CARROLLTON, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--It’s often been said that once a person learns how to ride a bike, he never forgets, no matter how much time has passed between the learning and the doing. Jinger Olinselot, writer of the Jingerrific blog, says it’s the same with Heelys (NASDAQ: HLYS).
“Using Heelys is like riding a bike. It may be hard at first, but once you learn it, you’ll never forget it. When you’re learning how to ride a bike, you may lack confidence and coordination at first, but if you put on a pair of training wheels, you learn how to balance and eventually you can do it without support. It’s the same way with Heelys. Once you get your balance, it’ll come naturally,” said Olinselot.
Olinselot, age 27, has been Heeling for approximately two years. She says anyone who is serious about learning should take a trip to the grocery store and use the cart to help balance – a sort of “training wheels” for Heelys.
“I get a lot of questions from parents on how to use their Heelys and I always suggest using a shopping cart for balance. If you load it up with groceries, it’ll balance better and no one will bother you,” explained Olinselot. “Learn how to do it yourself, and then you can teach it to your children. My son Luke and I go Heeling in the store all the time. It’s a special thing that we do together that’s fun and helps keep us fit.”
Rick Groesch, Heelys chief commercial officer, notes that you can use just about anything to help balance, as long as it’s sturdy – a rail, a counter or even a friend. Beyond that, he says it’s really just a matter of where to put your feet.
“When we’re walking, we have a tendency to move our feet side-by-side. For Heeling, you have to put one foot in front of the other,” said Groesch. “Figure out which leg you’re most comfortable with, usually it’s your stronger leg, and hold on to something for balance. After that, you just lift your toes up, putting weight on your heels.”
Tom Hansen, Heelys CEO, adds that smoother surfaces are ideal for Heeling and stresses the importance of wearing protective gear.
For more tips and instructional videos on Heeling, visit Heelys.com. Direct link: http://www.heelys.com/SitePages/FootwearTricktionary.aspx. The site contains basic guidelines on the art of Heeling, information to help readers install and remove the wheels, and safety tips.
Heelys, Inc. is a company founded on innovation. It designs, markets and distributes its action sports-oriented products to the youth market under the Heelys (R) brand. The company's primary product, Heelys wheeled footwear, is a patented dual-purpose skate shoe that incorporates a stealth, removable wheel in the heel. The company also offers Heelys HX2, which uses two wheels for better balance and control, making it ideal for younger users. Heelys' third offering, Nano, ramps up the Heelys experience by giving skaters a board that links into the patented Heelys shoe bracket. This allows them to skate farther, faster and longer than ever before. Connect with Heelys on Facebook, www.facebook.com/Heelys, YouTube, www.youtube.com/Heelysworldwide, or Twitter, http://twitter.com/Heelysworldwide.
Note to Editors: High resolution photos are available upon request.
Forward Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release and oral statements made from time to time by representatives of Heelys are "forward-looking statements" for purposes of the safe harbor provisions of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including in particular, statements regarding our guidance, outlook for future events, financial performance, customer demand, growth and profitability. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "subject to," "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "intends," "estimates," "may," "will," "should," "can," the negatives thereof, variations thereon, similar expressions, or discussions of strategy. All forward-looking statements are based upon management's current expectations and various assumptions, but they are inherently uncertain, and Heelys may not realize its expectations and the underlying assumptions may not prove correct. Heelys' actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those described in or implied by the forward-looking statements as a result of risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, the fact that substantially all of Heelys' net sales are generated by one product, Heelys' intellectual property may not restrict competing products that infringe on its patents from being sold, continued changes in fashion trends and consumer preferences and general economic conditions, Heelys' dependence on independent manufacturers, Heelys may not be able to successfully introduce new product categories, and additional factors which are detailed in Heelys' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Risk Factors contained in Heelys' Annual Report on Form 10-K. Investors, potential investors and other readers are urged to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements made herein are only made as of the date of this press release and Heelys undertakes no obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.
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