Aaron Kr. 
Following the trip to The Zoo, Sneaker News and other media in attendance at Nike’s Athletic Training 2010 Media Showcase were taken to Laney College to wear-test some Nike Training products at the Oakland Nike Football Combine. Upon arrival, media was taken to the locker room where we were outfitted with the latest in Nike Trainers, as well as a fully equipped set of Dri-Fit gear from head to toe. After suiting up, it was on to the stadium, where we were to participate in the combine alongside the area’s top high school football players. We were greeted at the field by one of the Nike coaches on hand who got us properly motivated to show our stuff (or lack thereof).
Following some much-needed stretching, the group was then introduced to our designated personal trainers for the day, Heisman Trophy winner/2-time National Championship quarterback/incoming NFL rookie, Tim Tebow, as well as arguably the league’s two best cornerbacks in the Jets’ Darrelle Revis and the hometown Raiders’ Nnamdi Asomugha. A quick pep talk and some helpful pointers had us as ready as we were ever going to be to see what we were made of in the combine. Using the Nike SPARQ Training system, our athleticism would be tested based on four activities designed to assess our readiness for the next level of football glory: the 40-Yard Dash, Agility Shuttle Run, Power Ball Toss and Vertical Jump.
After completing the four stations, your overall score is tabulated into a SPARQ Rating which effectively separates the men from the boys. Needless to say, most media members will probably not be receiving Division 1 scholarship offers for the 2011 season, but the experience was quite rewarding nonetheless. As we staggered our sore bodies out off the field, we got a chance to check out the mobile Nike iD and Pro Combat display trucks, which were pretty impressive, as you’ll see from the pics after the jump. Keep reading to see it all for yourself and thanks again to Nike for the great experience.
