By Barclay Kruse, Schwan's USA CUP Media Director
On a hot, windy Friday afternoon, you would think the busiest place at the PUMA Lab would be the air-conditioned, wind-sheltered PUMA Lounge. And it's not like the Lounge wasn't hopping. But the action spot on a hot afternoon was the PUMA Shoe Demo Booth, where a steady stream of players was coming up to borrow high-end PUMA footwear to try during a Schwan's USA CUP game.
Various models are available for loan, priced from $125 to $195. Players can try the shoes for free, after dropping off credit card information. When they return the shoes, they're asked to fill out a short survey, and then are awarded a discount certificate to purchase the shoes.
At 16:00 on Friday afternoon, over 70 pairs of shoes were out on loan.
Tanner Viedenkamp, of the Spencer Fire 14 boys team from Iowa, was returning a pair of PUMA Kings, retail price: $125. He gave the shoes high marks.
Below: Jay Gjestvang, of West Fargo, N.D., tries on a pair of PUMA V-Konstruct shoes at the PUMA Shoe Demo booth.
"This is a shoe where the leather forms to your foot," he explained. "The touch was excellent, so was the bounce off the ball. It was a very quick shoe, a great cleat."
But was he ready to fork over the money to buy the shoes on the spot?
"Not today; maybe when I'm older."
On the nearby fitting bench, Jay Gjestvang of the Red River Ajax 19 boys team, was trying on a pair of V-Konstruckts. He planned to wear them in his team's 7:50 game Saturday against the Mahtomedi Strikers.
After tightening the laces and flexing his foot, he looked up. The verdict?
"They're perfect, actually."
The PUMA Shoe Demo Booth is just one part of the PUMA Lab. Next door, the PUMA Lounge features gaming stations with the latest XBOX 360 games and daily contests. There are six laptops to check email, upload photos, or to check out the Schwan's USA CUP's new social networking site, http://www.usacupplayers.com/. You can also pick up a custom photo with your image inserted into PUMA's futuristic ad campaign, get an airbrushed tattoo, or just relax and soak up the music in air-conditioned comfort.
The PUMA Lab is the location for the PUMA Tent Rental Program, where teams can borrow a pop-up tent for their games. The price is very attractive -- free.
The PUMA Lap is also the hub for the PUMA transportation system, eight carts that constantly circulate around the campus -- at your service to carry you and your equipment to and from a game.
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