Level Field Fund

Level Field Fund Establishes Level Field Fund – Swimming

octagon — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 17:51:30 +0000

Michael Phelps Foundation Donates $100,000 to the Level Field Fund to Help Swimmers in Need of Financial Assistance; Grant Applications Received by September 15 to be Evaluated for Funding This Year

Portland, ME (August 16, 2010) – The Level Field Fund today announced the establishment of the Level Field Fund – Swimming, a grant-giving program that strives to bridge gaps in funding for uniquely talented swimmers whose opportunity to pursue excellence in the sport would otherwise be limited by their financial situation. Level Field Fund – Swimming is anchored by the support of the Michael Phelps Foundation, which has committed $100,000 to establish the program and to increase available funds for grants specifically for qualified swimmers. The Michael Phelps Foundation joins founding partner OrthoLite, which donates $1 to the Level Field Fund for every pair of OrthoLite insoles sold, to help support financially disadvantaged athletes.

“We are extremely grateful to receive such a generous donation from the Michael Phelps Foundation along with Michael’s ongoing commitment,” said Ross Powers, Olympic gold medalist and founder of the Level Field Fund. “With the London Games on the horizon, we understand just how important these next two years will be for swimmers as well as other athletes. Our grant program is designed to provide financial assistance to those in need and help make their dreams come true.”

Grant applications are available for download at www.levelfieldfund.org; requests submitted through September 15, 2010 will be evaluated for funding this year.

“We are proud to support the Level Field Fund because we believe that everyone should have the chance to reach for their dreams regardless of their income level,” said Phelps, founder of the Michael Phelps Foundation. “One of my goals has always been to help grow the sport of swimming and I want to do what we can to help make sure we don’t lose talented swimmers due to a lack of money. Earning a spot on a national team is difficult enough without the added challenge some athletes must overcome to cover their costs for training and competing.”

Level Field Fund, which is supported by gold medalists from summer and winter sports including Powers, Phelps, Daron Rahlves, Seth Wescott and Lenny Krayzelburg, is designed to provide qualified funding to uniquely talented athletes at critical stages of their development. Costs at the entry level stages of sports may be relatively minimal, however as athletes progress towards the elite levels costs associated with training and competing – including more specialized instruction, equipment, event entry fees and travel – increase dramatically.

About Level Field Fund: Level Field Fund is a grant-giving program that strives to bridge gaps in funding to uniquely talented athletes whose opportunity to pursue excellence in sport would otherwise be limited by their financial situation. The Level Field Fund was established in 2010 and is a program of the Ross Powers Foundation. For more information, please visit www.levelfieldfund.org.

About Michael Phelps Foundation: Michael Phelps Foundation is a nonprofit organization focused on growing the sport of swimming and promoting healthy and active lives, especially for children. As well as supporting the Level Field Fund, the Michael Phelps Foundation developed the im program in partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, KidsHealth.org, and the Michael Phelps Swim School. im is designed to encourage healthy and active lifestyles for participants by offering water safety courses, recreational pool activities, swim training as well as health and wellness education. For more information, please visit www.michaelphelpsfoundation.org.

About OrthoLite: OrthoLite, Founding Partner of the Level Field Fund, is the world’s leading supplier of open cell foam insoles found in more than 100 million shoes each year including, Asics, New Balance, Merrell, Nike, Vans, Puma and Timberland. OrthoLite combines polyurethane and recycled rubber to provide superior cushioning, comfort, breathability and durability. OrthoLite, headquartered in Amherst, MA, was originally founded in 1997 and is a product of O2 Partners LLC. For more information, visit ortholite.com.

Golf Channel: Els gives another major assist

octagon — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 13:05:43 +0000

Ernie Els’ garden is flowering. Louis Oosthuizen’s British Open victory Sunday marks back-to-back weeks that graduates of Els’ South African junior golf foundation have credited Els with helping them realize dreams they wouldn’t be pursuing without his help. Kelli Shean, a 22-year-old amateur from Cape Town, made a surprising run to the top of the leaderboard during the first round of the U.S. Women’s Open at Oakmont the week before last. She’s a product of Els’ Fancourt Foundation and his vision for promising young golfers. So is Oosthuizen. . . According to the Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation (http://www.ernieels.com/foundation/index.html), the organization’s mission is: “To identify talented young South Africans predominantly from families of limited resources and provide them with educational and life-skill assistance and playing opportunities in order to produce successful, well-rounded and educated young golfers."

USA Today: Fund gives hopefuls an opportunity

admin — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 12:59:24 +0000

In the world of snowboarding, Ross Powers is known as much for his generosity as he is for his Olympic success. In the last nine years, the 2002 Olympic halfpipe champion has helped financially strapped snowboarders, including two of the athletes who beat him out for spots on the 2010 U.S. Olympic team, through grants from the Ross Powers Foundation. Now, as potential Olympians in all sports struggle to find adequate funding in a down economy, Powers is bringing even more star power to the cause. With the help of other Olympians, including Michael Phelps, and his first big sponsorship, Powers is launching the Level Field Fund to expand his reach into other Olympic and action sports. "I've been to the Olympics and luckily had great performances there," says Powers, who also won halfpipe bronze in 1998. "It feels just as good to help athletes out and for them to make it as it does to make it myself." In addition to Phelps, swimmer Lenny Krayzelburg, skier Daron Rahlves and snowboarder Seth Wescott have signed on to support the fund. OrthoLite will donate $1 to the fund for every insole it sells in retail outlets.

World-Class Athletes Join Forces to Support the Level Field Fund

admin — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 11:59:29 +0000

Michael Phelps, Daron Rahlves, Seth Wescott, & Lenny Krayzelburg Among Those Supporting Athlete Funding Initiative; Founding Partner OrthoLite to Donate $1 to the Fund for Every Pair of Insoles Sold

Portland, ME (Wednesday, June 16, 2010) – The Ross Powers Foundation today announced the establishment of the Level Field Fund, a grant-giving program that strives to bridge gaps in funding for uniquely talented athletes whose opportunity to pursue excellence in sport would otherwise be limited by their financial situation. Gold medalists from summer and winter sports including Michael Phelps, Daron Rahlves, Seth Wescott and Lenny Krayzelburg have pledged their support to the Level Field Fund, and founding partner, OrthoLite will donate $1 to the Level Field Fund for every pair of OrthoLite insoles sold through retail outlets.

While an athlete’s success is clearly driven by their ability to perform at the highest level, it is also dependent upon financial support. Many athletes with the potential to compete at world-class levels have had to face the challenges of securing funding to cover expenses essential to their continued development. Far too often, resource gaps have proven to be impassible barriers for promising, yet financially challenged athletes.

“Talent, drive and determination are simply not enough for many young athletes; financial support at key stages of development is critical,” said Ross Powers, president of the Ross Powers Foundation and founder of Level Field Fund. “OrthoLite’s commitment to the Level Field Fund combined with the support of Michael (Phelps), Daron (Rahlves), Seth (Wescott) and Lenny (Krayzelburg) is a major step forward in our efforts to help reduce the financial pressures facing far too many talented athletes.”

Individual commitment and costs during entry level stages of participation in a sport are relatively minimal. However, as athletes progress and their potential rises, so too do the related development demands and associated costs for training and competing – including more specialized instruction, equipment, event entry fees and travel. The Level Field Fund is designed to provide qualified funding to uniquely talented athletes at critical stages of their development.

“By combining our efforts with Level Field Fund we can help talented athletes across the country reach their performance potential,” said Pamela Gelsomini, president of OrthoLite. “We are excited that our partnership will benefit so many promising individuals.”

Since its formation in 2001, the Ross Powers Foundation has been providing critical funding to dozens of deserving athletes from across the United States competing in sports ranging from snowboarding to skateboarding, skiing to kayaking, and skeleton to taekwondo. Foundation grant recipients have further advanced their athletic pursuits and achieved success that otherwise would not have been possible in national and international competitions, including representing Team USA in the Olympic Games.

“Determined athletes committed to performing their best shouldn’t be held back due to a financial short coming”, said Rahlves, a three-time Olympian and World Champion. “I’ve seen lots of talent go undeveloped and that’s where Level Field Fund can step in and help. I’m excited to be a part of the Level Field Fund and look forward to helping those in need get to the next level and enjoy success in competition.”

“As competitive athletes, we all share the desire to compete against the best and to think that we are losing talented athletes because of a lack of financial resources is troubling,” added Phelps, a 14-time Olympic gold medalist. “I am a big believer in following your dreams and it is an honor to be a part of the Level Field Fund, a group of athletes helping other athletes pursue their own dreams.”

The need for athlete funding has been well documented and the story of Faye Gulini, the youngest member of the 2010 U.S. Olympic Snowboard Team, is just one example.

“In order to chase my dream of representing my country at the Olympics, I had to transfer all of my focus, hard work, and money into my sport,” recalled Gulini. “I needed to travel to places like Argentina, Austria, Switzerland, Canada, Spain and Italy to compete for my spot on the Olympic team and the cost of it all became way too much. My dad was clean out of money, and if not for the Ross Powers Foundation and its generous grant, I would have never been able to obtain my spot on the U.S. Team.”

Grant applications are available for download at www.levelfieldfund.org; requests submitted through September 15, 2010 will be evaluated for funding this year.

About OrthoLite: OrthoLite, headquartered in Amherst, MA, is the world’s leading supplier of open cell foam insoles found in more than100 million shoes each year including, Asics, New Balance, Merrell, Nike, Vans, Puma and Timberland. OrthoLite combines polyurethane and recycled rubber to provide superior cushioning, comfort, breathability and durability. OrthoLite was originally founded in 1997 and is a product of O2 Partners LLC. For more information, visit ortholite.com.

Media Contacts:
Level Field Fund: Drew Johnson, 207.775.1500, drew.johnson@octagon.com
OrthoLite: Jenni Geiger, 617.939.8362, jgeiger@coneinc.com

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OrthoLite Insoles Now Available For Purchase

admin — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 10:59:19 +0000

Insoles found in 100 million shoes a year are now available for consumer purchase. $1 of every pair purchased is donated to the Level Field Fund to help fund talented athletes with financial need

Amherst, MA (June 16, 2010) – OrthoLite, the world’s leading supplier of open cell foam insoles in the performance and comfort category, today announced the retail launch of its Fusion style insoles on OrthoLite.com in partnership with Amazon. OrthoLite has become the founding partner of the Level Field Fund and for every pair of OrthoLite insoles sold, $1 will be donated directly to the Level Field Fund (LFF), a grant-giving program that strives to bridge the gap in funding to uniquely talented athletes.

OrthoLite insoles are found in more than 100 million pairs of shoes each year including Nike, Asics, New Balance, Merrell and many more, offering enhanced comfort and a solution to many common in-shoe problems with innovative technology. OrthoLite provides superior, long-lasting comfort and support to meet the needs of today’s active, on-the-go lifestyles, for all activities and all types of footwear. The insoles also feature performance properties, including breathability, moisture control and anti-microbial benefits.

“By combining our efforts with the Level Field Fund we can ensure that talented athletes across the country reach their performance potential,” said Pamela Gelsomini, president of OrthoLite. “We are excited that our partnership will benefit so many promising individuals.”

“For many young athletes, talent, drive and determination are simply not enough; financial support at key stages of development is critical. OrthoLite’s commitment to the Level Field Fund is a major step forward in our efforts to provide grants to talented athletes with financial need,” said Ross Powers, president of the Ross Powers Foundation and founder of Level Field Fund. “Our goal is to ensure the opportunity to achieve excellence in a sport is not limited by one’s financial situation.”

OrthoLite Fusion insoles are available at ortholite.com for $19.99 per pair. OrthoLite will take $5 off the first 1,000 pairs of insoles sold from June 16 to July 16. Consumers can insert INSOLES5 into the promotion code area on Amazon’s checkout page. For more information, visit OrthoLite on Facebook or Twitter.

About Level Field Fund: The Level Field Fund is a grant-giving program that strives to bridge gaps in funding to uniquely talented athletes whose opportunity to pursue excellence in sport would otherwise be limited by their financial situation. The Level Field Fund was established in 2009 and is a program of the Ross Powers Foundation. For more information, please visit levelfieldfund.org.

Samples and images are available upon request.

Media Contacts:

OrthoLite: Jenni Geiger, 617-939-8362, jgeiger@coneinc.com

Level Field Fund: Drew Johnson, 207-775-1500 x25, drew.johnson@octagon.com

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The New York Times: Ski Team Pinched Everywhere but Top

admin — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 19:02:17 +0000

The United States Ski and Snowboard Association continues to revel in its record-breaking success at the Vancouver Olympics . . . (but) discontent is simmering among skiers who say budget cuts have sliced too deeply into athlete financing, forcing elite competitors to pay for everything from airline tickets to training camps even as the organization’s top executives are among the highest paid in the Olympic world. . . Athletes considered most likely to qualify for the Vancouver Olympics were shielded from the budget cuts, but several of the team’s most promising up-and-comers felt the impact . . . asking a greater number than usual to pay thousands toward their own training costs, several skiers said.

ESPN: Athletes Struggle Part of the Dream

admin — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 11:50:18 +0000

Like (pairs figure skater Mark) Ladwig, most athletes reach the Olympics through equal parts determination, work and financial sacrifice. . . Putting aside careers to pursue their Olympic dreams; they've lost jobs, scrambled for funding, maxed out credit cards, drained bank accounts, worried about health care and wondered how they would make their mortgage payment . . . often the real Olympic skill is just paying the bills. . . There are two things to bear in mind as you watch the Winter Olympics and dream about your child one day receiving a medal on the podium. Most winter sports don't pay very well, if at all. And they also are very expensive.

Philadelphia Inquirer: Most U.S. Olympians Struggle to Find Funding

admin — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 11:37:38 +0000

U.S. team (members) that will march into Vancouver's BC Place when the Winter Games open there Friday have had to cut grass, bus tables, or rely on Mom and Dad for the financial support it takes to win an Olympic medal. . . For athletes, sponsor-funding is a lot like the snow that organizers of the Vancouver Games continue to hope will blanket some of its precipitation-deprived sites in the Canadian Rockies: It can come in welcome blizzards or not at all. It can mysteriously melt away just when it's needed most. And, most significant, without it, most of them can't compete. . . But most of the 216 athletes on the U.S. team, and those who aspire to one day be among them, need considerable help.

The New York Times: Speedskating’s Olympic Rewards Fail to Pay the Bills

admin — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 02:44:44 +0000

(Speedskater) Jilleanne Rookard, had an abundance of talent, desire and grit. . . but a cash deficit threatened to derail her bid to make the 2010 United States Olympic team. Rookard was at a crossroads . . . Without financial assistance, she would have to quit training, possibly before the team for the Vancouver Games was chosen in December. . . Rookard’s father died of a heart attack when she was 18, and her mother, Claire, was found to have multiple myeloma in 2005. With six siblings, Rookard could count on a wealth of emotional support but little financial assistance. In the lead-up to the three-month Olympic team selection process in the fall, Rookard was living in the furnished basement of a speedskating family near the Pettit Center. Her monthly rent was $300. She was training 8 to 10 hours a day, a schedule that restricted her employment options. Rookard, who was not receiving a stipend from the U.S.O.C. or U.S. Speedskating, worked 20 hours a week as a D.J. at a roller rink and subsisted on leftover pizza from birthday parties. . . She persevered because she viewed representing her country and her community in the Olympics as a calling worthy of taking a vow of poverty.

Swimnetwork: Dark Days for the Pro Swimmer

admin — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 02:45:31 +0000

The sun has officially set on the bounty of Beijing. Unless your name is Phelps, these appear to be difficult days indeed for swimmers seeking to make a living doing what they love in the water. According to one man with authoritative knowledge of the matter, the situation is dire. "No one wants to address the fact that, post London, we're going into a time with a substantially reduced American medal count. And that's because the (economic) model for our elite athletes is broken," says agent Evan Morgenstein. . . All of which is rather grim, particularly if you're an NCAA champion, just beginning to tap your talent, knowing - to your very core - that it could be you on top of that podium, hearing the anthem played just for you in London two and a half years from now. If only you can make ends meet.