Runner Meets Running Back: Clinton Portis to Meet Northern Virginia Teen
The Athlete's Foot in Warrenton, VA, Awards Contest Winner
| Source: NexCen Brands, Inc.
WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwire - October 25, 2007) - "Running is my addiction," 15-year-old
Dakota Umbel wrote in her prize-winning entry to The Athlete's Foot (TAF)
nationwide In My Shoes contest.
On Tuesday, October 30th, she will meet a pro athlete who shares her need
for speed, Redskins running back Clinton Portis, at The Athlete's Foot at
147 West Lee Highway in Warrenton, Virginia.
"The In My Shoes contest rewards aspiring young athletes who have shared
their performance goals. The Athlete's Foot wants to encourage and
motivate these everyday athletes by providing the opportunity for them to
interact with pros from their communities who may serve as an inspiration,"
commented Robert W. D'Loren, President and CEO of NexCen Brands, Inc., parent company
of TAF.
Dakota's written contest entry was one of hundreds submitted by teens
around the country. In it, she eloquently expressed the power of
individual sport, describing "herself" as her "toughest opponent" and her
desire to "break the tape that separates the leader from the pack." A
runner on the Fauquier High School cross country and track teams, Dakota
has been a lifelong sports enthusiast who played volleyball before getting
hooked on running.
"I'm excited about the chance to meet a pro-athlete like Clinton Portis,"
commented Dakota when she was notified she had won the opportunity. "I'm
looking forward to talking with him about how he trains, his nutritional
regimen -- anything that will help me improve my performance."
Clinton Portis and Dakota Umbel have quite a bit in common. As a high
school student in Gainesville, Florida, Portis was a standout in track and
field, clocking a 10.6 in the 100 meters and participating on a
state-record 4x100 meter relay team and state champion 4x400 meter relay
team. After playing college football at the University of Miami, he was
drafted by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2002 draft and was
named NFL Rookie of the Year. Traded to Washington in March of 2004,
Portis has made his mark with the team, setting a franchise record for the
most rushing yards in a season with 1,516 yards in 2006.
Clinton Portis and Dakota Umbel will meet on Tuesday, October 30, at
Dakota's local Athlete's Foot store located at 147 West Lee Highway,
Warrenton, VA 20186. There, Portis will make a public appearance,
greeting fans and posing for pictures, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. and will meet
Dakota and present her with a gift card prize from 7:30 to 8:00 p.m. There
will be no autographs at the event.
"We are thrilled to provide one of our local teen athletes with the unique
opportunity to meet a pro-athlete from our area," said Linda Cook, local
franchisee, The Athlete's Foot. "As a TAF owner, I am always pleased to
encourage members of the community in their love of sport and their desire
to perform at their personal best."
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 Warrenton event with Clinton Portis, nine other regional
winners have won the opportunity to meet pro athletes from their
communities, including:
-- Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver, Reggie Brown
-- 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
-- Carolina Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward
-- 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
premier professional athletes in the country. The winner and athlete will
be announced in 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, 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.