Up & Coming Weekly

10 UCW DECEMBER 16-22, 2009 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Game day for the Fayetteville Fireantz starts early and ends late. The staff of the Fireantz start game day at 9 a.m. at the Fireantz offi ce. A quick meeting discussing special events and any last minute changes is held. After a run thru of the normal checklist, the script meeting starts. The script runs roughly 20 pages and everything that happens, from the time the team takes the ice until the three stars are picked at the end of the game, is scripted. Sponsors for the night have to be added and all events for the intermissions have to be scripted. Many of the intermission events change from game to game and it is important to make sure they are right because the promo team which gets these events ready needs to have the proper props pulled from the events room and ready "back stage." The game sheets for the night are printed, and the required statistic "pregame" sheets are readied to be distributed to the press, referees, visiting and home teams. Rosters for the night are also printed as late as possible to make sure the lineups are correct. After the script meeting the scripts are printed for the game. Next comes the groups for the night, and tickets for the corporate partners. There is nothing worse than having a VIP corporate partner show up at a game and not have tickets waiting for them. This is an ongoing task as calls come in all day to the offi ce. Different staff members have different responsibilities, but it is a team so there is a lot of checking behind each other to make sure nothing is forgotten. Catering orders are verifi ed, birthday cakes are confi rmed, and the ever popular "sweetheart of the game" roses are reconfi rmed. Meals for the visiting team are called in to the local restaurant and then around lunch time things begin to take a little pause. The next couple of hours are a waiting game for the staff as calls continue to come in and little changes continue to be made. Around 3 p.m. the pace picks up again as the staff prepares to move to the Crown Coliseum for "the show," because it is a game on the ice but truly a show behind the scenes. It takes more than 70 staff and volunteers to put on the show for the evening. Everything that happens is scripted. If it was not for the volunteers the show could not take place. The teams which are responsible for various activities start getting to the coliseum around 4 p.m, and it is amazing to watch how these volunteers take charge and prepare for the game. It amazes me how much pride and passion many of the volunteers have for their area of responsibility. I hesitate to list all of the different areas because I wouldn't want to forget anybody. Two weeks ago our "stage manager" who has both a radio for operations and a headset to communicate to the announcer and sound booth was unable to get away from his job as an EMS technician. There was a multi-car accident and you don't just tell a victim "I have to go because I volunteer at the hockey game." So plan B had to kick in and Kevin MacNaught, the general manager, took the headset for the night. "That is the kind of team we have" MacNaught said. "No matter what has to be done somebody always seems willing to step up." As the game winds down and the fans go home, the volunteers and staff are still at work. Putting the props away, making ready the Chuck-a-Pucks for the next game, packing up the smoke canisters, and sending reports to the league offi ce… and on and on. The "show" gradually winds down and then the group gets to talk about the "game" that took place on the ice…which for many of the people who put on the show is why they were there in the fi rst place It's Not Just A Game, It's A Production by DEAN RUSSELL 8FEOJHIUQSJDFCPUUMFPGXJOFt5VFTOJHIUNBSUJOJT )BJM'BSFXFMMTt$BMMGPS3FTFSWBUJPOTt8F$BUFS )BZ4U )JTUPSJD%PXOUPXO 678-8885 3BNTFZ4U /FYUUP.FUIPEJTU6OJWFSTJUZ 822-3590 0XOFS 0QFSBUFE Voted Fayetteville's Best Overall Restaurant Voted Fayetteville's Best Overall Restaurant Authentic Italian Cuisine Brick Fired NY Pizza Pierro's Late Night Patio Fri & Sat 10:30pm to 2:30 am DEAN RUSSELL, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 222 or editor@upandcomingweekly.com

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