On a balmy night in New York, the M Foundation, in partnership with Mission Athletecare™, Modell's Sporting Goods and the David Wright Foundation presented the inaugural $20,000 "Gold M Award" to high school senior Mitch Arnold, from Fort Atkinson, WI.

Launched in September 2010, The M Foundation is a revolutionary non-profit organization that inspires young athletes to lead healthy lifestyles and to perform their best both within and outside the competitive arena – through activation and awards programs – most notably, The M Awards. The M Awards, a national scholarship program which are championed by the M Foundation's world renowned athletes and spotlight "Athletes on a Mission" everywhere, identifies high school athletes who are exemplary role models in their communities. In its first year (2010-2011 academic year), the M Foundation recognized over 40 high school student athletes with Bronze and Silver as well as our one overall Gold award winner.

Meet Mission Athlete Partner Amanda Beard: Olympic Swimmer, Water Safety and Wildlife Advocate, Model, TV Personality, Mom.

Amanda is a seven-time Olympic medalist (two gold, four silver, one bronze), five-time U.S. national champion and an American record holder in the 200-meter breaststroke. Beard's successes have earned her the American Swimmer of the Year Award twice. She has won a total of twenty-one medals in major international competition, five gold, thirteen silver, and three bronze spanning the Olympics, the World Championships, the Pan Pacific Championships, and the Summer Universiade.

Amanda has also enjoyed a career in front of the camera, as a model, spokesperson and TV corespondent.

Though she's well known for her many accomplishments in the world of competitive swimming and as a model, she's also known for championing the conservation of endangered marine life. Amanda has also teamed up with the World Waterpark Association to raise awareness of water safety and responsible sun exposure through a series of public service announcements.

"Water safety is incredibly important," says Beard. "I have a son at home, and we have a pool of course. At 6-months old I got him into swim classes. I want him to know how to swim as a life skill. Everyone should know how to swim for their own safety and the safety of people around them in the water, and I want to support that."

Amanda is married to photographer Sacha Brown. In 2009, Beard gave birth to their first child, a boy named Blaise Ray Brown.

"The fun thing about being a mom is that no matter what is going on in the pool, or if you have a bad workout, I get to go home and see his smiling face. He runs and gives me a hug and I could care less about what just happened. It's a new chapter in my life, and I'm really enjoying it."

Amanda's favorite Mission Athletecare™ products include Skinny Tone Ultra-Firming Cream, sunscreen, and her signature Organic Strawberry lip balm.

Amanda is gearing up for the 2012 Olympics. You can follow her online on Twitter. 

From a young age, we teach athletes to take care of their bodies. Stretch. Exercise. Eat right. Don't smoke. Unfortunately, research suggests that many of these athletes aren't doing one of the simplest things they can do to take care of their bodies; use sunscreen.

Most sports are played outdoors in direct sunlight, and a significant amount of a person’s total sun exposure occurs during childhood and adolescence. Studies have linked this exposure during early life to increased incidence of both melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancer in later life. In addition, several studies have noted an association between outdoor sports activities and skin cancer.

The primary tools of prevention against skin cancer and photoaging are sunscreen and avoidance of sun exposure. Photoaging refers to the damage that is done to the skin from prolonged exposure, over a person's lifetime, to UV radiation. Although avoidance is most effective, it is not practical for those in outdoor athletics.

A recent article published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology by Dr. Brian B. Adams, Associate Professor in the Department of Dermatology at the University of Cincinnati, suggests that as much as 85% of collegiate athletes are not using sunscreen to protect their skin. College athletes participating in outdoor sports are exposed to the sun for extensive periods of time, often during peak hours of ultraviolet radiation, nearly every day during their active season. In the study, athletes sighted a variety of reasons for not using sunscreen, including lack of availability, laziness and not understanding sunscreen was needed for their skin type. We can do better.

To keep it simple, do this: buy your sunscreen, and buy a lot of it. Keep some in your gym bag, your locker and your car. If you are going to be outside, take 1-minute to protect your skin. You'll be glad you did.

Mission was founded by a premier group of world-class athletes, all of whom work closely with our company to develop products that solve problems unique to athletes. This brand new Athletecare™ category provides clinically-proven solutions to people with active lifestyles.

Mission has rolled out five new suncare products this summer; No Sting Sunscreen SPF 30+ Facestick, Sun Defeated™ SPF 50+ and 30+ Continuous Sprays, Kids Continuous Play™ SPF 70 Spray, and Ultra-Sweatproof Sunscreen SPF 30+ Lotion. Our Suncare products boast broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection, are sweatproof and waterproof, loaded with vitamins and antioxidants, and are 100% free of parabens.

Gear up for summer. Shop our online store or visit any of our retail partners.

This is a the first in a series of profiles that will introduce you to Mission's Athlete Partners.

So, meet Ryan Sheckler; pro skateboarder, TV star, business owner and charity founder.

Ryan was born in La Palma, CA, in 1989. He started rolling on a skateboard in his driveway at 18 months, and by the time he was 4, he could do ollies. At 7, he got a mini-ramp in the backyard and began skating every day.

He burst on to the international stage in 2007 as the star of his MTV reality show The Life of Ryan which chronicled the successes, struggles and mayhem of the young pro.

Now, at just 19 years of age, Ryan has won nearly every skateboarding title there is. A pro by the age of 13, he is a three-time AST Tour Champion, an X Games Gold Medalist and a World Cup of Skateboarding Champion.

When he's not breaking records, Ryan is busy growing his family-run charity, The Sheckler Foundation, which provides funding and assistance to those in need.

Founded in 2008, The Sheckler Foundation was created as an avenue for Ryan, his family, friends and business associates to give back to the community and industry that they are so grateful for. Fueled by the desire to contribute to the many causes that directly benefit and enrich the lives of children and injured action sports athletes, The Sheckler Foundation produces fundraising events, passion projects and web-based initiatives to raise capital and awareness. The Foundation's ultimate goal is to empower the community to “Be the Change”!

The Sheckler Foundation recently hosted their 2nd Annual "Skate for a Cause" event at the Etnies Skate Park of Lake Forest in California. This year's event benefited Autism Speaks. Autism Speaks has grown into the nation's largest autism science and advocacy organization, dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. Check out this video recap from the folks at Etnies.

Look for Ryan and his Plan B cohort in the new "Super Future" video dropping July 2011. Do yourself a favor and watch some of the unbelievable air Ryan gets in this promo video.

Check out Ryan's signature SPF 15 Orange Lip Balmer from Mission Athletecare.

Mission Athletecare™ is the only company ever to create a line of products to enhance performance in, and recovery from, training and competition. 

Mission was co-founded by a premier group of world-class athletes who are keen on being part of the innovation process to better serve the unique needs of athletes at all levels of competition.

The Mission Innovation Team is led by world-renowned doctors and scientists who collaboratively engineer the Mission products to meet the highest demands of world class athletes. From a Sunscreen that is clinically proven to not sting in your eyes to a proprietary Anti-Friction Cream that lasts up to 5 times longer than the competition, Mission maniacally focuses on true product innovations that are unmatched in the marketplace – and give athletes the edge they need. 

Learn more about our products

Mission Athletecare has partnered with some of the world’s top athletes to field test and use our products, including:

• Alonzo Mourning (Pro Basketball Player)
• Amanda Beard (Gold Medal Swimmer)
• David Wright (MLB All-Star)
• Dwayne Wade (Pro Basketball Player)
• Georges St-Pierre (MMA World Champion)
• Gretchen Bleiler (Pro Snowboarder)
• Hunter Kemper (Pro Triathlete)
• Jessica Mendoza (Gold Medal Softball Player)
• Mia Hamm (Soccer Legend)
• Ryan Sheckler (Pro Skateboarder)
• Sarah Haskins (Pro Triathlete)
• Serena Williams (Tennis Champion)
• Sergio Garcia (Pro Golfer)
• Steve Nash (Pro Basketball Player)

Mission Athletecare is available through our online store and from retail partners like Dick's Sporting Goods, Hibbett Sports, Lady Foot Locker and CVS/pharmacy.