Michigan Teen Expresses Her Determination and Faith, Is Named Regional Winner of The Athlete's Foot in My Shoes Contest
High School Senior Hannah Hackbardt to Meet Lions Jon Kitna at Detroit Store
| Source: NexCen Brands, Inc.
DETRIOT, MI--(Marketwire - October 11, 2007) - For 17 year-old Hannah Hackbardt, soccer is
life. She lives and breathes the game by playing year-round, watching a
match anytime she can and even coaching an under-8 soccer team when she is
not strength-training in the gym. A strong-willed young woman who believes
that anything is possible, Hannah credits her faith in God as the reason
she excels in sport and in life. Now, with the help of The Athlete's Foot (TAF), Hannah
will meet another athlete who shares her faith, as well as her tireless
work ethic and dedication to achieving excellence. On Tuesday evening,
October 16th, Hannah will be awarded the regional prize of The Athlete's
Foot In My Shoes contest and
spend quality time with Detroit Lions quarterback Jon Kitna.
"The In My Shoes campaign encouraged students nationwide to share their
performance goals for this school year so The Athlete's Foot stores in
their communities could empower them to achieve and excel," commented
Robert W. D'Loren, President and CEO of NexCen Brands, Inc., parent company
of TAF. "We have been impressed with participants like Hannah, who did an
outstanding job of expressing her aspirations to perform at the highest
level and are honored to introduce her to a pro athlete whose outlook and
achievements are sure to be inspirational to her," added Mr. D'Loren.
Hannah, a senior at Tri County High School in Howard City, has been playing
soccer since the age of four. She is a forward for the Tri County Vikings
soccer team during the spring season. She currently plays for her Stinger
Club team which, until a recent one-goal loss, was undefeated. Hannah has
six goals in four games with her club team. In her winning contest entry,
she expressed her long-term goal of becoming a professional soccer player
as well as her commitment to her teammates, whom she'd like to lead to a
District title, and her assertion that "nothing is impossible with God."
This is a sentiment she shares with Lions quarterback, Jon Kitna. The NFL
veteran has been outspoken about his faith and its influence on his
athletic performance. He and his wife are founders of the Eternal
Blessings Foundation, which supports various Christian ministries and he
credited his faith for his "miracle" comeback in September, when he
rebounded from a first quarter concussion to rally the Lions to a late
victory.
Just as Kitna is part of a team prayer group and hosts a Bible study for
teammates at his home, Hannah also leads her team in prayer. She attends
Grace Community Church in Howard City and attends youth group every Sunday
night.
"I am so excited to have the opportunity to meet Jon Kitna," commented
Hannah when notified she had been named a regional In My Shoes winner. "I
know Jon Kitna always stands up for what he believes in. He is a strong
team leader and achieves amazing things on the field."
The two athletes will meet on Tuesday, October 16th, at The Athlete's Foot
store at 1448 Woodward Avenue in Detroit. There, Kitna will autograph
commemorative photos provided for the public by The Athlete's Foot from
6:00 to 7:30 p.m. and will meet Hannah and present her with a gift card
prize from 7:30 to 8:00 p.m.
"As a TAF owner, it's always my pleasure to connect with athletes who value
peak performance, like Jon Kitna and our young contest winner, Hannah,"
commented John Park, local TAF franchise owner. "As the owner of many TAF
stores in the greater Detroit area, I am excited to be able to use the
power of this global brand to serve my local community and give an aspiring
athlete a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
The TAF In My Shoes campaign, which the retailer launched in late July,
invited students ages 13 to 18 nationwide to submit written or video (YouTube) entries stating their
performance goals for the new school year. Local winners, selected from
participating TAF stores, will receive a $75 TAF gift card.
In addition the Detroit event with Jon Kitna, nine other regional winners
have won the opportunity to meet pro athletes from their communities,
including:
-- Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis
-- Carolina Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward
-- New York Knicks forward David Lee
-- Atlanta Falcons running back Warrick Dunn
-- Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Stokley
-- Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle
-- Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Reggie Brown
-- Houston Texans running back Ahman
Green
-- New Orleans Saints receiver Marques Colston
One national winner will have a one-on-one coaching session with one of the
hottest professional athletes in the country. The winner and athlete will
be announced by late October.
About The Athlete's Foot
(www.theathletesfoot.com)
The Athlete's Foot® (TAF) is the world's first franchisor of athletic
footwear stores and is recognized today as the world leader in athletic
footwear franchising. Robert and David Lando opened the first The Athlete's
Foot store in 1971 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was the first athletic
footwear specialty store of its kind in the United States. Soon thereafter,
TAF began franchising domestically, with the first franchise store opening
in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The first international franchise store opened in
1978 in Adelaide, Australia, the beginning of TAF's expansion into over 45
countries. In June, 2007, NexCen Brands launched a global re-branding
effort for TAF. Plans for reinvigorating the 36 year-old brand to include
an innovative new modular merchandising system, new in-store design, a
modernized company logo, and a line of TAF branded apparel.
About NexCen Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ : NEXC ) (www.nexcenbrands.com)
NexCen Brands, Inc. is the premier 21st century brand acquisition and
management company focused on assembling a diversified portfolio of
intellectual property-centric companies operating in the consumer branded
products and franchise industries. The Company owns, licenses, franchises
and markets a growing portfolio of consumer and franchise brands including
The Athlete's Foot®, Bill Blass®, MaggieMoo's®, Marble Slab
Creamery®, Pretzel Time®, Pretzelmaker® and Waverly®. The Company
licenses and franchises its brands to a network of leading retailers,
manufacturers and franchisees that includes every major segment of retail
distribution from the luxury market to the mass market in the U.S. and in
over 50 countries around the world, and consists of more than 1,500
franchised stores. NexCen, through its information technology and
franchisee support systems and advertising, marketing and public relations
team, markets its brands to continually drive greater consumer awareness
and brand equity for each of its brands. NexCen touches nearly every aspect
of a consumer's lifestyle from the food they eat to the furnishings in
their homes and the clothes and footwear they purchase.