The festivities began at Dennis Enarson's home for the Banksgiving Day shin-dig. Check out the video below to see how Nike completely transformed Dennis' backyard and how the community helped make the event spectacular.
We also got a chance to interview Mike Spinner and Nigel Sylvester, both Nike BMX pros.
One cool thing I learned about BMX ridin' is that this sport is probably one of the most under-rated multicultural sports out there. Check out the vid to find out why.
Also, don't forget to check out all of the awesome photos on YN's flickr site. AND check out the trailer for Writing on the Wall, the Nike film featuring all the BMX pros featured in our video.
Remember back in the summer when I reported on the Let Me Play Training Camp held in Los Angeles?
Well, it looks like the young social entreprenuers-in-the-making are now social entrepreneurs making change! So I'm perusing through Facebook, checking to see what my folks are up to and I come across a comment by one of my Facebook buddies and Outreach/Community Manager for YouthNoise, Amy Schapiro. Amy was commenting on Jerry DArko's video for Just Like You International Sports Exchange. (Oh the wonders of Facebook!)
I said to myself, "Hey! I remember these folks from the summer. Let me see what they've been up to." (Seriously, I said exactly that to myself). So I clicked on the video and WOWZERS was I inspired! The video captures these social entreprenuers engaging young elementary children through different sports from around the world. The idea is to create an environment of cultural solidarity and kinship through various types of international sports.
I'm so proud of these folks and all of their efforts. It's so cool to witness a simple idea flourish into profound possibilities. The children appear so engaged and enthusiastic while at the same time they are able to learn about other cultures outside of their own. What an amazing opportunity for children to learn about other cultures while having fun. Like my favorite feminist theorist/artist, Gloria E. Anzaldua once said, "The possibilities are endless once we decide to act and not react."
Awesome awesome AWESOME job gals and guys! I can't wait to see what's next for Just Like You. I also can't wait to see what the other groups are coming up with and how they too are contributing to social change through sport.
Here's some YouTube clips of the group talking about Just Like You:
While Play For Peace engages youth through sport in order to combat hate, Sport for Peace and Life program (a Mercy Corps program) seeks to use sports as a means to bring about HIV/AIDS awareness and combat global poverty. Already, the Sport for Peace program has "educated over 7,000 Sudanese youth about AIDS." The Sport for Peace program is sponsored in part by Nike and Grassroots Soccer, in effort to influence change, combat poverty, and build more awareness around issues concerning HIV/AIDS in Sudan and other African nations.
"Before I cam into the program I did not know anything about HIV/AIDS. But when I joined the program I cam to know something about it."
Hispanic Heritage Month is officially in full swing.
Yesterday, Nike celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by sponsoring an event with world-class athletes Paul Rodriguez Jr. and Felix Sanchez, elite runner Gracie Torres. Nike footwear designer Kiki McGehee join students from Franklin and Marshall High Schools to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.
PAUL RODRIGUEZ JR. IN ACTION
OLYMPIAN FELIX SANCHEZ
Check out the kicks below.
[Photos courtesy of Gustavo Galindo]
To commemorate HHM, Nike footwear designer Kiki McGehee designed a shoe
inspired by the many faces of the Hispanic culture. Using the Nike All
Court shoe, the design incorporates a technique known as piteado, a
popular method used on leather belts and boots throughout Latin
America. The word “Pride” is displayed on the shoe to reflect the
lifestyle of Hispanics living in the United States and the font used
was made famous by the low rider culture of the southwest. The ornate
floral details also encourage freedom of expression while the rich
jewel tone colors of brown, yellow and green combine to give the shoe a
unique appearance.
Latino hip-hop artist Malverde, Nike skating phenom Paul Rodriguez, Jr. along with Josh Sonntag, Martin Chan and Luis Tamblay of the band Volumen Cero celebrate their “Pride” at Nike’s Hispanic Heritage Month event, which included the debut of a limited edition Nike All Court shoe (pictured above) inspired by the many faces of Hispanic culture. Students from Franklin and Marshall High Schools participated in a series of interactive workshops that included footwear design, skate demo with P Rod, stretching exercises with Olympian Felix Sanchez and a futsal clinic. The celebration took place at the LA River Center and Gardens, the future site of a Nike futsal court as part of Nike’s Let Me Play community effort to build or refurbish 84 play spaces throughout Los Angeles to benefit young sports enthusiasts.
Special thanks to all the folks who helped make this event possible, including the students from Franklin and Marshall highschools.
The Nike + Human Race proved not only to be an extraodinary sporting and charity event, it also ended up being a great night for music enthusiasts like myself!
At the end of the night when all the participants finished the race, Kanye West and Common took to the stage. Unfortunately, I couldn't get an interview with the Grammy-Award winning performers; apparently their people cut off all media interviews. Boo, just boo! However, I was able to get some cool shots and video from the concert.
Kanye began his set like a champ. The first cut he performed of the night was "Champion" from his latest album Graduation. Next up he performed "Flashing Lights" as the setting transformed into a futuristic mirage of blue laser lights thrashing throughout the stage.
Kanye's percussion ensemble pumped through "Homecoming" and "Testify" while audience members mimicked the lyrics word-for-word.
Mid-way through Kanye's set, fellow hip-hop artist and friend, Common joined Kanye on stage. The energy was fierce and both Common and Kanye's stage presence was certainly felt by the thousands of adoring fans and runners. Both performers stuck to their mainstream hits (it would've been cool to hear some other cuts from past albums).
Kanye performed an a capella piece, but just as the beat was supposed to drop, Kanye's DJ missed his cue, and of course, Kanye put him on blast in front of thousands. "You effed it up, man. Well, there goes the exclusive!" Kanye said. Kanye and his crew quickly moved on to the next song, crowd favorite, "Gold digger." The audience couldn't get enough of the College Dropout, and honestly, I was impressed with his stage presence and overall commanding performance.
Kanye ended his set with one of my favorites, "Stronger." A wave of hands swayed back in forth moving in sync with the electronic beat. Kanye exited stage left as the audience was left wanting more of the self-proclaimed "king."
The concert ended with a spectacular fireworks display hovering over the Coliseum stage. A perfect ending to a great night full of sport, music, and charity!
If you have about ten minutes to spare, check out these EXCLUSIVE SCENES I captured from the concert on Sunday night!
