CLEVELAND, Ohio - W Helmets announced this week it has signed halfpipe and slopestyle skier Jessica Bennie to Team Wendy's roster of sponsored athletes. A Canadian skier, Bennie placed among the top contenders at a number of 2002 and 2001 freestyle competitions, including the 2002 World Skiing Invitational Women's Superpipe Demo and 2002 JibFest.

Bennie said she's excited about her affiliation with W Helmets because the company is dedicated to providing the most protective helmet possible. When she's throwing huge air, the 23-year-old said the added protection of W Helmets helps her feel more comfortable.

"With both slopestyle and halfpipe progressing so quickly, the tricks and airs are becoming insanely big, and the level of difficulty is ever increasing," Bennie said. "With an increase in difficulty comes a bigger risk for injury. The slightest little mistake can now result in huge consequences. The more protection I have, especially for my head, the

more comfortable I feel going higher and faster and attempting new tricks."

W Helmets feature ZorbiumT Foam, a proprietary material that absorbs up to twice the impact of the EPS and EPP foams used in other helmets. ZorbiumT Foam absorbs energy through dissipation rather than destruction

like other helmets, and it rebounds after impact, making it the only true, protective mulktiple impact helmet on the market today.

"I like the thought that has been put into creating W Helmets," Bennie said. "The people who started this company up did so for the right

reason - protection."

Tom Schrepferman, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for W Helmets, said sponsoring Bennie helps the public realize just how seriously W Helmets takes its charge. "The fact that a professional freestyler like Jessica would choose W Helmets when it comes to safeguarding her own head in halfpipe competitions tells people that we're committed to providing the most protective helmet on the market," he said.

In the past two years, Bennie's awards have included: first place at JibFest 2002; first place at the Blue Mountain Halfpipe Jam; fourth

place at the 2002 World Skiing Invitational Women's Superpipe Demo; first place at the 2002 Whistler Sprite Series Halfpipe competition;

first place at the Whistler Sprite Series Slopestyle competition; and third place at the Whistler Sprite Series Skiercross. This year she

plans to compete in the U.S. Open, Parkasaurus and WSI events, among many others.

W HelmetsT and ZorbiumT Foam, produced by Team Wendy, LLC, In Cleveland, Ohio, are designed and engineered to address the need for a multi-sport helmet that offers the highest possible level of protection against head injuries as a result of skiing, snowboarding, cycling and other action sports accidents. Zorbium Foam, the most significant technological advancement in helmet safety in over 30 years, is a true multiple-impact foam that absorbs more energy upon impact than EPP, EPS and other foams used in many helmets today. W Helmets were developed as a legacy to Wendy Moore who died as the result of a traumatic brain injury sustained in a skiing accident. For more information or to

purchase a W Helmet, go to http://www.teamwendy.com.