Team SAFE Scoops Decisive Win at Los Alamitos

Scott Wolf and the rest of TEAM SAFE proved their mettle Feb. 21 at Los Alamitos 10k near Long Beach, Calif., as Wolf crossed the finish line with a decisive 3-second lead over a pack stacked with heavy hitters. The victory is especially sweet after Wolf’s heart-breaking crash three weeks ago in the Redondo Beach 10k, where Wolf and SAFE teammate Brian Talley, leading the pack in the final sprint, were taken out by pedestrian interference just 100 yards from the finish line.
 
At Los Alamitos, SAFE’s strategy – planned by Dana Eads – worked like a charm to wear out the crowd.  In the first half, Troy Attwell and Philip Mullin took leads and kept the pace, everyone on the alert. As the pack tired, with about 7k down, SAFE skater Dan Christman, along with Talley and Eads, launched leg-locking attacks, tiring the chasers until three-quarters of a mile to go, when Wolf, in a surprise move as the pack followed Eads to the right, sneaked off to the left and opened up a strong lead. Mullin, Jordan Malone and Attwell did their best to chase him down, but each one ran out of gas as Wolf held his inarguable 30-yard lead to the line, arriving with his arms in the air in a time of 18:10.

After unselfishly giving their best for the team win, SAFE members Talley finished 6th, Christman 9th, and Eads 14th.  

In the women’s race, Peggy Girgenti carried the day, followed by TEAM SAFE’s Mechele Busby and Haley Galbraith, who also took 1st in the 25 and under division.

RESULTS – LOS ALAMITOS 10K -- Feb. 21, 2004
1. Scott Wolf – TEAM SAFE
2. Jordan Malone – Mogema
3. Troy Attwell  – Salt Creek
4. Philip Mullin – Salt Creek
5. Chris Adams  – Salt Creek
6. Brian Talley – TEAM SAFE
7. Eric Doan – Rialto
8. Howard Yeh – San Diego Street Elite
9. Dan Christman – TEAM SAFE
10. Peggy Girgenti – Salt Creek
14. Dana Eads – TEAM SAFE

TEAM SAFE RACING PARTNERS WITH BONT

San Ramon, CA, February 18, 2004
 
Bont and Team SAFE Racing, both well recognized names in the sport of inline skating and racing, announced today that they have formed a partnership that will enhance the visibility of the equipment and apparel manufacturer through the efforts of the highly successful racing team.
 
Paul Sargenti, President and CEO of SAFE and senior founding member of Team SAFE Racing, commented “The team is pleased and anxious to be competing for Bont. The new sponsorship reinforces the hard work and commitment of the team to racing. More importantly, this union of world class talent with the best skating equipment will allow us to break away from the pack to promote professional inline skating and Bont equipment.”
 
Team SAFE, sponsored by SAFE, one of the nation's largest enterprises in the purchasing, financing, and servicing of residential and commercial security alarm monitoring contracts, began inline skate racing professionally in 1997.  The current team consists of Arica Armitage, Mechele Busby, Dan Christman, Glenn Crittenden, Dana Eads, Nastassia Hamor, Haley Galbraith, Paul Lomangino, Kim Perkins, Aimee Sanderson, Paul Sargenti, Sara Sayasane, Donna Shelton, Brian Talley, Christine VanHunnik, and Scott Wolf.
 
Bont intends to use Team SAFE Racing to enhance its equipment marketing strategy, specifically the inline skate wheels developed and manufactured by Bont in Australia. The timing of the sponsorship of Team SAFE Racing coincides with Bont’s release of its hot new indoor skate wheel.
 
Glenn Koshi, Bont’s US representative, said "Bont is proud to be a sponsor of one of the premier inline teams of California and the US, Team SAFE.  With top notch skaters racing for Team SAFE, and Bont's quality products, the association is sure to be a winning combination."
 
Team SAFE Racing represented Bont in February, with successful 10k races in Redondo Beach and Los Alamitos, CA. Racer Kim Perkins will appear in Team SAFE / Bont regalia in a special appearance as a trainer on the Travel Channel’s reality program, “Swimsuit Slimdown,” that airs Sat., March 27, 8-11 p.m.
 
For more information, contact Karen McQueen at (800) 669-7779, ext. 123, or visit us online at www.safefinancial.com and www.bont.com.