Originally published April 13 2008
New Zealand Granddad's Vision May Bring Healthier Lifestyle to US
by Adam Chavez
(NaturalNews) It started out how most of the great ideas start – with a simple flash of inspiration. In 2001 in a small farming community in New Zealand, Reg Reid saw his grandkids struggle to stay up on their roller blades. The dairy farmer who had worked the fields his whole life was also something of a tinkerer and an entrepreneur. After thinking about the problem his kids faced, his lawnmower became the unlikely source of inspiration. He quickly went to work to build a prototype of what would become Skorpion skates.
Out of a pair of old shoes, an aluminum plate, and an old lawnmower's wheels was born the first working version of these skates.
The idea was then passed along to his son Gary Reid, who was working in a cheese factory. He also had connections in the plastics industry in New Zealand, so off he went with the idea. He put a team together, pooled enough money for his first manufacturer's contract, and created Skorpion skates.
In an exclusive first-in-the-nation NaturalNews.com interview, I caught up with the American side of the outfit. I interviewed Luanne Teoh, the Director of Business Development for Skates.com.
"We are very excited about the prospects of what these skates could do for health, taking these skates to work, commuting on public transportation with Skorpions in hand, one customer told us that he puts the skates on every time he goes out to the store."
Luanne from Skates.com continued, "A non-rigorous 30 minute session on these skates burns 429 calories for a person who weighs 150 pounds. It's also a very low impact way to get active. If you are too big, you can't really go outside and start jogging, but you can put on these skates and go to the corner store."
Luanne went on to explain the many uses of the skates. This part actually floored me:
"Yes, you can actually go 'off-roading' with the skates. The wheels are big and burly enough to allow you to go almost anywhere. Our professionals who are demonstrating the skates can easily go down stairs, down trails... practically anywhere."
The practicality of the skates is something that could change the way people exercise. Very few people are brave (or health conscious) enough to bring a bike on public transportation or come in on roller skates. But Skorpions clip on right over your shoes, and fit in a convenient carrying case on your shoulder. This could spell a major change in the way people commute to and from work. Instead of walking (in some cases the bus stops are miles away from the destination) you may start seeing people walk off the bus, snap on their skates and head down to work or school.
The skates currently come in two colors, red and black – with more to come as time goes on. They cost $109 - $139, depending on the model that you buy.
It will be interesting to see if the dream of a New Zealand farmer will be on you or your kid's shoes this year.
If you'd like to learn more about the skates, you can go to their website at (http://www.skates.com/) .
About the author
Adam is an entrepreneur with a good balance between creative problem solving and nuts-and-bolts execution. He is very interested in new technology and how it, along with integrity-based entrepreneurship, can improve the health and the quality of life of people all over the world. (see http://bizglue.wordpress.com)
His professional background and experience include a solid understanding of new media, internet marketing, blog technology, podcasts, RSS technology, CPA marketing, and sales psychology. He works as a "Digital Coach" for entrepreneurs, executives, and business leaders (see http://digitalcoaching.wordpress.com)
An accomplished public speaker and debater, he has won several awards for style and delivery as a competitor among students from Northern and Southern California.
Contact him via email at [email protected]
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