Over the years at Teko we have expanded our sock network outside of the USA.  Now Teko socks can be found all over the world.  Our dedicated group of international distributors work tirelessly to spread the word about Teko and help people all over the world discover how a sock should really fit.

We would like to share some of Teko’s most recent international press appearances.  The Teko fit revolution is spreading across the world!

The Teko Sock Monkey in the Czech Republic:

TVS 51 Sonja Shoppt

The Teko Sock Monkey in France:

Click the image below for the article .

We want to see where your Teko socks take you.  All of us here at the Boulder headquarters love nothing more than getting outside in search of fun and adventure.

What are the two things that are almost always with you in any outdoor endeavour big or small?  A water bottle and a pair of socks.  Slap one of our new Teko stickers on your bottle, set it someplace inspiring and take a picture. Or take a shot of yourself or a friend in their Tekos enjoying life outside.   Send us that picture and we will throw it on the blog and our Facebook page. The best shots will get a full quiver of ski socks! Need some stickers? Ask you local Teko dealer or send a self addressed stamped envelope to: Teko Socks -4999 Pearl East Circle  Suite 100 – Boulder, CO 80301.  Email pictures to info@tekosocks.com

Here are a couple shots from the Teko staff to get you inspired!

Some sage words on balance in the life of an athlete from Teko Ambassador Hailey Johnson.  Haley is currently hard at work training for the upcoming biathlon season in Teko socks.

Yesterday I spoke to my former high school, National Sports Academy, about the importance of balance in an athlete’s life. My post-lunch talk is a part of a larger series of speakers, ranging from sports psychologists to farmers, and their perspectives on the process of achieving peak performance.

I do a sport where success can be elusive and fleeting – literally, a hit or miss. I view peak performance a bit in the same way. As an endurance athlete I train all year to prepare for a few minor peaks and one primary summit at World Championships or the Olympics. I could also call these peaks my goals for the competition season.
Visualize the view of Whiteface Mtn.:  Mt. Fuji-like in its symmetry, it emphasizes its peak – the summit – the goal – the top – it is but a mere point, albeit a castle, but nonetheless a small point compared to the mountain, the base, its dimensions and immensity.  For me, the summit represents peak performance and my goals for the season. As athletes, you know you can’t just go from the beginning trailhead of a mountain straight to the summit. That’s why it’s no news to you that the benefits in reaching peak performance are often not just in the goal but also in the process.

Whiteface Mt. Photo by Shaun Ondak www.shaunondak.com

Instead of being overwhelmed by reaching the summit and achieving my top goals, I reorient myself towards a different focal point – optimal performance.

This I know I can achieve time and time again: I can do it in training, while working, while traveling. Anytime. The ability to create optimal performances more often is similar to training your threshold for endurance – it’s your base. The more efficient I am at “scaling” 90% of the “mountain” means I have reserved my energy to make that last push to the top when I need to. I’m pretty happy with how my training has gone this year and I feel like I am right where I need to be going into the first races of the season. When it comes down to my Trial races this November all it will take to qualify is this last leap to the summit.

One reason why I think I’ve been able to create optimal performances and reach peaks in my career is because I’ve put a lot in to being a balanced athlete.

I look at balance in two ways: physically and holistically. Basically, how strong is your core and how strong is your mind?

Let’s look at the physical aspect first. My standing shooting position requires inner stability to balance out the weight of the rifle and to shoot accurately. If I set myself up right, then I give myself the best chance of shooting well when under the physical stress of racing – high heart rate, competition, heavy breathing.

One way I have created my physical ability to balance is by strengthening my inner core – my spinal muscles. This fundamental inner strength is undeniably key to all athletic movements. This strength creates balance, which prevents tensions and weaknesses in the body that can hinder your performance.

Demonstrating.

The other way I look at balance is much harder to define and more individual than the physical side. Here are 4 ways that I keep myself in balance:

Know when to be “on” and when to be “off” with particular importance to the “off” part:

It is easy to train hard, but it is hard to recover and relax, especially with busy schedules. You can’t be “race-ready” all of the time or else you’ll burn out or just go crazy. I know that in order to be fresh and ready to train and race everyday, I need some downtime to get away from the intensity of biathlon. I’ll head to Canmore, Alberta next week and one of my favorite things about Canmore is a great downtown yoga studio. When I need to get out of the hotel room and away from guns, I usually seek something like this out. But, when I can’t a couple winter knitting projects usually does the trick.

Diverse resources:

In a given day I can work with a shooting coach, head coach, strength coach, sports psychologist, mentor, team manager and physical therapists. They all bring different views to biathlon from their unique specialties. A different voice and approach helps balance out my primary coaching support and gives me another way of looking at a problem or task. *

Simply, Know thyself.:

By knowing your self, your needs, your follies, and your strengths you can be a bit more imaginative with what you need to keep you head, heart, position and often just your day in some sense of balance. It’s a bit about efficiency. Why waste your energy trying to juggle too many things, when you can instead use it to move forward and closer to your goals?

Knowing that I am more than just a biathlete:

I’ve been in and out of school since I left NSA, but in addition to keeping up with my education, I have always found a way to keep art and community service a part of what I do. Currently it comes in the form of visiting the LPES gym class. Don’t forget to remain connected to other interests, communities, clubs, etc. We often are so much more than we think we are.

But —– sometimes, no matter how hard you try, no matter what you do, no matter how good you are – your balance will falter. At the moment of a missed goal, a hooked tip, a slip on the ice, and for me, a missed target and all you can say is ‘damn it’. We all know what this feels like and there’s no hiding its momentary agony.

After a tough race or training session when I feel that all is lost, I’ve relied on my sense of balance to right me. When I am stressed or tired while racing, I can often hit only 50% of my targets that often results in additional minutes spent skiing around a penalty loop. There’s really nothing worse than having to make sure I count five loops around the penalty loop. However, these moments are humbling because they demonstrate that achieving balance isn’t easy. It’s challenging to have everything go right every time. But because balance is something that I know is key to my success I have learned a great deal more about being accountable and aware of what works for me.

In that respect, achieving a balance – reveling in equilibrium – is an optimal performance in and of its self: only steps away from your peak.

* * * * *

www.nationalsportsacademy.com

www.shaunondak.com – Thanks for letting me borrow your photo!

* www.greatplay.us Just one of my great resources.

nstead of being overwhelmed by reaching the summit and achieving my top goals, I reorient myself towards a different focal point – optimal performance.

This I know I can achieve time and time again: I can do it in training, while working, while traveling. Anytime. The ability to create optimal performances more often is similar to training your threshold for endurance – it’s your base. The more efficient I am at “scaling” 90% of the “mountain” means I have reserved my energy to make that last push to the top when I need to. I’m pretty happy with how my training has gone this year and I feel like I am right where I need to be going into the first races of the season. When it comes down to my Trial races this November all it will take to qualify is this last leap to the summit.

One reason why I think I’ve been able to create optimal performances and reach peaks in my career is because I’ve put a lot in to being a balanced athlete.

I look at balance in two ways: physically and holistically. Basically, how strong is your core and how strong is your mind?

Let’s look at the physical aspect first. My standing shooting position requires inner stability to balance out the weight of the rifle and to shoot accurately. If I set myself up right, then I give myself the best chance of shooting well when under the physical stress of racing – high heart rate, competition, heavy breathing.

A quick clip from combo training (rollerskiing and shooting) at the Soldier Hollow Biathlon venue during a National Team training camp in Utah this October.

One way I have created my physical ability to balance is by strengthening my inner core – my spinal muscles. This fundamental inner strength is undeniably key to all athletic movements. This strength creates balance, which prevents tensions and weaknesses in the body that can hinder your performance.

Demonstrating.

The other way I look at balance is much harder to define and more individual than the physical side. Here are 4 ways that I keep myself in balance:

Know when to be “on” and when to be “off” with particular importance to the “off” part:

It is easy to train hard, but it is hard to recover and relax, especially with busy schedules. You can’t be “race-ready” all of the time or else you’ll burn out or just go crazy. I know that in order to be fresh and ready to train and race everyday, I need some downtime to get away from the intensity of biathlon. I’ll head to Canmore, Alberta next week and one of my favorite things about Canmore is a great downtown yoga studio. When I need to get out of the hotel room and away from guns, I usually seek something like this out. But, when I can’t a couple winter knitting projects usually does the trick.

Diverse resources:

In a given day I can work with a shooting coach, head coach, strength coach, sports psychologist, mentor, team manager and physical therapists. They all bring different views to biathlon from their unique specialties. A different voice and approach helps balance out my primary coaching support and gives me another way of looking at a problem or task. *

Simply, Know thyself.:

By knowing your self, your needs, your follies, and your strengths you can be a bit more imaginative with what you need to keep you head, heart, position and often just your day in some sense of balance. It’s a bit about efficiency. Why waste your energy trying to juggle too many things, when you can instead use it to move forward and closer to your goals?

Knowing that I am more than just a biathlete:

I’ve been in and out of school since I left NSA, but in addition to keeping up with my education, I have always found a way to keep art and community service a part of what I do. Currently it comes in the form of visiting the LPES gym class. Don’t forget to remain connected to other interests, communities, clubs, etc. We often are so much more than we think we are.

But —– sometimes, no matter how hard you try, no matter what you do, no matter how good you are – your balance will falter. At the moment of a missed goal, a hooked tip, a slip on the ice, and for me, a missed target and all you can say is ‘damn it’. We all know what this feels like and there’s no hiding its momentary agony.

After a tough race or training session when I feel that all is lost, I’ve relied on my sense of balance to right me. When I am stressed or tired while racing, I can often hit only 50% of my targets that often results in additional minutes spent skiing around a penalty loop. There’s really nothing worse than having to make sure I count five loops around the penalty loop. However, these moments are humbling because they demonstrate that achieving balance isn’t easy. It’s challenging to have everything go right every time. But because balance is something that I know is key to my success I have learned a great deal more about being accountable and aware of what works for me.

In that respect, achieving a balance – reveling in equilibrium – is an optimal performance in and of its self: only steps away from your peak.

* * * * *

www.nationalsportsacademy.com

www.shaunondak.com – Thanks for letting me borrow your photo!

* www.greatplay.us Just one of my great resources.

TEKO sponsored DART Adventure Racing Team picked up their latest victory at the Desert Winds Expedition Race in the Mojave Desert. 2010 has been an amazing year for this crew. Teko is glad to have them on our team thrashing our socks in some of the most extreme conditions on earth!  Next up for DART are the National Championships in Moab. The following account of  their adventure in the Mojave was written by team captain Cyril Jay-Rayon.

The team (Jen Segger, Matt Hayes, Ryan VanGorder, and Cyril Jay-Rayon) just returned from the Desert Winds Expedition Race that was held in the Mojave Desert along the Colorado River straddling the Nevada/Arizona border. After nearly 4 days of racing, the team tied for 1st with team Bones who are good friends and incredible competitors. The 4 day long battle between the 2 teams kept the race interesting and as you’ll see, it really did come down to the wire.

Every now and then comes a race that reminds you why we do this. Desert Winds expedition was such a race. Everything about this race was epic and it was truly a racer’s race. The adventure was high, the sections were massive, and team work was the name of the game. We had competed in numerous Desert Winds 24 hour races so we knew that their expedition race (we raced for almost 4 days) would be a journey both physically and mentally. We were not dissappointed as our skills, determination, and self reliance were tested with each new horizon. Yet, the race was not gratuitous, quite to the contrary. Although each section was very long, the course was designed thoughtfully and kept things interesting and varied as it showcased the best the region had to offer. The course was designed by racers who are proud of where they live and they did an amazing job of showing us why. Completing a race like this was the reward for all the sacrifices we’ve all had to make to be ready (less family time, endless training hours, and less time for other things that life has to offer).

The race was broken down in a few mega sections which started with a 94 km trek/packraft, followed by a 163 km mountain bike, a somewhat shorter 38 km trek/packraft, and ended with an 80 km canoe/canyoneering section. Simple but daunting to complete.

The first section – 94 km trek/packraft – cleverly started at 9pm to lessen the effects of the desert heat (it was still in the 80s) with a mixture of canyoneering and packrafting from one canyon to the next along the Colorado. We climbed and descended canyons all night and at one point did 9 rappels down a canyon. The final rappel was down a waterfall into the Colorado. During that time, Bones took the lead with fast canyoneering and an efficient packrafting set-up. When the sun came up, we left the Colorado for the high desert for 45+ km in the heat and waterless landscape. The stunning vistas and challenging navigation along the ridges kept things interesting as we tried to chase Bones down. By the time we returned to the might Colorado at the end of the day, we had reduced their lead to some 20 mins but they again increased the lead back to 40 mins at the end of the packraft section that took us to the other side of the river into Arizona.

On the Arizona side, we had to climb out of a canyon and follow navigationally challenging washes on our way to our Transition Area (TA) out in the desert. This section was 30+km long so we opted to sleep 2 1/2 hours by the river before heading out. We knew that climbing the canyon would be incredibly hot as the canyon walls radiate intense heat. So by sleeping at the end of the day, we’d embark on the last part of the trek at night when the heat was substantially less. It was clear that this race was going to be long and that the heat was going to be a major factor so sleeping early in the race and during daylight was a strategy we were confident in.

As we climbed the canyon at the beginning of the evening, we were glad we slept as the heat was still overwhelming. Not a breeze stirred the air and it felt like we were in an oven just after it had been turned off. The heat eventually subsided somewhat as we made our way out of the canyon and navigated our way to our first TA where our bikes awaited. When we arrived some 30 hours after the race began, we were told that the race was put on hold as a team had not reported into a CP or turned on their SPOT. We decided to catch some more shut eye while we waited for an update. Some 5 hours later, we were informed that the team had been found that they were all doing fine. They simply had decided to camp for the night but had forgotten to turn on their SPOT and send an OK message. The unexpected break “off the clock” threw off our race strategy since we decided to sleep before the TA while Bones had pushed on but benefitted from the “off the clock” break at the TA. As a result, we arrived at the TA some 2 hours behind Bones. It was loosely agreed that the race would be reset with the original spread before we slept by the river which was 40 mins. So, we headed out of the TA some 40 mins behind Bones.

The 100 mile bike section took us through varied landscape in Arizona including remote corals, watering holes, a dried up lake, and across a high mountain range. We biked through the day and well into the night. As the night fell, we stopped and slept 1 1/2 hours just before climbing into the mountains. In all, we climbed some 10,000 ft while chasing team Bones whom we suspect hadn’t slept.

With sore “derrieres”, we transitioned to the next trek/packraft section in hot pursuit. A few hours into the trek, as the sun rose, we spotted Bones in the distance. It looked like they finally had slept which allowed us to catch-up. We were now once again within minutes from each other on a 38 km trek. The first part of the trek involved undulating terrain and challenging navigation to a somewhat hidden water tank at a CP. When we arrived at the tank, we caught up with Bones who were enjoying some shade as they refilled their bladders and water bottles in anticipation for the next part of the race which would take us to a ridge line overlooking the Colorado some 20 km below. It was a spectacular section that took us down another canyon to the scorching plain below on our way to the refreshing waterway. Although the 2 teams descended separately, we reached the water at the same time for the final 4 mile packraft to the last TA. Bones opted to run part of the way and made up some time as they arrived at the TA shortly before we did.

At the TA, as we were changing our wet clothes at sunset, it was the first time in 3 days that we felt somewhat chilled as the wind kicked up. As had become the norm, Bones left first and we chased, With the strong winds and the challenge of being 4 in a 16.5 ft canoe, we had our work cut out staying balanced and keeping the water out of the canoe as we headed in a cross wind. After rounding a turn in the river, we opted for an 1 1/4 hr sleep before heading into the depth of the night. We knew we’d be racing well into the following day so we needed some shut eye if we wanted to make it without the sleep monster rearing it’s ugly but entertaining head. 

The 80 km canoe section was interspersed with 4 canyoneering sections where we had to navigate to a canyon entrance, climb up, and come down another canyon to the river. On this section ,we could split the team and have 2 climb while the other 2 paddle to the next canyon to wait for the climbers. At the first canyoneering section, we caught up to Bones and from then on we leaped frogged each other throughout the night as each team took the lead and then lost it by some navigation mishap. Some of the canyons were stunning and involved some really challenging climbing, especially when sleep deprived.

As the sun came up, we had taken the lead but at the last canyoneering section we took a daring approach which didn’t work out. We decided to down climb and try another approach up an easier canyon. By the time we were climbing the easier route, Bones appeared hot on our heels. What ensued was comical given that we had more than 3 1/2 days of racing in our bruised bodies. Matt and I on DART and Jason and Roy on Bones ran to the last 2 OPs located on saddles. We took the ridge route while Bones took the gully route. The result? We got back to our canoe some 5 seconds behind Bones.

The last 11 km canoe to the finish was a blur as we paddled as hard as we could without missing a stroke. We crossed the finishline 43 seconds ahead of Bones. But it was clear that both teams deserved the win and had motivated one another throughout. And, the unexpected break at the first TA changed the dynamics of the first part of the race. So, after a very short discussion, both team agreed to share first place. Sharing first place felt right for each team.

For more photos check out our gallery.

We have no shortage of product testers here at Teko.  Climbers, hikers, skiers, Olympians, kids, runners, gardeners and dogs. Our socks see just about every form of abuse imaginable before they make it to your feet. Recently, Teko Athlete Matt Hart took this testing to a whole other level.  In mid July Matt set out to run the entire distance of the Colorado trail from Denver to Durango. 9 days, 7 hours and 48 minutes later Matt finished the route. All told he ran 484 miles and climbed around 75,000 feet!  Matt’s sock of choice for this madness was the Light MINICREW. Multiple pairs we hope! The following is the beginning of Matt’s write up on his adventure. Be sure to check out the great photos and video he has posted on his site.

Colorado Trail DONE!

484 miles and 75,000 ft of vertical gain later.. and somehow life really is that much sweeter. i’m in moab right now, recovering and making my way back home, which is… yes, salt lake city, not my van down by the river.

i finished the colorado trail on july 23rd at 12:18pm. i ran the 484 miles as fast as i could, which was 9 days, 7 hours, 48 minutes. i believe this is the 3rd fastest time anyone has ever covered this beautiful and awe inspiring piece of trail. i knew from speaking with very fast ultrarunners who do this sort of thing that the record was super tight. i found that out. after 3 days i had run 180.6 miles to the dam road by twin lakes. at that point i was 10 miles ahead of the record pace. but i paid for it the following day where i only logged 38 miles and couldn’t stay awake. and so it goes, i made a lot of mistakes, didn’t plan well enough for some sections, was stranded a few times and hypothermic once. none of that matters or tarnishes the experience because that is the experience. all of these things are expected when the goal is something this huge ~ the shit that happens becomes the deepest burned memories. it’s how you respond to that shit that really matters. all things considered the adventure went amazingly well on 3 days of planning.

i am however having trouble processing it all to create some concise blog posts. there is talk of an interview, which for me mentally is a lot easier. here are a few tidbits, i still haven’t seen all the photos and video yet, but here is a selection of what i have.

Head over to Matt’s blog, Tales of Endurance to see the rest of his media from the trip.  Thanks for putting our socks through the ringer Matt!

This group of adventure racing Teko Ambassadors recently pulled of a victory at the USARA Regional Championships in Tahoe, CA.  The team has been having a very successful season racing in their TEKO socks.  The following is the blow by blow of this grueling event written  by team captain Cyril Jay-Rayon.  Congratulations DART !

This past weekend, the team won the USARA Regional Championships in Lake Tahoe, hosted by Big Blue Adventures. The race also doubled as one of the Checkpoint Tracker National series race. The team was comprised of Mari Chandler, Jen Rinderle, Ryan VanGorder, and Cyril Jay-Rayon.

This victory was hard fought against the top regional teams in one of California’s most beautiful landscapes. The combination of high altitude and huge elevation gains made this race a true test of our fitness and team work. The course was cleverly designed with plenty of variety and navigational challenges. The race started with a 15 miles paddle across Lake Tahoe. The team came out of the water 19 minutes behind the Yoga Slackers who raced as a team of 3 and paddled a triple kayak. They were strong paddlers and their choice of kayak proved excellent. We paddled 2 double plastic kayaks and, as a result, had to work mighty hard to keep the time gap to a minimal.

The next section of the race involved mountain biking from Sand Harbor to Spooner Lake along the famous Flume trail with it’s gorgeous views of Lake Tahoe. Once at Spooner Lake, teams had to complete an orienteering course with 18 Checkpoints (CP) in no more than 4 hours (every minute after the 4 hour window, would cost teams 10 points, a hefty price to pay). CPs had different points value (with the more difficult given higher point value) so each team had to strategize which CPs to get and which to skip. We headed on the the orienteering section with the goal of trying to get all CPs. Ryan navigated brilliantly and we almost cleared the course. In the end, we had to skip one CP with the lowest point value as we got back to the Transition Area with only 4 minutes to spare. On the orienteering course, we caught up to the 2 teams that started before us. Although the CPs could be reached in any order, it was clear that one direction was faster and that the other 2 teams would have also opted for that direction. So, catching up to the to them gave us a good indication that we were moving through the course faster and would end up with the most points in the 4 hour window. With that knowledge, we headed out with confidence on the last but massive section of the race, the bike/trek section.

We had about 15 hours to get all the CPs on the that last bike/trek section which required us to ride almost 60 miles interspersed with foot sections where we’d leave our bikes by the side of a trail, put on our Vasque trail running shoes, and head out on foot in search of the CPs off trail. This entire section was scenic with many mountain top CPs and 360 degree views. The beautiful surroundings helped alleviate some of the pain from the shear distance and vertical ascent/descent we covered through the night and early morning hours. Every CP offered a scenic reward. During these 15 hours, we raced the 8 am cut-off time and succeeded with a mere 36 minutes to spare. We crossed the finish line after 23:24 hours of racing with a great sense of accomplishment and a deep appreciation, and respect, for Lake Tahoe’s backcountry.

Next up is another 24 hour national series race near Sonora, CA, in 2 weeks. We expect another tough course with tough competition. But, as always we look forward to an incredible adventure together.

Yesterday afternoon Teko Ambassadors Gregg Treinish and Deia Schlosberg begun their Connecting The Gems Expedition, leaving from their home in Bozeman Mt. They will be sending updates from the trail regularly which will be posted on their website as well as right here on the Teko Blog. Good luck guys!

First Update –  7/7/10 from Deia

“So, this afternoon we take off for the trail.  It’s been hard to pull ourselves away from our wonderful friends in Bozeman, but we keep having to remind ourselves that it’s only six weeks this time.  The last time we were preparing for a big hike, we were guessing a year but really leaving for two.  I keep flashing back to those feelings and getting overwhelmed, but when I remember that this one is different, I find myself getting excited about it–excited to be doing a project wherein the walking has a specific purpose beyond my own learning and experience.  I’m hopeful that by doing this we can provide data that will lead to a much more complete picture of animal movement patterns and problems between Yellowstone and the Frank Church, and hopefully some solutions will emerge out of that. 

We’ve spent the last five days finalizing logistics, packing, putting together resupply boxes and making sure our ducks are lined up.  The idea of having people come meet us on our route with resupplies is amazing–the whole project will be streamlined, and we’ll be able to focus on the hike and the film much more.  I’m fairly floored that so many people have volunteered their time to help us with the project–the support has been incredible and we are totally thankful. 

The route itself should be gorgeous.  We’re really excited to get to know our own part of the country in way more depth.  Even after hiking just the whole Bridger ridge last summer, I feel much more connected to those mountains every time I look at them or spend time in them.  Like I know them more and have an understanding of them–the animals that reside there, the geologic history and the water that trickles down from their snow melt each spring.  So to have a similar KNOWING of the entire transect across the whole Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and into the Frank Church is a very special prospect.  I’m hopeful that our documentation will do it justice and remind people that these areas are worthy of our awareness and that extra step toward understanding.  After all, we cannot appreciate that which we cannot understand. ”

The commuter bike of the week has become an informal Friday tradition in the world of Teko social media. It is a fun way to promote alternative transportation and get people excited about riding their bikes for transportation and for fun. 

 Up until now it has just been pretty pictures. Its time to up the ante a bit!Send us a picture of your commuter bike along with a short paragraph. Tell us about your bike, your commute, that time you got caught in a nasty hail storm on your ride home. Really anything having to do with your bike, your commute and why you ride.

The most entertaining and creative submissions will appear on the Teko Blog and the writer will get a FREE PAIR OF SOCKS to sport on their next commute!  Let’s see some bikes!  Send submissions to info@tekosocks.com and don’t forget to include your shoe size and shipping address. While you’re at it head on over to our Facebook page and sign up for the Teko Newsletter. We’ll keep you up to date with what is going on in the Teko sphere.

Now to lead by example, this week’s commuter bike comes from Teko’s marketing guy Ian McWilliams:

THE MONOCOG

“It’s not light, pretty or expensive but it always keeps rolling along. I ask this old Redline to do a lot; Winter snow commuting, summer racing and after work singletrack missions, even some road riding here and there. This is not the only bike in the stable but certainly the one that gets the most use. The frame has now done its job without complaint for over 10,000 miles!  More often than not I start my day from the saddle of this ride rolling along the bike paths of Boulder to Teko Headquarters.  Bikes come and go but this one will be around a while!”     

With summer drifting into the Adirondacks Teko’s Lake Placid, New York based Ambassador Haley Johnson is hard at work training for the 2010/11 Biathlon race season. Even with the demanding training schedule of an Olympic athlete Haley manages to be very active in her community. 

She is a strong voice in fighting the rise in childhood obesity in the US and believes that respect for one’s health and environment are intertwined. We are on the same page here at Teko and respect Haley’s commitment to her sport, community and larger environment.  

Haley recently had the opportunity to give the graduation commencement speech at her former high school.  She has a transcript of  the address posted on her blog. Inspiring words. Read the full speech here.

With so many great environmental non-profits around the country and world it is exciting to run across an organization running some very impressive programs out of our own region. Trees, Water & People call Fort Collins Colorado home, just to the north of us here at TEKO. Founded in 1998 TWP has a strong focus on conservation. Their work is centered around helping communities world wide care for the natural resources on which their sustainability depends.

Who They Are:

“Trees, Water & People is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that was founded in 1998 by Stuart Conway and Richard Fox, and is staffed by a group of dedicated conservationists who feel strongly about helping communities to protect, conserve, and manage the natural resources upon which their long-term well-being depends. Our work is guided by two core beliefs:

TWP develops and manages continuing reforestation, watershed protection, renewable energy, appropriate technology, and environmental education programs in Latin America and the American West. TWP’s international programs have been recognized nationally and internationally, receiving the Ashden Award for Renewable Energy, as well as awards from Kodak, The Conservation Fund, and etown, the nationally syndicated environmental radio show. TWP’s programs have been featured on National Geographic Television, National Public Radio, and in the Christian Science Monitor.”

How You Can Help:

• Donate to TWP - Private donations help to fund the organization.
• Check out their sustainable gift store. The store offers a variety of items made by artisans from their program areas around the world.  A purchase from this store not only helps TWP but also these local artists.
• Take an Eco Tour - TWP offers supporters a chance to travel to Central America to participate in their stove building and reforestation programs.
• Plant Trees- TWP has two programs in which interested parties can participate in order to help offset  the huge amount of trees lost each year.
• Follow TWP on Facebook and Twitter

There are many other ways to get involved with Trees, Water & People. Check out their website which is full of pertinent information. With  natural resource conservation and sustainable management at the fore front of our world, now more than ever, it is important to support organizations like TWP who are leading the charge in addressing these issues.  All of us here at TEKO thank you for the work you do.