CAREERS OFF THE FIELD Sports Arena Event Management Words to Understand shootarounds light informal practices on the day of a basketball game shot clocks the clocks that count down how much time a basketball team has to shoot when it is in possession of the ball in college teams have 35 seconds to shoot after they get the ball Introduction
A fan walks into the Thunderdome the Events Center on the campus of the University of California at Santa Barbara UCSB and sees a beautiful college sports arena The court gleams the lights shine brightly and crews of smiling security and concessions workers abound Some fans head to the hospitality rooms for special guests while others seek help from ushers to find seats Officials find their places set up and ready to go The anticipation is in the air for another men’s basketball game the most popular attraction at a campus centerpiece that is busy almost 365 days a year Behind all the action that fans see however are hours of hard work by the sports arena and event management staff Donnell Dixon the public events manager at the Thunderdome at left is in charge at this game Dixon is a former college basketball player who has been with UCSB for 30 years including making the Thunderdome hum since 1990 He turns back the clock to go step-by-step through the process of making this game happen for fans and players alike Most games start at seven but we have many hours of work before that game begins he says For a seven o’clock game we have shootarounds here in the gym from eleven o’clock to two 9 INTRODUCTION
Machines such as those used on the scorers table at a basketball game are often part of the arena manager’s responsibility o’clock and that’s both teams We have staff to assist the teams with their gear and to make sure they have what they need When they leave the court at two they have their pregame meal We have from two o’clock to five o’clock to get the court and the gym ready For Dixon and his hard-working team that means a lot more than just pushing a broom The first move is to set up the scorer’s table on one side of the court That means wiring in machines that control the scoreboard as well as providing power and the appropriate gear for radio announcers who will sit at those tables The CAREERS OFF THE FIELD Sports Arena Event Management
public-address announcer also sits there so his microphone is set up and tested Dixon is not an audio equipment expert but he has learned on the job what is needed to make sure all the gear is ready for tip-off Then we set up the players benches on each side he continues We make sure there are enough chairs for each team and its staff That includes putting down protective matting beneath the chairs Then our crew of fifteen to sixteen students gets into the stands and sets them up which means checking all the seat backs pulling out stands that were pushed back for earlier events and cleaning what needs cleaning Down on the court one student drives a Zamboni to shine the court for play The Zamboni machine is best known for its use in ice hockey and figure-skating arenas In those cases the machines put down a fresh sheet of water that freezes onto the newly cleaned surface In a gym a Zamboni is like a giant polishing machine The court is ready but there is more to basketball than the court Along with everything else under the roof of the Thunderdome the actual gear used in the game falls under Dixon’s area of responsibility 11 INTRODUCTION
