At every show we try to showcase all our products. But, inevitably the Balance seems to grab all the attention. NATA in Philadelphia was no different. Everyone wanted to toss their cookies on the Balance. And why not, who doesn't want to toss their cookies? Offering a free iPod to the person with the highest score doesn't hurt in attracting athletic trainers either.

We gave away free t-shirts to those who scored 750 points or higher. Those went quick. In fact, we had 10 different people score 1,000 points the first day. We figured we'd have to have a toss-off to decide the Ipod winner. But then Tim Dugan stepped on the Balance....

His first throw fell to the earth, I know not where. Then, calmly, he rattled off three straight five hundreds. 1,500 points! We had ourselves a winner - and somebody who obviously knows how to toss his cookies!

I'm sure everybody's gonna want to toss their cookies in New Orleans, next year - and everybody will be gunning for Tim. You all better get some practice in. Better yet, just buy a Balance. You can rehab athletes, practice tossing your cookies, and win an Ipod next year in New Orleans....

Speaking of the Balance, we had Mich Lynch, MD stop by our booth. Mick is the original creator of the Shuttle Balance. Oh, we'd like to think we helped a bit in the process, but he and his sister, Teresa Schuemann, PT, DPT, SCS, ATC, CSCS (you see, all those letters do make a difference) really were pioneers on the Balance. 

We got some good video of Mick sharing the story of the Balance. We look forward to showing it to you sometime soon....

While we'd like to think we think of everything, we have to admit that much of the creation and improvements on our products come from our Shuttle owners. They ask, "Can you do this and this?" And we respond, "Well, we can do that, but that other thing is what they call illegal...." Just kidding. We really appreciate our owners. They are a wealth of knowledge, insight, and creative genius. It keeps us on our toes and our products continually improving. Thanks again!!

Gaming on the Shuttle MVP

Not to be outdone by the Balance, athletic trainers were able to do some fun stuff on our MVP as well. Steve McGee from CDM Sport stopped by our booth to show us his little "rehab game in a box." We hooked it up to our MVP and let some of the athletic trainers play around with the video games doing controlled leg presses.

It turned out to be a fun challenge providing a nice rehab workout. One ATC said that if they had one on their MVP "they'd never get the athletes off it." Rehab would no longer be rehab. It'd be a game. Well, as everyone knows, competition improves performance. In this case, it would improve recovery. We're very much intrigued and will keep you posted on progress with this new technology.

Shuttle Travels

Of course, we didn't spend all of our time at the show. We wanted to go and visit some of our Shuttle owners in the area. For some reason, the Philadelphia Eagles, Sixers, and Phillies were just a tad busy (I know, shameless name dropping). But we did get to see the folks at Arcadia, Temple and Villanova University. It was great to visit with Varsity Fitness, St. Joseph Medical Center, Northwest Physical Therapy (Wyndmoor, PA), and PTW Institute (Quakertown PA). They gave us some interesting insights into how they are using their Shuttle products for athletic rehab and all sorts of other applications. 

Larry Kaplan of Varsity Fitness is using his Shuttle MVP to work on his tennis players explosive power and cardio endurance. We've got video of him demonstrating some of the protocols he uses to get his young players primed for their matches. Stay tuned for those videos coming soon!

And there were the requisite visits to the local historical sites: Liberty Bell, Constitution Hall, Dogfish Head Brewery (some just couldn't get enough of tossing their cookies).

Be Social

So, it was a fantastic trip all the way around. Now we're all back safe and sound in Glacier, Washington. 

With all the hustle and bustle of the show, we didn't get to spend that much time with each one of you. So, tell us what you thought of the show on Facebook or Twitter. 

Thanks for the Philadelphia memories. We look forward to New Orleans 2011!