In 2016 paper from MIT argued that the case for the broad application of blockchain might not be as great as the early adopters would have us believe. Is this technology a panacea to all our modern day challenges? Something close to our hearts at Adé Lang is sport and of course, rowing. Could this state of the art technology be applied to sport? We love a challenge at Adé Lang so we decided to look into this further and see how these processes are being used in the world of sport. Could our pot of gold be found in a distributed ledger??
The distraction of Bitcoin
Look up these different terms and the definitions can be bamboozling. Yet at the very heart of what quickly becomes complicated is a simple idea. However, before we start, let’s remove the distraction of Bitcoin. Bitcoin is a digital currency built upon Satoshi Nakomoto’s seminal 2008 paper, Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System. Blockchain, and this is important, is the technology on which Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple and numerous other cryptocurrencies and private network applications are based. It is the application of blockchain that has the potential to be used across many sectors, far removed from a secure payment system outside of the reach of governments, central banks. We need to unravel the mystery of blockchain, not Bitcoin, to begin to understand what these new technologies are.
What is blockchain?
It is claimed that with these distributive ledgers great leaps in technology will be made.
What’s the benefit? Why the fuss?
There are a number of advantages to the blockchain technology. For a start blockchain offers a higher level of security. It would take an extraordinarily large computer to hack all the computers that reconcile the ledger. As a consequence, the data is incorruptible and easy to verify. This can be a very attractive prospect for financial institutions, healthcare providers and electoral commissions. Another advantage is there can be no single point of failure and the data cannot be controlled by one entity. No one organisation can maintain the ledger so control is shared. The digital nature of these DLTs results in record keeping that is fast, efficient and highly secure. Sounds good doesn’t it?
The world of sport
So where does that fit in to the world of sport? You don’t need us to tell you that there is a lot of money involved and made from some sports. The market size is huge and wide ranging from athletes, clubs and teams to events, brokerage firms, venues, and equipment. Perhaps not a surprise then that some entrepreneurs have embraced the distributive ledger and applied it to some of the more lucrative areas of sport.
Initial Coin Offerings – a funding model for future talent?
A great example of blockchain in sport is the rise of companies such as Globatalent, SportyCo and TokenStars. They all use blockchain based crowdfunding platforms to raise funds for up and coming athletes – Initial Coin Offerings (ICO), something that regulators globally are taking a long hard look at right now. Blockchain, they claim, offers them the best, most secure and transparent method of raising money from individuals not companies. By decentralizing investment away from agencies direct to the fans themselves, they claim that the sport industry will change for the better. The idea is that an athlete will view his or herself as an asset and issue his or her own cryptocurrency coins to fund their sport. The price of the coin will increase as the athlete becomes more successful.
The transparent nature of the blockchain means that fans and investors will have access to all the financial and training data from the athlete so there should be greater insight into what a fan is investing in. However, none of this comes for free and these services have to be paid for by the athlete. Any talented player is still signing away future earnings to gain the funding now. It is not obvious what difference it will make to the players themselves! These opportunities will of course still have to make financial sense to investors so will highlight the gap in potential funding between different sports. It doesn’t take much of a financial wizard to realise that investing in a rising tennis star will be more profitable than investing in your local women’s hockey team, rowing or squash club.
Make your data work for you
Of course helping individuals reach their full potential is not exclusive to elite sports. Perhaps of more relevance to the rest of us, there are signs that blockchain technology will allow an individual to ‘sell’ their personal training data to health and insurance companies. Microsoft and AMIS launched BraveLog 3last year working with a Taiwanese insurance company, Fubon Life Insurance.
They use blockchain technology to help customers reduce their health insurance premiums and incentivise healthy living. This is in the early stages of development but individuals shared their personal data from a triathlon event including biometric measurements onto a blockchain. The decentralized nature of blockchain means that the data is not controlled by the insurance company but the individual themselves. In the future there may be opportunities for this data to be shared with health care professionals as well as the insurance companies. The implication of selling personal data is not for the discussion on this blog but it is something that needs careful consideration before embarking upon!
Future opportunities in sport with blockchain
There are, we suggest, opportunities for blockchain use that have not yet surfaced beyond the drawing board. We are all familiar with the doping scandals that hit the headlines over and over again. This is a problem that will not go away. Could the transparent and secure nature of the blockchain be utilised to record the drug testing of elite athletes? Surely, anti doping agencies would jump at the chance to have the ability to demonstrate verified data that cannot be tampered with? If so, why is blockchain not being utilised by these agencies?
The same could be said of training data. At Adé Lang we love our rowing (you might have noticed) and when the boat selection has not gone our way, it can be hard to take sometimes. Would transparent, verifiable and trusted times and ergo scores help to understand how some decisions are made? Rowing has embraced technology and there are gadgets and apps for everything. Training data is key for coaches and there are already apps out there for coaches and athletes to use to create training plans and record ergo scores and physiological data. Could blockchain be used to make this monitoring easier and more transparent? If blockchain is an opportunity for recording rowing training data then could it be useful for many other sports too? Cycling, triathletes, and runners? The weekend warrior is often motivated by the latest in sports technology to get their training done more efficiently and as we have discussed their training information would be very valuable to health insurers and healthcare providers.
It seems unlikely that these blockchain applications have been missed but are not attractive to entrepreneurs because do not offer much of a return on investment. Anti doping agencies are not organisations driven by profit (or at least I don’t think so!) and the financial opportunities in amateur sports and their transparent training tools are not an easy sell.
Will I be going all-in any time soon on an ICO? No I probably won’t, not yet, but we already know there is a big difference between a speculative cryptocurrency and next generation data sharing, analysis and security that blockchain promises. Pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, not yet! Blockchain, AI and Quantum computers – now that is another story for another time.
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Rowing can be - and pls excuse the pun - a dry subject, but Andres Hernandez the founder of Just Rowing, has caught the imagination of the world wide rowing community and beyond. Posts on his Just Rowing Instagram page, where Andres shares photographs of people training and rowing around the world, genuinely tell a rowing story. With every shot, he conveys the hard work, tough training regimes of winning athletes and somehow also captures the context of our daily lives. Even as I sit and write, somebody, somewhere is putting in the miles.
Given the diaspora of contributors, it would not unreasonable to assume that Andres must be based slap-bang in the middle of the rowing scene. Surely he boats from Henley on Thames, or Boston, Hamburg, or Amsterdam?
Errrr, no. Andres lives in Mexico City. Yes, Mexico - not the most obvious home for a rowing enthusiast, or so I thought. “ I was doing sport almost all of my life”, Andres told me. He had played football for a number of years at school and then at high school he competed in athletics. “I was really good and then for the first time I found rowing”. Andres explained, “I tried to combine the two sports but I really like rowing.”
The rowing bug has well and truly bitten Andres and he now combines training with studying politics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Andres spends a lot of time rowing. You only have to talk to him for a few minutes before you catch his enthusiasm for the sport. “I want to row at the Olympics [in Tokyo].” This is quite an ambition for a young man from a place with only a handful of rowing clubs in the whole country but I have no doubt Andres will do it.
Andres Hernandez and the UNAM crew |
As Andres explained to me, rowing in Mexico is not very popular. “I want to promote the rowing in Mexico but I looked and we don’t have a lot of things [in rowing] to promote”. Just Rowing was born. With a goal to promote rowing in his own country, Andres turned to the rest of the world for inspiration. Over the last five years he has worked with a partner in Brazil Lucas Verthein and a fellow countryman Santiago Kurt to build up the Just Rowing brand and its number of followers. Andres’ network is not to be underestimated. Last summer it enable him to travel around Europe visiting the great and the good of European rowing as guests of his Just Rowing followers.
This experience revealed to Andres that rowing, training and racing is not the same around the world and it gave a further purpose to pushing his Just Rowing brand. “ My goal”, he revealed, “is to show everyone that rowing is not the same thing around the world.”
Andres is not taking the success of Just Rowing for granted. This is only the beginning of the story and he is pushing his rowing enthusiasm further and further into the digital landscape. There is already a YouTube channel, a facebook page and with his ambitions to row at the Tokyo Olympics, another Instagram feed @project_tokyo_america. This one follows athletes from the Americas on their road to Tokyo. This year there are plans for a blog that reveals the life of a full time athlete, showing the sacrifices that have to be made to reach the top of the rowing tree. There will also be more video blogs, more travel and of course more rowing!
Project Tokyo America
It was Andres’ drive and initiative that first caught the eye of Adé Lang and his enthusiasm is certainly uplifting. With the style and design of Adé Lang and Andres vision for the future of Just Rowing, our collaboration is going from strength to strength. We have lots of plans to work together in 2018 so watch this space.
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We expanded into our ready-to-wear range, forged new collaborations with partners in and out the rowing world and met many new friends along the way. We (even) had time to design some fab holiday jumpers! T’was the season to be jolly after all!
In the UK, spring brought us a new partnership with the very successful National Schools Regatta. We loved watching three days of challenging and fast paced racing while chatting to the crowds and congratulating the winners. The Adé Lang cufflinks went down a storm. This was a gentle introduction to the racing season in the UK and a great way to warm up for Henley Royal Regatta.
At Henley, as always, the world-class racing was inspiring and it was good to see our custom made blazers tread the towpath with inimitable style. Putting aside the Pimms for one moment, Henley was a great place to meet with clients, get feedback and talk to people about what they want from their sports jackets. Design is key to our success and we want our customers to look the part and be comfortable with it!
Of course, we are a jet set bunch at Adé Lang and in July it was off to Lucerne Regatta in Switzerland. We had the insider view at this event as our very own Leonard Futterman took part as a member of the U.S. Rowing Senior National Team. It really was the highlight of the year. Not that we like to brag or anything! Our brush with rowing ‘royalty’ continued as we attended the 2017 World Rowing Championships to join in the celebration of all things rowing and spread the word about the rowing blazer tradition.
Many U.S. schools and colleges are steeped in tradition and Adé Lang has worked very hard this year to promote the heritage and pride of the regatta blazer to the U.S. rowing crowd. The blazer has long been held as a badge of honour in the European rowing scene and to be awarded a club blazer is something very special. (Check out the ‘Blue’ blazers of Oxford and Cambridge and the amazing family heirlooms of ASR Nereus, from Amersterdam.) We are sure that the great U.S. schools and colleges will embrace this tradition too and take up the blazer to show their pride in their Alma Mater. Adé Lang is already the official supplier of the Columbia University Legacy Blazer and in 2018 to many more.
This, of course, is only the start of our ambitions for 2018. All the hard work we put into connecting with the rowing community has certainly paid off and we are looking to branch further afield to work other projects.
Watch this space.. Adé Lang is coming to a sports event near you soon!
]]>For the not so athletic amongst us, Christmas is a great time of year to watch sport, and enjoy all that spectating entails. Rowing admittedly is not a winter spectator sport. These dark, dark days provide the groundwork for the regatta season to come. However, other sports provide great entertainment at this time of year. For basketball fans, Taylor University in Upland, Indiana has a unique way to anticipate the holiday season. The Trojans, the Taylor basketball team, has a tradition where spectators arrive at the game in fancy dress and remain silent until the Trojans score their tenth point.
When this is scored, Christmas arrives in Upland!- You know the excitement and jubilation of the game-winning field goal scored on your home turf - that is what is like when the Trojans score their tenth point. The crowd goes wild and then all at once the spectators sing the carol, ‘Silent Night’ in unison. It's a tradition that was started in the mid-1990s by the then Trojans' Assistant Coach, Steve Brooks. As he says, "[the tradition] has now taken on a life of its own." See for yourselves (link here).
From what we hear, the Trojans' December game has become a must-attend event in the diaries of college students across the States. What a way to start the holiday celebrations!!!
The U.S. is of course no stranger to big sporting events on Christmas Day. This, however, is not the case in the UK. Henry VIII, (yes the one who had six wives) banned all sport – except archery – from taking place on 25 December. Having seen what Henry VIII did to his subjects when displeased, no major sporting events have taken place on Christmas day ever since. Or so we thought… there are some brave souls who take a festive dip in the sea or lakes across the UK. From Scotland to Cornwall, people take the plunge in freezing waters and seemingly enjoy it. Why? Who knows but there is clearly something to playing chicken with the elements. People come back from more, year on year.
In the UK the 26 December, (a public holiday for everyone), is one of the biggest days of the year for sport. The sloth of Christmas Day is shrugged off as the sporting public descend on football and rugby matches, horse racing meets, and hunting with hounds to name but a few. These events have become a tradition to many people, and it is a chance to get outdoors and blow away the cobwebs of over indulgence.
Whether you are watching and/or taking part in sport this Christmas, Adé Lang wish you a very Happy Christmas and a healthy 2018! Oh and if you want to look elegant at your next match, you know where to find us!
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Karen Bennett is an inspiring young athlete who makes me wonder what I have been doing with the considerably more years I have had on the planet. Already an Olympic medal under her belt she also has medals from numerous World Cups and Rowing Championships. Now a senior member of the GB rowing team, Karen chatted to me about what got her started 'messing about' in boats.
"In a way I didn't really pick rowing, I always say that rowing picked me." Karen has a soft Edinburgh brogue that might deceive you to think she was a bit of a softie. Do not be fooled, this girl is ambitious. Karen was introduced to rowing at 18, the result of applying to the Sporting Giants Talent ID programme she saw advertised by Sir Steve Redgrave. (This is UK Sport run project to find talented athletes to represent GB at a variety of sports.) Attracted to the "dangling carrot of the Olympics" and with a strong background in many different sports, Karen's testing proved her to be a good match for rowing. These sport scientists clearly know their stuff as Karen had not been anywhere near a rowing boat before!
Sitting in Leander Club, a bastion of the Establishment, generations gone by were most likely public school educated, Oxbridge graduates. It is a breath of fresh air to hear of somebody just taking up rowing without the whiff of elitism or wealth. Karen is a great supporter of opening up rowing to everyone. "I went to a normal school. It was a good school but we didn't have boats." She laughed at the suggestion that she is posh because she does rowing, and said, "come up to my house in Edinburgh and you will see." (Not an invitation!) "The Talent ID project" she continued, "has opened up opportunities to teenagers that they wouldn't have had before or maybe not even thought about."
Karen it seems is living the dream, making her love of sport her career. With her success story from the Talent Id project to an Olympic medal, I asked if she considered herself a role model for the young women coming up behind her. "I always try to do my best for women in sport and for kids that are growing up and to be a figure to follow." This of course leads seamlessly (a tailoring pun- yey!) into regatta blazers. Wearing a blazer at events is of course second nature to Karen; it is part of the uniform. "I want to look good and feel good, " she said, when making appearances at boat club dinners or business events. "This is me, I am Karen Bennett, Olympic Silver medallist and I want to make sure I am presenting myself well. I definitely think the blazer helps me do that. It definitely plays a role." Music to Ade Lang's ears of course and no we didn't pay her to say that! We chat about the highlights of Henley Royal Regatta and the array of blazer colours and patterns. Karen smiles and says, " I enjoy going to Henley to see the blazers as well because some of them are bonkers." Rowers do wear their blazers " to be proud of where you come from and what you have done and I think it is really good."
As with all dedicated athletes, Karen's time at the bar is short and she is off to prepare for the next training camp. As she leaves, I think what a positive role model she is for rowing and women's sport. So much so, Karen almost inspired me to get back in a boat... well almost!
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Our friends Montclair Rowing represented the US very well both on and off the water and the crew really embraced the Regatta traditions. We hope to see them back next year!
And they say nobody watches the rowing in the Steward's Enclosure... well to prove a point, here is Stefan Paetow from Abingdon Rowing Club watching the racing in his Adé Lang blazer. No phones allowed though, Stefan....
The Yale Heavyweight crew coaches have had much to celebrate this year. They coached the winners of the Men's Varsity Eights at the IRA National Championship Regatta and the semi-finalists in the Temple Challenge Cup at this year HRR. A good year for Yale University rowing and well they look good in their blazers too!
Adé Lang was extremely proud to be seen on the winning podium this year.
Peter Lambert won the Queen Mother Challenge Cup sculling in a quad for Leander. Peter is modelling the grey blazer very well we think! The design even allows for lifting of trophies!
Meanwhile, the Adé Lang team worked hard (are you sure?), mingling with the crowds and soaking up the atmosphere. Here was a real opportunity to see all the sights of the social season in full swing. The array of colours on display was inspiring and we were pleased as our lightweight blazers served us well in the summer sunshine. It was a great pleasure to be amongst people who love rowing as much as we do, and who celebrate their rowing clubs by wearing their club blazers with pride. We are so thrilled at the success of Adé Lang at this year’s Regatta that we are already making plans for HRR 2018!
]]>The Story So Far: It was spring 2016, and the Columbia University Lightweight crew had just won the IRA National Championships and were looking to follow up with a Henley victory. In celebration of this long awaited and hard fought win, they were looking to turn out their crew in a 'one of a kind' regatta blazer, the uniform of Henley Royal Regatta (HRR).
Thus began the collaboration between the crew and an alumnus who had rowed for them years previously and now ran a New York bespoke suit company called Adé Lang. Inspired by the challenge, the creative director, gBadebo Williams and his business partners Doi Iranon and Leonard Futterman set about creating a slim fitting blazer in a specially designed lightweight material. They fashioned a rowing blazer that combined the heritage of the rowing tradition with a hint of modern style. The crew was delighted and the first Adé Lang blazers were worn with pride at HRR.
Encouraged by this success, the creative trio pondered how to bring a whisper of that revolutionary zeal from across the Atlantic into their blazer design. The traditional regatta-look had stood in good stead for over a hundred years and needed no improvement. There were, however, opportunities to customize the blazers to suit all individual tastes and specifications enabling Adé Lang to offer a touch of originality to each jacket. The bespoke detail of each jacket - from the crews oar blade buttons, piping around the edge, to jacket linings and number of vents - affords subtle (or not) modifications without detracting from the overall class of the traditional regatta look.
That summer a decision was made to focus the business on sports jackets and blazers and take their motto - 'look good, feel good' - to the rowing world. This summer, Adé Lang is back to HRR for a second time. They are now tailors to many more US university rowing clubs and schools and forging partnerships across the global rowing community.
Of course, it would be disingenuous to suggest there are not challenges to creating stylish blazers for the rowing market. Understanding the physique of rowers was most important, along with keeping the price competitive and not prohibitive. Adé Lang understands that most rowing clubs and rowers are on a tight budget. They strive to make quality designer clothes at more affordable prices. To earn the right to wear a rowing club blazer oars people work very hard both on and off the water, and Adé Lang wants to reflect this prestige in their product.
Adé Lang won't be resting their blades after the celebrations of their second year at HRR. They are constantly on the lookout for new, exciting ways to create distinctive and elegant sports jackets. They hope to inspire more crews to take up the blazer-wearing mantle of those that compete at Henley. Wearing a blazer isn't just a tick-in-the-box for dress codes, it's an opportunity to show your pride in your rowing club or school. Slowly but surely Adé Lang hope to bring their blend of heritage and style to more sports, where teamwork, pleasure and hardwork combine.
Back to the here and now -It's Day One of HRR17, so keep your eyes out for the Adé Lang look on the River Thames this June.
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Rowing heritage is an oft-covered topic, with a rich history on both sides of the Pond. Whether the word 'blazer' really derives from jackets worn by sailors on the eponymous HMS Blazer, or indeed from the scarlet coats worn by competitors of Lady Margaret Boat Club in 1825, these striking sporting jackets are here to stay. Steeped in rowing history, these iconic blazers have crossed over to the fashion world and beyond. Who would have believed that Keith Moon, the epitome of a rock and roll bad-boy, would regularly don the stripes of a regatta-style sports jacket? Unlikely, perhaps, but true - such is the appeal of the regatta blazer. Multi-purpose and cool, a regatta blazer is as equally at home worn on the back of a Vespa or on the banks of the Charles River.
Adé Lang is proud of that long-standing heritage and, well, if an oar 'ain't' broke, why fix it? Taking the classic regatta blazer as a starting point, they have designed a slim-cut, elegant sports jacket that can be customized to fit all shapes, styles and tastes. With a variety of fabrics and colours, the world really is your oyster when it comes to choosing your blazer design. To combat the summer heat, Adé Lang have developed their own exclusive lightweight fabric to keep the wearer cool while maintaining the traditional blazer look.
Each blazer is made-to-measure, so there will be no struggling to do up the buttons, even after a good lunch! Every jacket is tailored to the individual and alterations will always be made to ensure an exact fit. Want a bright coloured trim? No problem. Want vents in the back? How many? It is in these details that a bespoke, Adé Lang blazer really stands out. Whether you want a raucous celebration when you remove your jacket, or more muted tones, there is a lining to suit everyone. The buttons are fun too, from traditional brass buttons to rowing blades. These eclectic touches will guarantee you a unique, beautiful jacket, even when you are wearing your club colours with your crew.Adé Lang can promise a beautiful garment but the jokes at the fitting may need working on!
We are really looking forward to Henley Royal Regatta. We can't wait to watch some amazing racing and, of course, add that Adé Lang savoir-faire to the banks of the River Thames.
As winter sets in the adaptability of the Adé Lang blazer comes to the fore. The slim fitting nature of their design and their lightweight fabric means that it can be worn underneath even the snuggest of winter coats. Once back in the warm, show off your jacket as it comes in from the cold.