Active Recovery and a Sneak Peek…

 

Question: what’s orange or black, round and tubular, features Trigger Point’s unique Distrodensity foam Matrix, and made a sneak debut at Crossfit Central’s Active Recovery workshop?

Answer: Trigger Point Performance’s The Grid (patent pending)

Trigger Point has been very fortunate to enjoy a wonderful relationship with the fine folks over at one of the country’s premiere CrossFit facilities, CrossFit Central, and as such we were both pleased and excited to provide them with a sneak peek of our highly anticipated new product, which we refer to as The Grid*.

The Grid has been in the research and development phase for quite some time, and we’re literally weeks away from launching it and making it available to the public.  Jeremy and the crew at CrossFit Central mentioned their week of Active Recovery classes, and we felt it would be a perfect opportunity to quietly debut the product to a very select group of individuals.  So, we loaded up the only known examples of The Grid* in existence and joined the Active Recovery class for a roll-out session.

Here you can see The Grid*, sitting conspicuously with CrossFit Central’s Trigger Point products.

 

Just waiting to be tested out...

The class kicked-off and the instructors asked Cassidy Phillips (our founder and CEO) to say a few words about The Grid*.  Cassidy made sure that everyone understood the principles and technologies involved with the product before letting them test The Grid*; he also made sure they realized how unique this opportunity was…

 

Cassidy explains the details of The Grid*

Class quickly got underway – they spent a solid 45 minutes rolling out and experiencing The Grid* firsthand.  There were plenty of “oohs” and “ahhs” and a few “eeks” – some of these folks had some pretty tense and sore muscles – but all reported fantastic results from their initial experience with The Grid*.  Here they are rolling out as a group:

 

Rolling through the pectoral muscles with The Grid*

The 45 minutes passed quickly, and the results were impressive.  The feedback from the class attendees was incredible – the group loved the Distrodensity foam Matrix, the feedback, the versatility, the size, and most of all, the effectiveness of the product.  We can’t tell you how excited we are about The Grid* – it definitely lives up to its title as the revolutionary foam roller.  People asked (begged) to buy what few copies of The Grid* we had available, but alas, we had to decline their generous offers.  We’ll be working with CrossFit Central throughout the week and will continue to demonstrate The Grid* to folks that attend the Active Recovery classes.

We’ll leave you with a parting picture of Cassidy talking with Jeremy Thiel.  We’re not quite sure what they were discussing, but we’re sure it was business-related…

 

Cassidy Phillips (left) speaks with Jeremy Thiel

Many thanks, once again, to our friends and colleagues at CrossFit Central – we appreciate your continued support, and we thank you for using and believing in our product.  It’s gratifying to see our products in use and to receive all of the positive feedback and information that we do in settings like this.  We’ll be at CrossFit Central a few more times this week, so be sure to drop in and check it out!

 

*The Grid is trademarked and patent pending by Trigger Point Performance.

Trigger Point Staff: Meet Steve

Trigger Point has been lucky to be in a growth position, and with that growth we’ve experienced our fair share of success and challenge.  One of the biggest daily challenges we face is finding ways to improve and streamline our operations while removing obstacles, eliminating redundancies, and continuing to deliver the best possible product, education, and customer service possible.  Trigger Point prides itself in providing its customers, athletes, and associates with not only a world class product but world class education and information.

We’re a fairly small and close-knit operation, so whenever we decide to make an addition to our team, we go to great lengths to find the right person for the position.  A few weeks ago, you briefly “met” Thomas Boyken (see the FedEx Golf Challenge blog entry).  Thomas has been with Trigger Point for more than three years, and has done just about everything imaginable with and for us.  He’s currently in the UK working with one of our international distributors, and last week, he was at the Boston Marathon.  

We only mention this because one of the hats that Thomas wore was that of “operations guru.”  He has since transitioned into a dedicated sales position, and is now responsible for servicing and growing our east coast and international accounts – hence the gonzo travel schedule.

Thomas left some mighty big shoes to fill, but we think we’ve found the guy who can not only fill those shoes but take them and run.  We’d like for you to meet Steve Litscher, our Operations & Business Development Manager.  Steve started with us about a month ago and has been running non-stop.  Rumor has it he doesn’t leave the office until around midnight most nights… to say that he’s immersed himself in our products and process would be an understatement.

Here’s a picture of Steve in his office – if he looks a little scruffy it’s because he hasn’t had much time to do anything outside of work, including shave.

 

Steve sitting at his desk

Steve comes to us by way of Arkansas, although he’s a Cheesehead by birth.  Steve’s experiences are many – he most recently spent several years working as the AVP of Data and Information Services for a multi-billion dollar bank, where he masterminded a comprehensive inventory solution, architected and transitioned the bank’s infrastructure to a fully-virtualized Blade/SAN environment, served as project manager for all major software conversion and new systems implementations, created and led the bank’s disaster recovery plan group, and oversaw the day-to-day operations of the technical support department.

Automotive junkies may remember Steve as the guy who created “thewaxtest.com,” which was purchased by Jump Media Group and spun into a series of magazines titled “Guru Reports.”  Steve’s been a car guy for as long as he can remember, and his experiences in creating and publishing magazine and web content will serve us well.  

Steve’s a fanatic when it comes to organization, risk assessment, cost-benefit analysis, and all things “operations.”  We’ve tasked him with everything from helping design marketing materials for our soon-to-be-released-product (known as “The Grid”) to building a complete CRM platform, complete with inventory reporting, integration with our accounting packages, and compatibility with our shipping and order tracking software.  We think that project alone will keep him busy until he’s ready for retirement.

Steve’s hobbies are many, and his interest in triathlons and cycling have us stoked.  He is an accomplished video and sound editor – he claims to be quite good with Final Cut Studio – and as we mentioned earlier, he’s a bit of a wordsmith and shutterbug thanks to his work at Guru Reports and Roadfly.com.  He’s an avid blogger (his personal blog has been online for almost six years), loves animals, enjoys cooking, and prides himself as a bit of a technology geek (did you know he has seven iPods?).  

Steve’s got several triathlons planned for this year, and has already competed in at least one cycling race (he rides a Cervelo R3).  Look for him at some of the events we attend, including Ironman Wisconsin and the Longhorn 70.3 (although, our goal is to keep him locked away in the offices so that he can strengthen our operations).  He’s new to Austin, and apparently loves the area.  He’s ridden the 360 loop, run the Lady Bird Johnson trail, and swam in Barton Springs.  (editor’s note: why isn’t he working more?!)

So, that’s Steve Litscher, our newest addition to the Trigger Point Team.  Please join us in welcoming him aboard, and if you’re in the Austin area or see him at an event, be sure to stop by and say hello.  Oh, did we mention he’s also in love with our products?  We’ll leave you with a quote/observation from him:

“The benefits of working at Trigger Point are many and countless.  I’m surrounded by a great bunch of people who are incredibly talented, enthusiastic, and motivated; I get to work in an industry that is exciting, challenging, and extremely rewarding.  Answering the phone and working with people via e-mail may be the best part of this job – I hear nothing but positive things about our products and services, and there isn’t a day that goes by where someone doesn’t thank us for helping them with a problem or issue.  Heck, on my first day in Austin, a waitress bought me dinner just because I was wearing a Trigger Point t-shirt. She said that our products had helped her resolve an issue with her plantar fasciitis.  That’s amazing!  I’m really looking forward to doing great things here – Cassidy is an incredible person with an even more incredible product and I see nothing but great things to come.  That, and a phone call – looks like someone from the NFL is calling us, so I’d better run!”

Charlotte Paul Wins Ironman China

Charlotte to the right and her Husband Kristian to the left

Charlotte is a Trigger Point Athlete and her Husband is our Australian Distributor and Ironguides Coach.

We are so proud of her accomplishment.

In conditions rivaling the toughest of any Ironman on earth (with temperatures as high as 113 degrees F), Charlotte Paul and Rasmus Henning took the titles at the second running of Ironman China. Henning led from gun to finish in his first Ironman race. Though he struggled in the marathon (and cited that he missed a special needs bag), Henning won with a nearly 30 minute margin over second place Patrick Wallimann, with his time of 8:53:20. Wallimann’s time was 9:22:49, and Jozsef Major finished third in 9:38:52.

Coming back from what she thought was a disappointing race in New Zealand, Charlotte Paul ran her way from fourth off the bike to first place, with the fastest marathon overall (3:35:44), finishing in 9:48:14. Her time was good enough for fifth place overall, in an event that melted some of the best athletes in the world. Edith Niederfriniger finished second in 10:01:39, and Tereza Macel, who had led for the swim and the bike, finished third in 10:13:43.

K-Swiss Ironman China
April 19, 2009

MEN
1. Rasmus Henning 8:53:20
2. Patrick Wallimann 9:22:46
3. Mike Schifferle 9:28:49
4. Jozsef Major 9:38:52
5. Byung Hoon Park 9:57:10
6. Shigenobu Ikegata 9:59:55
7. Patrick Evoe 10:03:38
8. Assad Attamimi 10:06:24
9. Yoshiaki Teramoto 10:09:15
10. Petr Vabrousek 10:12:06

WOMEN
1. Charlotte Paul 9:48:14
2. Edith Niederfriniger 10:01:39
3. Tereza Macel 10:13:43
4. Donna Phelan 10:25:15
5. Kim Loeffler 10:29:53
6. hillary biscay 10:39:14
7. Lidia Rekas 10:50:13
8. Yvette Grice 11:05:43
9. Jocelyn Sui-Yee Wong 11:08:10
10. Megumi Kobayashi 11:14:26

Photos courtesy of Ironman.com

Oceanside 70.3, the Timex Camp, and Plenty of Sun

While the benefits of traveling to sunny SoCal during these months are many and can easily stand on their own, from our point of view, visiting SoCal in April is especially exciting, as we not only attend an Ironman event (that we sponsor), we also get to spend time with the Timex Team Camp (that we sponsor). Talk about getting “two for the price of one!”

This was the first event that WTC was totally in charge of and I have to say, I was impressed. They had everything laid out perfectly. I just wish the expo and registration were at the same place because with the split venue, there isn’t a compelling reason for participants to visit the expo, so the first day was slow… but on the second day – holy crap, it was out of control! We were swamped with people visiting us non-stop at the booth, and I must say that it was quite awesome. We just about sold through everything we brought, which means two things: there’s less inventory for us to bring back home with us, and, more importantly, a ton of people are using and experiencing the many benefits of our products and education!

Race day was a lot of fun – it was great to see Matt Reed take the win, especially since he’s been using our products for years and that makes us extra proud of him and his accomplishment!

After I watched Matt cross the line it was time to focus on my own training, so I snuck out for a 4.5 hour ride before heading up to the Timex Camp. It’s always a pleasure to ride in SoCal – I love the wind that rolls off the beach and I enjoy seeing the number of cyclists that are out on the road.

Upon my arrival at camp, I was instantly impressed with the athletes that were in attendance. Sugoi is the new apparel sponsor and holy crap, they’ve done an awesome job with the uniforms this year; the kits really look great. I had two sessions with the campers: one was teaching a “RE-Gen” class and the other was a seminar on “why and how” we do what we do.

So I showed up for the first session (the RE-Gen class), which was at 8am… Keep in mind this was after everyone had gone out the night before, so honestly I wasn’t expecting many people to show up. All I can say is “Wow!” – we had almost everyone at camp attend the class, there were 30+ athletes ready and willing to get their “roll on”.

It was great because this gave me time to really help the athletes understand exactly what it is our products do. So after just over an hour, nearly everyone that attended took our product away from the class to use on their own. Tristan, the Timex Team manager, wasn’t expecting the attendees to take all of the Trigger Point kits that were there (they were intended for the pro athletes), but as one person said, “Come on this is the stuff that allows me to race, and there’s not a chance I am going to leave this behind. If I have to pay to play I’m cool with that. I just got to get my roll on for good now!”

Pretty funny stuff, and it just reinforces how effective and addictive our stuff is.

Later in the day I took all of the athletes through the “hows and whys” – I showed them movement patterns from before and after rolling so that they could see the difference in their own biomechanics. We had a solid hour of seminar – it was very interactive – and the reviews came back very positive.

All in all it was a great week of training, racing, and teaching. Oh and I worked with several of the athletes one-on-one, which is what I really love to do. I took several athletes from pain to running and riding pleasure. The power of our products always impresses me, but I guess it’s not what our products do, it’s actually the massage that our products create, that allow the products to do what they do…

Until next time, keep on rollin’, and enjoy these pictures from the weekend. -Cassidy

 

 

Me (Cassidy) at our Trigger Point Booth

 

Watching the run portion of the race

One of the Timex Team Members grabs a snack

 

Just playing with our new zoom lens...

 

Helping a Timex Runner battle a Plantar Fasciitis issue

 

One of the Timex Team Members smiles for our camera

 

Timex athlete rolls out his soleus with our Footballer

Timex Camp attendees at our ReGen class

A day in Austin

We spent the better part of Thursday visiting with some of our local account holders, and thought you might enjoy seeing some of the “behind the scenes” activity that goes into keeping everyone stocked, up to date, and happy with Trigger Point’s products.

Our first stop for the morning was at Crossfit Central.  Crossfit Central is one of the nation’s premiere Crossfit training facilities, and is headed-up by Jeremy Thiel and Carey Kepler.  As you can see from this photo, the Crossfit Central facility is quite the establishment:

Crossfit Central was bumpin’ – there were people training, phones ringing, and lots of activity taking place, so we didn’t take too much of their time.  We consulted with Jeremy about an upcoming Recovery Training class that will feature Trigger Point products (Jeremy has referred to Trigger Point’s Massage products as his “secret weapon” for dominating the Crossfit competition scene).  Here we are chatting with Jeremy about the event:

After leaving Crossfit Central, we headed over to Rogue Training Systems.  Rogue is another huge believer, supporter, and retailer of Trigger Point products.  Here we see Cassidy and Monte (our new Texas Sales Manager) talking with Ruth about her “tired” QuadBallers.  We replaced a handful of them for her, as these had seen some serious use and were in need of a refresh.

For most folks, a Quadballer, Footballer, or TP Massage Ball will provide nearly a lifetime of impeccable performance, but Ruth and her crew are such fans of the product that they incorporate them into a bunch of their classes and sessions.  As such, her equipment sees about 10-20 times more use per week than most folks could ever dream of.  So, fret not, Trigger Point products are designed and built to last – this is just an extreme implementation.

From Rogue, it was over to Advanced Rehabilitation, where we met with Brian.  Brian has “hands of steel” as described by Cassidy, so if you’re in need of a little massage therapy, look no further.  Here we can see Cassidy and Brian talking about Trigger Point products and how they’re incorporated into Brian’s day-to-day activity with his clients.

After leaving Advanced Rehab, we called on our friends over at Jack and Adam’s bike shop, grabbed some lunch, and then got back to work.  We’d like to say “thanks again” to all of our wholesale partners, retail partners, affiliates, and international distributors – you’ve all helped us become the premiere provider of massage tools and education that support the Myofascial Release Massage Therapy.  And because of your continued support and wonderful suggestions, we’re on the verge of releasing our highly anticipated new product, which we call “The Grid.”  

Stay tuned for updates on The Grid!  And thanks again!!

Allan Hits the Ground Running

Aurora, Ontario (March 29, 2009) Aurora, Ontario Triathlete Paolina Allan
shook off the winter rust and hit the ground running with an impressive 4th
place finish in the historic and prestigious, Around the Bay Road Race in
Hamilton, ON, today. Allan, who is one of the top long distance triathletes
in Canada, ran a time of 2:05:50 for the 30K distance.  The Around The Bay
Road Race is the oldest running road race in North America at 115 years old
- just a few years older than the historic Boston Marathon!

In an interesting side story – this was a journey realized and dream
full-filled for Allan. Ten years ago, then many pounds over-weight, new to
running and fitness and taking on perhaps too long running race, she ran the
Around the Bay Race in well over four hours near the back of the pack.
Today, she was amongst the very best runners at the front of the race!
While Allan’s focus is still triathlon she has been concentrating more on
her run fitness and performance and it paid off today.  “I knew that I
needed to raise the level of my running this year and the Around the Bay
Race was the perfect focus for me over the last few months”, said a tired,
wet and cold Allan after it was all over. Race conditions were typical for
March in Southern Ontario – 6 degrees Celsius, pouring rain and high winds!
Allan pocketed $750 for her efforts.

Allan’s main focus for the year will be to get back to the Ironman World
Championships in Hawaii. “If I am going to really competitive at the Ironman
World Championships, I know that I needed to raise my running game and the
race today proved that it’s getting there.” Allan optimistically added, “I
hope that I can carry this running form into the triathlon season”

Next up for Allan will be the Bob Hartwell Half-Marathon on April 26 in her
home-town of Aurora, ON. She will attempt to qualify for the Ironman World
Championships later on in the year in July at the Ironman USA triathlon in
Lake Placid, NY.

Full results at www.sportstats.ca

2009 Sponsors – Cervelo, Nineteen Wetsuits, Enduro Sport, 3T, Merrell, TP
Therapy, Master Ducks Swim Club, Kiwami

2009 Racing Season: New Bike, New People

April is a busy month for everyone here at Trigger Point Performance.  

On the events and travel side of things, we’ve got the Oceanside 70.3, the Boston Marathon, two overseas trips (to opposite sides of the globe), and a ton of prep work to consider for all of our other events (like Ironman Disney, Rock-n-Roll San Diego, and so on). 

From an operations stand point, we’re on the verge of releasing a new product that’s certain to be popular with everyone from elite athletes to “soccer moms” – we can’t quite disclose the final details yet, but please stay tuned to our primary site, tptherapy.com, and our blog here.  Trust us when we say this new product is extremely cool.

We’ve also hired a new Operations Manager and will “introduce” him to you in a bit.  Our former Operations Manager, Thomas, has transitioned into the role of East Coast and International Sales Manager; we’re excited for him, and are certain he’ll continue to do great things for Trigger Point and our customers.  

And that brings us to the “fun” part of this post.  We’re a relatively small company, and as such we invest a lot of time and effort into our work lives.  So, it’s both exciting and a pleasure to enjoy some of the perks that come with being part of a small (but growing!) company.  When someone at the office gets a new toy, we all bask in the glow.  And few things glow as bright as a new bike, which is exactly what Cassidy just took delivery of.  

For those not in the know, Cassidy is a huge fan of steel and titanium bikes.  He’s old school, and he can’t really help it (some day we’ll tell you about his 300-year old Sidi riding shoes that he refuses to give up).  Being old school carries a certain amount of “cool” with it, as evidenced by his new ride, a Litespeed Archon.  It’s 16-pounds of sheer bicycling bliss – it looks rad, with its sexy lines and “don’t mess with me” naked finish.  Take a look at this bad boy:

Cassidy's Litespeed Archon

The original plan called for SRAM Red components, but apparently it’s easier to source hen’s teeth than to find someone who has a complete SRAM groupo in stock and ready to ship.  So, for the time being, Cassidy fit his new steed with a pretty trick Shimano Ultegra SL kit.  Call us crazy, but we really like how the gunmetal grey Ultegra gear compliments the naked Archon finish.  Cassidy objected to us taking a photo of the bike with the Cane Creek wheel on the front (he was dying to ride it, so he threw that wheel on), but we were so excited and enamored by the bike that we couldn’t resist snapping a few photos and posting them here.

The weather here in Austin was absolutely gorgeous – partly cloudy, mid-seventies, and a light breeze, so a few of us donned the Trigger Point cycling gear and hit the road to “help” Cassidy with his shakedown run.  Here’s Cassidy (left) and Steve (our new Operations Manager on right) as they left the office for a quick spin.

Cassidy and Steve in the Trigger Point Cycling Kits

After posing for that quick photo (thanks for the keen eye, Thomas), it was off to ride.  Austin offers a plethora of fantastic riding and running venues; today’s ride included the Southwest Parkway, which features some nice rolling hills, a fairly wide bike lane, and a tolerable amount of traffic.  

Here are Cassidy and Steve in the parking lot (yes, Cassidy raised his seat just after this was snapped):

In the Trigger Point Parking Lot

And with that, they were off to ride.  Nothing like a quick 1-hour spin to clear the mind and refresh the soul.  It’s one of the perks that comes with working in this industry and working for a company like Trigger Point.  When the boss says, “Let’s ride,” we literally sprint to grab our gear and hit the road.  But be warned – Cassidy is fast, and even faster now thanks to that Litespeed… Poor Steve was caught off guard and had to crank it up to get on Cassidy’s back wheel:

 

And they're off!

So that’s about it!  If you’re heading out to the Ironman Oceanside event this coming weekend (April 3-5), drop by the Trigger Point booth and say “hello” to Cassidy and Thomas.  They’ll be more than happy to show you our products, “roll you out,” and time permitting, talk triathlons/bikes/racing.  And like we mentioned earlier, stay tuned to our sites for info on that new product – it’s going to be incredible!

We’ll leave you with one final shot of Cassidy’s new bike – that Easton fork (in flat black) compliments the menacing look…

 

We really need to name Cassidy's Bike...