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 In the world of BMX riding, Brian Kachinsky is guy to beat. Ranking as one of ESPN's Pro Riders, Brian has finished in the top 5 in the X Games and has been winning and competing world-wide since 1995. Wigwam is lucky to be able to share product with Brian on and off the street, whether he is on the ramp or lounging on the couch. Aside from his ferocity in competition, Brian is light-hearted and always seems to have a smile on his face -- a genuine guy, with extreme talent. A special thanks to Brian for being a Wigwam brand advocate! "Hi, Wigwam!
Here's a silly photo of myself with the socks you sent! Again, these are some of the best socks I've ever worn! Thanks again, you rule.
Sincerely,
Brian Kachinsky's Feet (and hands)"
TOMRV is the Tour of the Mississippi River Valley, a Midwest cycling tradition now in its 33nd year. Every year 1,500 bicycling enthusiasts come to ride the TOMRV tour. They enjoy a challenging ride on scenic roads, through Midwest farmland, and along the Mississippi River. Of those 1,500 bicycling enthusiasts were a few of Wigwam's own employee's, family members and others connected with the company. All of which were sporting the Wigwam logo throughout the ride.
The ride started on Saturday June 12th from Bettendorf, Iowa (106 miles) or from Preston, Iowa (69 miles) and travel to Clarke College in Dubuque, Iowa. The following day riders returned using a different route to Bettendorf (90 miles) or to Preston (46 miles). The route is varied and scenic, using lightly traveled paved roads. There are many views of the Mississippi River as racers ride along it, over it on bridges, and through it on causeways. The route is hilly near Dubuque, with 6,000 feet of climbing on Saturday and 4,000 feet on Sunday - no easy feat for any average rider.
"During the 106 miles on Saturday and 90 miles on Sunday, it rained for about 60 miles. We all made it back wet, but safe and sound," said Bob Radzins, Forecast Analyst at Wigwam. Though the conditions were not ideal, the Chain Gang powered through and plans on attending the race for many years to come. Wigwam is proud to support the Chain Gang and is thrilled to have its employee's, and friends of Wigwam participating in athletic events like the TOMRV!
Pictured in the photo above (from left to right) is Steve Ballou (68), Bob Radzins (55), Dale Schmideler (42), and Glen Schmideler (48).
SHEBOYGAN, Wis., May 27, 2010 – Otherwise known as “The Fish,” Steve Fisher, an American professional snowboarder, is partnering up with Wigwam for the 2010-2011 seasons. Wigwam has outfitted Steve with socks for the year, on and off the mountain, and is supporting him at his events nationwide.
Steve grew up in Saint Louis Park, MN, a suburb out of Minneapolis. As a young boy, his home mountain was Buck hill which was home to one of the first halfpipes in the Midwest. Steve rode at Buck hill every day and night until he was ten years old; saying that he rarely spent any time at home during the winter. He began competing in local competitions at age eight and qualified for USASA nationals by age nine. Fisher went pro in 2002 when he was asked by the US Snowboarding Team to forerun the 2002 Olympic halfpipe event and become a part of US Snowboarding. In 2004 and 2007 Steve was the Winter X-Games Champion and beat out professional snowboarder, Shaun White. He is currently ranked the #1 halfpipe rider in the United States by the USSA ranking system.
“I'm so excited to partner up with WIGWAM! Being a native mid-westerner I've grown up and always been a huge fan of the brand. Having such a great product on my feet will definitely help while I am on and off the mountain,” said, Steve Fisher.
 People love speed training, in a proud kind of way. The intensity of the experience is usually very different from the perceived effort that can be downright easy during your base phase of the season. To get the real boosts in fitness and race performance that speedwork can give you, there are a few guidelines to keep in the back of your mind that will really help supercharge those sessions. Here they are.
PROGRESSIVELY GET FASTER
The mantra for all training sessions, and especially speedwork, is to get faster as you go. Let's take a look at my favorite running interval set to see what the means. That session is 8x400m on the track with a half lap easy jog as recovery between each of the 400's. Getting progressively faster, or descending the set in coaching terms, means that the first 400 is going to be your slowest (although it MUST still be a very fast effort) and end with the lowest heart rate of the eight, and the last 400 should be your fastest with the highest heart rate. Each of the six 400's between should get progressively faster and/or have a progressively higher heart rate at the end. If say #6 of the set was your fastest interval, go back to the drawing board the next time and start out just slightly easier.
The goal at the end of all interval sessions is to have your final 1-2 intervals give you a heart rate that is approaching your max heart rate. It is at that high point that you get the biggest improvement in a magic number called your VO2max. Improving this number (something that is not really necessary to have tested unless you are curious what it is for you) will enable you to be faster at both your anaerobic heart rates as well as your aerobic ones. It just gives you more fitness across the board. In running it will be important to get as close to your max heart rate as possible. In cycling these gains come at a few beats below that, and in swimming a few beats more below your max. This is where all three sports are not created equal. Conversely, if you are only elevating your heart rate 5-10 beats above your max aerobic heart rate, this will leave you tired but without the true benefits of anaerobic interval work. It is the gray zone of training that is too fast to develop the aerobic system, but too slow to really give you big improvements in overall fitness. It is indeed where you may be racing in the bulk of your triathlons, but it is not the target of your training.
The Tail of Troy -- May 25, 2010
SPC Troy Yocum backed by a team is taking on the challenge of raising the needed $5 million by hiking 7000 miles across America while drumming. The journey will take 15 months passing through 30 states and 38 large cities . Troy will have to average over 20 miles a day while enduring each season. The idea for the hike has been evolving since Troy joined the Army in 2001 but it is now when our economy is struggling and military families are in most need that he will put one foot in front of another.
Wigwam is proud to be supporting someone with such great courage and heart. Wigwam has outfitted Troy with a years supply of Wigwam socks as he makes his trip across the great USA. "After speaking with him this morning, he is blister free and very thankful for our product," said Natalie Stangl, Field Marketing Manager at Wigwam.
So, why hike 7,000 miles?
In 2007 Yocum was presented with a challenge by the his friend and event coordinator of KCRF, Ali Omar, to help raise funds for cancer research by attempting the longest drumming Guinness record. All plans were in order to play for the Thunder over Louisville fireworks show kicking off the Derby season when he received orders from the military to report for duty with the 100th battallion/442 Infantry of the pacific coast islands in Iraq and Kuwait for a 13 month deployment.
After that he was sure that he would not make the attempt for at least 15 months. When arriving in Kuwait he got word that Ali had lost his long battle with cancer. He then fought for the opportunity to attempt the record in Ali's honor. He was able to plan the event with the help of his commander and the USO. In order to beat the record he had to play over 120 hours in a row with only taking a 5 minute break every hour.
Jeannie Thoren, a veteran crusader for women's ski equipment, is opening the country's first ski center exclusively for women in Vail, Colorado. Wigwam will be supplying her store with two styles of boot socks, the Snow Whisper Pro and the Snow Jeannie Pro.
"For the last few years we've been looking for a home base," says Thoren, who has traveled the country with her husband and business partner, Tom Haas. “I’ve been explaining how the anatomical differences between men and women affect ski performance and how gender-specific equipment makes a difference. Our Demos and Equipment Clinics won’t be a moving target any more,“ she adds. “Women will know where to find us and Vail is the perfect location.”
Alexander Hamilton once said, "Every nation ought to endeavor to possess within itself all the essentials of a national supply. These comprise the means of subsistence, habitation, clothing (my emphasis added) and defense."
Hamilton - a nationalist, industrialist, and Founding Father - was right. It’s absolutely essential, especially in these critical economic times, that "We the People" provide for ourselves from within our national borders whenever possible.
When we think of clothing, we often think of shoes or jeans but not necessarily what’s in between. Yes, I’m talking about socks. Right now it’s more important than ever to make sure you get your socks from domestic sources instead of foreign ones, and it’s easy to do, too. Just visit Wigwam.com and click on the sock finder in the upper right-hand corner to find a retailer near you that carries Wigwam socks.
 SHEBOYGAN, Wis., Feb. 3, 2009 – Wigwam is continuing a strong relationship with the Project Athena Foundation in helping women with breast cancer and other medical or traumatic setbacks live their athletic and adventurous dreams. Project Athena is growing fast nationally and recently has gained exposure globally. As a part of this partnership, Wigwam would like to give an update on Project Athena’s latest news.
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