New York Liberty has used innovative Blueprint for Athletes™ Testing Service Since Start of 2015 WNBA Season.
New York, NY, August 11, 2015 – The New York Liberty, a charter member of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), today announced that Blueprint for Athletes™ by Madison, NJ-based Quest Diagnostics, the world’s leading provider of diagnostic information services, is the official Performance Testing Partner for the 2015-2017 seasons.
Earlier this year, the New York Liberty began using Quest’s Blueprint for Athletes service, which offers customized test panels that evaluate blood-based health markers to provide personalized insights athletes can use to help improve their performance. Quest Diagnostics is currently piloting Blueprint for Athletes at athletic performance events in select regions and expects to make the service available nationally by early 2016.
Through its Sports and Human Performance Diagnostics clinical franchise business, Quest Diagnostics spearheads services based on medical-grade lab testing to help professional and amateur athletes improve their performance through diagnostics insights.
Throughout the remainder of the season, the Blueprint for Athletes logo will be featured on the Liberty’s practice jersey and Quest Diagnostics will be integrated on the Liberty’s website and GardenVision, Madison Square Garden’s state-of-the-art center-hung multimedia display.
“An ideal partner for us is one that can help us optimize our team’s competitive edge, both on and off the court. Our relationship with Quest Diagnostics represents an exciting opportunity for the Liberty to work with the world’s leading provider of diagnostic health services to bring meaningful health insights to our players. The fact that their logo is literally woven into the fabric of our team’s practice jerseys is more than symbolic,” said Kristin Bernert, senior vice president, Business & Basketball Operations, New York Liberty.
“Blueprint for Athletes is a powerful tool for improving athletic performance, giving athletes scientific, sport-specific insights about how their body optimally functions to enhance performance,” said Richard Schwabacher, MPH, executive director, Quest Diagnostics Sports and Human Performance. “New York Liberty athletes exemplify the type of competitor that benefits most from Blueprint for Athletes: high-performing, driven and focused individuals who are committed to reaching their full potential. We’re proud to partner with the women of the Liberty, and for the opportunity to help these outstanding athletes compete at the highest level.”
Blueprint for Athletes incorporates the latest science and input from professional and amateur athletes in basketball, football, cycling, running and other sports. The service evolved from a collaboration formed between Quest Diagnostics and the New York Giants in 2013.
“It made perfect sense for us to pilot the program with the high-performing athletes of the Liberty,” said Laura Ramus, director, Player Performance, New York Liberty and a member of the Blueprint for Athletes Medical and Scientific Advisory Board. “From the first round of testing to the most recent, the results from the Blueprint for Athletes service have helped both improve individual player performance and guide our approach to the team’s training and nutritional protocols. Those value-added insights about how our players’ bodies function has helped us as a team to train not just harder, but smarter.”
Interested athletes can sign up for more information at www.Blueprintforathletes.com. For more information on the New York Liberty, please visit www http://liberty.wnba.com/.