So, I was relegated to working the Ultimate Football Experience presented by Amway’s Nutrilite brand and making sure our players from IBOs, to consumer sweepstakes winners, to ESPN personalities had a great time, but hey, I’m still qualified to share my experience from the event!
To quote the many who played for our teams “it was the experience of a lifetime.” “It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in my 20+ years in the Amway business.” “I don’t want it to end!”
Now, for a feel on how a player feels after the event, well, I’ll have to leave that to a banged up colleague who played – like blog regular Matthew Darin or our boss Mark Nelson. But from the sidelines and behind the scenes, wow is the word that comes to mind. When you have guys like Ryen Russillo – Co-host of the Scott Van Pelt Show for ESPN Radio – and Jay Crawford – Host of ESPN’s First Take - telling you that this event takes the cake (mind you, they play in a lot of charity type outings) in terms of planning, experience, etc., you know you have a winner.
It all starts with the host of the event, Amway’s Nutrilite Brand MVP Kurt Warner. He is so very gracious in all that he does and the people he associates with. i.e. the QBs for the teams, make this a one of a kind event. Thank you Kurt for hosting such a fantastic weekend.
But enough of me talking, let these videos do the picture painting…
Friday Night Draft Party
Saturday Morning Prep Session
Saturday afternoon – Game Day
Participants and guests were loaded up with – and raving about – Nutrilite, XS and Perfect Water as well. To say we were well represented is an understatement:
Kurt Warner Ultimate Football Experience presented by Nutrilite
A look at the Hydration Field sponored by Nutrilite
Nutrilite sponsored Recovery Field at UFE
Nutrilite Strength field sponsorship
Energy Field, brought to UFE by Nutrilite
My son, Ryan and I with Ryen Russillo of ESPN's Scott Van Pelt Show
My son, Ryan and me with Jay Crawford of ESPN's First Take
Nutrilite and Amway were presenting sponsor of Kurt Warner's Ultimate Football Experience
No post yesterday, had to put my hockey hat on and talk videos with the Amway sponsored Detroit Red Wings down in Motown.
And since tomorrow is travel day for the big event – Kurt Warner’s Ultimate Football Experience, presented by Nutrilite, I’ll toss a few more facts and QBs at you today.
At the moment, we are still waiting for Kurt and Co. to unveil QB number 12, but I do have a few more to join the already incredibly impressive roster of Kurt, Larry Fitzgerald, Christian Ponder, Brad Johnson, Deion Sanders, Michael Irvin, Steve Young and Alex Smith…
Tampa Bay signal caller Josh Freeman is the second youngest to play this year (just in front of Ponder). He’s been in the league for three seasons and is a first timer for UFE this year. Anquan Boldin joined with Larry Fitzgerald to make up a dynamic duo for Kurt to toss to when the Cardinals unexpectedly burst onto the scene and into the Super Bowl a few years back. Also back this year, to defend his crown as reigning champ? Rich Gannon.
Fun facts of the day… UFE QBs have played for at least 12 different teams during their collective careers, with the Vikings one of the most represented squads. There are at least 10 championship rings among the players in this year’s event and at least 39 Pro Bowl’s played in. And did you know, Rich Gannon is the only 2-time, back to back MVP in Pro Bowl history?
It may be the offseason, but the National Football League is certainly in the news. No need to worry though, there are no bounties on players in this event. Natural attrition takes the place of bounties at this event where men (and at least one woman) of all ages and sizes try to recapture their youth and usually wind up needing one of those pro sports locker room ice baths for a week afterwards.
The weather forecast couldn’t be better – sun and mid 70s. All but one of the “pros” is set for Saturday. The event is coming together nicely and it all benefits Kurt Warner’s foundation and Amway One by One partner – First Things First. For those who are curious, you’ll have four chances to catch a glimpse of all that the event entails via our Live Stream channel.
This weekend brings about our own bit of March madness – football style – and is sure to be talked about for the rest of the participant’s lives. Yes, it is that special!
Today’s fun fact… one of the QBs piloting a team is the only quarterback to ever throw himself a touchdown pass. Chew on that one for a while! Brad Johnson not only did that, but played for four teams in his career and led Tampa Bay to a championship along the way.
We’re just a week away from what will be the Utimate Football Experience of a football fan’s lifetime – a day of running routes, catching and defending passes with current and former pro football players – from quarterbacks to receivers to lock down corners.
Since we’re going into the weekend, we’ll unveil three more of the pros that will grace the fields with amateurs from all walks of life…
Friday fun fact – Three current Hall of Famers grace the roster of playing “pros” for UFE presented by Nutrilite. Teams will vye Friday night for draft position and get their choice of one of these three among the 12 on tap for the weekend.
Drum roll please… Steve Young, Deion Sanders and Michael Irvin – elite players of the 90s and all very active in the field of football analysis will be guiding teams of eight in what is sure to be a memorable, fun-filled, competitive event…
Learn more about the event and First Things First and check back Monday with another unveiling…
My Nutrilite teammate Matthew Darin did a great job of painting a picture of what the experience in Phoenix looks like. I was there too, but injured playing hoops with my son days before and relegated to crutches and a clipboard for the event. Still, I can’t tell you enough how great this event Kurt Warner puts on truly is.
Of course the main reason is that it supports his First Things First Foundation, an official partner of Amway’s One by One campaign for children. FTF and the Warner’s do so much for children in and around Kurt’s former pro cities (St. Louis, Phoenix and even New York and his home state of Iowa) and this event goes a long way to making the dreams of many become a reality.
Aside from that, of course, there is the football. And don’t underestimate that draft party that Matthew spoke of. It is, off the hizzle fo shizzle! Who knew these players had such incredible senses of humor? And their respect for Kurt makes me even more proud that he’s Amway’s Nutrilite Brand MVP.
If you missed your chance to go this year, or win a slot in our sweepstakes – which by the way had over 72,000 entries – look for it again next year. Trust me, if you are a football fan, there is nothing like this. To catch passes from a Kurt Warner or pick off another pro – who gets to do that stuff every day?
Be sure to follow all of the action with four live stream videos next weekend, chronicling the event and our teams and players.
As for the fun, fan fact of the day… the eleventh of 12 QBs added gives this event at least SEVEN first round draft picks among the 12 pros playing the event. Christian Ponder of the Minnesota Vikings.
Hopefully by now you are well aware of Kurt Warner’s Ultimate Football Experience, presented by Nutrilite exclusively from Amway. If not, here’s an overview:
12 teams of 8.
4 on 4 flag football.
50 yard field.
12 former or current “pros” as quarterback.
More soreness than you can imagine, no matter what kind of shape you’re in!
This year, we’ve taken our participation up a notch. In 2011, it was one team. This year we have four. IBOs, consumers and some well-known media – Jay Crawford of ESPN’s First Take and Ryen Russillo of ESPN Radio’s Scott Van Pelt Show – will all take part in a weekend that players and spectators alike will talk about for life.
The “QBs” vary from year to year, headlined of course by Amway’s Nutrilite Brand MVP Kurt Warner himself.
Fun fact of the day today and the unveiling of one of the pros… there are more than 115 collective years of pro football experience leading the 12 teams on March 10.
One of those pros? One of the league’s top wide receivers and a favorite target of Kurt’s on his championship game run of 2008 – Larry Fitzgerald
And I think Larry wonders, as do I… is Kurt Warner coming back to pro football any time soon?!
With 11 days remaining until Kurt’s Ultimate Football Experience presented by Nutrilite, that question has popped up again. After all, many teams need quarterbacks and some contenders don’t want to wait for a rookie to develop. So that begs the question, is Kurt coming back to the pros?
Regardless of the answer to that question, one thing we know for sure is that the Ultimate Football Experience is going to be another incredible weekend of fun, competition and flag football.
It all starts March 9 with a welcome party and draft competition. The “QBs” in play this year (still a few slots being filled) are: Kurt, Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald, Rich Gannon (defending champ), Brad Johnson, Alex Smith, Steve Young, Michael Irvin, Deion Sanders, and Josh Freeman. Just between these ten, there are over 113 years of pro experience and ten championship rings and there are still a few pros left to round out the 12.
Follow our coverage of the event, including on our four teams consisting of IBOs, sweepstakes winners and ESPN’s Jay Crawford and Ryen Russillo starting this week on Nutrilite’s Facebook page… Once the event kicks off, look for three “Game Day” features, with interviews and streaming video of the events…
I trust that everyone had a wonderful and restful Thanksgiving and heeded the advice of my colleagues along the way? Didn’t eat too much? Got in some exercise? I thought so…
Today we’re going to switch gears back to football. More specifically, Kurt Warner and football. As in a chance to play football with Kurt and other pros. That’s right, a chance to ditch fantasty football, dust off your cleats (or in my case, my 12 year old son’s cleats) and play with the pros.
Nutrilite is proud to be the presenting sponsor of Kurt Warner’s Ultimate Football Experience. What is it? A flag football tournament benefiting Kurt & Brenda Warner’s First Things First Foundation. A football fan’s dream weekend, held March 9 & 10, 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona. Teams of eight compete on Friday night for draft position (via Segways and Go-Karts) and then on Saturday take to the gridiron at the training facility for the Arizona Cardinals for a day full of flag football with current and former pro football stars at the helm of each team.
We’re equally as excited to offer a sweepstakes that will give four people a chance to win a slot on one of our teams in the event next spring.
Our partnership with Kurt Warner opens many doors for our IBOs, their customers and general consumers alike; this being one of the biggest doors of all. I mean really, how often are you going to be able to brag about war wounds from a diving catch made that came off the fingers of a Kurt Warner, or one of the many greats that have attended his event in the past (players like Aaron Rodgers, Phil Simms, Michael Strahan, Larry Fitzgerald, etc.)? But don’t take my word for it; Jared MacFarlane won the sweepstakes last year.
“The Ultimate Football Experience Presented by Nutrilite is a dream come true for football fanatics like me,” says Jared of Woodbridge, Virginia. “To actually play the game you love with some of the best who’ve ever played and have it all benefit an incredibly worthy cause was one of the greatest experiences of my lifetime.”
So what are you waiting for? Enough of this fantasy football stuff. Enter to win your chance to play today. The contest runs though February 6, 2012 and has many other great prizes; including Kurt Warner autographed footballs, daily instant win prizes, and The Perfect Pack for your Health from Nutrilite. Look for our ads in your Sports Illustrated Ap, listen for Kurt speaking about the event on the radio, and most important, enter to win!
Oh and just because we love football so much, we’re still in the midst of our Kurt Warner Trading Card Sweepstakes as well. The more that enter, the more prizes that go into the pool. Play today. This one ends December 21, 2011…
Anyone with kids in sports likely recognizes my blog title today. As a youth basketball coach, I can attest we come out of the pre-tip huddle with a loud rendition of this. Gets the blood flowing, even for the coach!
It’s appropriate today too as we sit here smack in the middle of football season. How’s your high school team doing? Mine is on its way to another conference title and a deep run in the state playoffs. How’s your college alma mater doing? Mine – Michigan State University – is primed for a battle with our despised in-state rival Michigan. How about the pro team you follow? I’m happy to say for the first time in my life, the Detroit Lions are 5-0 to start a season, have won nine straight dating back to the end of last season, just won on Monday Night Football and are rejuvenating the state of Michigan. For that matter, so are the Detroit Tigers.
But this isn’t all about my teams, well, sort of. I’m writing today to share two big pieces of news surrounding our team and our future hall of fame QB Kurt Warner, proud spokesman for Nutrilite, exclusively from Amway.
Did you ever collect trading cards as a kid? Football, baseball, basketball? I did. Memorized the stats and info about every player I could find. I guess cards are still made today, but how about virtual trading cards? On Monday, we launched the Nutrilite Kurt Warner Trading Card App for Facebook, complimented by a sweepstakes that allows one not only to collect and share 13 limited edition e-cards, but also offers a chance to win signed Kurt Warner memorabilia.
We’ll be releasing a new card every five days through mid-December and with every 1000 “likes” we get, we’ll put more sweet prizes in the pool – including autographed jerseys, footballs, and 13 of each of the 13 cards we’ll release. 13 being in honor – of course – of the number our favorite football son wore while collecting two MVPs, a Super Bowl title and championship game MVP award.
The other exciting football news of the day? Kurt’s foundation – First Things First – has announced that Nutrilite will be the presenting sponsor of his Ultimate Football Experience, to be held March 9 and 10, 2012 in Phoenix, AZ. Don’t know what “UFE” is? You have to check it out! It is a football lovers dream. Last year, a team I captained had Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers as the quarterback. Folks, this isn’t your typical back yard touch or flag football game!
Look for a sweepstakes offering chances to win a trip to the 2012 Ultimate Football Experience later this year. In the meantime, start collecting those virtual trading cards and stay tuned for another great piece of Nutrilite – Kurt Warner gear – a t-shirt replica of the jersey we sell. Both the shirt and jersey proceeds go directly to First Things First. Learn more about that at kurtwarner.org.
Almost a week has gone by. The guys that played on my team are finally recovering. The IBOs have recovered and are excitedly sharing their stories with family, friends, up and downlines alike! Me? I’m still on crutches but am focused on getting in the right shape to play next year.
Meanwhile, I wanted to take the time to do one last post about this amazing event and encourage you to check it out and learn more about Kurt’s Foundation on his web site, kurtwarner.org.
This year’s event raised more than $200,000 for kids based charities, and Nutrilite, XS and Amway played a big role. It truly is a one-of-a-kind event, with the opportunity to not just meet, but interact and play football with some of the best that will ever play the game America adores. The feedback from “Team Nutrilite” was that this was the best event they have ever participated in as a part of Amway. Considering the opportunities we have with our events, I’d say that is a high compliment to our amazing spokesman.
Sweepstakes winner, Jared MacFarlane with Brand Manager, Andy Gamm
Our sweepstakes winner, Jared MacFarlane got to share his story with media outlets in and around the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area before he left for Phoenix and when he got home and rested up, was kind enough to send me a sort of diary that outlines his experience:
So Friday night was the Draft Party, where we competed for position in the draft order. Team Nutrilite performed very well, and got a pretty high pick in the draft. We got to pick Kurt as our QB! I was excited at the announcement of that, let alone the opportunity to PLAY with him. Friday night was so much fun with go-kart racing and food, as well as the Draft Session. The smack-talk (with the professionals slated to lead the teams) during the drafting was hilarious and we got a good feel of how down to earth the pros really are.
The only pros who didn’t play were Matt Cassell, Michael Strahan, Michael Irvin and Larry Fitzgerald. Rich Gannon had a great team, and he’s still got it. He had great accuracy and the perfect touch and we weren’t able to stop it. They beat us in the morning. Joe Flacco’s team was tough as well. We lost to them by one point and that sent us to the Consolation Bracket, affectionately referred to by our team and others as the “Toilet Bowl.” We ended up playing Aaron Rodgers’ team to win 3rd place overall. That was a pretty close game as well, and Aaron was incredible to watch. His deep passes, short passes, his quick release and accuracy…he’s just a phenomenal athlete. Playing with Kurt though was truly the highlight of my weekend. I caught two or three TDs from him, which is just an amazing feeling. Getting high-fives from Kurt after a well-executed play was the coolest thing.
Sweepstakes Winner Jared MacFarlane and Kurt Warner
After the games were done, a few guys on the Nutrilite team ran some short routes, just for the sake of taking a fastball from Kurt. He may be retired, but he still has a cannon of an arm. My hands hurt after Saturday from all the catching and swatting to defend. Pain to be proud of! A sort of honor badge, really.
We got our own lockers in the Cardinals’ training facility, which we split between two players. They were the actual lockers of the Cardinals players, which made it that much more cool. We got footballs with autograph panels, new sunglasses, a First Things First hat, receiving gloves, a FTF shirt, sport gear, shorts, new slide-ons, socks, along with a bunch of free products to keep us running through the day. And Nutrilite literally kept me going, because I was cramping up pretty bad towards the end of the day. I think the Sports Drink and Endurance Cubes aided in getting me through. And the Quick Recover and Restore products were a blessing as well.
For winning third place, we won Relic NFL watches, which were pretty nice. It was kind of overwhelming how much free stuff we got, and because of the new Nike bag that I got, I had to check the bag I arrived with when I flew home! The pros were really down to earth and just great guys. During the lunch break, they were in the locker room, surrounded by their team making up plays and just hanging out. We were all a little start struck and it was tough not to just “fan out” on them. Once we had all played a few games, we had something in common to talk about, so there was some trash-talking and comradery between everyone.
It was such an amazing experience and a fun weekend. I just want to send out a MAJOR thank you to Kurt for being such a phenomenal man of faith and character and creating some great memories for me; to First Things First for putting on the event and making such a big difference in the lives of all the people they’ve touched; and last but not least, to Nutrilite for making it possible for me to experience this event and all the things they did for me to make it special (getting video footage, photo coverage, all the free products).
This was such a once in a lifetime experience! I can’t thank everyone enough for the memories you’ve given me. I’m truly grateful.
Thanks Jared, for that great recap. He really summed it up well. It was a fantastic experience that those who took part in or watched will remember forever… yes, even me on my crutches! Stay tuned as photos will be added to Facebook.com/Nutrilite and highlight videos will be available on Facebook and Amway.com.
