McDavid signed Megan Hill of the U.S. National Bobsled Team as its newest endorser. Hill joins 2011 X-Games Snowboarding Champion Nick Baumgartner and Professional Slope Style Skier Ashley Battersby as the third McDavid winter sports team athlete.
A rookie to both the U.S. National Team and sport of bobsledding, Hill finished the season with multiple high-ranking placements, including second at the Europa Cup in Switzerland and fourth at America's Cup in Canada. Her career in bobsledding began summer 2010, following an 18 year commitment to gymnastics and a few years of pole vaulting and hammer throw at Auburn University.
“I had just finished up my collegiate eligibility and was looking for other ways to use my athletic gift when I heard about a combine for bobsled,” Hill said. “I went to the combine and did well and was then invited to the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, NY for a rookie camp. Just a few months later, I found myself on the U.S. National Team. I fell in love with the sport and it is now my main focus.”
According to Hill, McDavid's patented HexPad protective apparel has been part of her bobsledding journey from day one.
“A good friend of mine plays basketball and he wears it all the time,” Hill said. “He gave me the idea to wear it when I slide down the track – and I'm glad he did, because those rides can be so brutal due to the G-forces and 85 mph speeds. It's easy to leave the track with bruises all over my body, but HexPads really help to prevent that.”
Then there are the crashes, which take the bruising to another level. To date, Hill has crashed four times. She recalls her first accident and considers her willingness to keep training and competing one of her biggest championship moments: “It definitely shakes your confidence, but you just have to dig deep and get back in the sled.”
“I was on a mile-long track, which takes about a minute to get down, and we turned over pretty early on that ride,” Hill said. “What people don't always realize is that there's no way to stop the sled once that happens. You just keep getting drug down the whole track. My shoulder was hanging out of the sled and I got pretty bad friction burn from the ice. It burned through my training outfit, which is exactly why I find a protective layer of clothing and pads so important.”
Hill currently wears HexPad protective shorts and says she's looking forward to adding the shirt, elbow and knee pads to her arsenal now that she is working with McDavid on their product development.
“Megan has hopes of representing the U.S. in the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics, and we want to do everything we can to keep her body protected during her workouts so she is healthy for competition,” Rey Corpuz, director of marketing for McDavid said. “Although our roots are in football and basketball, HexPad Technology is already making a huge impact across winter sports like skating, snowboarding and skiing, and we are looking forward to seeing it take off across bobsledding next.”
McDavid notes that HexPad is used by more than 90 percent of NBA teams, 50 percent of NFL teams and almost all collegiate teams.
Additional McDavid athletes who sport HexPad protection include NBA stars Dwyane Wade and Corey Maggette, NFL Running Back Knowshon Moreno and Lacrosse Forward Ryan Boyle.
