When it comes to sports rivalry in Wisconsin, there is probably none greater in intensity than a football game between the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings — especially when its at Lambeau Field!  And what exacerbates this Packers vs. Viking rivalry is the fact that Brett Favre will be treading the turf of Lambeau Field as an adversary, rather than the icon that packers fans used to coo…  It’s the highly hyped rematch at Lambeau Field, where betrayed fans will be waiting with what could be a cold welcome as the Packers eagerly prepare to avenge their recent defeat at the Metrodome on October 5th.  This may be a unique experience for Favre, but he is likely more concerned about the NFC North race between the Vikings (6-1) and Packers (4-2).

Meanwhile, Wisconsinite’s are preparing for this weekends game in a number of ways akin to atypical former Packers seasons, and video streams such as the following are pouring into media pool.

Needless to say, the Packers’ fan base is famously dedicated; regardless of the team’s performance. And despite having by far the smallest local TV market, the Packers have developed one of the largest fan bases in the NFL. Each year the Packers consistently rank as one of the top teams in terms of popularity. The Packers have one of the longest waiting lists for season tickets, with about 74,000 people as of May 3, 2007.   In 2008 the list grew by more than 4,000 names;  making the waiting list number larger than there are seats at Lambeau Field.  It should be no surprise that with such a dedicated fan base ESPN.com ranked the Packers as having the second-best fans in the NFL in August 2008?

GO PACKERS!

When you go shopping for sports equipment what is your primary objective?  Is it quality?  Savings?  Will you sacrifice one for the other?  Most people will not sacrifice the quality of their sporting goods products for savings, but there si the few exceptional cases when it is an option.  For example:

Did you know that there are some off-brand named sporting goods products available at great savings?  I’m sure everyone has seen them, and most people simply pass them up.  But what you may or may not know is that some of these affordable sports equipment products are actually manufactured by brand named companies who sell the same quality sports equipment under their brand name for substantially more.  Yes, that’s right!  Its the exact same product in a different package.

Next time you go shopping you may wish to spend a little more time browsing some of the off-brand sports equipment to see if you can take advantage of the bargain.

Skateboarding was first started in the 1950’s, when all across California surfers got the idea of  surfing the streets.  No one is absolutely certain as to who made the first board…  Instead, it seems that several people came up with similar ideas at the same time and things have progressed on from there.

These first skateboarders started with wooden boxes or boards with roller skate wheels attached to the bottom.  With this undeveloped application many people were hurt in skateboarding’s early years! It was a sport just being born and discovered, so anything went. Eventually the boxes turned into planks, and soon companies were producing decks of pressed layers of wood — similar to the skateboard decks of today.

In 1963 skateboarding was at a peak of popularity, and companies like Jack’s, Hobie and Makaha started holding skateboarding competitions.

Skateboarding’s popularity crashed in 1965.  Most people assumed that skateboarding was a fad that had died out.  Skateboard companies folded, and people who wanted to skate had to resort to making their own skateboards again.

Things took a turn in the spring of 1975 when skateboarding took an evolutionary boost toward the sport just as we see today.  In Del Mar, California, a slalom and freestyle contest was held at the Ocean Festival.  That day, the Zephyr team showed the world what skateboarding could be. They rode skateboards like no one had in the public eye, low and smooth, and skateboarding was taken from being a hobby to something serious and very exciting.

Then in 1978, only a few years into the renewed popularity of  skateboarding, a skater named Alan Gelfand (nicknamed “Ollie”) invented a maneuver that gave skateboarding a huge revolutionary leap!  He would slam his back foot down on the tail of his board and jump, thereby popping himself and the board into the air.  Thus, the “Ollie” was spawned; becoming a trick that completely revolutionized the sport of skateboarding.

Today this unique trick still bears his name, and in 2002 Alan Gelfand was inducted into the skateboard hall of fame.

Since then the attention in the media, and products like skateboarding video games, children’s skateboards, and commercialization have all vaulted skateboarding into the mainstream of today’s society. Moreover, with more money being put into skateboarding, there are more quality skate parks in communities, better skateboards, and a host of skateboarding companies to keep innovating and inventing new things.

Element skateboard is a name that speaks for itself when it comes to quality, popularity, and an affordable sports equipment product line.  Well here’s one of the latest developments

Vestalife has partnered with Element Skateboards to create a limited edition version that is all black, chrome, and skulls!

The speakers include two 1.5-inch tweeters that fold over the face of your iPod, encasing the MP3 player. The back of the Ladybug houses a single 3-inch sub, along with an auxiliary input, USB port, A/V output, and an external power jack. All universal-dock iPod models are supported.

Affordable Sports Equipment.com is a user-friendly online shopping environment that offers a variety of sports equipment, accessories and various men’s, women’s, and children’s apparel for the everyday and professional sports enthusiast.