Chaz Ortiz on Gatorade

Gatorade Welcomes Chaz Ortiz to the Team
Ortiz Signs Sponsorship Agreement With Gatorade

CHICAGO, January 5, 2009 -- The Gatorade Company, a division of PepsiCo, announced today the addition of 14-year-old skateboarder Chaz Ortiz to its elite team roster. This is Ortiz’s first beverage sponsorship deal.

“The support from Gatorade means a lot to me and I think it’s important for skateboarding too,” said Ortiz. “It’s a sweaty sport, and if you want to stay out there and keep skating, you have to be hydrated so it just makes sense for Gatorade to support skaters.”

Ortiz is one of the top young up-and-comers and took home several big wins in 2008, including the overall 2008 Dew Tour title in Skate Park, edging out three-time reigning champ Ryan Sheckler.

In addition to working with action sports athletes like Ortiz, snowboarder Ellery Hollingsworth, and BMX rider Nigel Sylvester, Gatorade also has plans to support professional and amateur action sports events in 2009 and will do more with parks and in films as well.

“We’re excited to take our presence in action sports to the next level,” said Kenny Mitchell, action sports team manager with Gatorade. “Many skaters are using our products already because they know Gatorade is what you reach for when you want to stay hydrated and fueled so you can session longer. We think tapping into this interest is a very authentic move for us as a brand.”

For more go to GATORADE.