OOFOS and USA Gymnastics have Partnered for the Perfect Fit

By Joey Johnston

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It’s the OOFOS U.S. Gymnastics Championship — a gathering of the best and brightest American talent, former Olympians, future Olympians, legends, up-and-comers.

For gymnastics newbies seeking an education Thursday night at Amalie Arena, there was an initial lingering question:

OOFOS?

Yes, it fits securely as the presenting sponsor. It’s a line of recovery footwear, shoes and slides designed to pamper the feet after pounding workouts. Whether you’re a gold medalist or running a couple of miles after work, who can resist some foot comfort.

It was a win-win for USA Gymnastics, which secured the first presenting sponsor for its signature event since 2017. For OOFOS, a Boston-based company founded in 2011 that says its foam technology takes pressure off the ankles and joints while providing cushioned stability, it’s a perfect tie-in to many world-class athletes who already swear by the product.

“They are pretty nice,’’ said Stanford All-American Brody Malone. “Anything you can do to help your body feel better and recover for the next day of training is worth doing.

“Look, we’re gymnasts. We do a lot of stuff on our feet. We’re barefoot most of the time. We need to take a load off and wear some comfy stuff.’’

OOFOS products are used by retired NFL quarterback Alex Smith and South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley, a former Olympian. Even Tiger Woods has been spotted wearing OOFOS.

“We like to say feeling is believing,’’ said OOFOS director of marketing Darren Brown, a three-time All-American in track and field/cross country at the University of Texas. “The decompression of the joints, the unloading of the soft and hard tissue in the body, that’s what we’re all about. When it comes to knee pain and ankle pain, we can help.’’

Brown said his company has long been interested in partnering with gymnastics. USA Gymnastics president and CEO Li Li Leung said she’s delighted with the new arrangement.

“We’ve really been focused on getting our house in order and having the right infrastructure in place, so we have now turned to the external side to bring partners on board,’’ Leung said. “OOFOS is an incredible brand that has a great value system in terms of supporting athletes, supporting recovery and supporting training. We love been associated with OOFOS.’’

All of the competing athletes have received OOFOS products, but they were not new to UCLA’s Jordan Chiles, who won a silver medal in the Tokyo Olympics team event.

“Our ankles to our bodies are kind of like somebody’s painting,’’ Chiles said. “If you mess up a painting, how are you going to sell it? So basically, our bodies are really important. If we get injured, how can we go out there and perform?

“I have to wear comfortable shoes — no matter what. You have to protect yourself at all costs. I mean, we do flips on a 4-inch piece of wood. So you have to be picky with what you wear. I have wore them (OOFOS) and they’re really comfortable. I think they’re a natural for every athlete here.’’

So OOFOS and USA Gymnastics have partnered for the perfect fit — in more ways than one.