Kelli Zink

Nike isn’t just a force in the athletic world, when it comes to launching new products- no one is more creative. Their most recent event felt like a scavenger hunt/game of Clue.

Last night shattered my perception on how brands do business. Here’s what went down:

9:00 am Intersport offices: A Nike bag arrives. Inside are: a pair of pants, a dri fit tee, socks, headbands, a hoodie and pair of red Nike Free shoes.

2:39 pm My desk at work: I begin to see other friends Facebook status’s pop up about the event and we began to G chat and email over what may go down since no details were provided on the event except to show up wearing the gear at 6pm sharp. We are nervous.

5:50 pm New Leaf Event Space: I am led up a staircase into a dark room where I sign a waiver to be filmed and am given a group number-5.  Everyone who walks up the stairs is a surprise, since none of us know the guest list.

6:21 pm New Leaf: We are led into a larger room and offered water and ice tea. We begin to realize that no alcohol means we will be getting physical. We huddle around our friends and make new ones. Lisa keeps jumping up and down and yelling ; “Field Day!”.

6:28 pm New Leaf: We take our seats on leather blocks and are treated to a presentation by Cindy Hamilton from Nike Marketing and the man who helped create the new Nike Fuel Band. The room is filled with musicians, artists, writers, jocks, hipsters and media. It’s a diverse mix of creative people.

6:29pm: I want, NEED, a fuel band. We are informed how the Fuel band works (in this dude’s sexy British accent): you set a goal for the day and try and meet it. Nike feels everyone is an athlete, and rewards for everyday activities like shopping, walking and even sex. It shows calories burned, and plugs in directly to your i Phone or computer to track progress. We are then fitted for bands and told we’d be trying them out- at Soldier Field.

6:55 ish pm Black Escalades: Team Five is crammed into an SUV heading for Soldier Field. Our team is made up of: Jessica Zwieg from Cheeky Chicago, Lisa Frame from Mugshot Monday, Nina Drake  a bad ass DJ, De’Mar Hamilton the drummer for The Plain White T’s, former Chicago Bear Jerry Azumah, and director Davy Greenberg.

our team- minus Davey who was camera shy.

7:15 pm Soldier Field- Visitor’s Locker room: We are sitting in the visitor locker room being told what was about to go down- we were going to go run drills, ON THE FIELD and kick field goals with Bear’s kicker Robbie Gould. Robbie addresses the group and we are lined up alphabetically to run onto the field. The guys are shamelessly snapping pics and video of the Bear’s kicker while he speaks- it’s kinda awesome.

7:20 pm Soldier Field- tunnel/field: As we approach the tunnel we see the lights of the field, a marching band and flags waving. As we run onto the field our name is announced over the loud speaker. Experience of a lifetime.

7:35 pm Soldier Field- field: The sleet and rain have stopped, and we all rotate between three stations of: kicking field goals, doing agility drills and catching touchdown passes. My field goal attempt was pathetic. Like really really bad. But who cares- we were all having a blast. All of a sudden this crew of “cool kids” (not me, but trust me William Beckett, Nick Scimeca, Johnny Minardi and De’Mar are COOL) were snapping pics, taking video and having real fun despite the chilly weather.

8:15 pm New Leaf: We are all back upstairs at New Leaf and track our progress on the Fuel Bands. We’re led upstairs where  choreographer Bravemonk is going to teach us two hip hop routines while DJ Maurice Joshua spins the soundtrack.

8:16 pm New Leaf dance floor inside my head: Sh$t this routine is hard. I really can’t dance. I used to be a cheerleader- what the F happened.

8: 45 New Leaf – dance floor: About 7 girls are left on the floor trying to nail the routine including Frame, April Francis and Susanna Negovan. And by *nail* I mean- trying not look like total fools dancing in front of our friends.  We are laughing, giddy and drenched in sweat. I had to walk it out three times because I almost threw up from the exertion of the intensive routine. Ok- to be fair I’d been on a juice cleanse since Monday and was about to die.

9:11 pm New Leaf: We all hug and say we wish every night out was more like this, all in the same comfy clothes, doing physical activity and bonding without alcohol.

It was one of the most memorable nights I’ve had in sometime and has changed my perspective on what “fun” is all over again.