Seven winners.
Six days and six nights of Spy fun.
X Games 15. Party with Rob Dyrdek at his Fantasy Factory in Los Angeles.
Ride motocross with seven-time Supercross champion Jeremy McGrath.
Learn to surf at Surf Diva with Mike Losness, Luke Davis and Kanoa Igarashi.
Wakeboard with Melissa Marquardt.
Award ceremony at Transworld Media and K1 Speedway.
And plenty of good times in between…
DAY 1 – Monster Energy Party
The famous Spy van graced the LAX airport with its presence and welcomed the 2009 Spy Boot Campers for an action packed week. To kick things off they were taken to Encounter, a swanky cocktail lounge in Los Angeles then to the downtown Kyoto Grand Hotel to lounge and relax before the premiere kickoff night of partying would begin.
Into the night and wee hours of the morning they would soon discover each other’s party personas at Monster Energy’s X Games party at Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory. Plenty of celebrities and pros were mixin’ it up that night. A Carl’s Jr. food truck was rad enough to supply unlimited free food for all as well. Even the Canadian boot camper, Drew, had such a good time he woke up the next morning in the hallway of the hotel with a shiner underneath his left eye. We still don’t know how it happened!
DAY 2 – X Games 15
At X Games 15, Home Depot Center in Carson, CA, the Spy Boot Campers were taken behind-the-scenes with ESPN’s Will from Marketing for an exclusive tour of X Games. They watched the street skate finals at the top of the tower to watch P-Rod battle it out for gold, just feet away from announcer Sal Masekela and skate icon Tony Hawk. After watching BMX, arms loaded with hot dogs, nachos and $12 beers, everyone was amped to watch the Super X-Men Moto finals and Freestyle Moto at the stadium.
DAY 3 – Beach
After being in fast-paced LA, a chill beach day was in order, just north of Tamarack. Smashball, tan lines and local downtown Carlsbad shopping ensued after two long days of being in the sun and partying. A laid-back BBQ of kabobs and beer that night turned into a good old fashion pool party. Let’s just say some were thrown into the pool, clothes and all…
DAY 4 – Moto
All geared up with their Spy moto goggles and personalized moto jerseys compliments of No Fear, the campers got to meet and ride motocross with seven-time supercross champion Jeremy McGrath at the new Pala Raceway. The Fuel TV film crew came to meet everyone and even took a few laps. Spy brought out 88cc and 110cc bikes for them to ride at the even different tracks offered at Pala. Despite the hot 90 something degree heat and wearing all dark gear head to toe, everyone had a huge grin on their faces riding and hanging with Jeremy and Spy crew. Later that night after plenty of pizza, beer buddies and more beer, they got to experience the local hangout in Encinitas for a dance party with the featured Monday night DJ spinning catchy beats.
DAY 5 – Surf
With full sunshine and warm 70 degree water, the campers learned to surf with Surf Diva in La Jolla for a two hour private lesson. Spy’s surf team manager John Oda brought surfers Luke Davis, Kanoa Igarashi and Mike Losness to teach and surf with everyone. The small one foot to occasional two foot surf made it the perfect day for learning and trying 360s on foam longboards. Kailee Bradstreet from Transworld Business came out to take photos and surf some waves with us. It was a beautiful day for shredding!
DAY 6 – Wake
For the final day of boot camp, everyone visited the local Carlsbad Lagoon to wakeboard. Spy’s wake team manager Aaron Grace brought wakeboarder Melissa Marquardt to help teach and hang out for the day. Everyone rode really well and had a blast hanging out on the Liquid Force boat. Editor-in-Chief of Alliance Wakeboard, Bill McCaffray, came out to meet the campers. After an afternoon of shredding the liquid gnar, they met the entire crew at Spy headquarters in Carlsbad.
Thanks to Transworld Media, for hosting the Spy Boot Camp award ceremony with a BBQ and Kona beer fest at their headquarters. Each camper was presented with a framed Transworld cover by Spy local rep Mikey Haney. To top it all off Billy from Transworld treated the campers to one last hoorah round of K1 go-kart racing.
DAY 7
The action packed week had commended and it was back to the daily grind. With nothing but huge grins on their faces they will remember the trip from the thousands of photos that were taken.
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John Bennett, 29, Online Consumer Winner, Manchester, NH
“It’s amazing Spy gave me this opportunity. I wouldn’t have access to any of this. This truly is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Pretty rad. And thanks for the California sunburn they provided for me! I was super excited to have met Alliance Wakeboard’s Editor-in-chief, Bill McCaffray. It was really cool meeting him.”
Matty O’Connell, 23, SpareParts, Regina, SK, Canada
“Push ups can be a dance move too! This solidifies the fact that this is the industry I want to be in. I’m making the right choice working at a shop. You don’t have to wear a suit everyday to make a buck.”
“After this experience I want to push Spy even harder. They went out of their way and set this all up. You gain the respect on their end. I want to work just as hard to get the product into consumers hands. This trip also reminds me how much I love Socal. I want to move here!”
Drew Milliken, 24, Island Snow Board Shop, Kelowna, B.C. Canada
“Going into the trip, I had no real expectations. Spy, I can definitely relate. It’s like a big family. Good times and good company. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity that everyone needs to win because it is so much fun!”
Steph Shedek, 21, McGrath Power Sports, Cedar Rapids, IO
“The boot camp experience was amazing. I’ve done a lot on this trip that I’ve never been able to do. Spy is amazing. It is an awesome opportunity they put together. It’s way better than I thought it would be.”
Ryan Cameron, 24, Jacks Surfboards, Corona Del Mar, CA
“Boot camp exceeded my expectations. I was surprised how Spy is so involved with their athletes. They have a very hands on approach. All of the athletes have a level of respect for the Spy brand. McGrath seemed so relaxed to be there at moto day and Losness was cool to meet on surf day. I got the real behind-the-scenes experience. It’s cool to see a face behind the brand. It’s very much an inclusive family.
This experience now makes the shop kids want to make consumer feel a part of the brand. Even six months from now, it’s more than just a sunglass brand. It’s a family, a lifestyle.”
Cassie Hudson, 23, Mainland Skate & Surf, Concord, CA
“It’s pure motivation. All the hard work at the shop does pay off. Boot camp has inspired me to have more ideas to improve the shop, especially with the economy and all. My shop is all about customer service. We have a small shop and Spy’s a smaller company. It’s good to know companies like Spy can reward accounts like this. Even with this economy, its awesome this can still happen.
It exceeded my expectations. Being actually a part of this entire week has been out of this world. When I landed in Los Angeles, I thought Ashton was going to jump out and I was about to be Punk’d. I felt very VIP at the X Games. When I thought the behind-the-scenes tour was VIP, Will, our personal guide brought us to an even better view. I was 15 feet from Ryan Sheckler and stood two feet from Tony Hawk and Sal Masakela!
It was all the little things. It made a huge impact on me. I’m so honored to have won.”
Jennifer Zdeb, 28, Brave New World, Point Pleasant Beach, NJ
“Boot Camp was amazing. It was a once in a lifetime experience. I was chosen out seven winners. It was unreal! One of the most exciting parts of the trip for me was being able to ride motocross bikes with Jeremy McGrath. We had great seats at the X Games and received VIP treatment at the stadium.
The Spy team themselves were by far the best people ever! The trip would not have been the same if it wasn’t for them. Partying with them at the Fantasy Factory or having them teach me how to surf was awesome. Spy is by far the most “rad” company out there! (rad was one of the California lingo words I picked up out there!) Thanks for an amazing experience Spy! You’re the best!”
For more photos be sure to check out our Spy Boot Camp Facebook page.
A huge thanks to everyone involved for making this year’s Spy Boot Camp 7 another memorable experience for all.
Thanks to our partners Fuel TV, Monster Energy, X Games 15, Ogio, KTM, Plan B, Vestal, Silver, Surf Diva, Liquid Force, Transworld Media and Kona Brewing Co. Thanks to the Spy crew for showing up and providing pure entertainment for all and also Alliance Wakeboard for the support!
Winter Boot Camp 2010?
Just you wait.
