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Impakt Protective, Phoenix Factory Racing, & The Knockout Project Announce Shockbox Pilot Program for BMX Racing

By White Lotus Media on January 9, 2014 • ( 0 )

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
1/9/14

Impakt Protective, Phoenix Factory Racing, & The Knockout Project Announce Shockbox Pilot Program for BMX Racing.

A chance meeting between two men at a Sports Legacy Institute event in Boston in October of 2013 has paid dividends.Danny Crossman, CEO of Impakt Protective, maker of the Shockbox helmet sensor, and Jay Fraga, Founder of The Knockout Project‐ two men who know all too well the sting of head injuries‐ met at the 2013 Sports Legacy Institute Impact Awards and began to compare notes almost immediately.
“As a person who is immersed in the concussion community, I was previously aware of Shockbox, but didn’t realize that the person I was sharing dinner with was responsible for its development”, said Fraga.
“Danny and I had plenty of time to talk about our respective histories with regard to concussive injury before I realized that he was one of the men behind Shockbox.”
Shockbox is a helmet sensor that sends coaches, parents, and team medical staff a visual and audio alert via Bluetooth transmission 325ft (100m) to their smartphones when a player has experienced an at‐risk head impact that may result in a concussion. This is an immediate reference point to begin preventative measures in the form of coaching correction, reduced exposure levels, game or race time recovery and potential concussion assessment. The device can be added onto any helmet using a high bonding adhesive tape. Shockbox has been used in peer‐reviewed research by POP Warner football and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) for concussion research in 2012 and 2013.
Fraga went on to say, “I relayed my desire to Danny to bring technology along the lines of Shockbox into BMX racing, the sport that I love more than anything, but was forced to retire from due to mounting concussions and their effects. I felt that my experience of not being able to quantify hard hits, take them seriously, and then treat them the right way was ultimately responsible for the loss of BMX racing in my life as well as the poor quality of my health. Both were devastating. I was determined to change that for the people still involved with the sport that I love. To that end, Danny and I began to talk immediately about a pilot program involving Shockbox and BMX Racing. For me, Phoenix Factory Racing was the natural first choice to implement such a program due to their profile in the sport and my connection with Phoenix’s Tony Hansen, who previously ran my West Coast Aggro program.”
Phoenix Factory Racing, which recently finished the 2013 USABMX season ranked third Nationally in the factory team division, will debut the Shockbox sensors January 10th through 12th at the first stop of the 2014 USABMX National Tour: The Silver Dollar Nationals in Reno, Nevada. “With the nature of BMX Racing as a sport, we take head injuries very seriously. Not only do we want to provide our riders with world class equipment, but Impakt’s ShockBox sensor will also give our riders an additional level of support in case of a concussive event. We are a professional team and the ShockBox is a vital tool in keeping our riders safe”, said Tom Floyd, Phoenix Pro Cycles founder. Phoenix’s Tony Hansen added, “Having partnered with Jay at Aggro Bikes for over 10 years, it was only natural to partner up again with him via The Knockout Project and Impakt. I have seen firsthand Jay’s struggles with Post‐Concussion Syndrome, and feel we need to do whatever we can to help prevent any of our riders from having this struggle during their lives due to BMX. We can no longer hide from this topic. We must use every possible tool we have to make sure we don’t put a rider back on the track that is not ready.”

About Impakt Protective Inc.

Incorporated in 2010, Impakt Protective is a privately owned high‐tech sensor company located in Ottawa, Canada and is the creation of Danny Crossman and Scott Clark. Danny Crossman, a former Army bomb disposal officer and Business Development executive, led the development of numerous life‐saving technologies such as the bomb suit, featured in the movie The Hurt Locker; Advanced Combat Helmet impact pads; roadside bomb jammers used by the USMC and recently the Helmet Sensors used by US Army and USMC to monitor mTBI in deployed soldiers and marines. Scott Clark is an active hockey player, coach as well as hockey Dad, and a former software high tech executive with experience in Program Management, Business Intelligence and Operations.

For more information, visit the Impakt Protective website at http://www.impaktprotective.com .

About The Knockout Project

Founded in November 2012 by Jason Fraga, a former BMX racer who was diagnosed with postconcussion syndrome after his ninth concussion, The Knockout Project is a concussion education initiative that counts a number of missions among its obligations. These range from general concussion awareness issues including highlighting the need for concussion identification, proper treatment, and return to play protocol, as well as providing insight from and to athletes who are struggling with postconcussion syndrome. The Knockout Project is headquartered in Belchertown, Massachusetts.

For more information, visit The Knockout Project website at http://www.theknockoutproject.org .

About Phoenix Pro Cycles

Like its mythical namesake, Phoenix Sports was born from decades of learning and trying different disciplines, culminating in the birth of this new entity by founder Tom Floyd. Starting with Phoenix Pro Scooters in 2009, leading to the creation of Phoenix Pro Cycles in 2011, both companies are testaments to years of arduous endeavors resulting in the birth of the Phoenix brand.
Tom was the owner of the legendary Cantina Mountain Bike Shop in San Diego, California and after selling the shop, worked for Haro Bicycles and later FOX Racing Shox. Tom has a long history of working with professional cycling athletes such as Mike King, Brian Lopes, Marla Streb, Scotty Sharples and many others.
Having himself raced BMX, Downhill Mountain Bikes and Roadracing Motorcycles, Floyd is a disciple of speed. Inspired by cutting edge engineering from the worlds of MotoGP and Formula One, every directive injected into our bicycle design is geared towards ultimate performance and top level American craftsmanship. Phoenix Pro Cycles is headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon.
For more information, visit the Phoenix Pro Cycles website at http://www.phoenixprocycles.com .