Three University of Nebraska-Omaha students are getting traction with a new start-up company by combining the popularity of extreme sports with local ingenuity.
For Callen Hedglen and Matt Holtmeyer, the library on UNO’s campus doubles as a place to study and an office. The duo are working on their start-up site CUSO Sports Network in between classes and part-time jobs.
[Video: UNO students team up with extreme sports start-up]
“Lunch breaks are shorter than they used to be,” Hedglen said.
The site is dedicated to all things extreme sports. It started when Hedglen noticed there wasn’t much of a community in Nebraska.
“I was starting to get into snowboarding a little bit more and that kind of opened my eyes to how the situation is currently in the Midwest,” Hedglen said. “And we want to change that.”
Hedglen taught himself to code and created the website. Holtmeyer and another high school friend — who was unable to comment because he was working at his other job during the interview — worked on the site’s content.
“Everyone’s a fan of extreme sports,” Holtmeyer said. “They’re just fun to watch. Even if you know nothing about it, you turn on the X Games and it’s just enjoyable.”
The site is generating a small amount of revenue from ads. The three-person staff covers everything from bodybuilding and fighting to cycling and running. They also write about local athletes and events.
Last month, the team was granted media access to an extreme sports competition in Breckenridge, Colorado.
“They had people like Sean White and Bobby Brown and people that are former Olympic athletes, current athletes, people that just competed in Sochi a couple years ago,” Hedglen said. “And we were able to be the distance from me to you with these people.”
The site’s goal is to bring extreme sports coverage and events to the Midwest.
“Really, there’s no end, I think, to what we could do,” Hedglen said.
The team said the challenge is part of the appeal.
“Go for it,” Holtmeyer said. “I think the biggest roadblock people come across is they don’t know how to get started. I think the best way to get started is to throw yourself at it.”
The team said in addition to covering extreme sports, it really wants to start bringing events to the Midwest.
