The Latest @ Coeur

If you’re a female endurance sports aficionado and you spend any time on the internet, you may have come across the Australian site called Witsup.com (www.witsup.com). The name “Witsup” is part acronym and part abbreviation. It stands for Women In Triathlon… what’s up!? Except that the phrase “what’s up” is shortened to “sup”. Stated a different way, Women in Triathlon…Sup? Witsup!?

It’s been a busy couple of weeks at Coeur and we wouldn’t have it any other way. To the extent that it is interesting, here’s what we have been up to.

Hey…I’ll take a gram. Not that! Instagram. If you haven’t checked it out lately, hop over to the Coeur Instagram site (instagram.com/coeursports). Andrea is one of our Ambassadors and she has taken over management of the site. Andrea has an amazing eye and her talent comes through in the pictures she takes.

Well...that's a wrap.  The 2014 Boston Marathon has run its course and the athletes have started to move toward home.  We think it will take a while before the race can be put into a truly historical perspective but in our humble opinion, it may have been one of the most meaningful sporting events in the last decade.  We knew April 15th would come and we'd have a full year between us and the terrible events of 2013 and we knew that heroes would be racing and spectating.  What we didn't know is that a hero would actually win! To our enormous delight, we watched Meb put in the performance of his life.  When he lifted the tape at the finish, he lifted all of us with it. 

In the Coeur office, we almost went hoarse cheering for our Ambassadors who were racing.  Emily came in at 3hrs and 4 minutes, Katie followed at 3hrs and 19 minutes and Melissa crossed in 3hrs and 51 minutes. All three exemplified heart and courage on the course and we send our most heartfelt congratulations to them.

This is going to be more brief today. I've got to go to sleep!!! We had a much lower key day today. It was Easter Sunday, so we celebrated Easter with the kids receiving Easter baskets (with Lindt bunnies) and then took the train to our church in Cambridge. There were lots of runners there so it was fun to head to church with others out of town. It was packed!!! We enjoyed it and left feeling spiritually filled.

So a couple weeks ago, we posted Part One of our brand positioning debate. We were having a wine fueled conversation about “who we are and what we stand for as a company.” We’d like to expand on that here in, Part II.

Before we get started, we have to say that the delay in posting Part II was due to feedback from Part I. As a result of a comment we received about our triathlon tops and shorts, we actually changed our sizing. Going forward, everything will be sized down one size. In other words, the old Medium is now a size Small. The Small is now an Extra-Small.

We’re starting to develop a pattern during the weekend at Coeur. We take the dogs out in the early morning, hit the office for about four or five hours to sublimate some triathlon tops or shorts and then run or mountain bike before it gets too late.

We always keep at least one computer free to check race results and invariably, work slows while we broadcast well wishes and congratulations out via social media. This weekend, we had a full slate of Coeur girls in triathlons across the world and we have to admit, there were long stretches where more time was spent cheering than sublimating.

Thursday and Friday of this week were big days for Coeur. We had our sponsored athlete and rising ITU star Katie Hursey coming into San Diego for an Interview on Competitor Radio, we also had a photo shoot scheduled and most importantly of all, we had a meeting planned with The Challenged Athletes Foundation.

Before we left Los Angeles, we ran by our factory to pick up a shipment of triathlon tops and triathlon shorts and then we headed south to San Diego. Our first stop was the airport to pick up Katie. She was coming in from Phoenix where she trains with the Olympic Development team. We had also flown in her boyfriend Tommy Zaferes (hey…Coeur is all about love), so they could spend some time together before jetting off to the four corners of the world for their respective ITU races. Katie arrived right on time and Tommy touched down about 20 minutes later. After grabbing a cup of coffee, we loaded up the family truckster and headed to the Mighty 1090 a.m. Sports Radio.

It’s rare. So rare that when you see it, you know immediately that it is very, very important. The whiteness of its light. It’s steadfastness. It’s resolve. But it’s hard to describe. Initially, we said it was “pure goodness”. Eventually, we decided that “Purity of Intent” was more appropriate. We’re still searching for the right words.

But we know where to find an example of it. San Diego, California. On Waples street to be more precise. On Thursday, we’re going to the headquarters of the Challenged Athletes Foundation.

Goodness Emanates from this place. CAF Headquarters