JAMES CLIFFORD KEEN CLIFF KEEN ATHLETIC JEFF LYNN DUNHAM’S SPORTS KENT McKEAIGG ORDERMYGEAR A PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL SPORTING GOODS ASSOCIATIONVolume 11 | No. 5 |September/ October 2022 INTRODUCING THE 2023 CLASS OF THE SPORTING GOODS INDUSTRY HALL OF FAME
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RECOGNITION10 Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame welcomes James Clifford Keen, Jeff Lynn and Kent McKeaigg as the Class of 2023 Michael Gotfredson Sr., of Road Runner Sports, during the induction ceremony and dinner for the Class of 2022 at the NSGA Conference & Dealer Summit.
NOW The
>> ON THE COVER: The 2023 Class of the Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame 4 CEO NOW Congratulations to the Hall of Fame Class of 2023 5 ADVOCACY NOW Concentrated Market Power Threatens Small, Independent Businesses 7 ASSOCIATION NOW Q&A with Gary Fleming, President of Snowsports Merchandising Corporation 8 OPERATIONS NOW New Technology a Worthwhile Business Investment 15 CONFERENCE NOW Why You Never Fly Solo with Lt. Col. Waldo Waldman 16 CONFERENCE NOW Leadership Lessons with Football Legend Herm Edwards 18 INSIGHTS NOW Analyzing First-Time Participation Trends 20 OPERATIONS NOW How to Leverage Social Media 22 RETAIL NOW What’s Trending for Remainder of 2022 27 INDUSTRY NOW Cliff Keen Athletic Enters Marketing Deal, Rawlings Acquires Schutt Hollywood Bases, Olympia Sports Closing 29 LOCKER ROOM NOW NOCSAE Summer Meeting Recap, Softball and Baseball Rules Changes for 2023 31 MEMBER SPOTLIGHT NOW Give Me Five With Larry Van Ostrand, Instant Replay Sports James Clifford Keen Cliff Keen Athletics Jeff Lynn Dunham’s Sports Kent McKeaigg OrderMyGear NSGA NOW ® >> September/October 2022 | 3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
inductees.
Management
Team
speaks
Bob Fawley
Troy Freeman
Treasurer/Chairman-Elect
Past Chairman
CEO NOW
NSGA NOW (ISSN 1045-2087) is published bi-monthly for members of the National Sporting Goods Association, 3041 Woodcreek Drive, Suite 210, Downers Grove, IL 60515. Phone: (847) 296-NSGA (6742); Fax: (847) 391-9827.
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Subscription price of $50 per year is included in membership fee. Non-member subscription information available from publisher. Periodical postage paid at Downers Grove, IL 60515 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER:
Julie Pitts
Jennifer Shaffer
Comptroller
The Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame induction ceremony is a highlight of our annual conference every year. The event is so meaningful and significant, especially to the inductees and their families. The 2023 event will be no different!
Kittery Trading Post, Kittery, ME
John Scipio
We are excited to introduce James Clifford Keen, Jeff Lynn and Kent McKeaigg as the three new inductees of the Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame Class of 2023. Each of them has a great story behind their significant contributions that led to this recognition.
Jim Keen wrestled for his father at the University of Michigan, and after graduating with a business degree, set out to grow the family business. His innovative ideas led to the invention of products that have made wrestling safer and more appealing. Jim also understood the importance of his involvement with some of the major wrestling organizations to ensure the vitality of the sport.
Matt Carlson
Jeff Lynn helped fuel the growth of Dunham’s Sports into the Midwest’s largest sporting goods chain with nearly 250 stores in 23 states. Lynn realized Dunham’s could fulfill a demand for big-name athletic products in smaller markets. He ensured Dunham’s became ingrained in those communities as its employees participated in local charities and sporting events.
Kent McKeaigg saw his dad Ronnie, a team dealer in Oklahoma, struggle with the tedious and time-consuming manual labor of organizing paper order forms for high school teams. Kent believed there was a better way for everyone – team dealers, coaches, athletes and parents –to navigate the process and the concept for OrderMyGear was formed.
McKeaigg developed an eCommerce platform to simplify the ordering process for everyone involved. OrderMyGear allows team dealers to spend more time on other areas of their business and it allows coaches to focus on what they truly enjoy most in helping their athletes succeed.
You can learn more about the careers of James Clifford Keen, Jeff Lynn and Kent McKeaigg and their contributions to the sporting goods industry, along with how to nominate deserving candidates for the Class of 2024, on pages 10 through 14 of this issue of NSGA NOW. I also encourage you to check out our Hall of Fame page on the new NSGA website. It contains all the nomination criteria and has the biographies and photos of all the inductees, so it is an excellent way to learn more about the men and women who have done so much for this industry.
Best regards, Matt Carlson | President & CEO
NSGA attends ASTM meetings and receives standards updates that impact sporting goods equipment.
Play It Again Sports, Minneapolis, MN
Cleve’s Source for Sports, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Pat Donnelley
Send address changes to NSGA NOW,® 3041 Woodcreek Drive, Suite 210, Downers Grove, IL 60515. © NSGA 2022 all rights reserved. Printed in the USA.
Marty Maciaszek
Director, Public Affairs and President, NSSRA
Director, Insights and Analysis
NSGA TEAM LEADERS
Those community connections helped many view Dunham’s as a career and not just another job. Numerous key employees and managers have been with the company for decades because Lynn built a culture where innovative ideas and involvement in the industry are strongly encouraged.
Geiger’s, Lakewood, OH
David Labbe
Please join me in congratulating Mr. Keen, Mr. Lynn, and Mr. McKeaigg and everyone close to them on this wonderful honor!
SV Sports, Pottstown, PA
Ron Rugal
Denver Athletic Supply, Englewood, CO
Team Dealer CommunicationsDivision,
Greg Miller
4 | NSGA NOW ® >> September/October 2022
NSGA
Capitol Varsity Sports, Oxford, OH
B&R Sporting Goods, Shelby Charter Township, MI
Donnelley Sports, Twin Falls, ID
Mick Montgomery
President & CEO
Nick Rigitano
James Clifford Keen joins his father Cliff (Class of 2012) in the Hall of Fame. Cliff Keen Athletic is the most recognizable brand in amateur wrestling products because of the hard work and vision of Jim and Cliff Keen.
Kevin Bezanson
ChairmanOFFICERSofthe Board
Gordon Geiger
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
What policy changes do independent businesses believe will help them flourish? When asked how effective certain policy actions would be in improving the survival and success of independent businesses, the respondents report the following would be “highly effective” or “very effective” as shown in Table 3.
Table 1 How significant are the following challenges to your business? All Respondents Sporting Goods Stores Big competitors receiving preferential access and special discounts and terms from suppliers resulting in an unequitable marketplace 65% 44% Amazon's market dominance 62% 52% Big competitors selling goods and services below cost and erodes market share for smaller sellers 58% 12% Copyright 2022 National Sporting Goods Association 1 Table 2 How significant are the following challenges to your business? All Respondents Sporting Goods Stores Finding qualified employees 40% 72% Vertical integration of my industry 27% 64% Amazon's dominance in the online market 62% 52% Copyright 2022 National Sporting Goods Association 1 Table 3 How effective do you believe the following policy actions would be in improving the survival and success of independent businesses? All Respondents Sporting Goods Stores End of subsidies and tax breaks for big business 79% 76% Improvements to downtowns and neighborhood business districts 74% 52% Break up and/or regulate Amazon 70% 80% NSGA NOW ® >> September/October 2022 | 5
What issues did sporting goods stores identify as “extremely significant” or “very significant” challenges to their businesses?
Significant Challenges
Much like the responses from the larger survey group, sporting goods retailers support the end of subsidies and tax breaks for big business as well as the regulation of Amazon. Also noteworthy, 80% of the sporting goods stores stated they favor lowering business taxes to support independent businesses, compared to 58% of the larger group.
Table 2 reports the biggest challenges of sporting goods stores are slightly different than the overall survey group.
Policy Changes
Table 1 illustrates three primary issues related to concentrated and unregulated market power by dominant corporations which are “extremely significant” or “very significant” to the entire population of respondents. We also report the responses from sporting goods stores which responded to the survey.
ADVOCACY NOW
By Julie Pitts NSGA Director of Public Affairs
Survey results report 68% of sporting goods stores experienced higher 2021 sales revenue compared to 2019 pre-pandemic levels despite 92% stating that supply chain problems are an extreme or very significant challenge.
In January 2022, ILSR surveyed small, independent businesses across the United States to gather data about the challenges facing small businesses today and potential policy changes that would help them sustain and grow their companies. Retailers comprised most of the responses with the sizes of the businesses ranging from one-person entities to employers of several hundred people. The respondents had an average of 15 employees and came from all 50 states. The responses included NSGA members as we distributed the survey to our retailers and team dealers and invited them to participate and share their concerns.
Good News
Concentrated market power is a formidable threat facing small, independent businesses. The National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) closely monitors this movement as our mission is to help our members grow their businesses and advocate on their behalf. NSGA participates in advocacy efforts with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), a national research and advocacy organization that strives to provide a healthy American economy driven by local priorities, on efforts to reign in marketplace dominance.
NSGA Looks at Concentrated Market Power as a Threat to Small, Independent Businesses
It is clear the sporting goods retailers who responded to the survey view staffing challenges as a significant problem for business operations. Also compared to the larger group, the vertical integration of the sporting goods industry is problematic as the direct-to-consumer model and consolidation continue to grow.
Fastest in the Industry Domestic & Free-trade zone Hosiery mills (833)784-2555 Orders@socksquick.com SocksQuick.com
A: Like many in the ski industry, I worked in a specialty ski shop while in college and somehow got a job at Salomon as a customer service rep. I can’t say that my political science degree got me the job, but I can say I was very lucky to meet Robert Langlois. He hired me, promoted me and helped me grow up in the ski industry … and most importantly showed me how much fun it could be. On a bad day we would say, “at least we are not selling Tupperware!”
Replacing an individual like Tom Gately is challenging. I was fortunate to inherit a very well-run organization with great people. Both Chuck Camerlin (vice president) and Kay Harding (CFO) greatly helped in the transition and luckily our greatest challenge was finding product and not a selling or demand issue.
Q:What concerns do you have about inflation and the impact it could have on the industry and your members?
Last season was very difficult in terms of getting product, as well as getting information on when it was coming in. It seems that some suppliers got an early jump on production for the upcoming season and we have already been delivered product from some. We usually start taking in most product in August and September, so we will know more soon. The war in Ukraine is another factor, as some skis and boot liners come out of there, but so far it seems like product is coming over. There are still challenges for suppliers, but my feeling is that it will be better than this past season.
How did you get involved/interested in snowsports? What do you enjoy about it most?
>> Gary Fleming
Gary Fleming is approaching one year as president of the Snowsports Merchandising Corporation (SMC) after Tom Gately retired. SMC has 60 members who represent 134 brick-and-mortar storefronts. Fleming, whose previous experience included Elan, Head and Salomon on the manufacturing side of the industry, shared his thoughts on a variety of topics in this NSGA NOW Q&A with Julie Pitts, the President of the National Ski & Snowboard Retailers Association.
A:
Q: How has the transition been from the manufacturing side to the retail side of the industry?
A:
The ski industry has the same concerns as other industries. We have been fortunate to have relatively stable pricing for several years. The price increases were reasonable this past buying season and shouldn’t provide sticker shock to consumers. We had great momentum this past season and consumer demand was as high as I have seen in years, but we are concerned about inflation in the other areas that affect the skiing/snowboard experience like travel-related, lift tickets, etc., putting a damper on this momentum.
A:
A:
Q: What would you report about the state of snowsports retail from what you’ve seen in the last year?
ASSOCIATION NOW
Q:
It has been a great learning and teaching experience. Learning about the thought process on the retail side has been great, as well as illuminating, and it definitely helped in finding ways to better align the needs of retailers and suppliers.
A:This past season was one of the best and strangest ski seasons in my memory. In general it was an average snow year, yet consumer demand was sky high. It seems like we have some new skiers or lapsed skiers have come back. Sales were up over a very good year and inventory is very low. No one is expecting a lot of reorder availability, but retailers have placed strong orders with suppliers and will be in good shape if deliveries continue to be good.
Q: What do you see for the future of snowsports retail? Any predictions for 2023?
NSGA NOW ® >> September/October 2022 | 7
Q: What are you seeing with the impact of supply chain issues on snowsports retailers?
Q&A With Gary Fleming, President of SMC
Q: How has your first year gone with SMC?
A: I believe that the future of snowsports retail is still with the specialty brick-and-mortar shops. There are some things that just need to be done in person … boot fitting, proper binding installs/ testing, warranty, apparel fitting and matching … just to name a few. Online sales have certainly gone up during the pandemic, but there is nothing quite like buying in person and our shops have done a very good job of having inventory and selection.
Despite these advantages, the technology must fit with your company’s needs and budget. A good starting point might be to identify pain points in your organization and see if there are any that can be improved through use of technology. Do any processes require manual data entry that is time consuming to complete? Is there a process that always gets held up at a certain point that can be eliminated or reduced using technology? An analysis should be performed to determine if there will be an acceptable return on the investment your company puts into the new product. And remember, not all technology involves a significant investment up front.
By Jenny Shaffer NSGA Comptroller
Employees also benefit from new technology due to automation. Technology typically leads to less manual processes and increased accuracy, leading to increased employee satisfaction. Technology paves the way for better communication internally among staff and greater ease of sharing information. Depending on the technology, it can also lead to better communication with the customer as well which enhances the customer experience.
New Technology a Worthwhile Business Investment
OPERATIONS NOW
With a seemingly endless stream of new products, software, and applications, it can be very intimidating to even know where to begin when determining if investing in new technology is the right move for your business. This technology can come in the form of information technology or physical products. New technology comes with implementation costs, which can be expensive up front, and ongoing expenses to secure, back up and maintain new systems may be hard to overcome.
8 | NSGA NOW ® >> September/October 2022
While each opportunity is unique and needs to be reviewed by your internal leadership team, implementation costs for long-term investments can typically be capitalized and depreciated over the useful life of the new technology, rather than having to be fully expensed in the year incurred. This reduction to the current and short-term financial position may help ease the concerns of taking the plunge into a new technology that presents your business with long-term success. Be sure to also include your tax professional in your decision making, as assets in the tax world can benefit in the year placed in service to reduce your tax liability.
Technology often allows processes to be streamlined. By reducing the time that staff spend on individual processes, more time and energy can be focused on improving other areas of the business by increasing efficiency. Furthermore, streamlined business processes can lead to reduced costs which in turn increase profit. In addition
• Tools to help with employee related requirements such as time tracking and payroll processing or expense reimbursements
• Customer-related information such as order history preferences or marketing opportunities.
Investing in technology and designing new processes and procedures can be a daunting task and it might not be for every company, but it is worth the consideration. The information in this article is for informational purposes only. Please consult your outside service providers for specific guidance and information relevant to your business.
However, this should not preclude a business from investigating whether new technology is worth investing in. Investing in the right technology can lead to increased efficiencies in business processes and higher profits in the long run.
Some commonly advertised small business technologies in the market include:
There is no question that technology has come a long way in recent years and created opportunities for all aspects of our lives. When it comes to running a business, this is no exception.
• Tools to help with inventory tracking and management, as well as financial information such as receivables and payables
to spending less time on tasks, using technology for reporting capabilities that can be used to analyze data and compare results allows businesses to make or adjust decisions in an informed manner because they are backed by data. Finally, technology provides for greater flexibility to react faster in times of change or uncertainty, particularly if there is integration between systems.
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Nominations are now open for the Class of 2024. Members of every segment of the industry can submit the names of manufacturers, sporting goods retailers/ dealers and industry influencers they believe are worthy of election to the Hall of Fame for extraordinary contributions to the industry.
Recognizing the Industry Greats NOW
If you have any questions about the Hall of Fame, contact Julie Pitts, Hall of Fame Secretary, at hof@nsga.org.
>> 5 Class of 2022 Inductee Michael Gotfredson, Sr., of Road Runner Sports, admires his induction plaque with his son, Michael Gotfredson, Jr., at the Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on May 24.
RECOGNITION
>> 1 Klaus Obermeyer of Sport Obermeyer, Class of 2020, now 102 years young, proudly displays his induction plaque in his Aspen, Colorado office. As he put it, “To be a member of the Hall of Fame is like being crowned King among Kings in our ever-changing, dynamic sporting goods industry.”
>> 4 Hall of Famer members Conny Klimenko of Sevylor, Inc., (Class of 2005) and the late Curt Mueller of Mueller Sports Medicine (Class of 2002) share a laugh at the 2018 Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame ceremony in Bonita Springs, Florida.
The Hall of Fame honors more than 180 men and women with the selection of the Class of 2023. On the following pages, you can learn more about the accomplishments of James Clifford Keen (Cliff Keen Athletic), Jeff Lynn (Dunham’s Sports) and Kent McKeaigg (OrderMyGear), who will be inducted at the 2023 NSGA Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit in Nashville, Tennessee. Bill Hunt (CHAMPRO) of the Class of 2022 will also be inducted.
Want to learn more about the Hall of Famers? Biographical information on every inductee is now available at www.nsga.org/hall-of-fame/
The idea behind the creation of the Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame in 1955 was to recognize the legends who made significant contributions to the industry.
>> 2 Barbara Longstreth of Longstreth Sporting Goods gives her induction speech at the 2018 Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame Ceremony in Bonita Springs, Florida.
>> 3 Peter Capolino of Mitchell & Ness, Class of 2020, celebrates his induction with his wife, Fran Deitrich, at the Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame Ceremony at the Ritz-Carlton in Naples, Florida in September 2021.
“Jim Keen’s impact upon sport and the sporting goods industry has been instrumental on a number of fronts over the past six decades,” said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. “I can testify to the fact that Jim was on the cutting edge of applying science and technology to invent safety products and apparel such as headguards and knee pads for the sport of wrestling.”
CliffordJamesKeen PRESIDENT & CEO CLIFF KEEN ATHLETIC
“I know of no person that I can honestly say is as well-liked and respected as Jim Keen,” Gable said. “I go back with his father Cliff and can see why this family is so well-respected. Jim Keen’s smartness, work ability and looking to the future will always be there and never forgotten. Jim was full-time in the sporting goods business but spent a lot of his time being involved with associations and committees, volunteering his time for the goodness of sports and its Jimparticipants.”Keenpositively impacted wrestling in many ways: as a competitor at the University of Michigan under his father; as an inventor of wrestling equipment; as CEO of Cliff Keen Athletic; as a tournament sponsor; and as a legislative liaison. Jim was involved with USA Wrestling, advocated on behalf of the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) and served as chairman of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame from 2004-2013.
Following Cliff Keen’s wrestling ear guard patent in 1958-59, Jim and Cliff started the company as “Cliff Keen Wrestling Products, Inc.” in the family’s basement. Orders started pouring in once the ear guards became required and Jim Keen decided he wanted to grow the family business. Once he graduated from Michigan in the mid-1960s with a Business degree, Jim set his sights on taking Cliff Keen Wrestling products to the next level.
CLASS 2023OFINDUCTEE
NSGA NOW ® >> September/October | 11
Cliff Keen Athletic’s product offering today is in large part a reflection of Jim Keen’s innovative efforts in continuously advancing wrestling products. Using new technologies and materials, Jim’s pursuit of better protection, comfort and style for wrestlers have been realized with patents on file for all three of Cliff Keen’s current bestselling headgear: The Tornado®, The Fusion® and The Signature™ Headgear. Jim also patented work on certain components used in Cliff Keen wrestling ear guards and he was able to design and contribute to several other products, including wrestling kneepads under the Cliff Keen brand, which have become mainstays on the mats.
In 2004, Jim Keen received the National Wrestling Hall of Fame’s Order of Merit for his many contributions and service to wrestling. Jim sadly passed away in November 2020 and is survived by his loving wife of 57 years, Mary, his children Jim Jr., Tom and Caroline and 10 grandchildren. Tom continues the legacy of Cliff Keen Athletic as its President.
“Few people, if anyone, have done more to support amateur wrestling over the years than Jim Keen,” said Michael Moyer, NWCA Executive Director. “Through his leadership and extraordinary
Dan Gable can attest to Jim Keen’s impact on the sport. The legendary Gable won two NCAA titles and an Olympic gold medal as a wrestler, won 15 NCAA titles as Iowa’s head coach and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
financial support of the NWCA, we have helped to establish 272 new men’s and women’s college wrestling programs just over the past 20 years. His vision and passion for amateur wrestling has helped to position girls and women’s wrestling as one of the fastest growing sports in America.”
By 1970, Jim expanded the product offering to include uniforms and tights, warm-up suits and other protective products such as knee pads. By the early 1980s, Jim established Cliff Keen Athletic as the predominant brand in amateur wrestling. Jim attended sporting goods industry shows such as NSGA’s to spearhead efforts in channel distribution and rapidly grew Cliff Keen Athletic’s sales.
The Keen name and its products are synonymous with wrestling throughout the world.
The name will double in visibility in the Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame as James Clifford Keen will be inducted in the Class of 2023. He will join his father, Cliff Keen, who was a Class of 2012 inductee. They were instrumental in the growth of Cliff Keen Athletic in the last 64 years into the leading brand in amateur wrestling products.
Under Jeff’s guidance, Dunham’s has never stopped innovating. The company prides itself on finding creative ways to succeed across a wide variety of market sizes, store layouts and competitive landscapes. Jeff has always believed that building a business model with tremendous flexibility was one of the keys to success.
When Jeff Lynn took over management of Dunham’s Sports in 1984, the Company only had eight stores in two states and operated in one of the most competitive regions in the country for sporting goods. With limited access to capital, the company did not even possess a computer and the odds were stacked against success. Rather than shying away from this challenge, Jeff found ways to out-maneuver his much larger competitors. He created a highly differentiated business model built on following non-traditional retail strategies. Nearly four decades and two leveraged buyouts later Dunham’s continues to grow and thrive in a landscape riddled with the casualties of former sporting goods retailers.
Jeff recognized early that most sporting goods chains focused on major markets, leaving an opportunity in the smaller secondary and tertiary markets. However, finding success in smaller retail areas took a lot of creativity. Dunham’s has created a long list of proprietary operating systems and real estate strategies to be successful in markets where so many others struggled to operate.
With all of Jeff’s accomplishments, the thing he is most proud of is the way that Dunham’s has become a key part of the communities in which it operates. He believes passionately in the positive impact that sports and outdoor recreation can have on families and communities and has worked tirelessly to build a company that expands access to these activities by providing a typical major market assortment of high quality brands and products at affordable pricing to smaller towns across the country.
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“I remember those early years,” said Ken Meehan, former President of Dunham’s Sports. “Jeff forced us to forget everything we had learned about how retail typically worked and start thinking about how it could work for us.”
Dunham’s is now a financially strong, still privately held, leading full-line sporting goods chain in secondary and tertiary markets in the U.S. with 245 stores in 24 states and over $1 billion in revenue. Jeff’s vision and leadership is a tremendous success story that led to his induction into the Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame Class of 2023.
Jeff Lynn has always been a big believer in the Sporting Goods industry. While many large chains have pulled back, Jeff has prioritized attendance at major trade shows and participation in industry associations such as Nation’s Best Sports (NBS) and National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA). He has done this while maintaining a high level of anonymity, prioritizing the impact that Dunham’s could make behind the scenes rather than seeking recognition.
JEFF LYNN CHAIRMAN & CEO DUNHAM’S SPORTS
RECOGNITION NOW
“Dunham’s ability to be flexible with store locations and store formats is a credit to Jeff’s passion in making sure Dunham’s is where the consumers are — not just where a retailer wants to be — in order to bring the ability to purchase goods for the outdoors and enjoy them,” said Scott Blackwell, CEO and Board Member of Outtech. “From its days when Roy Dunham, as the story goes, tried to get his wife to sell a bathtub full of minnows, under Jeff’s tenure, Dunham’s and its merchant team have also been flexible, creative, and tried to find value for consumers while being fair and great to work with as a manufacturer.”
CLASS 2023OFINDUCTEE
“Jeff insisted that all department heads remain knowledgeable about the newest ideas, concepts and technology available in the sporting goods industry and retail business sectors,” said O. Keith Wanke, a retired senior vice president at Dunham’s. “Jeff achieved this by ensuring attendance and representation at all the relevant trade shows and pushing people to always think of new ideas and never stop challenging the way we do things.”
One of Jeff’s main priorities throughout his career was to build a strong, talented and dedicated management team. He has pushed his team to develop their talents to the fullest while maintaining a family environment where people feel supported and new ideas are welcome. It is a credit to his management style that in a world where most people seek jobs rather than careers, many of Dunham’s employees have been with the company for the majority of their careers.
“Most of us don’t have what it takes to be an entrepreneur, and fewer of us have what it takes to create a successful business that transforms an entire industry,” said Dave Dutch, OrderMyGear CEO.
“I am so impressed with what Kent accomplished at OrderMyGear during the 10 years before I came on as CEO in 2019. From hiring his first employee, a local friend who was still in high school and learning to code, to helping over 3,000 clients grow their business with technology, Kent created a successful business model and has employed over 100 OMG’ers.
It goes without saying that Kent McKeaigg is a major name in the industry and will be known as someone who revolutionized the way coaches distribute uniforms and gear, team dealers sell and fulfill, and brands access and service customers. He has been able to achieve this with his extensive industry knowledge and experience and the long-lasting relationships he has developed over the years.
NSGA NOW ® >> September/October | 13
process. For coaches, it was a hassle to wrangle paper order forms, remind players to bring payments to practice and communicate with the parents.
“He changed the industry,” said Todd Adams, the CEO of the Sports, Inc., buying group. “Kent is a big-picture thinker and his expertise and passion put him a step ahead of other providers in terms of understanding what was important to sale representatives.
Patience, resilience and teamwork.
“I cannot think of another contributor who created an entirely new revenue stream for team dealers and the entire team sporting goods industry owes Kent a debt of gratitude.”
CLASS 2023OFINDUCTEE
“If I look back at what Kent believed in and what he had to do to achieve his dream, I think he must have been crazy. But I have come to appreciate that passion, genius and craziness are all part of the recipe that drives entrepreneurial success. He imagined what ‘could be’ and set a standard that multibillion dollar brands and dealers tried to buy and ultimately copied.” McKeaigg revolutionized the sporting goods industry by developing the OMG eCommerce platform, which simplifies the sporting goods and apparel ordering process for coaches and players, heightening team dealer success and opening doors for new opportunities. This innovative technology was created after seeing his father Ronnie, a team dealer in Oklahoma, struggle to organize paper order forms for high school teams. For team dealers, sorting orders, checking payments and fulfilling orders was a mundane, time-consuming and error-prone
“When he started OrderMyGear’s eCommerce platform, he recognized a problem his dad was having with team sales and sought to find a solution. OrderMyGear is a critical aspect of our dealers’ businesses and I’m forever grateful for his commitment to not only our organization but our industry.”
Kent McKeaigg learned those valuable skills from playing sports as a teenager. He used those same skills to change the game of the sporting goods industry with a vision that led to his induction into the Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame Class of 2023. Today, McKeaigg, the founder and board member of OrderMyGear (OMG), and the founder and owner of Team Gear Flow, stands out as someone who has modernized the way sporting goods and apparel are sold and fulfilled.
“Kent McKeaigg created a solution to the problems of team ordering and that solution in turn created an entirely new sales industry,” said Travis Elam, Director of Team Sports at Sports, Inc. “Hundreds of millions of dollars later, Kent’s creation has allowed team dealers to sell more and to be more profitable. Now we also know OrderMyGear has been one of the foundational elements that allowed independent team dealer businesses to survive the 2020 pandemic. OrderMyGear sales, which didn’t exist a mere 12 years earlier, were essential in 2020.
McKeaigg saw a need in the industry and he set out to fix it. What started as a two-person operation has grown to a 100-plus employee company, supporting more than 3,000 dealers and decorators, winning over 35 national awards and making more than $22 million in revenue. With a commitment to building strong relationships in the sports industry, McKeaigg has also collaborated with powerhouse brands, like Under Armour, adidas, Augusta, and more, to offer a robust selection of high-quality products on the OMG platform. This has enabled industry brands and partners the opportunity to service end consumers in a modern, impactful way, which was critical during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kent McKeaigg FOUNDER ORDERMYGEAR
CALL2024FOR NOMINATIONS Submissions accepted until MARCH 31, 2023 Nominate a deserving individual for the 2024 Class of the Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame Learn more and nominate at nsga.org/hall-of-fame/ The Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame was created in 1955 by the NSGA Board of Directors to honor the pioneers, innovators and leaders who built the sporting goods industry and to help recognize and encourage excellence within the industry.
Wingman Tip No. 2 –Commitment to the Mission
“Be a commander, not a demander,” Waldman said.
“Never Fly Solo” A Lesson in Successful Leadership
By Tom Van Jacobs NSGA Marketing Coordinator
Wingman Tip No. 1Commitment to Excellence
You have to commit to doing your job right the first time or don’t do it at all. As a leader, you have to double down on your standards as a company even during tough times. Do not sell out on your standards in order to fill a void because this lowers your standards and hurts your reputation. Be willing to say no even if it is difficult, knowing it is the right thing to do. Your passion to being a better version of yourself has to be greater than your fear. Waldman explained that for him to join the Air Force Academy he had to jump off a 33-foot diving board. He was able to jump off that diving board because he was not going to let that fear of jumping come in the way of his passion to live his dream. Waldo asked the question, “what is your 33 feet?” and are you willing to take that risk to strive for your dream and be the leader you need to be. “Your comfort zone is your danger zone.”
legend Jim Brown told him that “they may have been smarter than me, but they never worked harder than me.” You have to keep pushing up the throttle and doing the things behind the scenes to make sure you and the team are growing and achieving greatness.
If someone is struggling with work, don’t be quick to judge them and tear them down for making the mistakes. You must treat them like a human being and ask questions of how things are going to understand why they might be struggling. Show sympathy and understand where they are coming from. There might be a reason someone is struggling that is outside of work and if you listen and lift them up, then they will be your wingman to the end and “push it up” for you.
The 2022 Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit kicked off with wingman and speaker Lt. Col. Waldo Waldman’s presen tation “Never Fly Solo: Building Collaborative Cultures of Courage, Trust and Excellence.”
Commit to growing as a leader and as a person. “If you want your team to grow, you have to grow,” Waldman said. A good wingman gets to know their team and what their values are and values their teams’ values. This allows you to grow as a leader and a wingman and will have your team strive for excellence knowing you are showing support for them. Your team is always watching you as a leader, so “are you pushing it up or pulling it back?”
This means you are always mission ready. You have to know your goal and have a plan in place to achieve it. Always ask yourself the what ifs and have contingency plans when obstacles arise to accomplish your mission.
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Waldman put it simply, “complacency kills,” so even if you think you are in a good place, do not let off the throttle. Be the nerd of your company and put in the effort and time to achieve your mission. When life and the environment are changing, you have to adapt and change with it in order to stay ahead and continue to strive to the Waldmanmission.saidfootball
Waldman said that “leaders lift,” and you must be that person and leader that encourages your team members and lifts them up. If you treat your team members as a person first, before an employee, you will earn their loyalty. Show that you care about your team and listen to them.
CONFERENCE NOW
Wingman Tip No. 3 –Commitment to the Team
To truly elevate your game you must be committed to the team. “We are only as strong as our weakest link,” and if one person fails then the whole team fails. Everyone is important and that is why no one flies solo.
Waldman brought the energy to the Conference and left everyone knowing that “we survive solo, but we win together.” The question that is asked every day is, “Can I depend on you?” Waldman said to answer this you must commit to three facets: excellence, the mission and the team.
As the closing speaker at this year’s Conference, Edwards challenged the audience by saying, “Don’t lose sight of this: most professional guys are really good and they all think they’re good. But you have to ask yourself 10 years from now, did you make a difference?”
Having team members who are committed to the overall mission is not only important in football, but it is also critical to running a successful business.
One of the primary responsibilities of a leader, according to Edwards, is making sure to create an environment where people know what their role is.
Edwards emphasized it’s the leader’s job to take the time to ensure everyone knows what they are responsible for and how their role plays into the success of the team.
Intimately knowing your team is essential, Edwards explained, because these are the same people who are going to be making decisions.
Herm Edwards: Leadership On and Off The Field
By Lizz McCrindle NSGA Communications and Social Media Manager
“Know your role, do your job. It’s important, and it’s really hard for some people,” Edwards said. “This is what you’re supposed to do… it’s your role. Do your job.”
“Do you, just every once in a while, think about giving them a raise, or giving them a couple days off … or even just saying thank you? Thank you for what you mean to this organization and this team. It is amazing how far that can go, sometimes it goes further than money. Just doing the little things.”
Edwards added that as a head football coach, you entrust your players, position coaches and coordinators to do their job by preparing for and executing different elements of the game plan.
As a leader, Edwards shared one of his key philosophies, “KYP, it’s real simple … Know Your Personnel, know the people you employ, know the people on your team. That is up to you personally to know who those people are. You can’t take that for granted. You’ve got to know how they tick.”
“When you create an environment where people know what their role is, then you’ve got a chance,” he said.
“Those are the people you want on your team; you want people committed to you,” added Edwards, who is in his fifth year as the head football coach at Arizona State University.
“The center, unless he has a bad snap … no one knows who the guy is,” Edwards said. “There are people in your organization who are the center, they are out there doing all the little things that you don’t have to do. Who’s your center?
As a former NFL player and longtime head coach, Herm Edwards understands what it takes to be a leader on and off the field.
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“As a team member, we have people that are interested, but you have to lead them on,” Edwards said at the NSGA Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit in May. “It’s easy to be interested, it’s hard to be committed. Because commitment means this: basically, you don’t know what the score is, you don’t know what type of team you’re on yet because we haven’t had practice, but I’m committed to this team.”
“You have to know their strengths, you have to know their weaknesses, because it is your job to make sure you put people in a position to have success,” Edwards said. “That is your number one job. If you don’t know the folks you’re dealing with every day, how are you going to do that?”
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Athletes, just like employees, can choose where they work or go to school. At the end of the day, Edwards says, “it is important to remember that you chose your profession, it didn’t choose you.”
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As part of NSGA’s study, participants were also asked if they planned to continue to participate in their respective sport(s) during 2022. Figure 3 represents the percentages of participants for a given sport who planned to continue participating in 2022. It is important to note, however, that this line of questioning often results in survey respondents overestimating their likelihood of participating. Certain insights can still be gleaned from the data, though. Directionally speaking, the team sports of basketball, baseball and football (touch) appear to be the least at risk of losing their participants
than compared to cheerleading and lacrosse, which have much lower percentages of people planning to participate. While it is always important to gain as many first-time participants as possible for a given sport, it can become problematic if a given sport is always reliant on a high number of newcomers year after year in effort to keep the status quo for overall participation. For the sports that saw a significant amount of first-time participation during the past year, it is the hope that the exposure to these new sports can lead to continued interest in participating for years to come.
As illustrated in Figure 2, study results show lacrosse having the highest percentage of first-time participants with 37 percent. Cheerleading and ice hockey were next on the list with 31 percent of participants trying the respective sports for the first time last year. All three forms of football (flag, tackle and touch) had between 20 and 25 percent of total participants identify as newcomers along with volleyball which had 22 percent. Soccer (16 percent), softball (15 percent), basketball (13 percent) and baseball (12 percent) rounded out the last four spots on the list and represented the team sports with the smallest percentages of first-time participants.
By Nick Rigitano NSGA Director of Insights and Analysis
NSGA’s 2022 Editions of the Sports Participation in the US reports released earlier this year revealed which sports rebounded and which ones may have reset during 2021, the first year after the COVID-19 pandemic year of 2020. Further analysis of study results also shed light on which sports people were most likely to try for the first time during 2021 for the segment of team sports.
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First-Time Participation for Team Sports During 2021
Because there are large differences in terms of overall participation numbers among each of the team sports (basketball had 22.5 million total participants in 2021, whereas lacrosse had 2.6 million and cheerleading had 3 million), it is also important to examine first-time participation by looking at the concentration of first-time participants for a given sport.
According to NSGA’s participation study, basketball had 3 million first-time participants during 2021, the most among the 11 team sports tracked by NSGA (Figure 1). The next two spots on the list were volleyball (2.4 million) and soccer (2.3 million). All forms of football (flag, tackle and touch), along with baseball, softball and ice hockey, had between 1 and 1.9 million newcomers. The last two spots on the list were lacrosse and cheerleading which were tried by 900,000 people.
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Turn A Contest into An Engagement Opportunity
One Last Tip
Share Customer Testimonials
20 | NSGA NOW ® >> September/October 2022
OPERATIONS NOW
Take the customer behind-the-scenes by sharing photos/video of your new store remodel, a team member interacting with a customer on the sales floor, the next company event, big product rollout or team promotion. This type of access humanizes your brand and helps your audience view you and your team as people and not just simply a business.
Behind-the-Scenes
Take a moment to thank the customers, vendors and employees who contribute to the success of your business. Social media is a great tool to show gratification and give recognition to those who support you. In addition to being polite, it also affords you the opportunity to tag those individuals and/or businesses on social media. By tagging and engaging with them in your post, you have the ability to reach their followers, in turn increasing the number of post impressions and possible new customers for your business.
Make an Appreciation Post
Share Your Passion
There are many marketing channels available to your small business. However, very few afford you the ability to inform, motivate, engage and connect with your target audience quite like social media. Now more than ever, consumers are making informed decisions about where they choose to spend their money. Most consumers place an added value on shopping with brands they identify with and are socially involved and active in the community. Leveraging social media to market your small business and keep your customers informed and engaged is essential and relatively easy to do.
What better way to connect with your existing and prospective customers than to explain the purpose and passion behind your business? Taking the opportunity to explain the origins of your business, or “why you do what you do,” allows you to share your product/industry knowledge and expertise while building credibility and forging a dependable and trustworthy reputation within your target audience.
Providing excellent customer service is a skill that all shoppers appreciate! In addition to recognizing your staff internally for going above and beyond, try incentivizing your customers to share their positive experience with your business online. Customer reviews and testimonials are worth their weight in gold because essentially you have an existing customer telling a prospective customer why they should do business with you. Testimonials add credibility to
your marketing campaigns by allowing someone else to speak to your audience on their experience with your business.
By Lizz McCrindle NSGA Communications and Social Media Manager
It’s important to use photos as often as possible when posting on social media. When used properly, images can expand the reach of the post and add value to the written content that accompanies the image. The photos should be related directly to the post and add value to the story the post is attempting to convey.
Who doesn’t like free stuff? Create a marketing campaign encouraging your customers to engage with your brand on social media by sharing photos/videos of their in-store experience or purchase. Is there anything unique about your in-store space? Create a “selfie-area” in your store and use signage to request that customers tag your business in their post. At the end of the month, choose one of the participants who tagged your business at random to win a prize (and of course make a post recognizing each month’s winner).
Internal and External Ways to Leverage Social Media
One can easily spend an entire day perusing articles on the internet about what is or will be trending in retail for this year. Most were written at the end of December 2021 or early January 2022. I have reviewed many trying to find common themes that might pertain to sporting goods retailers since we are now well into the second half of 2022. I have also received input from some retailers who were not the least bit shy when it came to expressing their concerns about where the retail business was trending. In no particular order, I have put together a compilation of ideas trending in retail. Some may be important to your operation, others not so much.
Supply Chain Challenges
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Issues with the supply chain are undoubtedly going to be with us throughout this year and perhaps beyond and will cost retailers millions of dollars in lost revenue. Coupled with those losses, retailers can expect prices to rise due to materials increases, container, air freight and trucking spikes and labor shortages.
• Supply chain • E-commerce • Inflation • Workforce • DTC Selling • Transparency • managementInventory
I don’t run across many retailers in this day in age that do not have some sort of online presence. Correction, I don’t run into any. That said, just having a website that provides store information will not cut it moving forward. You must provide a way for your customers to transact business with you online or they will find merchants who will. According to drop-shipping app Oberlo, there were 900 million more digital buyers worldwide in 2021 than there were in 2020. That is an increase of 4.4%. Consumers who never considered buying online became comfortable with the technology during the pandemic and are changing the way they shop.
As an Independent Retailer there isn’t much you can do to change these things, but what you CAN do is focus on what you can control. Things such as reviewing your current merchandise assortment mix to include products you can get more reliable deliveries on would be a good start. A good example of this is a multi-store retailer I work with that had several locations tied only to one brand. When deliveries became unreliable and impossible to plan, a decision was made to pivot from the single-brand concept and restructure the assortment mix to include many top brands. This way if one brand can’t or won’t deliver, there are other options available.
RETAIL NOW
Embrace E-Commerce/Virtual Shopping
Seven Trends/Concerns Facing Independent Retailers in 2022
Younger customers especially want to do their homework prior to shopping in your store. Stoic, staid pictures on your website won’t excite this crowd. They want to connect with your store and your products “live.” I know this sounds futuristic, but it could be closer than you think. They are connected to social media and Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, etc., are more appealing to them than simple email marketing. You need to be aware of this.
That said, NSGA’s Gen Z Shopper Playbook study concludes that 59% of Gen Z consumers prefer to shop for sporting goods in-store only. Opportunities exist to capture both online and in-store customers.
What’s Ahead for Retail to Finish 2022
By Ritchie Sayner Advanced Retail Strategies
DTC Selling
Customers can appreciate and will accept an honest explanation of when merchandise is coming in as well as why prices are going up. You live with these issues every day and they don’t. A $20 price increase on an item that can’t be delivered for three months might be the current reality. Under normal circumstances, what could have been a lost sale might end up with a positive result if fully explained. One retailer I spoke with has customers who are very loyal to brands that align with their personal values. Some customers are willing to wait for delivery and pay more for products made in the USA. To others, having an item domestically made may not be a big deal.
As the saying goes, “if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.” Finding and training good sales associates is challenging and costly. Keeping them is important. Don’t lose good sales associates over a few bucks. If they want to earn more money, consider an incentivebased plan. If you have a salesperson who isn’t interested in more money, there is a strong likelihood that you have the wrong person.
Since DTC represents an ever-growing percentage of vendor sales, 30%50% according to some sources, finding ways for vendors and retailers to collaborate seems imperative. Instead of creating a competitive situation where one entity wins and one loses, what harm would come from finding a solution where the outcome is positive for both parties? One solution employed by an ever-growing number of vendors would be for the vendor to direct the sale to the nearest retailer in the area. This is currently being done with locally.com whereby inventory is exported to the platform and updated several times per day.
Workforce
With prices rising on everything from gasoline to food, it stands to reason that sporting goods costs are rising and will continue to do so. The good news is progressive retailers are finding ways to combat rising costs through aggressive sourcing. I spoke with one retailer whose purchasing from Milan accounts for 10% of his total OTB with an initial markup of 70%. Unless you find a way to increase initial markups on the front end like this merchant has, inflation will most likely erode margins.
Ritchie Sayner
By this point, most retailers have had at least some exposure to DirectTo-Consumer marketing. From a vendor’s perspective, the benefits are obvious. By definition, the vendor controls every aspect of the transaction from presentation to pricing, develops a relationship with the consumer, and does all of this at higher margins than by distributing exclusively through a retailer. On the surface, this arrangement might appear to be detrimental to the retailer, and in some cases it might be. However, there are more and more examples where vendors and retailers are working together for their mutual benefit.
Inflation
Sayner has spent the past four decades helping independent retailers improve profitability. In addition to speaking to retail groups nationwide, Sayner is a regular contributor to retail industry publications. Prior to embarking on his retail consulting career, he was the general merchandise manager for an independent department store in the Midwest. Ritchie is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse. He is also the author of the book, “Retail Revelations-Strategies for Improving Sales, Margins, and Turnover.” He can be reached though his website at www.advancedretailstrategies.com.
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It seems like everywhere you turn these days, there are signs saying the business is looking for help. On one occasion, the owner of a store I spoke with was actually working the sales floor so an overworked salesperson could have a day off.
When a customer searches “XYZ brand near me,” the site locates the item and asks the consumer if they would prefer to reserve online and pickup in store or buy online and pickup in store. Retailers using this service have reported dramatic increases in Google rankings. Both entities make their respective margins and both maintain a strong relationship with the consumer. A scenario such as the one described could serve to create a stronger bond between vendor and retailer and help foster a true “partnership.”
Transparency
Inventory Management
Another merchant claimed that staffing was not an issue this year. When I inquired what he was doing differently, he explained that he pays sales associates $20 an hour versus a 10% commission and that nobody was making $20 an hour. Incentive-based pay not only increases sales, but also reduces selling costs when managed properly. Perks at this store include paid vacation, free merchandise from key vendors, 401K, and a generous year-end bonus program.
Stores commented to me that having a merchandise plan that adjusts to current trends is vital to managing today’s ever-changing retail climate. One retailer’s strategy is to overbuy their current plan, knowing that deliveries are most likely going to be late if not canceled. By monitoring monthly stock-to-sales ratios, they are ensuring proper inventory levels while keeping a constant flow of fresh inventory coming in. If business does slow down, orders are modified, all the while enjoying prices that were locked in when the future orders were written.
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INDUSTRY NOW
Outdoor Cap Hires Oldham as Head of Technology
A long-time supporter of Amateur Wrestling of all disciplines, Cliff Keen Athletic is the World’s leader in Wrestling uniforms, equipment, and training apparel. Cliff Keen Athletic was also a scholarship provider for the 2022 NSGA Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit.
Maine-based Olympia Sports is closing its remaining 35 stores by the end of September. Liquidation sales began in July.
NSGA NOW ® >> September/October 2022 | 27
Pantaleo will continue to train in Freestyle with the Ann Arbor-based Cliff Keen Wrestling Club. He will be a prominent fixture in Cliff Keen’s future brand marketing and advertising to the Wrestling market.
Cliff Keen Athletic announced a marketing deal with 2022 U.S. Open Champ and internationally ranked Cliff Keen Wrestling Club (CKWC) Wrestler, Alec Pantaleo.
This new business venture will enable Rawlings to add another MLB authentic on-field category to its extensive product catalog, resulting in additional opportunities within the memorabilia and collectible markets. The acquisition also ensures a long-term supply of the highest quality bases for use at the Major League level.
Olympia Sports Closing Remaining Stores
Outdoor Cap, one of the world's largest providers of headwear, has enlisted Jermaine Oldham to lead technology and transformation efforts as the new Head of Technology for the company. Oldham joins Outdoor Cap to provide executive technology leadership and enable accelerated growth for each of its businesses in Retail, Team Sports and Promotional Products. Building on over 20 years of technology experience, Oldham will focus on Outdoor Cap's continuing digital transformation and systems integrations.
“We are very excited to have Alec on Team Cliff Keen," said Tom Keen, President of Cliff Keen Athletic. "He is an absolute warrior on the mats, and a class act off them. He personifies what we’re all about and is a great role model for other wrestlers. His accomplishments the past couple of years have been impressive. We are very proud of Alec, and I have always been impressed with his character and the way he conducts himself. I think the sky’s the limit for Alec and we will be excited to watch him continue to pursue his goals."
Rawlings Acquires Jack Corbett Hollywood Bases from Schutt
Sports, Inc. ® adding field bases and accessories to its list of officially licensed Major League Baseball (MLB) categories. This strengthens Rawlings' deep roots in the sports of baseball and softball while leveraging their expertise creating technologically advanced equipment for the highest level of game play.
Cliff Keen Enters Deal with Standout Wrestler Alec Pantaleo
Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc., the Official Baseball, Helmet, Face Guard and Glove of Major League Baseball®, has acquired the Jack Corbett Hollywood Bases brand from Schutt
Jack Corbett, a former minor league player and manager, developed the Hollywood base design upon realizing bases of the time, filled with dirt, sand or sawdust, were too loose. His innovation added an underground stem to attach to the base for increased stability.
Last year, Alec won several Gold medals, including the prestigious Pan-Am’s in Guatemala City and the Poland Open. He finished the 2021 campaign ranked No. 1 in the world at 70 kg, by United World Wrestling (UWW).
“It’s very rare in life that you find things that resonate with your personal philosophies on success in life," Pantaleo said. "Cliff Keen is the epitome of that. I’m excited to push the limits, and represent a brand that sets a high standard of success both on and off the mat.”
Olympia Sports was founded in 1975 by Edward Manganello and its first store opened at the Maine Mall in South Portland. By 2013, it had 226 locations from Maine to Virginia, the Portland Press Herald reported.
Pantaleo was a 3-time NCAA AllAmerican and 2018 Big Ten champ from the University of Michigan and joins team Cliff Keen after an impressive couple of years on the international scene. Pantaleo came on the Freestyle radar early, earning a Team USA Junior World Freestyle Team berth in 2016. He was also a Team USA U23 World Freestyle Team member in 2019.
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Flag Football Injury Data Review
In a causal change, Rule 3-6-11 strengthens language to emphasize that electronic devices only be used in the dugout during games to prevent teams from utilizing them as an on-field signaling system under the new jewelry-friendly regulations.
High School Softball Glove-Color Restrictions Relaxed
The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) also ruled this crosse is illegal for use in boys lacrosse for the 2023 season.
“The NFHS Softball Rules Committee has entertained this possible rule change on multiple occasions based on previous proposals submitted by the membership,” said Sandy Searcy, NFHS director of sports and liaison to the NFHS Softball Rules Committee. “This year’s overwhelming member response in favor of permitting the wearing of jewelry strongly influenced the Committee’s decision to approve this proposal. Rule language, however, continues to allow umpires the authority to expel items they deem dangerous or distracting to any player.”
Non-Contact Football Headgear
Glove-color restrictions and jewelry were part of the rules changes proposed by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Softball Rules Committee and approved by the NFHS Board of Directors for the 2023 season. Color restrictions for gloves and mitts were loosened as part of Rule 1-4-1. Previously, gloves and mitts could not consist of more than two colors excluding lacing and manufacturer’s logos. For the 2023 season, there will be no limit on the number of colors as long as no part of the glove/mitt – including lacing and seams – is the same color as the ball; has markings that give the appearance of the ball; or is made in a manner that is distracting to the umpire.
Concerns over the crosse, or head, of a brand of lacrosse stick with “can opener” technology were addressed. This crosse has two protrusions where the manufacturer advertises its ability to help defenders use a “can opener” move that separates the ball from an offensive player.
NOCSAE research director Kim Barber Foss discussed a study she is working on which identifies specific injury epidemiology in youth flag football. The key findings will be available for the public when the study is published.
NOCSAE Summer Standards Meeting Recap
Rule 3-2-12 was removed and the wearing of jewelry was approved. Previously, only medical and religious medals were permitted.
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Discussion continued on a proposed youth football helmet standard. One of the goals is to clarify the language in the proposed standard, so it is clear that a high school football player must be wearing a helmet intended for high school competition. This would take into account that some states allow seventh and eighth graders to play high school football. It was also discussed that a youth player could wear a high school-level helmet because of his body/head size.
Lacrosse Sticks
Other Rules Updates
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The National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) held its summer standards meeting on July 22. The National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) attended the meeting virtually and has this recap.
The possibility of developing a standard for non-contact football headgear continued to be discussed. Mike Oliver, NOCSAE executive director, said there are significant differences between youth players playing flag football and high-school age kids playing competitive 7-on-7 football. Oliver also asked if a standard can be done that doesn’t cause other injuries a player may not have received because someone is wearing headgear.
The NCAA men’s lacrosse rules committee ruled this crosse is illegal for the 2023 and 2024 seasons and said no protrusions or sharp edges to the head of the crosse shall be permitted. The NCAA said the roughly triangular shape of the head of the crosse has been an integral part of the game of lacrosse since its inception and this change will help promote and maintain the integrity of the crosse head in the future.
Youth Football Helmet Standard
High School Baseball Catcher’s Mask Rules Clarified
“The game of baseball has evolved and players have demonstrated that wearing a bracelet or a necklace does not impede their ability to play or increase any risk to themselves or their opponents,” said Elliot Hopkins, NFHS director of sports and liaison to the Baseball Rules Committee.
Rule 1-5-4 added language clarifying that eye shields attached to a catcher’s mask after manufacture are prohibited. Eye shields that are attached at the time of manufacture must be clear.
LOCKER ROOM NOW
The change to Rule 1-5-12 allows players and coaches to wear jewelry after the Baseball Rules Committee voted to remove its prohibition from the rules. Previously, only medical and religious medals were permitted by rule. While most jewelry will be permitted, the Baseball Rules Committee noted that the current rules still state that any jewelry worn that poses harm or injury to a player or opponent should be removed.
NCAA Softball Approves Experimental Use of Double First Base
Catcher's mask eye shields and jewelry for high school baseball players and coaches were among the rules changes approved by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Baseball Rules Committee. The rules were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors for the 2023 season.
The NCAA Softball Rules Committee approved the use of a double first base on an experimental basis for the 2022-23 academic year. The double first base would allow the fielder to use half the base and the batter-runner to use the other half.
Both teams would have to agree to use the double first base during regular-season spring games or fall competitions played in the nontraditional season. Base specifications and specific rules on how to use the base will be included later as part of the experimental rule.
Schools that choose to use this experimental rule must submit a waiver request and collect specific data points that will be outlined by the rules committee.
The committee also required that all sideline and home run fences constructed of wood, concrete or brick be padded by Jan. 1, 2027. Padding must begin not higher than 1 foot off the ground and extend to the top of the wood, concrete or brick or 6 feet from the ground, whichever is shorter. Currently, padding is strongly recommended for fences made of wood, concrete and brick and is a requirement for backstops constructed of those materials.
The delayed implementation was recommended due to the costs associated with this proposal.
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GIVE ME 5 WITH Larry Van Ostrand
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT NOW
I spent most of my working life in retail management with the last 35 years in sporting goods. The first 18 years I was with Klein's All-Sports, a full-line store with a large hockey department and managed the Ithaca store for about 13 years. In December 2004, out of the blue, the family owners decided to close all the stores. I helped with a 3-month liquidation and then had to start to figure out what to do next. I wanted to stay in retail management but I didn’t want to relocate. After a few months of looking I heard about and worked out a deal to buy my current company, Instant Replay Sports, which is modeled after a Play It Again Sports franchise store.
Mission for Success
Being a member of NSGA and HDA is well worth the investment. When we need any specific help I always know I can send an email or make a call and someone will get back to me with an answer. The reports and other information is a great benefit. The information they gather and make available to us is priceless. They always have our best interests in mind with whatever they are doing.
NSGA NOW ® >> September/October 2022 | 31
Instant Replay Sports,Owner, Ithaca, New York
The Joys of Hockey
We still have concerns over some supply chain issues and limited growth in the numbers of new kids starting to play hockey. Because we offer a way for kids or anyone to get into hockey for much less by offering pre-owned options as well as new, we know our stores are one of the main reasons the sport, for the most part, has maintained a good base of new kids/players getting into the game each year. We have made some recent progress finding quality help, but since COVID it has been very difficult to find qualified applicants for multiple positions in our stores and warehouse.
Most of the coaches and board members of the local associations and adult leagues are passionate about the game they love to play/coach. We have that same passion about providing them a couple places they can go locally to find about anything they need. Because we make a commitment to meet their specific needs they have continued to come to us for most of their hockey equipment/apparel.
Concerns for Upcoming Hockey Season
We’ve made it through about 16 years now with a mission statement that includes running our business on the same principles that make a successful sports team. Commitment to the best customer service we can possibly provide. Live by the golden rule and treat our customers and staff like you would want to be treated. Our main store is about 70% new merchandise and 30% pre-owned. We offer new and used options in pretty much all team sports. We also do a huge portion of business in winter activities like cross country skiing, alpine skiing, snowboarding, and in the summer we add golf, tennis, inline skating and other seasonal individual activities. Hockey has always been our biggest team sport category and it is all we do in our second location with our seasonal hockey shop located in the biggest rink in our area.
Long History with Sporting Goods and Hockey
BUILT. BETTER. prolook.com FOOTBALL • BASEBALL • BASKETBALL • TRACK & FIELD • FASTPITCH SOCCER • LACROSSE • HOCKEY • TENNIS • VOLLEYBALL • FIELD HOCKEY ESPORTS • WRESTLING • SIDELINE • SOCKS • TEAM APPAREL
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