NXN- Austin Sprague's Excellent Adventure, Day 2
Day 2 Thursday:
What a beautiful morning it was to wake up to! It was 17 degrees with strong winds. The teams and individuals that were already at the hotel were told to meet in the lobby at 7:30 to leave for Nike HQ. We were piled into charter busses with our different regions and team. Nike Campus is only about ten minutes from where we were staying. Everyone on the bus was very excited because we all knew what we were about to go experience. We arrived at Nike campus and dropped off at the Tiger Woods building. We were all greeted of the bus and told "Welcome to Nike Nationals". As I walked into the building for the first time my jaw dropped. The lobby was decorated with everything Nike running. The individual uniforms were all lined up for us to see. Also in the building were all the pictures of past champions and trophies.
Once into the building I was directed into the athlete hospitality room. This was by far to coolest room in the building because it was decorated head to toe. At least a dozen apple computers, five flat screen televisions for video games, giant bean bags, a DJ, snack bar, and customized ping pong tables are just some of the great things the hospitality room had to offer. As an athlete I spent a great deal of time in that room. Also on Thursday I got to enjoy the “gear up” experience. This was a big highlight of my trip because it was so memorable. The southeast boys lined up outside of the Stanford auditorium and then all five of us entered and music began to blast. Spotlights were put on us as we walked into the stage and our pictures were on the walls. We were introduced one by one and given a unique locker on the stage. In the locker was all of the gear Nike was giving us to get ready for the race Saturday.
After we got all of our stuff from the locker we were directed to a different building where we were fitted for the customized shoes. We were able to go into the restricted area where Nike designers come up with the great Nike gear. It was really cool to know where the shoes I wear were thought of. The flooring of the ground was a painted track service that looked awesome. We were fitting into our shoes and told to go out for a run. The run was amazing because Nike campus has a great woodchip trail as well as the Hollister trail. In addition to the two trails the world famous Nike track was awesome. Half of the track is in a forest setting while the other half is in a field. One of a kind! I also did some strides that day on the soccer fields. While on the fields I ran by many Nike athletes/coaches including Galen Rupp, Jordan Hasey and Alberto Salazar. They rest of the day consisted of opening ceremonies where all the teams and individuals were introduced as well as a steak dinner. Great day!
