Local Student Athlete to Meet Hurricanes Goalie Cam Ward at The Athlete's Foot in Fuquay-Varina
Ka'Ron Wilson Named Regional Winner of Retailer's In My Shoes Contest
| Source: NexCen Brands, Inc.
RALEIGH, NC--(Marketwire - October 9, 2007) - Ka'Ron Wilson has a quiet confidence. At just
15 years old, and in his freshman year at Western Harnett High School, he
wants to be an inspiration to younger kids. In his winning entry to The Athlete's Foot (TAF)
nationwide In My Shoes contest
the student athlete expressed his goal to make his school's basketball team
and to help that team reach a championship. He'll have some guidance from
another athlete who battled for first-string and a championship: Ka'Ron's
contest prize has earned him face time with Carolina Hurricanes goalie, Cam Ward,
who led his team to a Stanley cup in his rookie season. The two will meet
on October 15th at The Athlete's Foot store in Fuquay, North Carolina.
"Through the In My Shoes contest, we've had the pleasure of hearing from
our nation's young athletes about their performance goals for this school
year," commented Robert W. D'Loren, President and CEO of NexCen Brands, Inc., parent company
of TAF. "The Athlete's Foot stores in their communities are proud to
support them as they aspire to achieve and excel. Ka'Ron demonstrated a
passion for his sport and for serving as a role model and we're thrilled to
be able to introduce him to another area athlete who shares his drive and
competitive spirit."
Ka'Ron's winning contest entry stated his dedication to "practice to [his]
maximum potential," and he has already begun a training regimen in advance
of try-outs for his school's basketball team. His regular routine includes
sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups and running to build stamina. No stranger to
the sport, Ka'Ron played basketball for his middle school as well as on his
local AAU basketball team, where he was named MVP two years in a row.
"I am very excited to have the opportunity to meet Cam Ward," commented
Ka'Ron when notified of his prize, "I can't wait to talk to him about what
motivates him to succeed, where his passion comes from and how he continues
to excel in his sport."
On the road to the Hurricanes' 2006 Stanley Cup win, Ward became the first
rookie goalie in 20 years to record a shutout in the Finals, the first
rookie in 20 years to start a game in the Finals, and one of eleven rookies
to record a shutout in the Finals. He was most recently a member of the
2007 gold medal Canadian IIHF World Championship.
Ka'Ron Wilson and Cam Ward will meet on Monday, October 15th, at Ka'Ron's
local Athlete's Foot store located at 1353 E. Broad Street in Fuquay
Varina, NC. There, Ward will make a public appearance from 6:00 to 7:30
p.m. and will meet Ka'Ron and present him with a gift card prize from 7:30
to 8:00 p.m.
"We are extremely pleased to unite Ka'Ron with another dedicated athlete,
Cam Ward, at our TAF store," said Rae Ann Womble, franchisee, The Athlete's
Foot. "One of the most enjoyable aspects of owning a TAF store is
connecting with my local community and helping our customers to perform at
their highest level."
Womble is opening a second TAF store in her home town of Sanford, NC on
October 17th and will hold a grand opening there in late October.
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 to the Raleigh event with Cam Ward, nine other regional winners
have won the opportunity to meet pro athletes from their communities,
including:
-- Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis
-- Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle
-- New York Knicks forward David Lee
-- Atlanta Falcons running back Warrick Dunn
-- Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Stokley
-- Detroit Lions quarterback Jon Kitna
-- Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Reggie Brown
-- Houston Texans running back Ahman
Green
-- New Orleans Saints receiver Marques Colston
The Athlete's Foot is thrilled to contribute 10% of the proceeds from the
memorabilia sales at each regional meet-and-greet to The Achilles Track Club's
(ATC) Achilles Kids program (www.achillestrackclub.org), which enables
young people with all types of disabilities to participate in mainstream
athletics, to promote personal achievement, enhanced self esteem and the
lowering of barriers between people.
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.