PGA TOUR Superstore Expands Into The Midwest
PGA TOUR Superstore announced its plans to open a store in the Chicago area in late spring 2012. The store will be located in Schaumburg at the site of the former Great Indoors store at Golf Road and Meacham Road near Woodfield Mall, the largest mall in Chicagoland.
PGA TOUR Superstore also plans to open a second store in the Chicago metro area during 2012. The location of the second store will be announced at a later date. The addition of these two stores will increase the number of PGA TOUR Superstores nationwide to 14. The two Chicago stores will be the company’s first locations in the Midwest.
“We look forward to bringing our store’s products, services and expertise to golfers and tennis players in Chicagoland, and to being a positive contributor in the community,” said PGA TOUR Superstore President & CEO Dick Sullivan. “Our new customers will quickly see that we are equipped to serve a broad range of golf and tennis players, with an emphasis on offering the industry’s best brands, fitting products to each customer’s unique needs, and providing the broadest array of golf and tennis services. In a nutshell, we make it easy to get in, and stay in, the game. We are particularly excited about expanding to Chicago, which is one of the premier areas in America for golf enthusiasts.” Read more
WTA Tour World No. 3 Victoria Azarenka Joins Wilson
Wilson Sporting Goods has signed a long term partnership with world no. 3 Victoria (Vika) Azarenka.
“I’m extremely excited to be changing to Wilson’s new Juice racket. The power and spin that I feel with this racket is insane and I look forward to seeing what I can do with it,” said Azarenka. In addition to the Wilson Juice tennis racket, Azarenka will accessorize with the matching new blue Tour tennis bag and exclusive Wilson Emotisorb shock absorber every time she steps on to the court.
“Vika’s talent is undeniable, and she has been one of the tour’s most consistent performers. Our goal is to provide the best equipment to help elevate her game and help her reach her goal of winning her first Grand Slam,” said Renaud Vallon, global tour director for Wilson. “She is a very powerful player, with a dynamic personality and we are very thrilled to have her join the Wilson family.”
In 2011, Azarenka finished at a career high of number three to become the highest-ranked Belarusian player in history, after reaching the semi-finals of Wimbledon and the finals at WTA Tour Championships in November. Azarenka has also begun to distinguish herself off the court as a tennis teen idol with her good looks, fashionista ways and engaging Twitter posts.
Leading up to the 2012 Australian Open, last week, Azarenka upset world number one Caroline Wozniacki, at the World Tennis Charity Invitation in Hua Hin, Thailand, by beating her 6-2, 7-5 and is off to a great start at the Apia International Sydney, defeating Stefanie Voegele 6-2, 6-1 in the 1st round.
New York Giants’ Jason Pierre-Paul Takes Top Spot on Monthly Rising Star Rankings
Defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, or better known to fans as JPP, has earned the top spot on Brand Affinity Technologies’ monthly ranking of Rising Sports Stars, which calculates those with the most significant leap in popularity during the previous thirty days. Pierre-Paul helped the New York Giants secure a playoff spot with an astonishing five sacks and a blocked field goal in Dallas last month leading the team to victory.
Marques Colston slides in at number two with 331 yards and three touchdowns for the New Orleans Saints. Kevin Love’s fast start carried over from last season, averaging 26 points and a robust 14.7 rebounds per game last month. The full list and additional details are available at: http://brandaffinity.net/RisingStars/jan2012/.
Brand Affinity Technologies (BAT) calculates daily consumer affinity based on a proprietary combination of media exposure, performance, awards, popularity, engagement, and fan base, among other indicators, for more than 45,000 athletes and celebrities. The list identifies sports stars with the greatest leap in popularity over the prior 30 days. A meteoric rise may indicate a standout on-the-field performance, off-the-field achievement, or emergence from utility player to celebrity. Read more
2012 Fitness Challenge Program
SHAPE announced the 2012 SHAPE Fitness Challenge in partnership with MapMyFITNESS, a suite of award-winning mobile and web tools designed to make fitness training simple and shareable, and ASICS, a global leader in performance athletic technology.
MapMyFITNESS brings healthy and active individuals the best-in-class mobile and digital tools required to set goals, track progress and share results with friends and family.
SHAPE’s Fitness Challenge, which is solely sponsored by ASICS, will be fully integrated with in-book, online and mobile components. This program will coincide with the start of the New Year to inspire participants to make their resolutions count by bringing readers and fitness enthusiasts a fun-filled eight-week initiative that will launch on SHAPE.com beginning on December 28th. During the 60-day plan, SHAPE readers will be able to commit to run, walk, or bike their way to their fitness goals through one of MapMyFITNESS’s programs. Through innovative features, this online portal provides more than five million fitness enthusiasts the ability to track and store their daily exercise routes via Facebook, Twitter and other social sites. As an added tool, SHAPE’s editors will create useful and empowering tips to help readers meet their goals. Read more
Dallas Mavericks Select Jostens to Create Team’s 1st NBA Championship Ring
The Dallas Mavericks announced that Jostens, a leading designer and producer of custom jewelry, has been selected to capture the team’s 1st NBA Championship through a one-of-a-kind championship ring that will be delivered at a special ceremony in January.
A team of Mavericks players and staff have collaborated with master jewelers from Jostens championship jewelry team to create custom rings for players, coaches and members of the Mavericks organization.
“We are excited to be working with Jostens to create our first Championship ring,” said Mavs owner Mark Cuban. “After we saw their outstanding work on other rings, we knew they would create an unforgettable ring for our players to commemorate our first championship.” Read more