Pittsburgh Native Launches New Company and Partners with Olympic Gold Medalist Jordyn Wieber

Nov. 15, 2012 - PRLog --    
Kari Keegan-Smith has had much to talk about since leaving her neighborhood of Highland Park, most recently, signing Olympic Gold Medalist, gymnast Jordyn Wieber to join her team at her new company, Elite SportZ Band.  Wieber is currently on tour and will perform in Pittsburgh on November 16 at Consol Energy Center.

Keegan-Smith grew up in Highland Park and went to Sacred Heart High School and attended Pitt.  She now lives in Los Angeles and is the mother of two young gymnasts.   She was inspired to launch her new company after seeing a variety of back warmers on some Russian gymnasts in her gym.  After almost a year of research and hard work, she released her premiere product, the Z-10, a state-of the-art athletic compression garment inspired by traditional back warmers, created to fit even the youngest of athletes.

While watching the Summer Olympics with her kids, Keegan-Smith cheered as the “Fierce Five” USA women’s gymnastics team won gold.  It was Jordyn’s exemplary demonstration of “fierce” determination to fight through injury and disappointment that inspired Keegan-Smith to reach out to her.   Wieber is a natural fit for Elite SportZ Band and as a role model for injury prevention in sports. The journey to the 2012 Olympics required incredible hours of training, balancing the risk of injury with careful conditioning, training, and safety measures.

The partnership with 2011 World champion and 2012 Olympic gold medal gymnast is a great accomplishment for Keegan-Smith and validates that her belief and company vision is worthwhile.  With Wieber serving as “Band” Ambassador, she will help deliver the company message about the importance of safe training to reduce some of the 26,000 injuries reported for gymnasts per year.  

Painstakingly redesigned for today’s athletes, the Z- 10 provides optimal warming, compression and enhanced activation of the key core abdominal and lower back muscles. The Z-10 provides full lumbar support while maintaining full mobility. The Elite Sportz Band Z-10 provides a new tool for athletes seeking enhanced core performance and injury prevention.

"Intense training is part of a gymnast’s life. I am so glad to see a new product available to athletes that help protect our backs,” said Wieber. “My back feels great after working out, so the band is a must-have item in my gym bag.  I am excited to partner with Elite SportZ Band to improve training safety for other athletes.”

Elite SportZ Band (http://elitesportzband.com/) is a California-based company focused on protecting athlete’s backs while also enhancing performance with their compression garment inspired by traditional back warmers. We offer bands in sizes appropriate for young children through adult sizes. Our products are sold direct to consumer through our website, www.EliteSportzBand.com. We encourage customer feedback through our social networks including Facebook & Twitter. For more information about our company and available products, please visit our site.