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Waukegan, IL, Teen Douglas Jones Wins $10,000 Grand Prize
as National Winner of the BKFK 'Sports Evolution Challenge'
"RollerBoggin" - part skateboard, part toboggan - takes top prize in the
national BKFK Sports Evolution Challenge. Douglas Jones, winning innovator,
meets Dan Shulman of ESPN and ESPN2.
Stamford, Conn. (February 23, 2009) – By Kids
For Kids (BKFK) and Newell Rubbermaid today announced that Douglas Jones, 15, of
Waukegan, IL, took home a check for $10,000 as Grand Prize Winner of the BKFK
Sports Evolution (SE) Challenge. The BKFK SE Challenge, a national competition
designed with young inventors in mind, sought to discover the next trend in
sporting goods and fitness products by soliciting new ideas in the areas of
sports apparel/accessories, boards (snow/water/skate), cycling, fitness/weights,
water/aquatic, field and extreme sports.
The ceremony took place at the Joyce Center in
South Bend, Ind., where after a 140-mile trek, Doug, his mom Donna, and his
uncle Dave, attended a highly-anticipated sporting event – NCAA Division I
Basketball, Uconn VS Notre Dame. Doug also received his "Connection To Reality"
prize, which was the opportunity to meet and "shadow" ESPN/ESPN2 sports
commentator Dan Shulman. Mr. Shulman presented Doug with his grand prize check
of $10,000, which was sponsored by Newell Rubbermaid.
Douglas Jones won the BKFK SE Challenge for his dynamic, thrill-seeking
invention, the RollerBoggin. This self-contained device is similar to a
traditional skate board, however, it is wider, safer and easier to master. It
can be used while sitting or kneeling, offering more people the chance to enjoy
the thrill of trying their hand at tearing up the ramps.
"I was totally shocked when I found out that I was the BKFK Sports Evolution
Challenge winner," said Jones. "I really did not expect to win at all. I love
inventing and building things and the Idea Locker on the BKFK Web site made it
super easy to express my creative ideas and get opinions from lots of other kids
who also use the site."
"At Newell Rubbermaid, we are passionate about ensuring our brands deliver
innovative products that meet the needs of people around the world," said Nat
Milburn, VP of External Business Development. "BKFK's innovation challenges
offer young inventors a fun platform for developing their ideas while also
educating them about the process of bringing them to market. We are excited to
be part of BKFK's creativity competitions that embody our values of education
and innovation, and we congratulate Douglas for his impressive invention and on
winning the competition."
"Douglas has created something really neat with his RollerBoggin," added Norman
Goldstein, founder and CEO of BKFK. "This innovation will open up the world of
skateboarding to many more kids. We are proud of Douglas, and also wish to thank
Newell Rubbermaid for their support of this competition."
BKFK currently has another national competition in play, the Invent-A-Game
Challenge, sponsored by Best Buy. The Grand Prize Winner of the Invent-A-Game
Challenge will receive a $10,000 U.S. Savings Bond, and the opportunity to have
his or her video game produced and distributed freely for the world to play by
Electronic Arts. Learn more about these and other competition opportunities at:
http://www.bkfk.com/
About By Kids For Kids Co.
By Kids for Kids® (BKFK®) is a youth marketing and media company partnering with
the world's leading corporations to provide a platform to foster, share,
showcase, and commercialize youth innovation and entrepreneurship. Their mission
is to inspire, motivate and stimulate the innovative spirit within all young
people.
The closely-held Stamford, Conn-based Corporation has been dedicated to making
youth ideas a reality since 2003. Through its Web site (www.bkfk.com)
and its social community (Idea Locker™), online competitions, TV show (Think
Big™), Magazine (Possible™), media, and education outreach, the company engages
youth in the U.S. and around the world. BKFK® youth-created products are
available nationally and serve as a testament to the power of youth innovation
and social entrepreneurship.
More information about the company and its successes helping young innovators is
available online at www.bkfk.com
About ESPN
ESPN, Inc., The Worldwide Leader in Sports, is the leading multinational,
multimedia sports entertainment company featuring the broadest portfolio of
multimedia sports assets with over 50 business entities. Sports media assets
include ESPN on ABC, six domestic cable television networks (ESPN, launched in
1979; ESPN2; ESPN Classic; ESPNEWS; ESPN Deportes; ESPNU), ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD,
ESPNEWS HD and EPSPNU HD (high-definition simulcast services of ESPN, ESPN2,
ESPNEWS and ESPNU, respectively), ESPN Regional Television, ESPN International
(34 international networks and syndication), ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, ESPN The
Magazine, ESPN Enterprises, ESPN PPV, ESPN Zones (sports-themed restaurants),
and other growing new businesses including ESPN360.com (Broadband), ESPN Mobile
Properties (wireless), ESPN On Demand and ESPN Interactive. Based in Bristol,
Ct., ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc., which is an indirect subsidiary of
The Walt Disney Company. The Hearst Corporation holds a 20 percent interest in
ESPN.
Note to editors:
This was a special night of celebration for Doug and his family. It had been 30
years since Doug's uncle Dave, himself a referee, last appeared at the Joyce
Center - that last time was a historic moment where Notre Dame broke UCLA's
88-game winning streak. This event was also Doug's mom Donna's first basketball
game, which she really enjoyed. Doug was inspired to create the "RollerBoggin"
due to his love of adventure, athletics, and skateboarding, and in no time at
all, he was cutting and heavily modifying an existing skateboard to arrive at
his exacting expectation of what he wanted his invention to be.
# # #
Media Contact: John Forrester
323-702-3684
media@bkfk.com
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