I’ve featured a lot of basketball, running and special issues on the site. For this post, let me focus on another popular shoe that was all the rage way back in the late 80′s/early 90′s. These are the trainers. Cross-trainers, XTrainers, Trainers, whatever. The Trainer was popularized back in the day when it was being endorsed by multi-sport star Bo Jackson. That was also the time when Nike pushed the campaign “Bo Knows”.  Well, that was that. Bo used thr Trainer 1s and immediately after the SC Trainers. 20 years after, Nike has produced a revamped version of the shoe, now on sale at Nike stores nationwide. At first, they looked horrible to me. It felt like it was a stretch to use flywire (again) and place a visible air window by the heel. But the more I look at it, the more I’m gravitating towards it.

There are currently two colorways available for the Trainer SC 2010s, with a third one on the way, coming out on Wednesday. Now, the March 10 release is a special one, as it is Manny’s 4th exclusive shoe. Unlike the previous releases, the SC 2010 MPs should be out at other stores- Parks, Stadiums, and the like. Just make sure to pick ‘em up when they’re out. But don’t sleep on these two CWs as well. I actually like the Whte/Orange/Purple ones as they are reminiscent of the shoe that came out way back when. The white/blue version is for all you square safe dudes that don’t want to push the envelope with your sneaker look.I’m just sayin’, but both CWs are dope as hell. If you’re not down with it, it’s cool. You’re entitled to your opinion. All I’m saying was that I thought they were fugly. But once I saw them up close, it’s a whole different ball game.

Now, if you’re not feelin’ the SC 2010, here’s another Trainer 1 SL low that might be to your liking. Colors are safe, the blazin’ orange is not out there and should work well with any gym get up. Once again, the Flywire, Max Air and Diamond FLX come together on this shoe to give you superior comfort and flexibility while workin’ out. There are a couple of colorways for the Trainer 1 SLs but this is one of my favorites. I can’t seem to find the other photo I took, but I should have it up one of these days.

So there, Trainers from Nike are as cool as you can get. If you are workin’ out with the sweltering heat, might as well look good while you’re at it.

These came out right around All-Star Weekend but never went out of my way to check them out. The KD2 ASG colorway and the Nike Hyperize-East. Between the two conferences, all the shoes done for the West are much better. This weird shade of blue is not working for me. Durantula’s 2nd signature comes in a close 2nd to Kobe’s joints (though they look a lot like the Creamsicles). Like the other West colorways, the KD2 has the icy sole and adds extra flare to the shoe.

The Hyperize however, has too much of that faux wood finish on the upper. Seriously, when have you ever seen blue wood? Not cool. But if you’re a fan of the East, then so be it. It’s tagged as Chlorine Blue and the West’s was Daring Red. So who was wearing what during All-Star Weekend? Let’s break it down:

• Eastern Conference:
  • Dwyane Wade- Air Jordan 2010 (silver/white)
  • Gerald Wallace- Air Jordan 2010 (navy/navy)
  • Joe Johnson- Air Jordan 2010 (navy/white?)
  • Dwight Howard- TS Supernatural Commander
  • Kevin Garnett- TS Supernatural Commander
  • Derrick Rose- TS Supernatural Creator
  • LeBron James- Nike  LBJ VII
  • Paul Pierce- Nike Air Legacy
  • Chris Bosh- Nike Hyperize
  • Al Horford- Nike Hyperize
  • Rajon Rondo- Nike Hypermax
  • David Lee- Nike Air Max Rise
• Western Conference:
  • Kevin Durant- Nike KD2
  • Carmelo Anthony- Melo M6
  • Pau Gasol- Nike Hyperize
  • Amar’e Stoudemire- Nike Hyperize
  • Jason Kidd- Peak Signature shoe
  • Dirk Nowitzki- Nike Hyperize
  • Steve Nash- Nike Hyperdunk Low
  • Chris Kaman- Nike Hyperize
  • Chauncey Billups- TS Supernatural Creator
  • Tim Duncan- TS Supernatural Commander
  • Deron Williams- Nike Hyperdunk Low
  • Zach Randolph- Nike Hyperize (I’d like to think he wore that)

PEs weren’t the only things Nike released over the holidays. There were a couple more kicks that were out alongside the PE collection. Most of the stuff here also came out in December, though I have been hearing things that there are a lot more in store for us Nike fans this 2010.

The Zoom Hustle. I didn’t take a picture of Tony Parker’s other PE shoe which is the Zoom Hustle. No, this is not a Hornets colorway (though it could definitely be if we wanted it to be), but a French National team colorway. Everybody loves Tony (and his gorgeous wife Eva Longoria), especially the folks over at Nike. The other French National colorway sports a perforated blue upper with aqua accents all throughout the shoe. The other color here is a Black/Electrolime version of the Zoom Hustle. I’m not sure if you notice the resemblance, but the Zoom Hustle resembles the Hyperflight from ’01. There’s also a white colorway available but all in all, I don’t like the shoe.

Maui Invitational Hypermax and Hyperize Supreme. I’m sure most of us aren’t familiar with the Maui Invitational. The Maui Invitational is basically the biggest (and to a certain extent most prestigious) Preseason Tournament for US College Basketball. Last November, host Chaminade (HI), Gonzaga, Wisconsin, Vanderbilt, Arizona, Colorado, Maryland and Cincinnati played there with the Zags taking the Chip. Now, to the sneakers. Nike produced special editions of the Hypermax and the Hyperize in honor of this Tournament. All 8 teams can either rock the black/gold (Chaminade, Vandy, and Colorado) colorway or the blue/red (Zags, Wisconsin, ‘Zona, Maryland and Cincy) joints for the tournament. Aside from the colorways, there is a floral print accenting various parts of the shoe. You might not see it here, but they’re usually found on the heel and ankle area of both pairs.

DJ Clark Kent x AF 25 Low. Sneaker lover-DJ Clark Kent has released a couple of special kicks over the past couple of years with Nike. From his 112 Pack, AF1s for All-Star, and the Un-Guccis, DJ Clark Kent definitely knows what he’s doing when it comes to sneakers. This time around, Clark Kent and Nike came up with a simpler tone for the Air Force 25 Lows. Coming in two colorways (black and silver), these are quite tame compared to the other sneakers he released in the past. These do have his Clark Kent logo on the tongue and come with 3M detailing (meaning=reflectorized!) on the toe box area. I personally am not a fan of the AF series so this is a pass for me once again.

LunarSwift+ Running. I bought my first Lunarlite runners way back in ’08 and have been a fan ever since. Though they do are bright as stabilo markers, they do provide you with ultra comfort and cushioing. The LunarSwift+ is the latest member of the Lunar+ family.

So there you have it. I believe I’ve finally caught up with all the holiday releases. Though there are a couple of kicks on the horizon– Jordan Alpha 1, Kobe V, and a couple others that are worth your ducats. I do encourage you to drop by the nearest Nike store for more on the latest kicks around town.

Most of us got our paycheck yesterday. Now here’s my question- how long will that paycheck last with all the sic drops we’re having? From Hideout’s drops to 5-0 and WeLegendary’s SBs, and now the rest of the Nikes for the month? I dropped by the Nike store by Greenbelt 5 and saw these performance pairs  worth your hard earned dineros.

AJ12 “Flu Game”. I was never a fan of the Jordan 12s. Even with the Rising Suns dropping a few weeks back, they never really grew on me. Now, these AJ12s, are dubbed as the Flu Game Jordans. Way back in ’97, MJ made a mistake of eating some bad pizza before game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Jazz. It could’ve been some die hard Jazz fans’ version of Celtic Pride for all we know. MJ wasn’t in any shape to play but he had to what he had to do. Jordan pulled through and had one of the best games ever in Finals History. 38 points. Game winner. Nuff said. This version of the shoe he wore has the 97-sick face-38 on the heel as well as on the tongue. Pretty nice touch.

Cradle Rock Low Steve Nash PE Away. A few posts back we featured the Cradle Rock Low Home PEs for Steve Nash. Here’s the Road/Away version. Not bad right? Now when will the Philippine version drop?

Nike Hyperize Decades Pack “Infrared”. A few months back, right around the same time the White Men Can’t Jump Pack came out that they were going to release the Decades Pack for the Hyperize. This, I believe, is the first of the pack. This is inspired by the AM 90 Infrareds. The others of the pack are the Safaris, AM95 and the Foamposite, all classics of the Nike family. I’m still waiting on my Infrareds (wherever they may be), but for now, this will do.

and the rest. Nice releases but didn’t strike me all that much from the get go. A new colorway for the Trainer 1s, another Kobe IV colorway, a St.Vincent/St.Mary’s colorway for the LBJ Ambassador IIs, Zoom BB3s, and Jordan Phat Lows. These pairs should be available all around the metro and possibly some Nike stores in the province. So yes, choose wisely. and enjoy your cops.

Why now? What’s up with the timing with these sneaker stores? This is not the best time to be a sneakerhead. From the Pacman Trainers to the Cassette Playas to the Pattas to the DQMs to this. Parra. I mentioned at my other blog (communemnl.com/blogs) that Nike dropped the Cassette Playa and Parra Tees to go with the sneakers. The Cassette Playa Dunks came out about a month ago, and just yesterday, Hideout dropped the Lovely Loners Maxim 1s of Parra. For the less informed, Parra’s a Dutch artist that has collaborated with Nike numerous times before.

I’m still on the fence if I should get ‘em. But as early as the store opened, friends mentioned that they were much better than the photos online. That got me curious. How better can they be? Every other hour after, friends have been texting that they copped their pairs! Was it that nice? Was it that crazy? It sucks that my car was coding and could only leave the office at 7. Once I got to the store, there they were. Staring at me. Glaring at me. Tempting me to try them on.

And try them on I did. And they looked good for sure. The shoe’s got various textures and materials to it. Suede and nylon/neoprene make up most of the sneaker with the flywire technology by the middle panel (similar to the inital air maxims that came out a few months back). The all black colorway’s got blue and red stitching throughout the shoe and the same colors speckled at the midsole. The outsole’s middle section also has the speckle to break the all black look.  The collab also carries a different tag by the tongue, depicting the Lovely Loners L on there.  With extra laces in tow and a nice graphic footbed, what’s not to like?

The pair goes for 6995 Php, a little too steep for me. But money aside, these are must cops. Collabs with artists or sneaker stores are hard to come by in the RP. Crate’s got the Adidas City Series and that’s a rare breed. So go out, cop it. Give yourself an early xmas gift (thing is, I’ve given that excuse the past month!). Much love to Hideout and their quickstrike account. For now, I leave the shoe, along with the DQM Bacons to fate. If they’re there by the 13th month, then good for me. If not, then so be it.

for more photos of the Nike x Parra Air Maxim 1+, click on the hideout gallery at gallery section

• a series of deep flex grooves were laser-cut following the herringbone tread pattern, enabling the Cortez to offer unrivaled flexibility while being lighter than ever. In lay man’s speak, they’ve applied the same concept from the Nike Free pairs so that the shoe can adapt to the foot’s natural motion when walking or running.

• Flywire technology uses high-strength threads for lightweight support. This flywire tech’s been a godsend for nike ever since they launched it with the zoom victorys and the hyperdunk.

• To attain a more comfortable ride, the Cortez dual-density EVA midsole was replaced with injected Phylon, making the Cortez lighter without compromising on stability.