Tournament Success!

This past weekend, I worked the America East Tournament held at the University of Hartford and I must admit, I have never been so tired after working in my life. Beginning Thursday afternoon and ending late Sunday night, I worked a combined 51 hours in those short 3 and a half days. Although it was a long and strenuous time, I enjoyed my experience with working the tournament as it was an exciting 4 days of men’s and women’s division 1 basketball.

The first day, Thursday, consisted of only 2 games as they were the play-in games for the 8-9 seeds in both the men’s and women’s tournaments. There are a total of 9 teams in the America East, so this game was necessary for each tournament as to eliminate one team so that there would be 8 remaining on both sides. The main arena for the tournament was set up in a way that no University of Hartford signs were displayed, instead replaced by numerous “America East” signs and symbols. Furthermore, a large tent was set up right outside the building which was dubbed “Fanfest” which included numerous food stands, memorabilia tables, and a number of high-definition television sets were set up to allow fans to watch the game live.

Throughout the course of the 4 days, I was assigned with numerous jobs around the arena, from ushering people in and out, to making sure opposing teams were not running into each other in the hallway leading into the arena. It was quite a hectic time, but everyone who was working the event had a special America East pass, which allowed them into different sections of the arena. There were four types of these credentials given out: All-Access, Event Staff, Media, and Volunteers.

My main duty when I wasn’t doing odd jobs around the arena was to make sure everything and everyone outside the main gym where the games were being played went smoothly. This included setting the clocks in each respective locker rooms to match the time in the gym so that coaches and players knew how much time they had until tip-off and how much time they had during half-time. My main goal was to make sure that nobody entered the back that wasn’t supposed to be there and to constantly roam around, checking on the workers to make sure they were doing their jobs.

During the course of the four days, we only got to eat twice over the 12-15 hours that some people worked, mostly eating pizza, wings, and sandwiches. We are also provided drinks and constant bathroom breaks if we needed it as well. At the end of the tournament, we were given great feedback from our boss, as he said he received numerous compliments from fans and an overall sense of accomplishment.

Overall, I thought it was a great experience and I look forward to finishing up my hours working lacrosse, baseball, and softball games this spring. Check back here to learn more about my experience during the tournament!