March 2009 - Posts

  • Spring Break Chronicles, Chapter 2... Drive-bys, Stabbings, and Playmates

    Now that WI and Marquette are out of it, I thought I could distract you with Chapter 2 of the Spring Break Chronicles!

     

    In case you missed the memo...

    - Neon colors are totally back in.

    - Natty Light is the Spring Break drink of choice.

    - If you’re a dude, put sunscreen on! An awkward burn all over you and peeling skin looks waaaayyyy worse than asking someone else to lather you up.

    - Is it still considered flashing if you don’t have anything worth looking at?

    - If you’re too intoxicated to realize that you are actually swimming across the sand, screaming that your brother is Michael Phelps, instead of in the water…you’ve gone too far.

    - If you’re going to lie to some girl and say that you play for an NFL team… pick a girl that doesn’t know her stuff.

    - Please, for the sake of mankind, DO NOT wear a leopard thong (aka banana hammock) on the beach.

    - Jean shorts are sooooo 1995.

    - If you parents actually DID buy you that rack for your high school graduation gift, you probably shouldn’t go around telling people that.

     

    Alright, enough learning for 1 day. I’ll have more for you later!

     

    Drive-bys, stabbings, and random acts of violence? Oh yes, last week was definitely the scariest week to be down in Panama City Beach, FL. I don’t know if I can officially refer to it as gang week down here but thats what it felt like! Have you ever seen a G-ride? It’s pretty much an old school boat of a car or an SUV that is totally tricked out, painted crazy colors, has huge spinner rims, hydraulics, serious lift kits, some have the doors that open up instead of out, and all are blaring rap music and cruising all day. Well there were tons of them that would have showdowns in the streets to see who was the loudest, most tricked out, etc.

     

    So back to the shootings. There was apparently a drive-by outside of one of the biggest dance clubs down here that sent one girl to the hospital in critical condition, and another shooting just feet away at the next club on the same night! Are you kidding me?!?

     

    Then, there was a Lil Wayne MTV concert that brought thousands upon thousands out to the beach. Well Lil Wayne is a pronounced gang member (I can’t remember if he’s a blood or a crip), so you can imagine that some fights were bound to break out in a mob of people that you could not see the end of from the stage. The concert was supposed to start at 1pm and it didn’t actually start until 4pm, which left the crowds aggravated, hot, thirsty, and angry…and that’s when the fights broke out. A few bottles of beer and a large liquor bottle were smashed and used as weapons, leaving 1 guy with a completely mangled face, girls full of cuts, and a real test on the security staff.

     

    Now that you all think PCB is the worst place ever, I have to say that it was also an awesome week if you could stay out of harms way. Every day the beach was coated with some of the funnest people I’ve ever met, hoisting their school flags, constructing beer pong tables out of sand, and producing the best dance-offs you could ask for!

     

    Night time wasn’t too shabby either. Thank goodness VIP status comes with the job, otherwise we would have been waiting in lines that were 200-300 deep! The other night myself and all my girls were drinking $4,000 bottles of champagne and were surrounded by video cameras that were taping for all of the TV stations in Europe. A little outrageous, but in exchange I got to not only bring 3 other girls onstage as I called out “all my people from WI” and played Jump Around… but we all got to meet Kendra from The Girls Next Door (playboy mansion show). If you don’t know her shame on you! She’s kind of a big deal…many leather bound books, her apartment probably smells of rich mahogany (or stripper poles, not sure). But she is so teeny and sweet! I may have thrown in that my Packers were way sweeter than her Chargers too, haha.

     

    Tune in later this week for Chapter 3 as we go meet the Playmate of the Year, Yung Joc and DJ Unk (also rappers).

     

     This horrible image will be burned in my brain forever!

     Dance party on the beach!!!

     There must have been 40 school flags along the beach, each with a crowd of people below it...

     Go WISCO!!!!

     Well hello there Superman! That's going to be quite the tanline later...

     Partying VIP style waiting to meet Kendra!

     The crowd gearing up for "Jump Around."

     

    Don't worry, there are tons of pictures that I'll be putting up on my website when I get home...so stay tuned for more!

     

    love,

    your Gridiron Girl

  • Spring Break Chronicles, Chapter 1

    I would write about the stake that went through my heart as Marquette lost to Villanova at the buzzer but…enough said. Then I thought, what about the most insane series of overtimes EVER seen in a Big East matchup as UConn squeezed by Syracuse!?! But if you missed it, I’m going to call a foul on you and tell you to wait for it to run on ESPN classic or something.

     

    So... what do you think of when I say the words Spring Break? Beaches? Girls? Parties?

     

    If you said any of those things you would be absolutely correct! Add in tons of free stuff, concerts, MTV, outrageous sunburns, and the most Natty Light Beer I've ever seen in one place and you have Spring Break 2009!

     

    In the marketing world, we like to go by the numbers, so each year companies usually pick the 3 biggest weeks and set up shop on the beaches to promote their hot new item to the masses. For example, after all of the schools were tallied based on enrollment, it was determined that this past week there were about 1.3 million students on spring break...and this next week there will be about 2.7 mill. Yeah.

     

    Which is exactly why I am down here, for 3 weeks, working a promotion. The funniest part about it is that when you put on that promo shirt, and wander the beach with a group of girls, everyone knows that it's our job to talk to them, and they will say anything! The combo of spring break, strength in numbers, and beer makes these guys, and many girls, totally fearless.

     

    No really. I have heard more one-liners in the past week alone than I hear the rest of the year doing anything else! From harmless ones like, "OMG, we will marry you girls right now!" to the gross ones like, "I would drink your bathwater!" Oh yeah, you read that right...sick.

     

    During the day, the beaches go from totally quiet and pristine to the biggest party you could pack into a 1 mile stretch. Some wander down in small groups, and others come in the masses to set up their "party zone" so to speak. They'll actually bring down shovels and dig out trenches so they can bury kegs and create beer pong tables out of sand! Their school flags get posted and rivalry chants can be heard throughout the day. Throw in a few stages and DJs and the contests are a must-see: best pick-up line, hotdog eating, dancing, most push-ups, you name it!

     

    Here are a few more pictures to let you in on the fun:

     

    A group who I think was from Georgia. They just really wanted their picture taken! :)

     

     

    Half of the girls at work! It was sunny and 80 degrees all day...perfect!

     

     

    Me, Chris, and Megan getting in a little relaxation time at the pool after work.

     

     

    The crowd heads in for a free Kenny Chesney concert. The line to get in was literally 100 yards long!

     

     

     Hundreds pack the balconies above the concert to get a birds eye view.

     

     

    Me and Megan FINALLY out on the town that night. A little dancing never hurt anyone, right??  :)

     

    -Check back later this week for the second edition!

     

    love,

    you Gridiron Girl

  • Spring Break Anyone?

    Did you ever miss out on your spring break; or maybe you just wish you could go back?? Well I can’t take you to Florida… but I can give you a glimpse of what’s happening down here! For the next 3 weeks I’ll be working with 13 other girls in Panama City Beach, FL doing on-the-beach promotions (aka handing out free stuff).

     

    So, when we walk around, probably the most frequently asked questions are?

                How did you get this job?

                            - We work through a modeling agency and this one was staffed mostly by referral.

                Do you guys get paid for this?

                            - Would I do it if we didn’t?!  :)  Another perk is that we don’t pay for anything really

                            besides food. Airfare, condo, etc is paid for by them too!

                So you just hang out on the beach all day?

                            - We’re out here for about 6-7 hours each day, and then we get to do whatever we

                            want after 4pm. So we roam the beach, go shopping, and definitely go out at least

                            a few times a week!

     

    Anyway, it’s pretty much the sweetest job ever (even though it only lasts for 3 weeks) and hopefully I’ll be able to give you guys a little insight to Spring Break 2009!

     

     
    A little dance contest about to happen towards the end of the day...I think there's some liquid courage at work here.  :)
      
    About to go out for the first night with some of my girls! (I'm in the teal tank, 2nd from the right).
     Well that's all I have this morning, but don't worry because there'll be plenty more! - your Gridiron Girl
  • Another Bucks Heartbreaker...

     Photo Courtesy Darren Hauck, NJ.com

    You know it’s going to be a good one in Milwaukee when during the national anthem they show fans holding their beers over their hearts. Ahhhh, Wisconsin. And a good one I thought it was going to be as the Nets started one of UW-Madison’s own, Devin Harris. Not that I’m rooting for the Nets…but there is something to say for some quality school pride, huh?

    This game was sure to be an intense one with playoff implications around every corner these days! The Nets came into the game ranked #10 in the Eastern Conference, only 2 slots behind the Bucks, trailing by only 3 wins (1.5 games) overall and in conference play.

    The game was... frustrating! One of my friends said that it was the first time he was ever actually disappointed in Scott Skiles. But was it really the coaching staff's fault that their guys couldn't penetrate the zone at the end of the game? Or should a seasoned basketball player already know how to do that? It's not like the Bucks haven't come up at least a few zone defenses in the other 62 games they've played this season!

    Both teams couldn’t seem to make their shots with Bucks shooting only 38.5% (FG) and Nets at only 42.9% (FG). So yet another reason that could be blamed for the loss. Even after Charlie V pulled down 24 points and 15 rebounds... they couldn't pull it together. What is clear to me is that the Bucks are a better team than the New Jersey Nets...they should have had this one by at least 10. 

    I don’t get it! How can the Bucks come soooo close to beating the Cavs just 10 days earlier, and then fumble along through games like this?!? If they could play with their “we’re trying to stick it to Lebron James” intensity every game I swear they would at least be ranking in at #4.

    The 2nd half came right down to the last seconds of the game! Seriously…Charlie V tied it at 90 with 30 seconds left. A fan next to me said he was so nervous he almost peed his pants, haha! The entire BC (all 13,967 of them) was on its feet. A few sets of back to back fouls and FTs later and the Bucks were left with nothing to smile about. It’s over. They lost. 

    Score          1st        2nd        3rd          FINAL

    Nets             19         39          61             99

    Bucks          21         45           67             95

     

    Top Scorers: Charlie Villanueva-24; Richard Jefferson-20; Ramon Sessions-19

                         Brook Lopez-24; Vince Carter-15; Devin Harris-14

     

    Randoms: 

    - Michael Redd had surgery Tuesday morning to repair the ACL in his left knee. The surgery went well and Redd will begin rehab for about the next 6 months, giving him time for a full recovery before the 2009/2010 training camp. In the 33 games he played this season he averaged a team high 21.2 points.

     

    - Do you love the Bucks??? Can you write??? The Bucks are looking for passionate and creative Bucks bloggers to enter the first-ever Bucks.com 6th Fan Blogger Contest! Finalists will get to blog during the Bucks/Celtics game March 15th, and the winner will get to blog at additional Bucks games the rest of the season. You have until March 5th to submit, so go to the Bucks website for more info!

     

    - One thing I will say about the Bucks is that they have the most creative promotions throughout the game! There are sooooo many chances for fans to win things it’s ridiculous. Sometimes I wish I were a fan!!! Free t-shirts, basketballs, pizza, you name it!!
  • Gridiron Girl on the set of Rome is Burning

    As promised, Gridiron Girl on the set of Rome is Burning...

     

    Well as promised, here is a little info on two of the Fantasy Sports Girls!

    Meet Katya from Northern California:

        Above pictures: courtesy of fantasysportsgirl.com

    Katya is a 26 year old who works in sales for a clothing company. She grew up all over the world but decided to settle in California where she dreams of someday becoming the host of a TV show like "Wild on E." I asked if she got into this because she is a sports fanatic...but she is not. She loves football, but the real reason she got into this was because she is friends with one of the other girls. She said to be honest, she doesn't know about 85% of what she is reading on the teleprompter. I'm sure that is a pretty good estimate across the board for most of the girls. I will say, she plays it off well!

     Reading through the script one last time before lights, camera, action! It's a little weird because the guys out in the production truck are actually calling all of the shots, so you just stand there waiting for what sounds like the "voice of god" to give you the final countdown.

     Not the best picture of either of us, but hey...we were working! :)

    I also got to meet another one of the Fantasy Sports Girls who was so teeny and cute! She barely came up to my chin!

    Meet Brittany:

       

    Britt is a 21 year old model from San Pedro, CA.

    To check out all of the Fantasy Sports Girls just click on the link!

    When they were done I got to do a little script writing and teleprompter work of my own to record the short video at the top before Jim was up!

    Jim Rome counldn't take a picture with me due to reasons of exploitation... think about it...what some tabloids might do to a digital picture to make headlines! He's not the first celeb/athlete who has denied me for that very same reason either. I did chat with him for a few minutes though and he really is a terrific guy, as well as one of the most hard-working guys I've met in a long time. I will admit that he is a bit smaller than I would have imagined (we are about the same height and have similar build), but I suppose most TV personalities do look bigger on camera.

    He's the kind of guy that you might think would have a rather abrasive personality...but that is really the character for his show and radio show. He is know as the guy who has no problem calling people out and ripping them a new one to get his point across. But again, that is on camera, and it works for him. In person he is super nice! The kind of guy you can picture grabbing a beer with after work, you know?

    Anyway, I was able to jump on his set for a few quick pictures:

     The live interview is being set up on the plasma in the background.

    The set behind me is where they hold the forumn each day with other writers who come in to discuss the major sports topics of the day.

    Did anyone really think that I would not sit in Rome's chair?!?

    And finally, this is the production truck...where all the magic happens! There are 2 more rooms on either side of this one (sound and video/graphics). It takes one serious team of people to pull of a production like this, with all of the camera changes, video clips, graphics, live interviews, etc. It was quite the impressive thing to watch!

    Well I hope you liked my little behind the scenes look into the Jim Rome Show!

    -your Gridiron Girl

More Posts

About This Blog

Recent Posts

Advertisement

My Photo Gallery!

Syndication