Matt Cannizzaro blog: Never a dull moment
June 12, 2010
Hello everyone.
Today is Day 113 of 136.
People keep asking if I'm glad this year's tournament is almost over.
If I think about the last four months, I can't help but think of the long days. This year has been a little tiring, and a short break will be nice. I also look forward to seeing my house and the people I haven't seen in a while.
But then, I think about all of the amazing stories we've told this year, all of the great people I've met and all of the exciting days still ahead. I also think about cubicle life and realize that there's nothing better than being on the front lines at the Open Championships. There's never a dull moment during the tournament.
So sure, sometimes I feel a little burnt out and ready to be done, but I know that two days after the tournament concludes, I'll be wishing it was the beginning again.
Another thing we need to remember is that even though it's Day 113 for us, it's opening day for more than 700 bowlers who just got to town. The bowlers in June deserve the same service and enthusiasm as the bowlers in March. As I've said before, even though each day is similar, the bowlers make each one unique.
Here's a look into a typical day for me at the Open Championships:
In order for me to effectively do my job, there's a lane viewer, similar to the ones at the lane monitor stations, in my office. This allows me to keep an eye on the action while getting my work done.
Although calls and e-mails often start coming in around 6 a.m. PDT, a typical day at the office begins precisely at 9:13 a.m. as I answer e-mails, message board posts and Facebook messages, begin editing or writing stories about the action on the lanes, update scores and standings (long-term brackets, Bowlers Journal, Team All-Events), line up candidates for On the Lanes and prepare for any upcoming live-streaming broadcasts. I also spend a lot of time waiting for things to happen.
If there is some excitement on the lanes, like someone with the front seven or someone making a run at the top 10, I get a call from the lane monitors and/or Center Desk. They are my eyes on the lanes in case I am tied up. During the course of the day, there are a lot of close calls.
My other set of eyes is the person at the Information counter who is sorting the scoresheets and running the top 10 standings after each squad. If there's a noteworthy score that I may not have seen, usually in all-events or Team All-Events, that person lets me know. The Information folks also are the ones who prepare the daily highlights and announcements, so we talk often about who is coming in and when.
The ideas for the feature stories we write come to me from a variety of places. Some are about people who have stood out for some reason, and I am expecting them. Sometimes, I get e-mails about interesting people coming to bowl, so I'm ready when they get here. Ultimately, most people are not shy about their personal stories, so when they tell the lane monitors or other employees, they pass the word onto me.
There is an amazing amount of teamwork that happens at the Open Championships, and many of our employees are proficient in more than one area.
One of my favorite parts of my job is that if I get restless at my desk, there are hundreds of bowlers I can go talk to. At any given time, there's at least 150 bowlers on the lanes I can watch. I can visit other departments to see how things are going or to learn something new. I can hang out at the Information counter and answer questions, print participation records or hand out scoresheets.
Since I am often scheduled to be at the National Bowling Stadium from 9:13 a.m. until bowling concludes around 3 a.m., I try to escape for a little while once or twice a day, usually during the team events, which last about three hours. Often, my travels take me around the city, where I see bowlers enjoying their vacations. I call this "field research," and it gives me a chance to hear what the bowlers are saying off the lanes. Sometimes, the people I interact with know who I am, and sometimes they just think I'm another schmoe in a tie. Either way, I enjoy the opportunity to talk to people.
Often, the people I encounter are not bowlers, so it gives me a chance to talk about the tournament. It happened yesterday at Walmart when the checkout lady asked me how much longer we'd be in town. She said she knew I wasn't a bowler because I was wearing a suit, but my lapel pin gave me away as a tournament "official."
Experiences like yesterday's help me remember what an impact we have on the host city when we join the community in December or January and invite 70,000+ of our closest friends to come visit during our six or seven month stay. Flights are full, cars are rented, hotels and restaurants are busy and stores are frequented.
All of the cities I've traveled to as a USBC employee have been very welcoming, and I've enjoyed my stay in each. Since this is my second trip to Reno, I know a few more of the well-kept secrets, and I've been able to branch out beyond downtown.
For the next 24 days, I'll continue to look forward to the excitement of the Open Championships, both at the Stadium and around the city of Reno.
On the lanes, we are ready for:
6/12-13 Kelly Kulick
6/19-20 Missy Bellinder
6/20-21 Gary Skidmore
6/22-23 John and Kendra Gaines, Bob Goike, Steve Szabina
6/22-23 David O'Sullivan, Ronnie Sparks Jr. and Shawn Ryan
6/23-24 Mike Nape, Gregg Zicha, Anthony Jordan, Pete Spreadbury, Walter Schaub
6/25-26 Jodi Woessner
6/26-27 Brenda Edwards and Stephen Padilla
The final squad for the year will begin at 11:40 a.m. on Monday, July 5.
That's the news for now. See you on the lanes.
Today is Day 113 of 136.
People keep asking if I'm glad this year's tournament is almost over.
If I think about the last four months, I can't help but think of the long days. This year has been a little tiring, and a short break will be nice. I also look forward to seeing my house and the people I haven't seen in a while.
But then, I think about all of the amazing stories we've told this year, all of the great people I've met and all of the exciting days still ahead. I also think about cubicle life and realize that there's nothing better than being on the front lines at the Open Championships. There's never a dull moment during the tournament.
So sure, sometimes I feel a little burnt out and ready to be done, but I know that two days after the tournament concludes, I'll be wishing it was the beginning again.
Another thing we need to remember is that even though it's Day 113 for us, it's opening day for more than 700 bowlers who just got to town. The bowlers in June deserve the same service and enthusiasm as the bowlers in March. As I've said before, even though each day is similar, the bowlers make each one unique.
Here's a look into a typical day for me at the Open Championships:
In order for me to effectively do my job, there's a lane viewer, similar to the ones at the lane monitor stations, in my office. This allows me to keep an eye on the action while getting my work done.
Although calls and e-mails often start coming in around 6 a.m. PDT, a typical day at the office begins precisely at 9:13 a.m. as I answer e-mails, message board posts and Facebook messages, begin editing or writing stories about the action on the lanes, update scores and standings (long-term brackets, Bowlers Journal, Team All-Events), line up candidates for On the Lanes and prepare for any upcoming live-streaming broadcasts. I also spend a lot of time waiting for things to happen.
If there is some excitement on the lanes, like someone with the front seven or someone making a run at the top 10, I get a call from the lane monitors and/or Center Desk. They are my eyes on the lanes in case I am tied up. During the course of the day, there are a lot of close calls.
My other set of eyes is the person at the Information counter who is sorting the scoresheets and running the top 10 standings after each squad. If there's a noteworthy score that I may not have seen, usually in all-events or Team All-Events, that person lets me know. The Information folks also are the ones who prepare the daily highlights and announcements, so we talk often about who is coming in and when.
The ideas for the feature stories we write come to me from a variety of places. Some are about people who have stood out for some reason, and I am expecting them. Sometimes, I get e-mails about interesting people coming to bowl, so I'm ready when they get here. Ultimately, most people are not shy about their personal stories, so when they tell the lane monitors or other employees, they pass the word onto me.
There is an amazing amount of teamwork that happens at the Open Championships, and many of our employees are proficient in more than one area.
One of my favorite parts of my job is that if I get restless at my desk, there are hundreds of bowlers I can go talk to. At any given time, there's at least 150 bowlers on the lanes I can watch. I can visit other departments to see how things are going or to learn something new. I can hang out at the Information counter and answer questions, print participation records or hand out scoresheets.
Since I am often scheduled to be at the National Bowling Stadium from 9:13 a.m. until bowling concludes around 3 a.m., I try to escape for a little while once or twice a day, usually during the team events, which last about three hours. Often, my travels take me around the city, where I see bowlers enjoying their vacations. I call this "field research," and it gives me a chance to hear what the bowlers are saying off the lanes. Sometimes, the people I interact with know who I am, and sometimes they just think I'm another schmoe in a tie. Either way, I enjoy the opportunity to talk to people.
Often, the people I encounter are not bowlers, so it gives me a chance to talk about the tournament. It happened yesterday at Walmart when the checkout lady asked me how much longer we'd be in town. She said she knew I wasn't a bowler because I was wearing a suit, but my lapel pin gave me away as a tournament "official."
Experiences like yesterday's help me remember what an impact we have on the host city when we join the community in December or January and invite 70,000+ of our closest friends to come visit during our six or seven month stay. Flights are full, cars are rented, hotels and restaurants are busy and stores are frequented.
All of the cities I've traveled to as a USBC employee have been very welcoming, and I've enjoyed my stay in each. Since this is my second trip to Reno, I know a few more of the well-kept secrets, and I've been able to branch out beyond downtown.
For the next 24 days, I'll continue to look forward to the excitement of the Open Championships, both at the Stadium and around the city of Reno.
On the lanes, we are ready for:
6/12-13 Kelly Kulick
6/19-20 Missy Bellinder
6/20-21 Gary Skidmore
6/22-23 John and Kendra Gaines, Bob Goike, Steve Szabina
6/22-23 David O'Sullivan, Ronnie Sparks Jr. and Shawn Ryan
6/23-24 Mike Nape, Gregg Zicha, Anthony Jordan, Pete Spreadbury, Walter Schaub
6/25-26 Jodi Woessner
6/26-27 Brenda Edwards and Stephen Padilla
The final squad for the year will begin at 11:40 a.m. on Monday, July 5.
That's the news for now. See you on the lanes.