Newly appointed RIP-IT Sports CEO Janelle Anderson is already making swift moves in keeping with the momentum around women’s sports, appointing former American Airlines executive Amy Craven as RIP-IT’s first Chief Marketing Officer ahead of the brand’s fall launch of its FUTURE Volleyball Court Shoe and Ringor Pro Softball Cleat – both designed exclusively for female athletes.
According to recent data released by Klarna and Sports Innovation Lab in the July 2024 “Rep Her” report, women’s sports merchandise represents a $4 billion unmet opportunity – not the least of which is apparel and gear built to enhance performance for girl and women athletes.
“Athletes and fans alike are done with the ‘Pink It and Shrink It’ mentality that has dominated sports for far too long, as women are built to live and play differently than men,” said Anderson, who joined as RIP-IT CEO in April 2024. “Amy is joining RIP-IT at a critical time for not just our organization, but the entire women’s sports ecosystem, when the brands that are truly invested in this space must step up to drive awareness and support of female athletes.”
RIP-IT gear, designed in Orlando with financial backing by Dallas/Fort Worth-based Gauge Capital, is guided by extensive data and insights to enhance performance and protect female softball, volleyball, and soccer players. Its highly anticipated FUTURE Volleyball Court Shoe, available nationwide at RIPIT.com, select Dick’s Sporting Goods, Scheels and Hibbett Sports, features a first-of-its-kind custom fit exclusively for female volleyball athletes with a 360-degree fit system eliminating heel slippage, a wider toe box, enhanced sole traction with three strategically placed flex grooves that align with the natural movement of women’s feet when running or jumping, as well as anti-ankle roll technology that significantly reduces the likelihood of injuries. In a recent pilot study by VERT Performance Lab, RIP-IT’s female-forward innovations in the FUTURE Volleyball Shoe lessened the impact from landings that lead to injuries by 63.24 percent. This groundbreaking achievement has led VERT to award the RIP-IT FUTURE with their first-ever VERT Certification.
Along with the consumer launch of RIP-IT’s FUTURE Volleyball Shoe, Craven will leverage her more than 18 years of marketing experience to grow the RIP-IT brand through paid and owned content, as well as earned media and influencer engagement, at a time when women’s sports are undergoing an unprecedented boom.
“The common vernacular right now is that women’s sports isn’t having a moment, it’s a movement,” said Craven. “Nowhere is that more obvious than RIP-IT as a sports brand being led by women, for women. This isn’t a baseball company that decided haphazardly to expand into softball. RIP-IT is first and foremost built to get girls and women to join – and stay in – the game.”
As the world turns its eyes to Paris this summer to cheer on the most elite female athletes, here in the United States, fans can expect to see RIP-IT introduce its newest gear and apparel with the help of top-tier collegiate volleyball and softball players – to be unveiled soon.
To join RIP-IT in its support of girl and women athletes across volleyball, softball, soccer and more, follow RIP-IT on social media at @RIPITSports.
