Eyewear: Vigilante for Boll�. Pants by Adidas; shoes by Climb High; harness by Singing Rock.

The X Games. The 24 hours of Adrenaline. Epic rides. Helicopter skiing, boarding, and biking. Offroad triathalons of kayaking, mountain biking, and trail running. And, of course, there's always the climbing of Mount Everest.

Sports are extreme today, and so are the athletes doing them. These activities are getting a lot of attention. There is even an entire television channel--the Outdoor Life Network--devoted to the subject. Therefore, the business of sports gear, including sports eyewear, is getting serious. 

Many optical dispensers say it is a category ripe with potential, and with product that is technologically advanced enough to back it up. The key, they say, is a commitment to the category in terms of product and knowledge.

"It's currently not a huge part of our business, but I believe that if sports glasses are done well by optical shops it can be a huge business," says Stephen Schubach, president of the 15-store Standard Optical, located in the Salt Lake City area. The store currently stocks a three-tiered sports eyewear approach: At the high end is Maui Jim product ($200 to $350) with glass polarized lenses that have a front mirror coating and AR coating on the back; at the low end is the Chilis line at $29; and in the middle range is Adidas.

Schubach says, however, that he plans to change the chain's sports eyewear strategy in the very near future, moving it from the current five percent of the assortment to 10 percent. "This year we bought an optical shop in the Deer Valley resort lodge," he says. "It's a small space but we do a ton of business in there. It's all sports eyewear and goggles." From their experiences with this store, the company plans to upgrade its sports eyewear offering in their conventional stores.

RX FOR SUCCESS
The one area many dispensers are clamoring for is the prescription sports eyewear arena. "At least half of all sales are Rx'ed," says Keri Somerzville, frame buyer at Salle Opticians in Atlanta.

A technologically advanced frame coupled with prescription lenses (often in the company's proprietary lens) can ring in a fairly hefty sale.

	Eyewear: Smith style Zipper for S�flo. Top by Ralph Lauren Polo Sport; Helmet by Giro

At Abba Eyecare, which has been in business since 1978 and has seven locations in southern Colorado, they work heavily with the patients on prescription sunwear. "Not everybody can have Lasik, even thought they're popping up everywhere like hamburger stands," says owner Skip Flynn. Perhaps that's why their sports eyewear has grown to account for about 24 percent of total optical sales. "Just from the investment in the category and the marketing we have done, we have grown the business tremendously," says Flynn.

THE SPECIFICS
In addition to prescription eyewear, many other areas are coming to the forefront in the sports eyewear category. Interchangeable lens systems are sought after by many athletic customers who participate in a variety of sports or a sport which has varying light conditions such as skiing or mountain biking.

Prescription inserts are also popular. "We carry about 20 of the insert-type glasses," says Bret Hunter of Eyetech Optical, located in Lakewood, Colo.

Polarized lens options are also driving business. "Many people are coming in now with a good knowledge about polarized lenses," says Schubach. "They understand that it is a better lens for outdoor activities. Now it seems to be the most-requested lens."

Metallic blue ski goggles by Briko, clothing and snowboard by Burton.

"The customer is really going sports specific," says Flynn. "People are spending thousands of dollars on golf clubs and mountain bikes and they want the gear and the eyewear to go with it," says Hunter.

MARKETING MANIA
Some dispensers also employ aggressive marketing techniques to get the consumers into their stores for sports eyewear. Flynn continually goes to local sporting events and races to promote sports eyewear, his stores, and to educate the consumer.

"Sports eyewear has been my pet project for five years now," says Flynn. "And we've been aggressive in marketing it for three to four years now. We do a lot of local events and go out there and educate the people."

What has this effort done for Abba Eyecare? "We're not the cheapest in town. We're never goinga be," Flynn says. "But we have a great reputation."

	Anarchy style Sunday Drive for Gargoyles, Inc.; shorts by Hang Ten; sneakers by Vans.

Additionally, sports eyewear can make for some eye-catching displays. Work with your vendors to use sports clothing or equipment with the eyewear.

So, as dispensers increase their marketing efforts and their product offerings to the savvy sports eyewear consumer, business is likely to grow. 

"Our sports eyewear business has doubled," says Hunter. "It is now about 30 percent of our total business."

Are you ready to "go for it" and have it be a part of your business? EB