The amount of stress and busy that has consumed my life this past week has exceeded my limit. Thrice fold. I. Am. Tired. and I sorry for not posting, mostly to myself because I do like writing and miss it but I just don't have time for myself and when I do I have so much to say I can't get it all out so I put it off longer and then I catch myself in a vicious circle.
But. I can't not blog about this weekend.
So, if you have read my previous blogs, you'd have known that I applied and got selected to work the Intramural Flag Football Regional Tournament in Notre Dame apart of the All-tournament staff, meaning I would watch games and the teams and keep stats and then collectively make a decision about who were the best players to be selected for the All-Tournament Team, and MVP's, etc. And you'll also know that in my old stompin' grounds these tournaments weren't the norm, we had 1 or 2 a season and it was always super far away and we didn't send teams or anyone all that often to them. I went to ONE bball tourney as an official and had fun but that was the extent of my experience. It wasn't as big of a deal.
That is soooo not the case out here.
These folks LOVE their intramural tournaments. In our region alone we have 3 tournaments and we had the potential to send people to other regions' tourneys too. It's crazy. Everyone has either officiated like a bajillion of these things, worked them, ran them, played in them, etc. They display their past achievements of All-American official, National official, All-Topurney, Tournament Director, etc, etc. like badges and try to one up everybody. It's nuts and I'm so out of my element. BUT I was super excited to get selected as it was a good opportunity to meet people in the region and go to see Notre Dame if nothing else. (Hello. It's the fighting Irish!)
We also sent 2 officials. The officials also compete to prove they are worthy enough to officiate at the national tournament. My co-worker also could go but had prior plans so couldn't travel with me but would join later. And my boss didn't want to go. So me, the total rookie, and two of my staff, Wannabe GA guy and another flag official headed out at 6AM on Friday morning for South Bend, Indiana, 8 hours away.
Oh boy. Road trip!
Yeah right...
It was cold and dark and I wanted to be back in my bed but no, I was in a very small compact car with 2 cranky boys headed to a flag football tournament. It's so ridiculous, it has to be true. We get maybe 10 min into the trip and WannaBe GA guy asks if he can lean his seat back as I'm sitting behind him. I say sure as I'm sprawled out ontop of bags in the back. He proceeds to lean the seat ALL the way back. Ok, fine. But then after I get uncomfortable I try to switch my position and I'm blocked by his seat. I try to move around and end up with my knees literally in my chest against his seat and he's snoring like a flipping rhino, head phones in, mouth open, totally KO-ed. dude. you're killing me.
We get to an oasis on the outskirts of chicago, it's like a gas station but it has a mini mall next to it. it's mostly just food and bathrooms but it's kinda cool, and we stop for food and gas. FINALLY he wakes up and lifts the seat up as we get out. Mind you, this is 4 HOURS later. I literally crawl out of the car my legs are numb from being so crammed and so uncomfortable for that long. He goes, "what's you're problem, don't like road trips?"
No. I just don't like having my knees by my face for 4 flocking hours. But it's cool.
We're making good time but head back out on the road. We switch up drivers and WannaBe GA guy gets to drive now. Fun fact about me: I don't like it when you text and drive. Or do anything really on your phone. I've done it but I don't often. And I've seen a few crashes and been in a car crash so I get a tad nervous on highways. Not that I'm scared, just cautious. The one with bigger lug nuts wins and we're in a chevy impala. Not exactly a tank of a car. We'd be squashed like bugs on the windshield if we took on a semi.
This kid…He's not only texting and driving but SnapChatting, and he's talking and doesn't use his blinker, and EVEN watches espn on his phone all WHILE driving. I almost died of a panic attack. At one point I tell him "Pick a lane!" as he was straddling the line on a major highway. He turned and looked back at me with the biggest death glare I've ever seen from him ever and goes, "you'll ride on the roof". I retorted back with "If I die because of a F**cking snap chat, I swear, I will come back and kill you." So of course he proceeds to swerve in and out of lanes with little regards for others around him.
I was quietly hyperventilated for the rest of the trip, whispering prayers.
But he did manage to get us there safely and I think only cut off one or two cars. Better than average.
We get to the hotel early, and my room isn't ready so I go to the guys's and hang with them. We're just waiting for the tournament to officially start with staff meetings, etc. so that we're prepared for when teams show up. But for now, we have down time.
But I'm nervous as I don't know anyone other than my staff and my co-worker isn't going to be around til the next day. Oh man. What if I suck at this? What if I fail? What will my boss say if I get a bad review? Ugh…I'm way over thinking things but then we have to go to the field and then it's dinner with everyone, etc, etc. the whole weekend is planned for us so we gotta get going. Great. Here goes nothing.
We have our perspective meetings and as I'm not an official we separate. Dang it. Now I have to be social. I'm awkward and try making small talk but everyone seems to know each other. So now I feel like the new girl in school all over again. ugh. I hate this part. But then I over hear a guy tell someone that he's originally from California. Oh yeah? Makes two of us and now I have my ice-breaker, score! So I ask what part of California. he goes Northern. Oh really? Me too. What town? He goes well, it's close to the oregon border. me too… (i'm kinda freaking out now) I go okay, what town though, I'm familiar with the area (we're both like wait, no way…this is too similar) and he says have you ever heard of Etna?
Shut up.
Etna is a neighboring town to my hometown of Yreka. It's maybe a little over 20min away. We were like rival high schools and I have quite a few friends from there. It's small with about 2000 people and Yreka has 5000.
I almost shout, "No WAY! I'm from Yreka!" He instantly knows and we start laughing. What are the chances that 2 people from the same area in California meet out in the midwest at a intramural flag football tournament??? Get this. I worked with his sister at our county fair and his other sister works at SIU. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. This isn't happening. Someone else from Siskiyou County is at SIU too?? No way. I knew the world was small but that is CRAZY.
Before we can revel in the absolute craziness and the small probability of this happening we have to break into our work groups. I'm on All-Staff and so I have to discuss how to take stats, what we're looking in players, etc. I meet some more people and they're mostly professionals, and I'm one of 4 GA's out of 12. Ok cool. And they all have experience. Ok. I can hang. Maybe. Maybe not. damn. We don't start til the next day though so my nerves have to be set aside for later. We get our assignments and then we proceed out to have dinner with everyone.
Dinner was served in the Notre Dame Football Player's Lounge at Notre Dame Stadium, "The House That Rockne Built".
WHAT
Yeah, I ate dinner in the stadium right next to the locker room at one of the most prestigious colleges in the nation. I saw Touchdown Jesus and after dinner we got a tour of the locker room and got to go out onto the field.
It's ok to be jealous.
It was too cool. I had goose bumps going into the locker room and seeing all the trophies, rings and busts of past players. The ND on the floor was awe-inspiring and I couldn't believe that I was standing in a room so full of football history. I'm a total history buff, especially with sports and my dad also loves tradition and history when it comes to sports. A lot of my early memories of my dad involve football, either college or pro, or watching some bio-pic about the past great teams and there I was, standing in that room I had only seen briefly on tv. We just dig that sort of stuff. He would have loved it and I so have to go back and bring him to see it all. Don't worry, Daddy, I promise you, we'll go to a game and I'll make sure to give you a tour of it all too.
We then headed to the hotel. By then I had a room and a roommate and we were just talking in our room when all of sudden about 5 other GA's knocked on our door. Our room became the hang out spot and we just started to chill, watching modern family and drinking some bud lights somebody had picked up form the liquor store across the way.
Ok, now we're talking. I'm instantly a whole lot more interesting and less awkward with a little liquid confidence.
Some other staff had mentioned about going out to a bar in downtown South Bend, so we drive on over to check it out. It's a small sport's bar and almost all of the staff and officials are there hanging. I end up meeting quite a few people and we exchange stories of how we got where we are, etc. etc. I'm enjoying myself and I'm starting to feel more and more comfortable. WannaBe knew a lot more people as he's been to a ton of these things so I felt kinda weird getting introduced by my staff instead of vice versa but after I made a joke of it, everyone seemed to find it funny too and then ask about how I liked the midwest, etc. So thanks WannaBe, I guess you can be useful…sometimes.
A few people I met that night know my boss and we start to talk about him and the program at SIU, one was his first GA and she was asking how I was doing as a GA now. It was kinda cool to exchange experiences and to learn a little about my boss back in the day. But then it took a more serious note and she talked about how she had some issues and it was hard a lot of the times. I don't know, when she was talking I was sitting there like, oh man. she gets it. I'm going through a lot of that now. And it was nice to share my fears and doubts with someone who literally has been there before. Like literally that same spot. Probably the same chair and desk that I had literally sat at not 24 hours before.
We then all left and as we had to start our day fairly early in order to get things going for the tourney.
To be continued, part 2!
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