3 Days In Bogota

Carol and I were in Bogot� kicking footbag for Postobon, a huge beverage and bottling company in Colombia.  They�re basically Pepsi Colombia.

HOLY #@&*!

That about sums it up.  Now, here�s a bunch of babble that may not do the experience any better justice…

In late May and then again in late June we were brought to Bogot�, Colombia to promote Pepsi of Colombia via the sport of footbag.  Three days of work on each trip.  Perhaps that�s really 6 days in Colombia but I started writing this little story after our first trip and before I was sure we’d be back, and somehow the title just doesn�t sound as cool that way.   

When we first signed on for this deal it was a secret that we were working for Pepsi Colombia.  I found this somewhat humorous and I still do.  Especially that we, Carol and me and footbag, were the big secret.  But guess what - shit - Coke found out and launched a counter footbag campaign 2 weeks before ours.  Therefore, our campaign was pushed back and apparently ramped up too.  Hah!  Although our life schedule was screwed over, footbag surely wins out on that deal. 

Anyway, it was an enormous amount of work but the whole thing was also a totally amazing experience!

Did we sell out?  Hell yes.  However, the sport of footbag got HUGE publicity and some old school freestylers, Carol and me, got paid.  Not exactly a common in the world of footbag, eh?

The second biggest marketing company in Colombia orchestrated the whole deal.  They came up with the idea to marry footbag and Pepsi Colombia.

Thanks Nicolas and Ricardo!

They found us, flew us in, and hosted us like superstars.  Well, as superstar as footbag has ever gotten for me.  Many thanks to them!  Perhaps I�m bias, but I think their idea was brilliant. 

While in Bogot� we always traveled with an entourage of 10 or 20 people in 2 or 3 vans.  We traveled all over the massive city (8 million people).  If we weren’t with this entourage I would not have felt safe.  The city of Bogot� is a hard core in every way.

Is it a dangerous city?

Well, I�d say it is a city with attitude.  For starters, driving in Manhattan is a civilized experience in comparison.  There is no room for the timid behind the wheel of anything in this town.

And the police, they are openly carrying what look to be semi automatic military rifles.  As if there is any other way to carry a rifle and as if I know what �semi-automatic� looks like? 

Many of the police also have the friendliest looking dogs at their sides.  I�m no expert on canines but they looked to be Golden and Labrador retrievers.  Why not Doberman Pinscher, German Shepherd, Pit Bull, or some other intimidating attack dog type?  Well, because these are bomb sniffing dogs.  Um, yikes?

There is lots of pollution, auto exhaust, etc in this city and there seems to be a very large poor population, although there is clearly affluence too.

Is it a beautiful city?

Many parts of Bogot� are typical of a modern city with tall functional buildings void of architectural inspiration.  However, there are also neighborhoods that are amazingly beautiful with classic Spanish motif architecture, narrow brick/cobblestone streets, and much of the city is bordered by a dramatic mountain-scape.

We were treated to several really great meals at restaurants both small and large having fantastic atmosphere.  Bogota has no shortage of great food.

The people!

The people of Colombia are the warmest/nicest people and they really know how to have fun.  They are genuine, hard working, hard partying people - that eat their sandwiches with a fork and knife - and they are full of pride… overflowing with pride… for their city and their country.  They were highly motivated to show us that Colombia and Bogot� kick ass!  And they succeeded.

In the morning hours of each day Carol and I would take part in interviews by various media and then perform in promotional footbag shows in the afternoons.  One morning we were shopped around 10 different radio stations and 6 different TV shows for these mostly quick hits - 5 minutes or so each.  Our mantra went something like this…

“Muchas gracias Postobon y Pepsi por la invatacion” to introduce us to the footbag talent in Colombia.

And believe me, there is talent in Colombia.  We met with the biggest club in Bogot� (30 some members) and trained with them one morning.  They boast the National Champions of team freestyle.  I didn�t know Colombia had a National Footbag tournament but I now know first hand that they, the footbag players of Colombia, are organized, motivated, disciplined, and very talented.  I hope they find a way to join the international scene soon.

In the afternoons we would do 3 to 6 shows at schools, malls, amusement parks, etc. promoting Postobon products via a classic footbag show - half show off and half instructional.  Carol and me had very little to do with the production or direction of the footbag events � that was all handled by the marketing company and a team of players from the Bogot� footbag club.  We just came in and showed off a little singles and doubles freestyle at the highest level they had ever seen in person.

Postobon and Pepsi of Colombia were apparently sold on this promotional idea by the second largest marketing company in Colombia, Sistole Marcas Activas.  They, Sistole, came up with a program by which millions of footbags are given away by collecting bottle caps that have letters printed on the inside.  Spell the word �GOAL�, and exchange the caps for a footbag in one of various color schemes based on country flags.  Collect Them All! 

Sistole hired us to help kick off the month long event and then to return for the grand finale, �Primer Gran Encuentro De Musica Electronica y Fuchiball�, end of June.

The audiences we performed for, kids age 1st grade to early college, mobbed us at every stop.  Many of them really wanted just to get close to us and shake our hand, or get an autograph, or just give us something as a gift.  One kid took off his bracelet - a yellow, red, and blue band signifying the flag of Colombia - asking if he could give it to me.  ‘I just want to give you something.  I use this everyday’ he said. 

Now, just as many kids only wanted a free footbag.  And they were really good at begging and looking helpless when they did this.

Much of the experience was a total head trip.  It was incredibly humbling and I felt like we had to be responsible regarding what we said and how we acted at every performance because the audiences reacted in extreme ways.  For instance, many wanted our autograph and/or wanted to give us a gift or token of appreciation, and if we said almost anything at all in Spanish on stage they cheered us enthusiastically.

At the finale we were joined by DJ�s brought in from as far away as Berlin, Germany.  The concept was to have a final beginner level freestyle competition and an advanced freestyle exhibition followed by a huge party in cooperation with the electronica mixes of Diego, Tricky D, and Coost Lardy Cake � the DJ�s we worked with.  The crowd may have been smaller than Sistole hoped, I estimate it varying from 1 to 2 thousand people at any given time, but they were very enthusiastic and seemed to love every minute of the event.

All the people we met, especially the people of Sistole, were amazing.  In just a few days we promoted footbag huge, got paid for doing it, and made some great friends for life.

Until we meet again Colombia - all the best!