NFC Champions Arizona Cardinals Heading to Super Bowl XLIII – An Experience I Will Never Forget

“SHOCK THE WORLD,” was a statement many people used but only a few truly believed. The Arizona Cardinals are the NFC Champions and will be heading down to Tampa for the 2009 Super Bowl XLIII. Ikei Performance would like to congratulate Aaron Francisco, Larry Fitzgerald, Adrian Wilson, Travis Laboy, Matt Ware, Taitusi “Deuce” Lutui, Gerald Hayes, Karlso Dansby, Elliot Vallejo and Antrel Rolle and wish them the best in the road to becoming Super Bowl Champions.

As the owner and founder of Ikei Performance, I’ve had the privilege to work with these players through the years and was extremely honored when Safety Aaron Francisco invited me to join him and his family to attend the NFC Championship Game. The festivities started off with a Kick-Off Luau at the Francisco Hale (house) on Saturday afternoon with great food, family and friends. Everyone got to the game on Sunday early to watch Francisco lead his team out to the coin toss at the beginning of the game as the Special Teams Captain. The Cardinals won the coin toss and the rest is history as they went on to become NFC Champions. Francisco had a great game finishing with 4 solo tackles and 1 interception. I would personally like to thank Aaron Francisco and his Ohana (family) for being a part of the Ikei Performance Ohana and appreciate sharing this wonderful moment with me.

This was an experience of a lifetime. I’ve competed at the national and world championships as well as Olympic Trials, attended every major professional sports game and have coached at some nail biting events, but the Cardinals win this past Sunday was something else. There’s something about the underdog going the extra distance when everyone counted them out and in the end pulling off the victory…that gets me pumped. I would like to share with you the craziness of how I felt on the final play of the game and witness what it was like standing in the stands when the final second ticked off the clock and the Cardinals was officially the NFC Champions heading to the Super Bowl. Click on the image to experience the intensity of the win.


Take a walk with me onto the field as Arizona Cardinals Safety Aaron Francisco celebrates the victory with his family during the NFC Championship Ceremony. Click on image to take a walk onto the field.

Vote Travis Laboy for Defensive Player of the Week

Ikei Performance Athlete and Arizona Cardinals defensive end Travis LaBoy, is a nominee for the GMC Sierra Defensive Player of the Week for games played on Oct. 5-6. Travis led the Cardinals defense with seven tackles and two sacks in the win against previously undefeated Buffalo Bills, 41-17. His performance currently gives him 4 sacks on the year and leads the team into next weeks game against the Dallas Cowboys. You can vote for Travis here at http://www.nfl.com/partner/story?id=09000d5d80b6ae35&partnerType=players-defense, select Travis Laboy and click “VOTE.” Voting will last until Thursday (October 9, 2008) at 4:00 p.m. ET to determine the GMC Sierra Defensive Player of the Week (you can vote as many times as you wish for Travis). The winner will be announced Thursday evening on NFL.com. After the regular season, five players will be nominated for GMC Sierra Defensive Player of the Year honors. Fans can vote for the winner on NFL.com/gmc throughout the month of January. Hurry and log in your vote for Travis today.

We encourage everyone to log onto www.travislaboy.com and click on the blue bubble and join the “Sack Pledge Program” to help tackle autism. A simple donation for every sack that Travis has this season will help The Travis Laboy Foundation – Supporting Autistic Causes for Kids (S.A.C.K.). Currently with 4 sacks under Travis’ belt a pledge of $1 would amount to a donation of $4 to benefit children with Autism. Let’s help Travis spread the word and tell everyone to visit www.travislaboy.com and make a pledge today.

You can also join the Ikei Performance Warrior Fitness Challenge as proceeds benefit S.A.C.K.

Over $1,000 in prizes will be awarded:
• 20 Free Personal Training Sessions
• Autographed NFL Football
• Authentic Autographed Arizona Cardinals #55 Travis Laboy Jersey
• 5-days of Sunfare personal gourmet meal delivery service

Help us spread the news in our efforts to “Level the playing field for children with autism.”

For more information on The Warrior Fitness Challenge, contact Chad Ikei at 480.657.6937 or via email at chad@ikeiperformance.com.