| starsearcher |
How ing cool is that...but of course we have no players :mad: or a proper league :mad: or...well you get the point :mad: :mad: :mad:
| quote: | BECKS UNVEILS NEW SOCCER BOOTS
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
David Beckham unveiled his new shoe Wednesday, a big-ticket soccer boot boasting made-in-Canada technology.
The England captain was again besieged by more than 30 photographers at the launch of his Dragon PredatorPulse at Adidas' new store in SoHo. Flashbulbs exploded and photographers screamed at him to look their way as he held up the $250 Cdn boots.
Beckham wore the boots - officially known as the David Beckham PredatorPulse II X-TRX SG - for the first time Tuesday in England's 3-2 exhibition win over Colombia at Giants Stadium. It was also Beckham's first ever game in North America.
The PredatorPulse line, which Adidas says is the best-selling soccer boot in the world, uses technology developed in tandem with Prof. Gerald K. Cole and colleagues at the University of Calgary's Human Performance Laboratory, part of the school's faculty of kinesiology. The first version of the boot was launched last year.
Earlier in the day, Beckham coached some kids on his trademark free kick on NBC's Today show.
The 30-year-old midfielder was relaxed as he draped his arm over the youngsters' shoulders and coached them how to strike the ball.
Later at the Adidas news conference, he explained his affection for the U.S. was more than the fact that he and wife Victoria, the former Posh Spice, were in New York when they learned she was pregnant with their first child, Brooklyn.
"What I love above America and New York and Los Angeles is the patriotism," he explained. "In England, the people when there's football games and things like that, the patriotism is amazing. But when you come to America, it's incredible."
The Dragon boot, which will be available in Canada on Aug. 1, is silver with an "Asian-inspired" embroidered dragon motif.
"Wearing a special pair of boots like this makes you feel good when you're going onto a pitch," Beckham said. "And they're definitely a special pair of boots."
As for the choice of dragon, Beckham noted: "I've got a lot of fans in Asia, especially Japan."
He's pretty big in the U.S. nowadays as well. The Real Madrid star said the attention he has got on this visit was "unbelievable."
Adidas initially came to the Calgary lab with a basic idea, to move the centre of gravity in the shoe closer to the point of impact. Cole used the laboratory's expertise in biomechanics and computer modelling to see if the theory was accurate, and then develop the concept.
The idea is that the shoe design allows for faster ball velocity.
Parents will be happy to know that there will be cheaper versions of the Beckham boot available.
So does the boot help you bend it like Beckham?
"With practice, of course," said the England skipper, who says he hits 20 to 30 free kicks a day.
Beckham's next stop is Los Angeles, where he launches his new soccer academy Thursday. |
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