It’s no secret that many of the world’s most successful companies reside firmly in the realms of technology. In fact, the Forbes list of most valuable brands cites brands such as Apple and Google as the safest bets for steady economic growth. As a result, competition in the tech space is fierce, with trillions of dollars in revenue at stake; when it comes to the world of sport, the competition is even more relentless – small, dedicated markets demand the very best. After all, loyalty doesn’t win races.
Boatbuilders, kit providers and even event managers have had to face this reality, and despite their best efforts, most have fallen out of favour with the masses. A clear outcome is inevitable: death will follow a steady decline in product uptake in the wake of a competitor’s rapid rise to domination.
Yet this seemingly assured formula has been corrupted.
NK has emerged, and remained, for over 50 years, the go-to option for sports electronics, in large part thanks to unremitting hunger for innovation, deep-rooted in a fundamental understanding of the rowing world. With the LiNK Logbook’s introduction, NK enters a realm of seamless software-hardware integration, culminating in a magical experience for the user. As I once said, “One thing is certain – rowing must move with the times in coming years.” NK is ready to meet and exceed that challenge.
Developed in the NK laboratories, the pioneering cloud-based environment facilitates the connection of a CoxBoxGPS, Empower Oarlock or SpeedCoachGPS to an Android or iOS device that provides a suite of powerful tools to analyse data, both in real-time and after the session.
Coaches can view live performance data from multiple crews, athletes can review their efforts post-session, and anyone can connect with crews across the globe streaming publicly to the cloud.
NK has devised a simple two-tier system covering every use case: Basic and Team.
Anyone who currently owns any a CoxBoxGPS or SpeedCoachGPS can download the Basic LiNK application from the App Store for free, and enjoy all the system’s benefits. Namely, a detailed analysis of all portions of any recorded work-out, from a series of intervals to stroke-by-stroke breakdown of drills and races. Individuals can also accept invitations to join team accounts.
NK’s engineers have designed the Team plan from the ground-up for every coach. All compatible NK products can stream to multiple devices simultaneously, and each device can receive data in real-time from various CoxBoxes, SpeedCoaches and Empower Oarlocks. This allows for instances where coaches may be comparing data from numerous crews and cases in which multiple parties may be interested in a single boat’s data. Also included with the Team account is the ability assign coaches and athletes to your team for care-free data sharing across the programme, and the ability to track the location of boats – an indispensable tool for boathouse co-ordinators.
The free Basic membership also entitles owners of a SpeedCoachGPS to enter on-water races against rowers from all over the world, ending the ‘virtual’ erg racing era. For example, the NK Fall Series ran from September 10th to November 15th, with eleven races over distances between 100m and 29km. Scullers rowed their selected distance, uploaded their times and explored their rankings against athletes from every continent, allowing every club to take part in an international regatta on home water.
Rowing is undergoing a more rapid change now that at any time in its history. Clubs, Colleges, and Schools worldwide are being forced to adapt to the new world order or risk falling to the wayside. NK’s LiNK Logbook is the clear choice for powerful data interpretation, seamless integration with your favourite sports electronics, and limitless scalability to bring your team together in a period of immense unrest.
If you or your team operates with any of NK’s world-leading technologies, the LiNK logbook is the logical next step in gaining deep, compelling insights into the data you or your crews generate.
The Basic subscription is free, with the Team membership offering further capabilities.
You can download the LiNK app on the App Store for iOS, or the Google Play Store for Android, as well as accessing the platform online, or with Mac and Windows apps.
That’s all for now. If you’re hungry for more, check out any of our other pieces from The Catch, listen to the latest podcast episode, or flick through our race previews.
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