WILHELMINA REACHES FOR GOLD WITH A FEMALE
OLYMPIC ATHLETE
Sports Division
Continues to Grow with the Addition of Speed Skating to the Impressive Roster
(September
2, 2008) – New York, NY – Wilhelmina Artist Management (WAM), a division of
Wilhelmina Models, announced today the signing of Allison Baver, an Olympic
speed skater, as the talent division continues to develop a sports department
emphasizing the beauty and athleticism of female athletes.
In
June, Wilhelmina announced the Wilhelmina 7 - seven members on the LPGA Tour who
have signed exclusive representation agreements with Wilhelmina and have
received an onslaught of media attention.
Allison Baver, a U.S. short track speed skater, trains with the
U.S. permanent winter sports Olympic team, in Salt Lake City, Utah. In the 2005-2006 seasons, she was
ranked third overall in the World Rankings. In the 2006 Winter Olympics, in Turin, Italy, Baver finished
seventh in the Women's 500m
competition, following a third place finish in Semifinal A and a fifth place
finish in Final B, due to a collision with the Czech Republic's
Katerina Novotna, taking
her out of the race.
On February 25,
2007, Allison won her
first U.S. National Championship and with
Vancouver 2010 on her radar screen, Allison aspires for gold and is delighted
to sign with Wilhelmina.
Allison
commented, “When I was presented this opportunity with Wilhelmina, I was
elated. I’m so excited to have
just signed with one of the strongest, most diverse agencies in world as I’m
about to go into the Vancouver Olympic Games. She continues, “Wilhelmina
completes everything I've been trying to accomplish over the last several
years. Underneath my ice skates and uniform I'm still a young woman who
loves hair, make-up and fashion - and have been trying to integrate my two
passions for quite some time!”
Dieter
Esch, Chairman and CEO for Wilhelmina states, “We are equally excited to have
signed Allison. There is an appeal
factor when you combine femininity and superior athleticism in the
marketplace.”
About Speed Skating:
Short
Track speed skating is an elimination sport where skaters compete against each
other, not the clock. Individual events consist of a series of heats featuring
four to six skaters at a time in a mass start; the first two across the finish
line advance to the next heat. In the shadow of long track skating, short track
did not become an Olympic medal event until 1992. In its brief history in the
Olympics, it has passed Long Track in participation and interest around the
world. The speed, ( up to 35 mph), the tightness of the indoor track, the
closeness of the skaters and the potential for collisions combine to make it
extremely popular with spectators.
About
Wilhelmina Artist Management
In 1998, as an
innovator in the industry, Wilhelmina Models became the first fashion company
to develop a specific division to exclusively represent premier talent in the
worlds of music, sports and entertainment. Today, that division called
Wilhelmina Artist Management is one of the industry's finest; with a roster
that includes Fergie, Natasha Bedingfield, Ciara, Heather Graham, Amy Smart and
Justin Chambers, among others. Wilhelmina
Artist Management creates, develops and manages celebrity-powered campaigns,
product lines, private brand licensing, endorsements, sponsorships, talent
appearances and corporate entertainment strategies.
