Last Spring, Tyler Williams, Sports Science Coordinator and Assistant Athletic Trainer for the Los Angeles Rams, reached out to OOFOS to learn more about our shoes and the recovery benefits that they could provide to his team.
During the first conversation with Williams, he explained that the LA Rams strive to be the most innovative and technologically savvy training staff in the NFL. He’d heard great things about OOFOS, and recognized the potential of our shoes as a breakthrough technology for his players. As the leader in recovery footwear, OOFOS definitely fits into the innovative/new technology category, so we also saw our brand as natural fit for the Rams.
I’d arranged to send pairs first for the trainers to try out, and very soon afterwards, orders for players started coming in as well. The Rams were feeling the OO, and we were invited to California to visit during training camp.
Last month, I joined Deb Gendreau-Flynn, President of OOFOS, and Linda Jaros, Sports Muscular Therapist and OOFOS Company Spokesperson at UC Irvine to meet with Williams. When considering how hard football is on the body and the importance of fast and effective recovery solutions to keep players healthy in the NFL, Williams and his colleagues have a somewhat unique set of insights relating to athletic recovery. This trip was both an opportunity to get feedback from and engage with a group of fitness professionals who had been wearing OOFOS all summer and focus on recovery for a living.
When we arrived on campus, the energy of the Rams’ return to Los Angeles and the first week of training camp created a buzz of excitement that was almost palpable. We showed up a little early and were rewarded by getting to see some of the players like Cody Sensiba heading to lunch with OOFOS on their feet! A little later that day, we learned from head trainer Reggie that players were encouraged to wear OOFOS while walking from place to place on the sprawling campus of UC Irvine to take advantage of walking time as recovery time.
I was touched by the warm welcome of Williams and the training staff as well as Coach David McGinnis, known by those closest to him as Coach Mac, who walked in to the training room wearing a pair of OOriginal Sports. He enthusiastically greeted us and said that, “After 31 years coaching in the NFL as a coach at every level from Assistant Coach to Head Coach, I know what is real and what works. OOFOS are both real and they work.”
By the time practice got under way, we’d talked with players, trainers, team physicians and coaches who’d all been wearing OOFOS over the summer. They reported positive changes including pain reduction in feet, ankles and knees and less occurrences of chronic injury and over-use issues in their lower bodies. In one case, OOFOS had alleviated so much pain from a prior knee injury that a post-season replacement was going to be postponed for at least a year.
We also listened to the negative feedback, specifically that we don’t make OOFOS in men’s size 15 and 16, so the players with larger feet can’t wear OOFOS. I can proudly say that we heard you and are planning to increase the size runs in a few styles.
Now that training camp is wrapped up and the regular season starts today, we look forward to seeing the Los Angeles Rams play a spectacular season! OOFOS is proud to be a part of their success and looks forward to sharing the OO with new audiences everywhere.
