Chicago1
2 Apr 2006, 01:36
In 10 hours I'll be on my way back home absolutely astounded by what my visit became. Since I'll be out of here by the time most of you read this, I thought I'd let you know how grateful I am to be a Bulldog supporter. As some of you whom I've met know, I'm a rather quiet person by nature and the events of this week have totally blown me away.
I e-mailed my friend at the Herald Sun previous to my arrival just to let her know I was coming and that I'd like to catch up again. We corresponded often in the four years I've known her. She said she'd write another article about me and hopefully it would be accepted for publication. I figured that any publicity like that would be good for the club. I was interviewed by her last Friday and the article, as some of you know, was published on Tuesday. What happened after that was unbelievable. I was told by the club that ABC radio and Fox Footy Channel both wanted to speak to me. Apparently the club was quite happy that we'd get even more publicity for the club.
I was called by a producer at 774 ABC and asked if I could come into the studios on Thursday and give my footy tips on the Lindy Burns Drive show and then do them from Chicago every Friday at 5.30pm for the rest of the season. I thought he was joking. He said he wanted someone to do them from overseas for the year and after hearing of my success on our tipping and another site I post on, he thought it would be "different". I went to ABC studios Thursday and met David Parkin and Gerard Whately(sp?) and was told that I'd be on the show tipping wiith them. WTF? I sat in the guest area in absolute amazement. I was nervous as hell, for this was something I had never dreamt of doing nor ever wanted to do. I won't go into details of the show, but sure enough I got tongue tied a few times. I guess I wasn't really prepared for something like that. Even though I thought I was awful, the producer got my e-mail address and home phone number and said they'd call Friday morning at about 2am Chicago time. I said that I usually stay up late on my computer so I wouldn't mind, after he offered to tape my tips earlier to be more convenient for me. The last I heard I guess I'll be on air at 5.30pm live from my home in Chicago.
On Wednesday I spoke to Nick McCallum with Fox Footy Channel(formerly of Ch9) and he said they'd like to do a segment on me for the Saturday Central programme which is on at noon. I reluctantly agreed being quite aware of my shortfalls in most areas of audio and video presentation. (I knew I should have lost thirty pounds before I made the trip!) We had a chat about my background and said that he'd like to film me and interview me on Friday, before, during and after the match. Little did I know what a hectic and time consuming decision I had made.
Nick and a cameraman came over to where I'm staying to get some film of me at the computer I'm now using. I had been totally unaware of the work involved for a tv segment. It took about an hour to get various angles of me, me and the computer, my hand on the mouse(Geez... why do my friends have a Pokemon mousepad? :o ), my scarf draped over the computer and a multitude of other shots.
We then headed off tothe Whitten Oval to get shots of me standing where I saw my first footy match 30 years ago next weekend, in the Whitten Stand, walking toward the goals and various other poses. Nick interviewed me on the steps of the outer near the races. Again it was very time consuming and took about an hour. They drove me to the Fox Studios at Southbank and I had some free time until I was to meet them at Gate 5 at Telstra at 6.15pm.
This was the first time I was filmed with people around me and I really felt embarrassed. They wanted shots of me walking up to Telstra and it took three takes because people were walking in front of me and the cameraman couldn't find me. They also shot me walking on the concourse and finally entering Gate 5. We went inside and went down to where some Doggie people were sitting to get some shots and continue the interview. By this time I was miked for the rest of the day. After giving Woofer a hug(yech) I was allowed to go to the Locker Room to meet up with BF Doggie people but there was only one still there. I was 45 minutes late. I went to sit with friends and the camerman came over and took various shots of me and the people around us. He stayed for about ten minutes of the first quarter and then I was able to watch the match without interruption until the third quarter.
I guess us slamming on so many third quarter goals looked like a good time to get shots of my reactions and I guess me eating some hot chips with tonnes of salt and vinegar must have been too. Right before the final siren the cameraman came over to record my reaction to our tremendous win.
I guess that's where I let all my emotions come out. As many of you know, my dad died three months after my last visit in 2004. I had remained in Chicago after my 2002 visit to look after him and my mum after my dad had a stroke and was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. I guess the thought of how much I missed being here and the thought of my dad put me over the brink. I had to wipe away the tears as my singing of the theme song was recorded.(I will be embarrassed totally if any of that goes to air.) Nick McCallum came over to ask me what I was feeling at the moment and the words were hard to get out, for I knew my season had just ended. I don't even remember what I said as I was recorded.
As the people left the stadium, to my good fortune, Sporty Spice and Pembleton found me and we had a brief chat for once again I had to leave and head for the rooms. As Nick, the cameraman and I walked around the ground to the players race, a crowd of people came down to shake my hand. I'll never forget it. The warmth of the Bulldog supporters I met last night will always be in my memory.
I went into the rooms and talked to a few players and some were recorded and filmed. I was able to chat with Rowan Smith, Adam Cooney, Brad Johnson, Rodney Eade and I waited around to chat to Chris Grant. I left the room afterwards still wondering if all that happened during the week was real.
I can't believe everything that happened to me this week. This visit was supposed to be a relaxing time to meet up with old friends, go to the Games and see the footy. It became a journey into another world. And to think, if I would have decided to barrack for Essendon that day thirty years ago, none of this would have happened. Thank God for the Bulldogs. Through and through.
I'm not going to jinx us about "that" certain time of the footy season, but I'll be checking the fares around late September when I get home tomorrow, just in case!:p Go Doggies!
So long for now,
C1
I e-mailed my friend at the Herald Sun previous to my arrival just to let her know I was coming and that I'd like to catch up again. We corresponded often in the four years I've known her. She said she'd write another article about me and hopefully it would be accepted for publication. I figured that any publicity like that would be good for the club. I was interviewed by her last Friday and the article, as some of you know, was published on Tuesday. What happened after that was unbelievable. I was told by the club that ABC radio and Fox Footy Channel both wanted to speak to me. Apparently the club was quite happy that we'd get even more publicity for the club.
I was called by a producer at 774 ABC and asked if I could come into the studios on Thursday and give my footy tips on the Lindy Burns Drive show and then do them from Chicago every Friday at 5.30pm for the rest of the season. I thought he was joking. He said he wanted someone to do them from overseas for the year and after hearing of my success on our tipping and another site I post on, he thought it would be "different". I went to ABC studios Thursday and met David Parkin and Gerard Whately(sp?) and was told that I'd be on the show tipping wiith them. WTF? I sat in the guest area in absolute amazement. I was nervous as hell, for this was something I had never dreamt of doing nor ever wanted to do. I won't go into details of the show, but sure enough I got tongue tied a few times. I guess I wasn't really prepared for something like that. Even though I thought I was awful, the producer got my e-mail address and home phone number and said they'd call Friday morning at about 2am Chicago time. I said that I usually stay up late on my computer so I wouldn't mind, after he offered to tape my tips earlier to be more convenient for me. The last I heard I guess I'll be on air at 5.30pm live from my home in Chicago.
On Wednesday I spoke to Nick McCallum with Fox Footy Channel(formerly of Ch9) and he said they'd like to do a segment on me for the Saturday Central programme which is on at noon. I reluctantly agreed being quite aware of my shortfalls in most areas of audio and video presentation. (I knew I should have lost thirty pounds before I made the trip!) We had a chat about my background and said that he'd like to film me and interview me on Friday, before, during and after the match. Little did I know what a hectic and time consuming decision I had made.
Nick and a cameraman came over to where I'm staying to get some film of me at the computer I'm now using. I had been totally unaware of the work involved for a tv segment. It took about an hour to get various angles of me, me and the computer, my hand on the mouse(Geez... why do my friends have a Pokemon mousepad? :o ), my scarf draped over the computer and a multitude of other shots.
We then headed off tothe Whitten Oval to get shots of me standing where I saw my first footy match 30 years ago next weekend, in the Whitten Stand, walking toward the goals and various other poses. Nick interviewed me on the steps of the outer near the races. Again it was very time consuming and took about an hour. They drove me to the Fox Studios at Southbank and I had some free time until I was to meet them at Gate 5 at Telstra at 6.15pm.
This was the first time I was filmed with people around me and I really felt embarrassed. They wanted shots of me walking up to Telstra and it took three takes because people were walking in front of me and the cameraman couldn't find me. They also shot me walking on the concourse and finally entering Gate 5. We went inside and went down to where some Doggie people were sitting to get some shots and continue the interview. By this time I was miked for the rest of the day. After giving Woofer a hug(yech) I was allowed to go to the Locker Room to meet up with BF Doggie people but there was only one still there. I was 45 minutes late. I went to sit with friends and the camerman came over and took various shots of me and the people around us. He stayed for about ten minutes of the first quarter and then I was able to watch the match without interruption until the third quarter.
I guess us slamming on so many third quarter goals looked like a good time to get shots of my reactions and I guess me eating some hot chips with tonnes of salt and vinegar must have been too. Right before the final siren the cameraman came over to record my reaction to our tremendous win.
I guess that's where I let all my emotions come out. As many of you know, my dad died three months after my last visit in 2004. I had remained in Chicago after my 2002 visit to look after him and my mum after my dad had a stroke and was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. I guess the thought of how much I missed being here and the thought of my dad put me over the brink. I had to wipe away the tears as my singing of the theme song was recorded.(I will be embarrassed totally if any of that goes to air.) Nick McCallum came over to ask me what I was feeling at the moment and the words were hard to get out, for I knew my season had just ended. I don't even remember what I said as I was recorded.
As the people left the stadium, to my good fortune, Sporty Spice and Pembleton found me and we had a brief chat for once again I had to leave and head for the rooms. As Nick, the cameraman and I walked around the ground to the players race, a crowd of people came down to shake my hand. I'll never forget it. The warmth of the Bulldog supporters I met last night will always be in my memory.
I went into the rooms and talked to a few players and some were recorded and filmed. I was able to chat with Rowan Smith, Adam Cooney, Brad Johnson, Rodney Eade and I waited around to chat to Chris Grant. I left the room afterwards still wondering if all that happened during the week was real.
I can't believe everything that happened to me this week. This visit was supposed to be a relaxing time to meet up with old friends, go to the Games and see the footy. It became a journey into another world. And to think, if I would have decided to barrack for Essendon that day thirty years ago, none of this would have happened. Thank God for the Bulldogs. Through and through.
I'm not going to jinx us about "that" certain time of the footy season, but I'll be checking the fares around late September when I get home tomorrow, just in case!:p Go Doggies!
So long for now,
C1