Steve Nash and Georges St-Pierre launch their revolutionary line of MISSION Athletecare products in Canada

Company co-founders and Canadian sport icons Steve Nash and Georges St.-Pierre come together to bring products to select Foot Locker locations and Shoppers Drug Mart

TORONTO, Jan. 14, 2013 /CNW/ - MISSION Athletecare™, the world's first and only Athlete-Engineered™ company, is bringing its revolutionary line of sports performance products to Canada this Fall to help Canadian athletes enhance their performance in training and competition. Co-founders and Canadian sports icons Steve Nash and Georges St.-Pierre will lead the charge in introducing MISSION's Athletecare portfolio in Canada.

"We've been overwhelmed by the response and the success of the MISSION line of products after its launch in the United States, and have always envisioned bringing these ground-breaking products to Canadian athletes at our first opportunity," said Josh Shaw, Founder and President, Mission Athletecare. "Both Steve and Georges have played an important role in the development of these products, and now they will be instrumental in helping share these new technologies with their fellow Canadian athletes."

MISSION's EnduraCool™ Instant Cooling Towel will be available at select Foot Locker and Shoppers Drug Mart locations across the country. The EnduraCool ™ Instant Cooling Towel, a revolution in fabric technology delivers fast, long lasting cooling effects to enhance performance and combat overheating for all athletes at all levels of play.

When overheated, athletes cannot exert as much energy, impeding their ability to achieve peak performance. Current methods for cooling off, whether it's a bag of ice, pouring water over the head or using chemically-treated rubber cooling pads, all fall short of an athlete's needs - both in form and function. MISSION's EnduraCool™ technology delivers fast, sustained cooling effects in a soft, breathable fabric that instantly cools without feeling heavy and wet.

When dry, the fabric acts as a superabsorbent cloth - but when it's wet and snapped in the air, the technology activates, cooling the fabric to nearly 59 degrees in just a few minutes. The cooling effects last for hours, and are easily reactivated by simply rewetting the towel. The fabric also has an Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) 50 to provide sun protection when covering the skin.

"This is game-changing technology. I can't tell you how many times I had to look for wet towels and ice to keep my body temperature down during workouts. EnduraCool allows me to keep cool with little effort" said mixed martial arts champion Georges St-Pierre. "Being a part of MISSION Athletecare is already a rewarding experience as we're able to help create new technologies that benefit athletes, but to be able to help the company expand to Canada is more than that, it's a passion of mine."

Also launching in Canada just in time for basketball season is the game-changing MISSION Court Grip™. Co-developed and co-created with NBA stars Dwyane Wade, Steve Nash and Dwight Howard to enhance a player's traction on the basketball court. Due to record-breaking adoption of the product in the US last season, Mission is launching Court Grip ™ in select Foot Locker Canada stores.

Approved for play at all levels play of the game, MISSION Court Grip™ went through more than two years of extensive research and development, as well as significant independent studies and testing by leaders in the field of sports performance. Just last month, MISSION released a video from a three month analysis that showed a 24% average improvement on basketball player's quickness and improved balance and stability when using Court Grip™.

"I have battled court traction my whole career.  MISSION Court Grip finally addresses this problem and provides a real solution," said NBA star Steve Nash. "I've obviously taken a special interest in expanding MISSION's reach to Canada and am excited that our Canadian athletes will now have access to these game-changing grip products."

Rounding out MISSION's product line, Power Grip™ features a unique and proprietary formula designed as a liquid-chalk technology. This technology helps prevent sweaty hands from getting in the way of performance.  Engineered to deliver a better grip on the basketball or golf club, or inside gloves when playing hockey, lacrosse or baseball, PowerGrip™ helps athletes keep their hands dry during the game without all the mess of traditional dusty chalk and powder.

MISSION Athletecare's EnduraCool Instant Cooling Towel ($17.99) will be available in Shoppers Drug Mart stores across Canada, beginning next week, while Court Grip ($17.99) and Power Grip ($12.99), as well as the Enduracool Towel, will be available in select Foot Locker stores in Canada.

To see Georges St-Pierre talking about the Enduracool Towel please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQlloww4WTc

About MISSION:
MISSION is the first and only line of Athlete-Engineered™ products designed to improve performance and safety in competition.  Led by a premier group of world-class athletes including Serena Williams, Steve Nash, David Wright, Georges St-Pierre and Mia Hamm among others, the company is pioneering an entirely new category in the sports industry called Athletecare™.

MISSION and its elite athlete partners know that athletes have a unique set of needs - before, during and after their training or competition.  To meet those dynamic needs, the MISSION Lab Team is spearheaded by world-renowned doctors, scientists and athletes - who collaboratively engineer the MISSION products to meet the highest demands of performance.

From a sunscreen that is clinically proven to not sting your eyes to a proprietary Anti-Friction Cream that lasts twice as long as the competition, MISSION is focused on true product innovations that are unmatched in the marketplace - and give athletes the advantage they need.

Today, MISSION has over 25 high-performance product innovations in its portfolio and is sold in nearly 10,000 stores across the U.S. including Dick's Sporting Goods, Foot Locker, Hibbett Sports, CVS/pharmacy and on www.missionathletecare.com.

The company also has a dual MISSION.  While delivering world-class product innovations, MISSION also makes an impact off the field of play through its "Athletes on a Mission" program, which recognizes, rewards and inspires youth athletes that give back to their communities.  MISSION is setting a new standard in "high-performance" on all levels.

Visit MISSION online at www.MISSIONathletecare.com, www.facebook.com/MISSIONathletecare and www.facebook.com/MISSIONbasketball

SOURCE: MISSION Athletecare(TM)

CONTACT:
Wendy Kula, MISSION, 646.695.0863, [email protected]