Cut tennis balls for Walkers

"Tennis balls, cut open and stuck on the bottom of walkers. It’s a ubiquitous image in any senior center or assisted care facility"

Brief Synopsis:

NOVA is committed to helping people understand the dangers of using tennis balls on walkers.

NOVA Launches ‘Lose the Tennis Balls’ Campaign - Explains Why Tennis Balls on the Bottom of Walkers are Dangerous.

Sue Chen, CEO of NOVA is committed to helping people understand the dangers of using tennis balls on walkers. This is the first of what will be an annual push to raise awareness. There is also a contest at with a prize of $1000 and a mobility makeover with Sue!

Tennis balls, cut open and stuck on the bottom of walkers. It’s a ubiquitous image in any senior center or assisted care facility. It was even used as a sight-gag in the Oscar-nominated animated film, Up. But do tennis balls really belong on walkers? NOVA, a Carson-based supplier of independent living products, says absolutely not. The company is launching a campaign to educate people on the dangers of using tennis balls on the bottom of walkers.

“I’ve got nothing against tennis balls – on the court or at the dog park!” says NOVA CEO, Sue Chen, who is on a mission to get rid of tennis balls on walkers. “But people use them on walkers without even thinking about it. Tennis balls on walkers are unsafe, unsanitary and unattractive. They pick up and track germs, they make the walker unstable, they actually add to the wear and tear on the walker, and they are a disrespect to the person using the walker.”

Lose the tennis balls

NOVA has created a product that makes tennis balls on walkers obsolete. Walker Skis are small grey, plastic pieces that resemble very short skis and fit on the legs of most walkers. Durable, stylish and easy-to-clean, unlike tennis balls, they are made specifically for walkers. Chen says that selling the product is not the main point of the Lose the Tennis Balls campaign, though.

“Of course we want to sell Walker Skis, but it’s more important that we get people to stop putting themselves at risk, ” says Chen. “Every time I see someone with tennis balls on their walker, I cringe, because I know that they are jeopardizing their safety. Plus, people facing mobility challenges still want to be stylish and dignified and they deserve that. You wouldn’t put cut open tennis balls on the heels of your Manolos!”

To encourage more people to throw the tennis balls off their walkers, NOVA is running a contest at from now through February 28th, 2010. Participants submit photos or video of getting the tennis balls off of their walkers and are entered to win $1, 000 and a mobility makeover with NOVA CEO, Sue Chen. The company also hopes family-members and caregivers will spread the word about the dangers of tennis balls on walkers.