Me, Her, the Boy and a Dog

Today marked the first time in nearly seven years that I was behind a camera shooting a college football game - Virginia Tech vs Furman. I had initially thought I’d be on the field, but as it turns out the endzone cameras aren’t on the field. One is located in the South Endzone (see picture below) and is at the top of the steps and then down at the bottom of the upper deck. That camera is a quite a hike.

The North Endzone camera is above and to the left of the tunnel where the players come out. I shot the first quarter in the South Endzone, the second quarter in the North, third quarter in the South and the fourth quarter in the North. That’s a lot of stairs and walking/jogging between cameras, but I actually enjoyed it. It was my exercise for the day.

Surprisingly, it turned out to be a beautiful day! We were originally supposed to get some rain today, but other than a few overnight showers, we didn’t get a drop before, during or after the game. In fact, the sun was out for most of the game, which accounts for the mild sunburn on my face and neck.

I parked in the M2 parking lot, located just north of Canada and walked to the Merriman Center to meet up with the crew. One of the guys I worked with today, Mike, used to work with me at WSLS in Roanoke back in the late 90s. Another guy, Tim, is currently a videographer with the station. So, we talked shop and Mike and I reminisced about past reporters and the antics they used to get into.

After we set up the North Endzone camera, we hiked back across the field and to the Merriman Center for a pregame meal and planning session. The food was free and therefore good! Of course given the choice between fried chicken strips and bites and fresh fruit, most of us chose the chicken. Though, I did have a few bites of the fruit … to balance out the bad stuff, you know.

As for the actual game, I loved it! I was sitting there thinking, “I can’t believe they’re paying me to do this.”

Considering I haven’t shot a game in seven years, I think I did alright. Though, it did take some getting used to the controls. You see, the controls I am used to are on the camera itself; the zoom toggle is on the handset to the right of the lense and the focus is in the lense itself. But with these cameras, there are control servos attached to the tripod. It was a minor adjustment period of a couple of minutes, and after adjusting the resistance on the tripod’s head mount, I was good to go.

Now for the adventure. I bought two tickets to the game for my son and his mom. It was Nic’s (my son) first Virginia Tech football game! He’s been to several baskeball, soccer, baseball and volleyball games, but never a football game. His mom hasn’t been to a game since the 2003 Boston College game, which we lost in horrible fashion … I still have nightmares. Anyhow.

I bought a new football jersey and hat for Nic for his first game. His mom calls me at about 12:45(ish) and was asking where she should park. I tried my best to help, but there wasn’t much I could do. Then she calls me at about 1:15 and she’s clearly upset. Ruh roh. She can’t find the tickets. She swore that they were in her purse, but they’re not there now. Well, crap.

Now Nic is upset because she told him that he was going to see the Hokies play football. He’s seeing all these Hokie fans with flags and gear and just a sea of Orange and Maroon and now mommy tells him that they have to go home … in Pulaski. So, she puts him in the car and drives all the way home to get the tickets, which are sitting on the dining room table.

She drives all the way back, pays for parking … again. And calls me about halfway through halftime. She made pretty good time! I meet her and Nic at their seats in Section 3 and give Nic his hat and jersey. I say “hi” and tell her that they didn’t miss a thing in the first half, so it all worked out. I gave Nic a hug and said “goodbye” as I had to get back to the summit at Mt. South Endzone for the third quarter. Now I’m really huffing it.

And wouldn’t you know it, as soon as they get to the game, the Hokies go off for three third-quarter touchdowns! I know it was a rough adventure, but in the end, it all worked out! Plus, in the fourth quarter, when I was on Camera 2 in the North Endzone, I was able to get a nice tight shot of Nic (and his mom) and Nic was clapping and just looking cute as could be. Next thing I hear in my headset is, “Ready Camera 2 … and take Camera 2. Camera 2 you are live, hold your shot.” Sweet! Nic now sees himself on the jumbo tron (a.k.a. Hokie Vision).

He made it up there one more time, so we’re hoping that we’ll be able to see him on the Hokie Playback at 1:30 p.m. tomorrow. If he doesn’t end up on the editing table, I’ll grab a still of the video and post the pictures here and on my Flickr account.

Lastly, Nic was able to see me waving at him from across the stadium. That kid has eagle eyes, I swear! Donna (his mom) was telling me later that he was trying to talk to me as if I could hear him. It was cute!

Overall, it was a great day! Nic ended up having a great time and to be honest, I think showing up for only a half was the way to go. I’m not sure he would have sat there for a full 3-1/2 hour game. But, we’ll see they’ll probably come to the Georgia Tech game next week. I think we’ll leave the tickets at Will Call. ;) Just teasin’ Donna!

After the game, his mom dropped him off at my townhouse and we watched Toy Story 2 and then another football game. Then, before dinner, I taught him how to tackle properly by wrapping up. He’s a fast learner. That’s all for now. I’m wiped out and need to get some sleep. Nic and I are going to church tomorrow and then I think we’ll hit the playground and maybe catch a game on TV.

God bless!