What makes a photo shoot Tine Nine worthy? We take bad ass outdoor photographers, add local, adventurous women as our “models,” then head off the beaten path to show you what our gear can do. We recently took our ragtag team to Bend, Lake Tahoe, and Moab to get some killer shots of our fall gear, wreak a little havoc, and have a whole lotta fun.
We headed to Alaska to test out our favorite winter gear and learned a thing or two about racing a team of dogs in the world’s foremost sled race, the Iditarod. Dog mushers, Laura and Maggie, took us behind the scenes at the Susan Butcher Training Facilities for a day of hard work, serious training, and plenty of wet doggy kisses.
Occupation: Dog musher and tour guide
Current car: 2001 Ford Escape
Favorite mode of transit: Dog sled
Embarrassing nickname: “Squat” (DON’T ask!)
Indispensable T9 gear: Daily Down Vest; I’m lost (and very cold) without it
Bathtub reading: Mushing Magazine (it’s real!)
Best four-legged friends: Haggard, Leaps, Sugar, Dash, Ivory, Roxy, Bou, Katie, Soldier, Rishi, Flynn and Walker
Fangirl for: Roxy
Role model(s): See best friends
Most recent adventure: 2015 Iditarod
At Title Nine we believe that sports and fitness can be fun and transformational. It says so right on our walls. Our CFO leads Tabata classes in the company gym. Lunchtime yoga is taught by a customer service rep. The distribution center hosts parking lot boot camp classes, and our stores hold their meetings while hiking or navigati
ng ropes courses.
We believe sweating together, laughing together, and encouraging each other makes us better coworkers, and in turn, a better company for all of our customers.
Which is why, once a year since 2002, we shut down headquarters, suspend shipping, send customer service phones to voice mail, and fly in all 23 store managers from across the country. We come together for a day of teamwork, athletics, and a lot of silliness at the Title Nine Olympics.
The 2015 games were held at a cavernous local gym. We began our morning by dividing up into eight teams with names such as Dink & Sparkle, Bras n’ Bros, and Back in Black. Team captains were chosen, cheers composed, and hilarious dances choreographed. Team loyalty was strong, and the competition was serious (injuries included), but ultimately we knew we were all playing on one big team.
Morning games included Off the Wall Ball (a game made up by our founder, Missy), Office Chair Foosball, Human Hungry Hungry Hippo, and Cup Stacking. The games were a mix of physical exertion, mental strategy, and just plain ridiculousness – something for everyone.
