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Ginger Goodspeed, Mother of Invention

I first ran into Ginger Goodspeed at the  California Lacrosse Convention at the end of last year wheres she was hosting a booth decked out with products from her company, Evespeed Sports.  We started chatting about the products that her company offered and one item really stuck out,  Gloversaverz!

Everyone has a favorite pair of old gloves that have seen so much use that the palms have been burned out.  The dilemma is that while that palms are shot the rest of the glove is still in good shape.  Well Glovesaverz solves that problem.

The idea is to put specifically designed pieces of material onto the problem areas before they become a problem and thereby extending the life of your gloves!

412 should buy a couple sets of these.  They run $25 bucks, and they come with easy to read instructions.   Using the Lacrosse All Stars standard out of 10 scale” the the Glovesaverz get a solid 8 from me. They probably will not improve your game, but they don’t interfere with control or handling.

Glovesaverz

I contacted Ginger Goodspeed to get some more info about her company and how things got rolling for Evespeed Sports.

Here is what she had to say:

Tell us a little about Evespeed sports.
Ginger Goodspeed: EVESPEED SPORTS began on the sidelines and was born from a belief that there had to be a way to make it happen!  It probably comes as no surprise that I’ve never been content to settle or stay inside any box.

Taking on challenges brings opportunity, and the challenges we came across in the sport of lacrosse proved to be no exception.  As a single mom, I teamed up with my fabulous 4 children to build this company and fulfill the needs we saw in the sport of lacrosse.

One of my earliest questions to them was, “What should we call our company?”  Later that day, my 14 year old son, Brandon, handed me a list of about 30 potential company names, with a * next to EVESPEED.  There was no doubt we would use it, as he had combined both of our last names, theirs being Eveson, and mine being Goodspeed.

It represents our tremendous synergy on this undertaking and all the projects that make us EVESPEED, so of course, we liked it and we rolled with it!

The GLOVESAVERZ are a result of thinking there must be a way to make the lacrosse gloves last longer, even with all the turns of the stick.  They just seemed to wear out on the inside way too fast.  I’m happy to say that now, they can last longer!  A lot longer, in fact!

The Glovesaverz have currently been tested and proven to extend glove life up to 5 x’s longer than without them.  And that means $avings that add up fast! As a parent of 3 lacrosse players, purchasing gloves at $130/pair every few months made little sense to me – just as the glove was nice and worn in, it was too worn to play; yet the back of the glove remained in very good condition.  That meant it was the palm that needed to be redesigned. So with that idea I began my trips to the textile store and many hours of prototyping to find the right substrates for the job.

Setting up the manufacturing required visits to vendors from previous companies I had worked with; and for the branding, marketing and packaging, I turned to my own background which includes graphic design.  Needless to say, I have learned a lot and slept very little along the way!

The StickSKINZ came from listening to several lax players at events and in a lacrosse store inquiring about a way to customize their shaft – from team colors, to matching heads to a stick that represents their favorite team, I heard the question time and time again, and the replies were all the same, “No, Sorry” or “If you want them to be purple, you would need to buy 500.  There really is no other way.”

So . . . we figured out how to do it!  Our unique lamination process is extremely durable and UV-resistant, so your color will not fade or transfer to your gloves.  For teams, they show a united presence even before the first coin is tossed!  And the designs are truly limitless.

I’m absolutely fascinated by the intensity with which each player plays Lacrosse, when they combine their passion & skill with their heart & soul, I created Custom POSTERZ so every player can put their talent and effort on display!  It makes sense to have your favorite athlete showcased so nicely on the wall.  All products can be viewed on our website at EVESPEEDSPORTS.com.

What was your initial step into creating the company?  Was it the Glovesaverz, StickSKINZ, the Posterz?  How did you come to be a lacrosse supplier?
Ginger Goodspeed:
The product ideas all came within a few days of each other, but the Glovesaverz idea came first, even though their process took the longest to prototype and produce.

Once I had the ideas, the initial step was securing a website, followed by millions of other little steps in a very compressed time-frame.  From rudimentary prototypes and lots of testing, to the branding, marketing and web-design; setting up the entire Glovesaverz manufacturing process; preparing for trade shows; and creating a small business, there was a lot to accomplish.

So much of it was new to me, and as I already work full-time, it required many nights of working straight through, staying awake for 48 hours at a time, and averaging only 3 hours a night of sleep on  the nights I did sleep, to meet the goals.  And that continues . . . we’re still quite new!  Considering that our formal product debut was on November 14, 2009, at the California Lacrosse Convention, and the concepts and ideas began in June, we have made tremendous progress.

Our supplier efforts are still underway.  If anyone reading this would like to carry our Glovesaverz, call us at 503-707-6530!

What was the most difficult step in the Glovesaverz process, from concept to final product?
Ginger Goodspeed:Early on, the main challenges with the Glovesaverz were finding the right substrates, and finding the right solution for adhesion.  Good thing we like challenges!  Happy to say we have found what is most effective on both counts.

Now we are almost ready to debut the Palmsaverz, a sister product that covers the entire palm, and is effective for players that use a lot of tape on their stick. It works on Hockey Gloves as well!

Give us some main highlights from your product line, and why players should buy from you.
Ginger Goodspeed:The Glovesaverz provide big savings, especially for players that play hard!  As Kyle Harrison noted, they also make it easier to grip the stick. It’s a WIN-WIN!

Making a favorite pair of gloves last at least 5 x’s longer, means not only savings, but no penalties for holes or missing palms.  Coaches love them because they also provide a quick fix if a player develops a hole in their gloves during play.

The Glovesaverz adhere instantly and are packaged with Super Glue to seal the edges, making them super-quick to apply.  Within a couple of minutes, a players is ready to go!  Putting them on a new pair of gloves is most effective and provides the best opportunity for increasing the life of your gloves!  It’s a small investment with a BIG return.

StickSKINZ are extremely durable, make the stick easier to grip, UV resistant, and colorful.  They also show team unity and pride.  With no color transfer to your gloves, the StickSKINZ are designed for long lasting use, yet they are removable and can be replaced when a player number, team or other information changes.  They also remove clean, leaving no sticky residue behind.  Rather than having 22 different shafts on your team, the StickSKINZ make them look alike, and can match their uniforms.  As it really is all about the team, they make the team presence complete!

The Custom Posterz put your favorite lax player on display.  From individual to team posters, it is easy to submit your photos and receive a keepsake that showcases their intensity and talent.

These Posterz are for any sport, so if you also have a Football Hero, Soccer Star, Baseball Player, Dancer, Wakeboarder or Snowboarder in your house, they can be showcased as well!

All of these products make great gifts for players or coaches!  And you can order a new shaft, SKINZed the way you want it.

What school do your kids play for and what positions?
Ginger Goodspeed:
Brandon, 14, is in his Freshman year at Sunset High School in Portland, Oregon, playing for Coach Jeff Dill of Sunset Lacrosse.  He is a Middie and has been involved in Lacrosse for 4 years, including playing for the Sunset Select Team last year.

Lexi, 11, is in her first year of playing for Sunset Youth Lacrosse as a Middie; and Cody, 10, is playing his second season as a Middie for Sunset Youth Lacrosse.  The kids are all-around great athletes, but once they picked up a Lacrosse shaft and started turning the stick, all other sports gave way to the game they now love – Lacrosse!

Tyler, my 17 year old, is very savvy when it comes to business and marketing, so he assists me on that side of the business.  Brandon travels with me for tradeshows, and works with me on product development and testing.  Cody and Lexi are learning about all aspects of the business and will soon be involved in the product packaging and manufacturing processes.  I’m very blessed by my Fabulous 4. They are what make us EVESPEED SPORTS!

You can check out all the products at Evespeed Sports.

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About the author
:
Middie D played lacrosse at BYU under the tutelage of former Head Coach Jason Lamb and Current Head Coach Matt Schneck.  He now lives in God’s paradise of Southern California, more specifically Orange County.  His favorite color is shocking pink, favorite food is candy corns, and likes watching telenovelas.

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