Sarah Lowe’s Windy City Blog – Ohio State Buckeyes
7/4/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
My Last Two Weeks
The final two weeks of my internship were as much of a whirlwind as my first two. After several weeks of planning I was able to see Spike Shed come to life! The whole experience was very rewarding and I was privileged to be part of it. The space is a testimony to Nike’s contributions to high school cross country. Their commitment to the sport is unparalleled by any other brand. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have had the time that I did here this summer. It is an experience I will never forget!
Our first opening of the Spike Shed was for coach’s night. Some of the coaches had been familiar with Spike Shed from last year and some were just being introduced to it for the first time. They were able to see the space in the raw before any construction was started. They were able to walk through all the areas and see mock ups of what the space would look like finished. The coaches were very excited to see the transformation that would take place over the course of the next week at which point their teams were scheduled to come in. I was able to finally meet many of the coaches that I had been in contact with over the past couple weeks.
The build out of Spike Shed took place throughout the following week and I was amazed to see how much the space was transformed. Some of the rooms included an actual mud wall that served as a gear up wall featuring product for the upcoming fall; a photo room equipped with IPads and table games; a team room with lockers and bleachers; a customization room; and a trophy case showcasing some of Nike’s elite athletes — Chris Solinsky, Lisa Koll, Christin Wurth-Thomas and Evan Jager — and their high school memorabilia. There was even a new Victory XC Spike signed by Dathan Ritzenheim showcased in the “vault.” The space offered a truly unique and inspirational experience for the high school teams that was not lost on me.
The rest of the week was filled with high school team nights. The athletes would come in and hear a few inspirational words from their coach to kick things off. They then would do an activity that we called the “Word Cloud.” The team would collaborate on a customized team motto that they then could print onto tech tees— an awesome process to watch and be part of! They also were able to get fitted for spikes and footwear and get geared up for the season. The space included a customization room where kids could choose different colors of spikes and shoelaces to outfit their new footwear. I had a good time interacting with the athletes and could see their enjoyment. Nike is truly a special company in its ability to garner excitement in young runners! It was really rewarding to see the activation of the space after so much planning!
On my last day I gave a presentation proposing an increased girl impact at Spike Shed on team nights. This presentation was one of my culminating projects and I was able to present to the majority of the marketing team here in Chicago as well as Dallas. My proposal for this was a campaign I called “Detweiller or ‘Bust’” (Detweiller is the Illinois high school cross country course). Since October is breast cancer awareness month and falls right into the heart of cross country season, I wanted to have some breast cancer awareness activations. Breast cancer awareness is something that is meaningful to every girl no matter who she is on the team. Some of the activations included having pink apparel and footwear available to purchase and customize, providing pink spikes and shoelaces, having bra fitting, explaining the differences in gender specific footwear, and encouraging participation in the many breast cancer awareness events that occur in the month of October in Naperville.
After my presentation some of my co-workers surprised me by taking me to my first ever Cubs game! It was truly a Chicago experience and wonderful way to spend my last day. They took me around Wrigleyville to ensure that I got the full ‘Cubs game’ experience. From the t-shirt to scalping tickets, I enjoyed the entire day. It was a bittersweet day, as it marked the end of my internship.
The time at Nike this summer flew by and I can’t express enough how fortunate I am to have had this opportunity and to have met all of the brilliant people I’ve been privileged to work alongside with the past ten weeks. Thank you to everyone involved! Your love and dedication to the sport proves that at Nike, “there is no finish line.”
Spike Shed 2.0
Realizing that I only have a few more weeks left I tried to make time for the more touristy things that Chicago has to offer. This past week I went to see a show at Second City, Chicago’s famed improv comedy club, called “Sky’s the Limit: Weather Permitting.” The show was amazing, as I have never seen anything quite like it (except for the comedic genius that is Dan White). But in all seriousness, definitely the most I laughed all week and worth checking out if you are in Chi-town.
I also got to do a speedboat architecture tour around the lake which was fascinating. I got to see the city in a way I hadn’t experienced before as well as get a quick history lesson on some of the more notable buildings. Although I probably can’t remember much of the information that was given it was entertaining nonetheless. Well worth it and something I would highly recommend.
The focus of the rest of my duration here will be devoted to Spike Shed 2.0, something I mentioned in an earlier post. Spike Shed is essentially an interactive experience Nike created purely for the high school runner and its inspiration was drawn from elevated spike nights that usually take place before the onset of cross country season. It is located in the basement of Naperville Running Company, a running specialty store in the Chicago suburb of Naperville. Spike Shed 2.0 will serve as a place for teams to get motivated and energized for their season while gearing up with customizable spikes and apparel. It will also serve as a “hang out” spot for local high school runners.
A lot of neat programming has gone into Spike Shed. Coaches have been contacted and will play a major role in Nike’s planning on how to get their teams motivated and excited for the season. Some Nike professional athlete appearances are in the works as well, focusing on the “best of the Midwest” as many of Nike’s Elite are originally from the Midwest region. Spike Shed will be operational throughout the duration of the season to serve the high school runner and hopefully will play a role in some local teams’ journeys to Nike Cross Nationals.
Training has been going well, although I will be excited to rejoin my teammates in mid-August. Fortunately I am a creature of habit and don’t mind running along the lakefront every day. I have had some self-induced “friendly” competitions with unknowing bike path runners to keep it interesting.
More to come on Spike Shed 2.0!
Back to Grassroots – My Two Weeks at XC Camps
These past couple weeks I have delved into the grassroots of cross country with back-to-back high school camps. The first being Ohio State’s Cross Country Camp and then Sub 5 Quick Chick’s Camp located in Manteno, Ill.
It was a pleasure to be back in familiar Columbus for Ohio State’s camp as well as getting to work with my teammates who were all counselors with me. I was lucky to be paired up with co-counselor Jackson Neff to lead camper group number 4. One of the highlights of the week was the dance competition between camp groups and counselors. Needless to say Jackson Neff and I had arguably the best freestyle dance moves as we wowed the judges with our “Safety Dance.” If you need a better visual just reference the Glee remake and imagine it being 10x better. The coaches served as the judges and, as expected, Coach Robert Gary assumed the role of Simon Cowell. The campers were great and I wonder every year how they manage to muster up that much energy! I am beat by the end of the week.
I also had the assistance of Nike’s Pacer in Columbus (a Pacer is Nike’s version of a tech rep for specialty running) to help me design a scavenger hunt around campus featuring Nike footwear pertaining to cross country such as the Victory XC Spike, Jana Star Spike, Free Run 2, Waffle XC and Pegasus 28. Each piece of footwear was tagged with a clue that referenced some of the technical innovations of the shoe that related to a campus location with similar qualities (ex: Waffles were found near the dining hall). Campers had a blast and became even more competitive when we announced that the winning group would receive Nike gear. Chris Fallon and Jordan Jennewine expertly lead their group to victory.
Immediately upon Ohio State camp’s end, I drove out to Manteno, Ill., to attend the Nike sponsored Sub 5 Camp. Sub 5 is directed by Janet Leet, a former Team USA champion and two-time Olympic trials qualifer (among too many other accolades to name here). The camp was all girl ranging from middle school to high school and the staff was made up of many former campers as well as collegiate runners from schools like Arkansas and Harvard. I had fun training with the girls as a handful of them are working towards breaking the 5-minute mile (if they haven’t already) as well as the counselors. It was nice to run on trails as well as get acquainted with other collegiate runners.
Some highlights of the camp include getting to Skype with former camper and Razorback Stephanie Thomas and Olympian Christin Wurth Thomas (4th American woman to break 4 minutes in the 1500). Both were unable to attend camp as they were competing over in Europe in the Diamond League Series, but campers were able to ask them questions about their training and what running meant to them. It was as inspiring for the campers as well as myself.
My initiative at camp was to man the “Nike Cabin.” Along with the Chicago Pacer/Tech Rep we were able to provide the girls with footwear trials, customized pillow cases with the Sub 5 Nike logo, as well as showcase some future products coming out next year in summer 2012. It was intriguing to get some of the girls’ opinions on footwear and apparel.
The remainder of my summer will be mostly devoted to Spike Shed 2.0… more to come on that!
Hope Less, Kick More- Week Four
After a great Fourth of July weekend and fireworks on Navy Pier it was time to get back on the daily grind at Nike Chicago. I resumed my current projects, which were quickly approaching: RunFest, OSU’s Cross Country Camp, Sub5 Quick Chick Camp (an all girls cross country camp in Illinois), and Spike Shed 2.0. I was excited to learn Nike’s 2011 XC mantra: hope less, kick more.
The night before RunFest I helped out with a special “XC Release Night” at Second Sole. It was basically a release party for all the new Nike Spikes: Victory XC, Forever, Jana Star and Waffle. I had fun mingling with the high school runners and getting to know more about their running and seasons. They enjoyed themselves as Second Sole provided food, a DJ, photo booth, a customizing station with colored spikes and shoe laces and all the latest Nike gear. It was success and I had a fun time hanging out with the Second Sole gang and fellow Nike folk.
RunFest took place at the home of the Columbus Clippers in Huntington Park. It was a fun event that was open to many running vendors as well as the community to get geared up for the Columbus Half and Full Marathons this upcoming fall. It consisted of live music, free food and running advice, as well as some awesome running specialty stores such as Second Sole. Nike partnered with Second Sole in rallying some students to run over to the event with us to check it out. It was a great turnout and so inspiring to hear everyone’s reasons for signing up for the Columbus Marathon in the fall.
I was also glad to be back in Columbus to see some friends and teammates that I had been missing. It was nice to join the team on a long run out at Darby Creek, even though I had been somewhat tired from the trip. Needless to say I could never pass up a good run with Jordan Jennewine, Melissa Meade, Tori Brink and Molly Jacobson.
I have also been brainstorming ideas around high school cross country camps, which brings back good memories. I’m pretty excited to delve back into the grime and fun of cross country camp. I plan on decking out my cabin and making lots of friendship bracelets (and hopefully friends).
Anyways that’s a wrap for my week! I have two cross country camps on my horizon in the next couple weeks. First Ohio State’s XC Camp and then the Sub 5 Quick Chicks camp in Illinois. Hopefully some fun camp stories to follow.
Week 3 Went Swoosh
Another week flew by at Nike. I have been busy with a couple projects and I finally have started to get in the groove of things. I am excited to be slowly progressing from doting intern to being more sure of my role in projects.
One of the cool things I have been able to work on is a project called Spike Shed 2.0, which takes place in what was once an old candle shop located in the basement of Naperville Running Company, a local running store. To put it simply, what takes place at Spike Shed is basically a high school “Spike Night” on steroids. Nike created this space for high school runners to have as their own and hopefully this year it serves as a space that cultivates team inspiration. Hopefully with the space, resources and activities in mind, this will be a place that teams can gear up and get motivated for the season. I feel lucky to be part of this initiative as well as reminisce about the days of high school running.
My team here at Nike has been very gracious in including me in things outside of work. One of the cool things I have been exposed to was something called the “Donut Vault”, which I was lucky enough to try one day. For anyone who is a fan of donuts or has a sweet tooth in general, this place is worth checking out if you happen to be in Chi-Town. Apparently this underground donut shop, the Donut Vault, is a small hole in the wall place that sells donuts every morning at 8:30 until they are sold out. It’s only a matter of hours before they are gone, too. But people line up around the block every morning to get these donuts. Wanting to see what all the fuss was about, a couple of my team members and I went that day. The donuts were a bit pricey costing over $30 per dozen, but after eating one (or maybe a few) I can see why – totally worth it.
I also have been eating my fair share of pizza, which is becoming a staple in my diet since my move out here. It’s hard to go a day or two without eating it. It’s just everywhere. And when you’re in Chicago it’s hard not to feel some sense of obligation towards trying to eat your fair share of Chicago style pizza. Giordano’s and Pizza Due just to name a couple (who are conveniently right down the street from me).
But with this fair share of eating comes some quality training. Nike has running groups that meet at various running stores throughout the week. Some people that attend are people training for the Chicago Marathon and others who just want people to run with. On Thursdays they meet at Niketown so I decided to check it out one day. They divide groups up by pace and each one gets a pacer. I tagged along the fast group of guys (6:30-7:00min/mile pace) for a run down by the lake. I think I may have underestimated how fast they would go as there was no messing around. Nevertheless, I was able to hang and run in good company. It was nice to run in a group of people again.
Anyhow, next week is the week of RunFest back in Columbus so I will probably be working on that this week, more to come.
A Quick Recap of My Past Couple Weeks at Nike
I arrived in Chicago a couple days before my first day of work in order to get myself settled and moved in. After a long elevator ride to the 50th floor I realized that it was completely worthwhile as my apartment overlooks the city. Willis Tower and Trump Tower are just a couple of the buildings that my windows are facing and the view is incredible. The Swoosh does it right.
After a couple days of getting acquainted with the city and figuring out some good running routes it was time for my first day of work. I was a little nervous and I figured that my very limited marketing background would either hinder me or give me a fresh perspective on things. My hope was that it would be the latter.
In my past couple weeks Nike has been keeping me busy with several different projects surrounding running and I have loved every moment. The team I work with has been the most welcoming group of people and many of them avid runners themselves. I even got a run in with some of the more serious marathoners out on the lakefront after one of the events. This is definitely good company to be in.
I have also been fortunate enough to be in the presence of some more well known athletes and coaches. Coach Jay Johnson, a former assistant coach at Colorado University who now coaches elite athletes, came during our 26.2 Preview – a gear-up event 16 weeks out from the Chicago Marathon, and talked to some of the runners about training tips and how to best prepare for the marathon. I was fortunate enough to meet and talk running with him. Also at that event was two-time Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein who shed some wisdom on running as well as his past experiences. I soaked up every word.
I also got to attend the Fleet Feet Conference which is held once a year. This year it was held here in Chicago and it is basically a gathering of all Fleet Feet owners in the North American region. I got to talk with and customize some tee-shirts for them. The tee-shirt press allows for athlete/customer customization and hopefully will be the future of Nike high school spike nights. Also, after 2 days of inhaling potentially deadly fumes, I am now an expert at the tee-shirt press. Another exciting part was getting to see and show off the new product coming out for next spring. I’m also probably drinking the Nike Kool Aid but I definitely felt that our Expo got much more attention and traffic than the other vendors – just saying.
Some things I am working on in the near future are some Cross Country Camps as well as Runfest- so more to come on those. I’m excited to see what comes my way.
