On March 15th 2014 I became a proud member of the NTC (Nike Training Club) How did I stumble across this event? Being an avid Nike fan - I browse the website often. I wish I could buy a pair of FreeRun weekly or their quarterly crops that have amazing patterns and colors. Many times I add them to my cart and X out of the site before purchasing. I think of it as a fun hobby. Well, around late February I was browsing the Nike home page and came across the NTC “Nike Training Club” ad for the Santa Monica conference. Having limited to no idea what it was I browsed through everything I could find, paid the $70 and signed up. Other than somewhat breaking my toe (and playing a soccer game on it causing me to hobble about town) I was ready to check this event out...by myself and in my favorite FlyKnits.
Upon arriving there was a red carpet and mannequins showcasing the newest Nike clothes coming out in the near future. ALL of them were amazing and looked awesome with their bright neon colors and cool styles. Everyone in line was looking active and healthy. The volunteer that signed me in said that when I head into bag check and get in line for my “Fuel Band” I can talk to the concierge about changing my sessions to be friendly to my poor pinkie toe. Yes, you read that right...when I got in line for my Nike FUEL band. They were giving every athlete attending a Rose Gold Limited edition Nike Fuel band. Upon gawking at the idea of this, the volunteer said, “Well, that’s Nike for you...”
While in line for my band I was lucky enough to be ahead of a girl who is currently working her body to do a fitness competition. She works for Whole Foods managing their ‘Healthy Starts Here’ campaign. What a job - testing healthy foods! She is a super fan of Nike so her work let her take a free ticket to the event. Luckily for me, she was there solo too so we hung out throughout the day.
The people working the event were so nice to help me get the sessions I wanted (due to my bum toe) which included a Barre class, an AB intensive session and an all around band resistance class on the main stage with the head Nike trainer. All classes were awesome. In fact, at the barre class - I got free Nike barre shoes which retail at $110! Dammit, this was a score for me. The other classes I didn’t / couldn’t do were Barry’s Boot Camp, Spin Class, Yoga, Derek Hough did a dance class and a handful of other ‘sessions’. Gaby Douglass (Olympian) was also there and she did a Q&A session you could sign up for. I didn't get to see that but I got to meet her and joked about trying to put my leg above my head which didn't quite work very well - haha!
They had a braid/nail station for the girls, photo booths, the newest shoes for you to wear and try on through the work outs, healthy awesome food all day and the sand of Santa Monica as the back drop. People flew in from all over and every single person - fit, thick, athletic, runner, yogi and cross fit goo roo alike - was having a great fit day. It was an inspiring event to say the least and if you have a chance to go - I highly recommend looking into being a part of the NTC!
Until the next training event Nike - I'll just be browsing your sale section and buying too many work out clothes!
