Track & Field’s Governing Body Joins Forces with Kobe Bryant to Promote Reading and Youth Sportsmanship In Celebration of Granity’s Newest Book EPOCA: The Tree of Ecrof, in stores 11.12 INDIANAPOLIS — USA Track & Field (USATF), Track & Field’s national governing body, and Granity Studios, the multi-media original content company created by New York Times bestselling author and Academy Award-winning basketball legend Kobe Bryant, are working together to encourage young athletes to maximize their true potential through reading and activities designed to enable children to become their best selves. The relationship is timed to the release of Granity’s next middle grade sports fantasy book, EPOCA: The Tree of Ecrof (November 12th), which takes place within the magical world of track and field athletics. Created by Bryant and written by novelist and former professional athlete Ivy Claire, EPOCA is the inspiring tale of two talented and diverse young track and field athletes who must ‘race’ to find their inner magic in order to save their classmates (and each other) from evil forces attacking their elite sports school. The novel is replete with lessons advocating the importance of overcoming adversity, rejecting stereotypes, channeling emotions and displaying self-confidence. Inculcating youth with positive life messages through sports is central to Granity and USATF’s respective missions. Bryant’s Granity Studios specializes in the creation of sports-themed fantasy content which ignites the imagination and fosters emotional and mental development in young athletes so they can reach their true potential. USATF aims to inspire a lifelong love of track and field while instilling in athletes the positive values that will enable them to achieve personal and athletic excellence. The collaboration, which will include social cross-promotional initiatives, donation of Bryant-autographed copies of EPOCA to USATF youth athletes, and motivational video content, is intended to bring greater overall mainstream awareness of track and field, which is the fastest growing sport amongst children, the leading participatory sport for junior high school aged girls, and the second most popular for boys. “As a sport, Track and Field creates the foundation upon which every athletic game is based. Running, jumping and throwing are the fundamental physical building blocks for everything we do as athletes—the game of basketball wouldn’t exist without them,” Bryant explained of his love for the sport. “We chose track and field as the sport through which to tell the story of EPOCA: THE TREE OF ECROF for these very foundational qualities, which transcend the physical and shape the entire athlete—body and mind. That is why it is so meaningful to be teaming up with USATF, who recognize the value—and need—to equip young athletes with skills that will help them excel in all areas of life.” “USA Track & Field believes in the universal power of sport, particularly for youth athletes, where they have the opportunity develop their physical talents while nurturing important life skills and having fun,” said USATF CEO Max Siegel. “The lessons in EPOCA mirror our own mission to empower youth and drive competitive excellence, and we are proud to be partnering with Granity Studios in their newest endeavor.” EPOCA: The Tree of Ecrof will be available everywhere books are sold starting November 12, 2019. It is available for pre-order now at Amazon, Audible, Barnes & Noble, Hudson Booksellers and more.
Kobe Bryant is an Academy Award–winning storyteller, content creator and New York Times bestselling author. He spends his days building stories to inspire the next generation of athletes to be the best versions of themselves. In a previous life, Kobe was a five-time NBA champion, two-time NBA Finals MVP, NBA MVP, and two-time Olympic gold medalist. He hopes to share all he learned with young athletes around the world.
Formed by NBA Legend Kobe Bryant, Granity Studios is a multi-media original content company Bryant founded to enable young athletes to maximize their full potential through creative storytelling. Projects include the Bryant-created, critically-acclaimed Showtime-distributed documentary Kobe Bryant’s Muse, the 2018 Academy-Award, Sports Emmy and Annie Award winning animated short Dear Basketball, the groundbreaking television series Detail, which currently airs on ESPN+, the #1 ranked kids and family podcast, The Punies, and The New York Times Best Seller, The Wizenard Series: Training Camp. For more information about Granity Studios, please visit www.granitystudios.com.
USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the country’s #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States. For more information on USATF, visit www.usatf.org.
Pamela Chinawah for Granity Studios PChinawah@rogersandcowan.com ###