Throughout our 2008 FedEx Orange Bowl coverage for KUJH-TV I will be posting a daily "Captain's Log" detailing what goes into the coverage of a major BCS bowl game. This will include our activities of actually covering the event and media opportunities and what we do in our downtime.
Day 1: January 1, 2008
4 a.m. Kyle West and I arrive at the Dole Center to gather our equipment and go over the final schedule one last time.
4:30 a.m. Brad Mertel arrives right on time and we load up for KCI. Surprisingly, on New Year's Day, we are running 15 minutes ahead of schedule.
5:45 a.m. We arrive at KCI but take a wrong turn before we find the economy parking lot. That 15 minutes we gained earlier are lost. Furthermore we have to wait for the shuttle bus and it's freezing cold outside.
6:11 a.m. Miraculously, we all make it through security without holding up the line too much. We carried on five bags and Kyle took the tripod as his "personal item." All told, the equipment and clothing fit into 10 bags. Hopefully it meets us in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., unscathed.
7:14 a.m. All are aboard US Airways flight 1798 bound for Charlotte, North Carolina. There was some doubt as to whether or not we could get our Sony DV deck into the overhead compartment, it fit somehow.
9:54 a.m. EDT We arrive in Charlotte. We have about an hour to kill before we board our next flight so we decide to track down breakfast. Kyle and Brad opt for a tasty burger. Unfortunately, I chose a ham and cheese sandwich from a magazine store.
11:16 a.m. We board our flight for Fort Lauderdale, again the DV deck is our only problem. But Brad is able to figure out the proper angle to wedge it into the overhead compartment again.
1:48 p.m. KUJH-TV arrives in Florida. Unfortunately, the "Sunshine State" has decided to greet us with a mid-afternoon rain-shower.
2:32 p.m. As we board the bus for Alamo Rental Car a Woman in KU garb asks us quizzically if we are from the "UDK." Brad and I decide it will be worth keeping track of this question and how many people we are able to introduce to KUJH through our coverage.
3:09 p.m. Alamo delivers on our bowl transportation. A brand new, dark gray, 2008 Pontiac G6 is waiting for us in the lot.
3:32 p.m. We arrive at the Hyatt Pier 66 Resort and Spa. Since it is still raining, we decide that it would not be wise to attempt to make it over to cover Kansas' practice that is set to end in less than half an hour.
5:45 p.m. Finally we have totally moved into the hotel room and made our way through media check-in. In addition to our credentials and parking permit we are each given Orange Bowl rain jackets. These could have came in handy a couple of hours ago. We run into fellow KUJH staffer and Rivals.com contributor, Bryan Cisler, and the crew from the UDK.
6:00 p.m. We depart for Hollywood Ale House for dinner. It is supposedly a very good Floridian sports bar where we can watch football and get something to eat, finally. Kyle and I each have prime rib and Brad orders a Chinese Chicken Salad.
8:35 p.m. The Orange Bowl media hospitality folks have set up a media party for everyone covering the event. It is a chance for all the members of the media to meet up and enjoy some good time before the real work of covering a BCS Bowl game begins the next day.
10:52 p.m. The casino-themed media-party concludes with a raffle. I have managed to win a Bacardi golf bag, an Orange Bowl Cutter & Buck polo, and a bottle of Bacardi Gold.
11:30 p.m. Kyle, Brad, and I decide to call it an evening and get ready for the upcoming day. So far the Orange Bowl has been an enjoyable experience. I'm looking forward to doing some real work tomorrow.
Good start but how about some visuals? Put some video in your logs. Do the video blog thing. Brad knows how.