Q. What is Film Room?

A. Film Room is a new feature of Krossover. You could think of it as a new product, but really it’s just a new feature. We’re giving any team from any sport, the ability to upload their footage (from camera, hard drive, memory card, DVD, etc), store it in the cloud, and then give access to their team and staff to stream it from any device (Mac, PC, iPad, iPhone, Android device, etc.). It doesn’t cost anything, and it is available for all sports.

Q. What is the Tape Exchange part of Film Room?

A. Tape exchange is really just another way to share the video that you have uploaded. While the Film Room features are really to share within your team, the Tape Exchange part allows you to send and receive film from any coach, anywhere in the world, instantaneously. Which means no more driving half way to meet the other guy in the middle of the night, or wasting money on FedEx for that matter. Once again, Tape Exchange is totally free.

Q. How is this any different from what I already have as a Krossover customer?

A. With our breakdown service (which we offer for basketball, football, and lacrosse), the ability to upload games just to store them, and watch them, already exists. So does Tape Exchange. So this doesn’t really affect any of our existing customers because you guys automatically have access to Film Room / Tape Exchange (although there are some snazzy new improvements in the uploader and the sharing process). However, for customers from different sports, or even customers who don’t necessarily want to have their basketball / lacrosse/ football footage broken down, but rather just want to give access to their team to watch the entire game, then this is the perfect solution for you.

Q. Why did you guys build Film Room / Tape Exchange?

A. We’ve spent a lot of time speaking to our customers, potential customers, and the customers who are using other video editing solutions. Almost all of them found that video editing is just too cumbersome a process (which is why we never ask coaches to do the breakdown themselves – we do it for you). What invariably happens by the 2nd or 3rd game of the season is that due to the amount of time it takes, and how complicated breaking down film gets, teams just start uploading the entire game into the editor, and using it as a storage and sharing tool. So we thought to ourselves, “That’s Crazy! Teams are spending hundreds and sometimes thousands of Dollars buying a video editing solution, and then just using it for storage and to give access to their players and coaches? There has to be a better way.” And that’s why we built Film Room / Tape Exchange.

Q. Why is it free?

A. With the cost of technology decreasing every year, both for storage as well as streaming, we didn’t think it was right that teams with limited budgets were spending their money on something like storing, streaming, and sharing game film. That stuff should be free, and we’re committed to making sure it always is.

Q. What’s the catch?

A. Well, we’ll be honest. While there is no catch, we certainly hope that some of you eventually decide you want to pay for the awesome breakdown service that we offer. So we’re letting you store, stream and share now, in the hope that you will also want to have the film broken down and analyzed in the future. That’s our bread and butter, and it’s how we stay alive as a company. But as far as Film Room / Tape Exchange goes – there is no catch. We’re just happy we’re making an impact in the world of sports.

Q. When is it going to go live and when can we start uploading footage?

A. We’re working on some last minute stuff, making sure we have account types for all the different sports out there, and obviously doing a ton of testing and bug fixing. So we don’t have an exact date, but its going to be before the summer, at least for the first batch of signups. So make sure you’ve popped your email address in on the SIGNUP PAGE and we’ll send you an email as soon as things are ready for prime time.

Q. Who is going to win the NBA Finals?

A. That’s a tough one. We wish we knew. Our brain tells us Miami but our heart tells us L.A. We’ll get back to you on that one when we have more information though.

The plan was to announce our winner at our Final Four Social down in New Orleans but due to the number of entrants it was simply impossible.

After speaking to Ashton’s coach Jeff True it became clear to us that she was deserving of such an award. A follow up call and email exchanges with her mother only confirmed it.

Ashton was diagnosed with Hereditary Spherocytosis at age 11. The only “cure” was the removal of her spleen, after her surgery she was put on penicillin – an antibiotic she would need to take everyday. In 2010, the hospital visits became routine during this time Ashton continued to play many sports including; Basketball (her first love), volleyball, track and other student activities. During her senior year, Ashton finished 5th in the State for points per game, averaging just over 20.  She was chosen as State Second Team, and broke our high school record for most career points.

She also holds several other basketball records at her high school, including breaking the Basketball Decathlon record her freshman year all while managing her illness and a 3.8 GPA.

Ashton has signed to play basketball for Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas. We wish her continued success.

Congratulations on being Krossover’s Unsung Heroine of the Year!

Ashton averaged just over 20pts per game

Ashton Isch with her Coach Jeff True after breaking her old record of 111 free throws in a row.

I realize that both parties said the business side of sports dictated that this was the only way to handle the situation, and Iwon’t profess to know anything about the inner workings of a professional sports franchise. So for the sake of this article, I will take the words spoken at face value and assume the following:

• - Peyton Manning loved being a Colt.
• - Money and contract did NOT play into this decision.
• - Peyton Manning holds only good thoughts and respect for the Colts and Jim Irsay.
• - Peyton Manning loves being a quarterback in the NFL and plans to continue his career elsewhere.

The class showed by Peyton, in light of the gut-wrenching news he was delivering, was both inspirational and educational. Peyton, as he has done so many times in his career, had a game plan and executed it flawlessly. He displayed a perfect blend of humility, passion, emotion, gratitude, candor and perspective. In studying the video of this press conference, 5 Life Lessons can be extracted:

1. Be Humble, Be Grateful, and Be Thankful.
   Peyton thanked the Colts, Jim Irsay, his teammates, the employees, the media, and the fans. His outpouring of gratitude and thanks was the ultimate show of humility. The hero of the franchise standing before the world thanking THEM for all they have given HIM. While I have no doubt this was sincere, this simple act showed why Peyton is such a great leader.All human beings have ego. Those who let their ego become their defining characteristic are never effective leaders.  Those who suppress their ego for a greater cause are easy to love and to follow. Giving thanks and showing humility endears you to those you lead. Make a habit of it.
2. Don’t Burn Bridges
   Not one zinger. Not one snide comment. He threw no one under the proverbial bus. He placed no blame on any individual, nor the organization, for his release. Peyton stood there and thanked his organization as they sent him out to pasture. He took the high road in every sense, and it could not have been easy.Often, in difficult conversations, we are faced with an internal conflict as to whether to take the high road or get just one “dig” in on our way out the door. As satisfying as it may feel at the time, it is ALWAYS regretted in hindsight. Worse, the more cutting the comment is, the more damage is does to you and your reputation. The offended party is then released of all guilt and feels vindicated because you showed your “true colors” on your way out.
3. Remember the Big Picture and Keep Perspective
   Peyton chooses to focus on all of the good he has experienced in his career with the Colts. He states that he was blessed to be a part of the organization and to play in the NFL, and that nothing lasts forever.  He even pauses at one point to downplay his pain, and reminds us that there are tornado victims in Indiana who are going through a much worse time than he is.It is very easy to get caught up in our own problems. We are the ones going through them and having to deal with them, and it is easy to let them consume us. When you hit a rough patch, take a step back. Count your blessings and take notice of your surroundings. Things are never as bad as you think.
4. Value Relationships with Those You Work With
   Show constant appreciation for those around you. Peyton gives one of the best life lessons you can learn when he gets choked up talking about how they have “the greatest equipment guys in the world.” He talks about the employees in the organization, and how he wants to thank all of them before he leaves.How often do you take the time to thank the people around you who do the little things to make your job easier? Coaches, do you know first names of the custodians who clean up after you every night? Do you go out of your way on a regular basis to thank the secretary in your office who does the busy work so you can live your dream? Do you tell your family and your closest colleagues that you appreciate them every day? Nothing in life is more important than relationships. The more you value them, the happier you will be.
5. Love What You Do and Embrace the Opportunities to Do It
   Peyton has the eye sparkle of a 6-year old unwrapping his first football when he talks about being a quarterback. He loves what he does, he wants to keep doing what he loves, and he is willing to do whatever work is necessary to continue doing so.Find a way to do what you love for a living and you never work a day in your life. Coaches get this as well as any group I have been around, but even we need to be reminded of this occassionally. Let your passion for your work show and share it with others.  Doing so automatically inspires them to work harder and share their passion as well.

Peyton Manning not only showed the class and character that have gotten him where he is today, but in doing so, he showed every other team in the NFL why they should be knocking down his door to make him their next leader.

Wherever he lands, I will be cheering for him.

Watch the Complete Press Conference Video

A special thanks to Coach Czes for contributing to the Krossover Blog. For more, please visit his blog site: Sharing Ideas and Information with Coaches Everywhere

WHAT:  Every high school basketball season, there are athletes across the country who have the odds stacked against them – maybe they are making a comeback from a serious injury, perhaps they succeeded when the chances weren’t in their favor, or maybe a player has an illness or condition that they refuse to be held back by. Whatever your team’s inspiring story is, Krossover wants to hear about it.

As a provider of affordable data analytics for high school and college sports programs via an easy-to-use platform that automates the laborious process of breaking down and analyzing film, Krossover is well aware of the talent that high school boys and girls display each season. But this search goes beyond finding the top talent out there; the company is looking to find an unsung hero or heroine and hear their unique stories.

High school coaches are being asked to nominate a student athlete  and submit a brief explanation of why this player should be named the Unsung Hero or Heroine of the year. Please submit all entries via our Facebook , Twitter pages or just email us at gameon@krossover.com.

WHO: If you’re a high school basketball Coach, Player, Parent or Athletic/State Association Director we want to hear from you!

WHEN: On Friday, March 30, at the 2012 NCAA Men’s Final Four in New Orleans, the “Unsung Hero / Heroine of the Year Award” will be announced by Krossover during the National High School Basketball Coaches Association (NHSBCA) Social the company is sponsoring at the Hilton New Orleans (from 6-8pm).

PRIZE: The winner’s team will receive a free package of Krossover for next season, and the winner will also get Nike sports apparel, including the popular Nike Fuel Band.

CONTACT: Members of the media that would like to setup an interview with the founder and CEO of Krossover, Vasu Kulkarni, to discuss the contest, please contact:

Scott Cianciulli / Ali Colangelo
Brainerd Communicators, Inc.
cianciulli@braincomm.com
colangelo@braincomm.com
212-986-6667

You spend months working with a group of players to mold and shape a season. Countless hours go into designing plays and drills to help the team succeed. The time spent always has ups and downs, but through it all the team becomes a family. A special group that, in its current form, ultimately has an expiration date.

Now, the final buzzer has sounded, and that date has arrived. Some arrive more dramatically than others, but with the exception of one team in any postseason tournament, its arrival is inevitable.

Your season is over.

The words hit you like a cold bucket of water, and as you walk to the locker room, you search for words to console your team with. Depending on how closely your exit from the tournament matches your expectations for the postseason, you may or may not be prepared. Usually coaches have a feel for when the time may come, but no one wants to prepare a speech for this situation.

For your seniors, this moment will likely be one of the most painful memories they have from their time in your program. The harsh reality for most is that their career is over, the teammates they have spent years playing with will be going their separate ways, and they will all be moving on to a new chapter of their lives. Things will never be the same.

The words and actions you use can have incredible power to both console and teach, and will be indelibly seared into the memories of each player as they look back on the time they spent in your program. This may be the most powerful speech a coach can give, and has to be delivered while you are likely hurting as much as they are.

Every situation is unique. There is no instruction manual for how to approach this situation, but having some guidelines in the back of your mind can help you through it. Here are some of the guidelines we have used in our program to deal with this difficult time:

1. Assess the damage.
   It is usually best for the coaches to get into the locker room right away, even if it is in a separate area, because this is a highly emotional time and your presence will add stability to the situation and prevent any damage from being done physically or emotionally.
2. Comfort the ones who are struggling the most.
   Start by calming any players showing violent anger, then move to the ones who are upset. You don’t necessarily need to say anything. Sometimes a look, a hand on their arm or shoulder, or an arm around them is all it takes to give them perspective.
3. Bring them together and speak from the heart.
   When you feel the situation is under control, bring the team together. Have them in an area where you can see everyone and they are comfortable.This is where it gets tough. There is no script for this moment, and your emotions will be tugging at you no matter who you are. Even if you are great at keeping it together, you will likely be faced with at least a player or two that you care about staring back at you with tears in their eyes. Some ideas to help shape what you say:
   • Let them know it is OK to hurt, and that you hurt too.
   • Don’t address this game. The season and the journey are more important now.
   • Point out the positives of the season. Remind them of the good things that took place that are making this so difficult for them.
   • Tell them they are going to be OK. They won’t want to hear it, but something about hearing those words always helps.
   • Remind them that they will always have a home and a family in your program and that they will remember the good times and experiences you just talked about rather than the way it all ended.
   • Thank them, tell them you are proud of them, and tell them you love them.
4. Encourage the younger players to thank the seniors.
   The younger players will be affected by what you say, and will carry this into next season. Knowing that they will experience gratitude from their teammates when their last day comes will motivate them to lead positively.
5. Give them the time and location of your next meeting, and tell them to take their time.
   Telling them when you will see them again (equipment turn in, end of season meeting, awards night, etc) helps take the edge off of the finality of the situation. There is no need to rush to the end of this night. Let the players have as much time as they need together before going home.

Some years will be tougher than others, some teams will react differently than others, but handling the end of a long journey is never easy. Be the resilient role model they expect to see, and they will learn to become resilient role models by your example.

THAT is why you coach in the first place.

A special thanks to Coach Czes for contributing to the Krossover Blog. For more, please visit his blog site: Sharing Ideas and Information with Coaches Everywhere

As we grow larger, it is important  to us that we are backed by individuals that share the same vision for the company. We will continue to be the best and only in providing data analytics technology to the sports world, helping coaches and players everywhere become a better team. 2012 will bring new sports and helpful innovative features to the online platform. Stay tuned!

KROSSOVER COMPLETES 2011 ANGEL FUNDING ROUND, RAISING $3.5 MILLION

Innovator in Sports Data Analytics for Basketball Expanding into Lacrosse, Football and other Markets Beginning 2012

New York, NY – February 28, 2012 – Krossover, the innovator in providing affordable, easy-to-use data analytics for high school and college sports programs, announced today it raised $3.5 million in angel funding in 2011. The new funding brings Krossover’s total capital raised to approximately $4 million since 2009.

The financing round was led by private investments from Ken Fox (Managing Partner of The Stripes Group), George Raveling ( Director of Nike Basketball International, former head basketball coach at USC), Greg Cangialosi (CEO of Nucleus Ventures LLC, former CEO of Blue Sky Factory), David Troy (CEO of 410Labs and creator of  Shortmail.com and Twittervision.com) and  other angel investors.

“I want to thank Ken, George, Greg and David not just for their financial support of Krossover but also their strategic guidance and enthusiasm for spreading the word about our product,” said Vasu Kulkarni, founder and CEO of Krossover. “Their support has been vital to our rapid customer growth in basketball, as well as the development of our new vertical offerings, the investments we are making in our video analysis platform and the opening of our New York City office that currently houses 10 employees.  The ongoing support for Krossover validates our vision of providing high school and collegiate sports teams with a sophisticated yet intuitive online platform for analyzing their game footage.”

Accessible from a PC, iPad or iPhone, Krossover offers a comprehensive and affordable video analytics platform that breaks down and indexes video and gives all of the statistics needed to analyze a team’s or specific player’s performance across a variety of offensive and defensive categories. Krossover is the first and only digital tool that addresses the time, cost and competitive impediments to using game film for coaching and preparation, and has helped revolutionize the way 500-plus high school and college basketball teams utilize game footage, including the University of Kentucky and the Springfield Armor of the NBA Development League.

The Company recently entered the lacrosse vertical, with over 75 college and high school programs already signed up for the 2012 season, including Princeton, Georgetown and the University of Pennsylvania (UPENN)  among prominent Division 1 programs, and top high school squads such as Darien (CT), Boys Latin (MD) and Newtown Square (PA)’s Episcopal Academy. Krossover’s vertical expansion is expected to continue over the course of 2012, with the beta launch of the Company’s football offering scheduled to occur shortly.

To date, Krossover has indexed over 450,000 minutes of game video, including 8,500 games and more than 1.5 million individual plays.

Krossover was founded in 2008 by Vasu Kulkarni, a lifelong avid basketball fan and former member of the Junior Varsity team at the University of Pennsylvania, who sought to use technological innovation to help coaches and teams win. Prior to founding Krossover, Mr. Kulkarni held a number of technology and engineering positions. Mr. Kulkarni holds a BS in Computer and Telecommunications Engineering and Entrepreneurship from the University of Pennsylvania. Krossover’s analytics capabilities are overseen by James Piette, the company’s Director of Analytics. Mr. Piette is a sports analytics expert, having written several peer-reviewed articles on statistical research in sports and developed statistical models to address various sports issues including player utilization performance prediction metrics. Mr. Piette holds three Bachelor’s degrees from Trinity College and a Ph.D from the Wharton School of Business with a concentration in statistics.

About Krossover

Krossover, a New York City-based startup, is a video coordinator that provides sophisticated data analytics technology to the sports world.  With an intuitive online platform easily accessible by thousands of high school and college programs, Krossover enables coaches to use video to improve the success of their athletic programs by eliminating the time and financial impediments to managing their filmed content.  With an estimated 95% of high school and college athletic programs now recording game video, Krossover is accelerating the use of indexed, on-demand video content by programs of all sizes.

Learn more about Krossover at www.krossover.com.

Krossover Lax Now in Full Release:  You Upload the Film, We Break it Down and Analyze It in 36 Hours Or Less

New York, NY – February 28, 2012 – Krossover, the innovator in providing affordable, easy-to-use data analytics for high school and college sports programs, announced today that the same online video and analytics platform that helped revolutionize the way 500-plus high school and college basketball teams utilize game footage to increase their chances of winning is now transforming another sport with the official launch of Krossover Lacrosse.The first and only comprehensive digital tool that addresses the time, cost and competitive impediments to using game film for coaching and preparation, Krossover Lacrosse brings users all the functionality that has made loyal fans of thousands of basketball coaches nationwide since 2010.  Accessible from a PC, iPad or iPhone, Krossover is a coach’s personal video coordinator, breaking down your film for you and providing full box scores, indexed play-by-play video and all the team and individual player stats needed to analyze a game on the offensive and defensive ends, including:

• Shooting and scoring
• Face-off and man-up performance
• Possession stats including assist-to-turnover ratio, unforced lost ball percentage and ground balls
• Forced turnovers and saves
• Aggressive plays, including stick- and body-checking, deflections and blocks

Krossover founder and CEO Vasu Kulkarni said, “We’re excited to be making Krossover Lacrosse available nationwide after a successful beta testing period involving 15 of the nation’s top high school and college programs.  As we travel around the country and talk to teams, we’re consistently hearing, especially from high school coaches who have full time jobs, that they don’t have the time to scour over game film or the resources to hire professionals to create a detailed analysis of every component of the game – let alone provide that type of detailed info on rival teams.  The feedback we’ve received from the pilot program has been great and we’ve been able to optimize the product for usage and accessibility, enabling us to deliver on key promise to our customers:  get them their film break-down fast – at an affordable price –  and in a format that’s so intuitive, most coaches never even need to make a service call.”

Vasu also noted that Krossover isn’t just for coaches:  “One of the features our customers love most is the ability for players to create their own highlight reels and stat reports, which aids tremendously in their recruiting efforts and makes for a fun social tool for faraway family members.”

In conjunction with the full product release, Krossover reported that more than 75 college and high school programs have already signed up for the 2012 season, including Princeton, Georgetown and Boston University among prominent Division 1 programs, and top high school squads such as Darien (CT), Boys Latin (MD) and Newtown Square (PA)’s Episcopal Academy.

Andy Hayes, Head Boy’s Lacrosse Coach at Episcopal and who has been a beta user for a year, stated, “I am a big supporter of the Krossover product and have been since I first saw a demo.  I used to spend hours breaking my game film down manually, but now Krossover does it for me quickly and accurately, and I can instantly share clips with my players showing them how to improve.  Put simply, Krossover lets me focus on coaching my team. ”

Sean Morris, the Major League Lacrosse star who played collegiately at the University of Massachusetts and is now a director at the Laxachusetts summer lacrosse program, also took part in the beta program. “Krossover has enabled us to add detailed film analysis to our summer team – something that was very difficult for us to do in the past because of the amount of time it takes to break down the tape. Since signing up with Krossover, we have been able to provide our players with individualized breakdowns and personalized feedback on every possession of every game. And the best part is, they can watch it all from the comfort of their own homes or their mobile devices – unlike when I played in college and had to physically be in the film room.”

Krossover Lacrosse, which processes video in 12-36 hours based on a tier of subscription packages, is following on the heels of the company’s highly successful basketball offering, now used by 500 programs nationwide ranging from the University of Kentucky to DeMatha High School.  To date, Krossover has indexed over 450,000 minutes of game video, including 7,500 games and more than 1.5 million individual plays.  The company is rapidly expanding into new sports verticals, with plans to launch its football offering in late summer 2012.

About Krossover

Krossover, a New York City-based startup, is a video coordinator that provides sophisticated data analytics technology to the sports world.  With an intuitive online platform easily accessible by thousands of high school and college programs, Krossover enables coaches to use video to improve the success of their athletic programs by eliminating the time and financial impediments to managing their filmed content.  With an estimated 95% of high school and college athletic programs now recording game video, Krossover is accelerating the use of indexed, on-demand video content by programs of all sizes.

Learn more about Krossover at www.krossover.com.