up and out from under Powell’s aging feet. Vallely’s first board the ” Barnyard” model was the firstever doublekick shaped deck to take hold in skateboarding changing board shapes and concaves forever more. It was also legendary World artist Marc McKee’s first board graphic setting the tone for the neon tongueincheek cartoon graphics later also under the skilled hands of Sean Cliver that the company became notorious for and also became Rocco’s first major financial success as a bestselling board. On top of all that the Barnyard board was Rodney Mullen’s first at bat as a board shaper.
THE BET ON STREET SKATING
As skateboarding at large watched intently Rocco began to the ridicule of many to essentially assemble the first allstreet team ever. At the time the industry believed it impossible for any company to survive without a marquee vert superstar a la Hawk or Hosoi. However very quickly this theory proved to have become the exact opposite. Vert was about to die. World’s first video Rubbish Heap contained absolutely no vert riders save Jesse Martinez’s incredible padless midsize ramp lines and Tom Boyle in the end credits and essentially blew up the likes of Jeremy Klein first back Smith on a rail ever Ron Chatman and obviously Mike V. The video also contained Mullen’s firstever footage riding a “street” board was one of Spike Jonze’s first stints behind a video camera and made a mockery of Powell and Vision’s ultra high and glossy production values. With every passing month skateboarding was turning further and further upside down and the old guard was not at all prepared.
THE SPINOFF COMPANIES AND VIDEO TAKEOVER
By 1990 Mark Gonzales then a star rider for Vision approached Rocco simply out of his amazement that Steve a fellow skater was running a company within which he could basically do everything and anything he wanted. Gonz proposed his company Blind “Blind” being the opposite of “Vision” and Rocco grabbed World’s top pro at the time Jason Lee and sewed him in to Mark’s new venture. A year later Natas Kaupas equally amazed at what Rocco and now Mark were doing left Santa Cruz to start his own company under the Rocco umbrella: 101 Skateboards.
Within the next few years World Industries became a parent company to a whole slew of extremely profitable off shot “subsidiary” companies. Most notably along with Blind and 101 was Plan B a project former H Street cofounder Mike Ternasy came to Rocco with ultimately leading to one of the most starstudded teams ever assembled: Danny Way Colin McKay Matt Hensley Sean Sheffey Rich Howard Mike Carroll Sal Barbier Pat Duffy and Ryan Fabre.
After Rubbish Heap in ’89 Blind’s Video Days in ’91 Spike Jonze’s first job directing and considered by many to this day to be the best skateboard video of all time it became an undebatable fact that any and every video coming out of the Rocco family editing bay would be the absolute best. All this to the enormous chagrin of Stacey Peralta and George Powell who had essentially held that spot since the skateboard video was given birth via the Bones Brigade Video Show back in ’85.
THE AD WARS
Since the inception of the World every last ad Rocco ran contained two constant elementssarcastic wit often at his own expense and seething controversy often at the expense of others’ morals. However it was not until Powell ran an ad with three of their riders mocking the skaterowned “smaller” companies a direct attack on Rocco Gonz et cetera that allout war was declared between the two camps.
With his next Blind ad now referred to simply as the infamous “Dear George” letter Rocco unveiled a series of boards directly mocking some of Powell’s most prestigious VCJ graphics. The ad was accompanied by an open letter to George Powell ending simply with “P.S. Do you think I should kill myself.” The end resultwithin months of this now very public battle Powell’s board sales tanked like the Titanic while Rocco’s rose like Apollo 13. It was rumored in the industry that Steve was then holding nearly 80 percent of the market share in the U.S. alone. In his headtohead battle with nearly all his former “Big Five” enemies Steve had beaten them at their own game. It was now his turn to make the rules.
After gathering his legends in the form of Jesse Hartsel Rodney Mike V. the Gonz and Natas Rocco quickly moved on and showed incredible knack for hooking up not only the youngest street skaters a.k.a. Chris Branagh pro at eleven bur more importantly some of the most talented throughout the past decade. He found Daewon Song and Jason Lee he spotted the magical talent of Kareem Campbell and built an incubus during the early 90s that nurtured the likes of Guy Mariano Henry Sanchez Lavar McBride Marcus McBride Chico Brenes Daniel Castillo Brian Lotti Jovantae Turner Eric Koston Chris Pastras Randy Colvin Keenan Milton Shiloh Greathouse Ronnie Creager Gabriel Rodriguez Joey Suriel Lee Smith Gino Iannucci Rudy Johnson Tim Gavin Richard Mulder and on and on and on. Rocco was also one of the frist company owners to push a seriously multi ethnic multiracial team in what had formerly been viewed as kind of a whitewashed pastime.
BIG BROTHER TO JACKASS
With his constantly profane ad concepts Rocco was continually running into problems with the censorship policies of then Larry Balmaowned Transworld and even the more lax policies up at Thrasher. When Larry Balma refused to run a specific World ad on the grounds that it promoted teen suicide Rocco had had enough. In response he replaced the ad with a questionnaire explaining his situation and asking Transworld’s readers what he should do in response. Their answer ” Start your own magazine.” Accordingly Big Brother magazine saw its first issue. After giving Jeff Tremaine his first shot in skateboard mag publishing which in turn later gave Johnny Knoxville his first chance at acting via the Big Brother videos Big Brother became one of the most controversial magazines of the 90s period full frontal nudity drugs theft and the Los Angeles local news favorite “How To Kill Yourself” article. Rocco eventually sold Big Brother to none other than Larry Flynt in 1996. With a little help from Spike Jonze Tremaine would ultimately transition Big Brother’s videos into MTV’s Jackass Wild Boyz Viva La Bam Rob amp; Big and the rest.
TEENAGE MILLIONAIRES AND COMPANY MUTINY
In 1992 Rocco had his first tenmilliondolor year. One of the best things and ultimately one of the hardest things about him running his teams was that he essentially gave them unlimited amounts of cash at incredibly young ages and provided them with an absolute carte blanche to do whatever whenever they wanted. Turning them loose in fourstar hotels and providing them with the infamous World Park where they pretty much tested any and every moral boundary from beer acid and porn to wanton public vandalism and theft Rocco;s riders ultimately took the ridiculous amounts of freedom they had been handed along with so many thousanddolor shopping sprees and began to grow apart from him and Rodney. This problem culminated in mid 1993when Rich Howard Mike Carroll Megan Baltimore and Spike Jonze took Sean Sheffey Jovantae Turner Jeron Wilson Tim Gavin Tony Fergusson Rudy Johnson Eric Koston and Guy Mariano out from under various Roccoowned companies to start Girl Skateboards. Howard and company subsequently swept up Paulo Diaz Ben Sanchez Gabriel Rodriguezm Chico Brenes Richard Mulder Shamil Randle and Daniel Castillo to start Chocolate the fallowing year. Rocco seemingly invincible had taken his first major hit.
CLEANING UP SHOP AND THE YEAR OF REAPER
As Rocco attempted to reorganize after losing a huge chunk of his marquee riders his restructured what had been up to that point an extremely disorganized combination of haphazard accounting and lax general business practices. He hired another former freestyler and savvy businessman Frand Messman as a CEO along with Scott Drouillard as an accountant. While Rocco began to relinquish the near dictatorial reigns of his empire handing control to more corporateminded individuals and things began picking up again disaster struck again in 1994. Steve Rocco’s father Rodney Mullen’s mother and Plan B Mike Ternasky all passed away in what Rocco refers to as “The Year of the Reaper.” This devastating blos to both Steve Rodney and everyone at Plan B not only hurt morale it also ended in the departure of the Pland B brand from under World’s roof. Steve was again forced to seek out a new direction for his embattled family tree.
THE DEVIL MAN WET WILLY FLAMEBOY AND LITTLEKID FOREVER
As Steve racked his brain for a new direction with which to keep his company afloat Marc McKee happened to pen up a little logo for a Christmas card that they quickly called the Devil Man. In a complete shift from his former teamdriven approach Steve in an epiphany immediately seized upon the cartoon characters McKee was creating as his answer. With skateboarding beginning to boom again in the mainstream to levels not seen since before the early 90s slump Rocco rather ingeniously identified his next target audience eight to twelve year olds and the parents who buy their boards for them. And PG13 cartoon graphics that McKee was pumping out by the busload were essentially exactly what those little kids wanted.
SELLING THE WORLD
“You never really think about being able to get out and just stop. Or you think about it but it just doesn’t really happen in our industry. Everybody just gets big and then goes under” says Rocco. What he loved most in life was cash in the band and the freedom it gave him. After over ten years in the skateboard industry trenches and having gone from the bottom of bottoms to top of the tops he decided he didn’t want to go out like Brad Dorfman had a decade before him. In late ’98 Rocco sold World Industries then the first publicly traded skateboard company on the stock market to Swander Pace Venture Capital for twentymillion dollars. While he remains a small shareholder in various skate brands Steve is currently relaxing at home in his multimillion dollar Malibu trailer home. When asked what was more rewarding over the years starting a company or selling one he replied simply “You forgot to mention destroying” Then he laughed.
About the writer: Specialty Sports is an Online Skateboard Store based out of New Jersey. If you’re interested in more about skateboarding tips keep checking back here or if you’re interested in getting into skateboarding try our web site we offer 100′s of cheap complete skateboards for sale.