In this photo you can see the LeviLite in action during the 100th edtion of the Tour de France. We have been working with Mark Cavendish for many years. Mark has great taste in socks, that is ovious, but he is also very discerning with each sock model we make. He can tell the difference with the slightest change in yarn or style. For this years Tour de France, we made a batch for him to speed test. He won 2 stages and was beaten 4 times by another guys wearing DeFeet socks. The feed back that Mark provides is something we take seriously. Could you imagine what would happen if his socks fell down in a sprint. Well we don't want to imagine that. Mark has been a very crucial component of our product testing. He and all the Omega Pharma QuickStep have been instrumental to our product line since the days of Mapie GB (1994 to present day). That is a long lasting partnership. Thanks to Mark, all his teammates, managers and his fast feet for helping DeFeet make the fastest socks in the world.
Beech Mountain NC, USA. I suppose the first thing you need to do Product Testing is weather. Weather that changes with the season, weather that can be harsh one minute and pristine the next. Rain, Shine, Snow, Wind, Humidity, Heat, Cold and all that comes with the territory.
Speaking of territory, that is the next thing needed to test product. A diverse territory is mandatory for providing the right testing grounds for putting a product through the ringers. Hills and Dales, Climbs and Descents, Valleys and Flats, to Tarmac and Dirt.
This is the reason that the roads and trails around Beech Mountain have become the DeFeet Product Testing Grounds.
As a self-proclaimed Chief Sockologist, Product Testing is my middle name.
My lovely assistant Mrs. CoopDeFeet and I give each product proper testing riding through the beautiful NC mountains. Yes, this is a job we could farm out, but we both get such a kick out of testing each product in the real world conditions. For this I am very thankful that we are able to have this sweat ass job.
Mrs. CoopDeFeet keeps in good shape and tries to help keep yours truly in good form. What form? I am not sure. Her renowned cheffing skills, or her homemade everything rule is the reason I struggle to pull on my lycra. I can say that I know and test the limits of tensile strength of nylon Lycra every day.
So thanks to all the DeFeet fans around the world, its because of you that we get to continue to live the DeFeet Dream.
Thus far, 2012 has been a very good year for DeFeet. We were honored in Dec with the Small Business of NC Award, followed by our Presidential E Arward in April. I have been doing some Keynote speeches as a result. A few weeks ago, I was greeting the folks after with a handshake, I met a guy I will never forget. As I was shaking this spry elder statesman's hand I noticed that he was wearing a pin on his lapel. I though it looked like a Bentley emblem, so I asked "is that a Bentley logo". The wise man said, "no this was my pin from WWII". Now, he was thanking me for speaking! I said, Sir I thank you for your service and your bravery. Knowing very little about this brave soldier I had to inquire about his experiences. The handshaking line was still long, but now this man had ALL of my attention. Mr. Cash told me a few signets of his time in the European Theater, and his colleagues would tell me even more. He said that he was a pilot of the B-24 Liberator and that he flew something like 24 sorties over Germany. His colleague told me that he was shot down twice. I was totally in awe of Mr. Cash. I gave him a DeFeet catalog and Mr. Cash said he would come down to DeFeet and see our HQ. I was so looking forward to this. Today I learned that Mr. Cash passed away just recently. Apparently he fell and as a result we lost yet another brave WWII veteran. One of the guys from his office just sent me an email and said Mr. Cash had our catalog on his desk and was looking forward to come to our office. I was crushed, I was so looking forward to meet with him. I have been all over the world, and I have met many VIP in my travels. But Mr. Cash I must say, YOU were the one that made me want to be a better man. Thank you ever so much for your bravery, thank you for all that you did for our country. I wish you God Speed Sir. RIP
Lt. Paul S. Cash Circa 1945
This is part of the email that I just recieved.
"Thank you for your kind words. Mr. Cash was a true hero in every respect. Kind, caring and humble. He rarely spoke of his war experiences, not because he didn’t like drudging up old memories, but because he didn’t want to seem like he was bragging. He successfully crash landed a B-24 Liberator bomber twice, saving the lives of all his crewmen. On one instance the whole crew had bailed out except Mr. Cash, his co-pilot and one other crewman. That crewman was getting ready to bail and accidentally spilled his chute in the plane, preventing him from being able to jump. Mr. Cash made an instant decision to stay with his crewman and try his best to land the plane. Had he decided to go ahead and bail out, the crewman with the spilled chute would have been doomed. Mr. Cash successfully put the plane on the ground, albeit it a little roughly. He was injured pretty badly and captured by axis forces. He was rescued a day or two later by the Yugoslav Partisans and nursed back to health. His valiant efforts earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross, and he also received a Purple Heart. He was a wonderful role model, coworker and friend and we all miss him dearly. I have attached a couple of photographs that I thought you might enjoy."
Wow, what can I say. We are shocked, humbled, and honored all at the same time. Yes there are probably more important NC companies out there, and there are more worthy ones than DeFeet. Maybe they have a better cause or better mission. But there is no denying that our story is one that is that can hold its own.
I am very proud to except this award on the behalf of all The People of DeFeet.
You see, its not just socks, its an occupation, its a community, its a place to make a living and to me and many its a life style.
DeFeet socks have been sold all over the World. Even today in this shitty economy, DeFeet is exporting to 32 countries. Our Fans demand our products and they can feel the love and attention to detail that makes our products so desirable.
If you take a couple of minutes to read the story in BUSINESS North Carolina story, you will see some of the driving mechanisms that churn deep within my soul and our great company. We have survived so many set backs, but were still here making socks in the beautiful foothills of NC.
I did a quick calculation and we have made somewhere around 12 million pairs of socks since our very first one was born on Nov 18th 1992. That's a lot of socks. And the crazy thing is, I bet over half are still walking around. Yes, some were lost to the dryer demon, and some to the DeFeet Fan Club Collectors. But most are still running, cycling and rocking.
Rocking? Yes, rocking. Just this week I was speaking with a cycling-rockstar friend MIchael John Dimkich guitarist for The Cult. He said, Duffy and the gang have been wearing the same Powerbar DeFeet socks since 1999. This is not an uncommon story to see people amazed at our long lasting durability.
Did I say durable? Last weekend on a 50 mile ride, on the toughest part of the hill my iPhone started buzzing. I could barely breathe, so thankfully it was just a txt.
JUST A TXT FROM JENS VOIGT! He is not on a sponsored team team this year, but wanted to thank me for all the years he was able to wear the Worlds best products. "From deep of heart thank you." and went further to say "this is not a hidden try to get some free stuff". So Thank You Jens! Jens is the consummate Pro Cyclist. He is the most loved in the peloton and the most aggressive. Jens made my suffering on that hill dissipate very quickly. Guys like Jens, LeMond, Bettini, Julich, Hincapie, Zanini, Tofi, Boonen, Cavendish, Museeuw, and Teams like GAN, COFIDIS, QUICKSTEP, HIGHROAD, BMC, LOTTO, and many many other have been our test subjects. Test they did, and they LOVE our little brand.
Fires, Floods, Thefts, bring it...we may not be ready, but we will hunker down and give it our best. My dad said "life is a rollercoaster, it goes up, and then it comes down...so enjoy the ride." Thanks Dad!
So if your reading this, I assume you are a friend, or a fan of DeFeet and I thank you for your help. You might also be a competitor looking for the Crabby Patty Secret Recipe, and to you I say...bite my ass, If you are looking here for the secret...its too late. You will have to look into your own soul to find the secret, as it is very hard to find.
DeFeet Running is back at the Run Event in Austin, Texas with a new Line up of D-Evo run socks built with precision for ultimate comfort and performance in any running discipline.
DeFeet Running is back at the Run Event in Austin, Texas with a new Line up of D-Evo run socks built with precision for ultimate comfort and performance in any running discipline.
Yesterday morning the Cooper family were up early for what would be a very rewarding and humbling day. Our 2 kids were going to run the 5k that Komen were putting on.
We left early with 30 mins to spare thinking we would have plenty of time. Man were we wrong, we could not believe the shear number of people. It was chaos! People dressed in pink from head to toe everywhere. All body types, generations, and genders. Everyone had someone to run for.
This event was extremely eye opening. We were shocked by the number of people that a small town like Hickory can muster up for supporting breast cancer awareness. If you have not been out to watch or participate one of these events, you're missing something special.
Our team T.H.E ran for Through Healing Eyes. This great organization provides breast cancer screenings and eductaion to those that can't afford to get them.
Our dear friend-cycling bud-life mentor Katheryn Harlan is the Founder.
DeFeet donate proceeds of our Pink Ribbon Socks sales to Katheryn every year. Katheryn could not make the race today due to an emergency surgery they night before. I am sure that she will be with us there next year. I can tell you her stregnth is astounding, and it is contagious.
These women and thier families that are battling the horrible disease are such an inspiration. On this day I was reminded that Cancer is very unpredicable, it strikes anyone at anytime. I lost my dad at age 55 to cancer, and it was way too soon.
So what can we do about it? We can live our lives to the fullest, we can be proactive about our health, we can help those that are sick, and we can all run-walk to fight cancer. Ladies, you are so courageous.
The events, although late in the year, would crown national champions in many devissions. Professional, Age Graders, Genders, and kids.
DeFeet gave winners some cool "All Mountain" socks as prizes.
The trails were soaking wet and looked quite ominus. The supporting crowd was haveing just as much fun as the riders.
The new bike chairlifts were a great addition, as last year I was told the chairlift guys were having to lift and load the bikes into the regular chairlifts. The new ones are simple roll ins. I did hike up the ski slope and it was quite a good work-out. There were many good viewing spots along the trail, but the best was the rock garden.
The Duel Slolam was just outside our back door. Man were these folks ever catching air! The rumor is Beech Mountain will be keeping our new trails open. I do know these folks will be back next year, as the Nationals signed a 2 year contract.
The best part about this great race was the new friendships that we find. My last interview was with two wonderful kids, Sophia and Joey Foresta. Sophia was racing in the Cat 1-2-3 race at age 12. She was the 5th fastest qualifier for the downhill and ended up getting 8th! Boy oh boy does she ever have a bright future.
Her little brother Joey was standing there beaming with pride, I asked him how he liked the race. "the mud was like peanut butter" was my favorite line from Joey.
Joey won the JR race in both the Duel Slolam and the Downhill. They traveled from South UT to come and race...and yes their proud mom and dad were having fun too. Family time!
What is the best thing about being married to an elite female athlete-exercise physiologist? Yes I know, Gatorade on the night stand, but that's not what I am talking about. What I am referring to is DeFeet can use my wife and her addicted-to-endorphins friends to test our products.
Last year Hope said she and 12 of her lady friends (use that term loosely...friends that is) would be running in the Blue Ridge Relay Race .
This would be a fine testing ground for our new product that we will be launching soon.
As you can imagine getting 12 people to commit to running 3 legs of over 6 miles in 32 hrs is a bigger challenge than the actual race itself. Sleep deprivation is probably the most difficult part of this event. Although I am sure the ladies legs and the hills also had something to say about that.
Women just know how to organize, as this excursion involved some precision hand offs and rest stops.
But as the day began to evolve our team was becoming much more relaxed. Now giddy with team spirit the girls were having a blast.
New friendships were being forged as each team mate faced individual challenges on the run.
As darkness fell, insanity started to creep in. As you can only imagine, running in the pitch black, on quite country roads, filled with critters and scary things that go bump in the night is not for the faint of heart.
Through darkness of night, through the hills and valleys of the most beautiful mountain roads, courageously passing wild animals including garbage foraging 300lb black bears.
Confusion from sleep deprivation did start to effect them, but they just used their supreme reasoning skills to rid themselves of the confusion that becomes the norm.
The Soul Sistas were conquering this massive challenge one step at a time. Unlike the male species, this team of the much more compassionate gender, were tackling the race as a team. Unselfishly helping their teammates, with all the extra encouragement and demands that each were facing. Most of the ladies said they did sleep, but only 1.5 hrs. This event was such a great way to challenge a group and let them find ways to over come adversity. From my seat, which was on the couch watching football, it was not that hard. I did wonder why they did not like the first name I offered them the Hickory Hustlers, But seriously these ladies really deserve a huge congratulations.
Our ladies trudged on with one goal in mind, "I want to pass that person in front of me".
Mother and daughter faced this challenge together and connected in ways that only they will ever understand.
After 30 hours and 40 minutes and 200 miles, the sock was tested and all the data collected. I did think about them on that first night as I popped open a DUVEL www.duel.be and watched the foamy head rise to the top of my tulip shaped glass. (attempt to get a beer sponsor!)
I said, here's to my Sole Sistas may they be joyful-soulful-and my wish was that they all could know that the next few hours would make memories for a life time and that the pain they felt would build a stronger mind, body and soul. To Hope, Cissy, Kyle, Lisa, Frankie, Leslie, Stephanie, Tracy, Mary Ann, Cynthia, Charlotte, Nicole and Katie Cheers DeFeet Lady Sole Sistas I am proud of you all!
-Shane
Run Run Runaway by CroMoly (another shameless plug for my music)
Last night I was in my basement doing a few back stretches. Looking at the ceiling I saw a snake skin tail hanging down. I thought I should investigate. After my initial snake skin removal attempt I called my son Morgan down to help. I could not see the end to the snake skin. We finally recovered said shed skin. I was shocked to see that it was 95 inches long. That's top of the ceiling down to the floor folks. Now as you can imagine I am sure this monster is crawling around my studio or man cave. Might be good to keep out the women, and that is what I will sound like if it sees me before I see it.
I wonder if these photos are of the owner of the shed skin. A few years ago we had a dove nest in our lattice. Our family watch the hatch-ling grow. It was for sure a great nature lesson for our kids. One day my wife asked me to go help the chick, as she thought it was stuck in the lattice. Well now, stuck yes, lattice no! 5 foot black snake was teaching our nature lesson about the circle of life and death. Food was now the chicks purpose.
I did catch and release the winner of the battle. Just 2 years later, we had a family over for dinner. As we were saying good-bye, one of the kids pointed to a black snake in our tree. They asked me to catch it, so I gave it a college try. After pulling a bloody thumb back, I asked one of the kids for his light saber. Using this Star Wars weapon of choice to pry the 5 foot serpent from his safe haven, i think I used a bit too much of the force. The snake was airborne. Flying through the air end over end right towards the little Luke Skywalker. Yes indeed, the snakes midsection hit Luke square in the adams apple. And then in a split second became a Black Snake neck wrap! The blood curled in all the adults, even though it had been thinned. Luke screamed for 2 seconds, but then with one brave swift move, stripped the snake from his neck and beamed with pride. Sorry no photos or video. But I think my snake is kinda like that Beaver on the commercial where he pays the car driver back for saving his life by cutting down the tree to stop the car before the washed out bridge collapsed.
So, Mr. Snake. Until we meet again. Please remember that nice snack I let you enjoy way back in 2004. And our little prank we played on the little boy.
