Varsity - The Official Digital Magazine of Wisconsin Athletics

Varsity - September 29, 2011

Varsity is the free Official Digital Magazine of Wisconsin Athletics, covering Badgers football, basketball, hockey and more each week.

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EDITOR'S NOTE

Working for the weekend

BY BRIAN MASON
Varsity Editor

The old cliché is that it takes a village to raise a child.

Well, on game day at Camp Randall, it takes a small army to support what becomes a community of 80,000-plus within Wisconsin’s capital city.

First, there is just getting those 80,000 people in the door and to their seats — safely — a task that falls to UW’s event management staff, UW Police and a large crew of CSC security guards. The Guest Services staff and its army of volunteers that aid with the Rolling out the Red Carpet initiative make sure fans find their way and get their questions answered.

Don’t forget the ticket office staff, which for months has been soliciting orders for, organizing, printing and distributing the tickets required for entry in the first place. Even for the 67 season ticket orders from Nebraska addresses this year.

From there, it’s feeding the masses, a task handled by the concessions staff from the National W Club. UW’s Food and Beverage division also is tasked with providing, just that for the suites and club seating areas, as well as for staff, the press box and the television compound.

Marketing ensures the in-game experience by handling the scoreboards and in-stadium music — someone has to hit the button to play “Jump Around,” right?

Those replays on the video board? That’s another staff that includes camera operators and technicians in a studio, completely separate from the video services crew that is rolling to provide coaches’ film and the highlights on UWBadgers.com.

Long before anyone shows up at the stadium, the facilities staff is busy maintaining the field and seating bowl at Camp Randall and getting tons of equipment in place for Saturday.

Electricians make sure everything from the referee’s microphone to ABC’s broadcast signals get where they need to go.

The staff at Bucky’s Locker Room keeps fans well-dressed for game day, and the W Club works to print and distribute the gameday programs that keep them informed.

Last — but certainly not least —  the staff from athletic communications produces those game programs, runs the press box, facilitates interviews and head coach Bret Bielema’s press conference and provides game coverage on UWBadgers.com.

Putting on a Badgers game once a week is a huge undertaking, but when the lights come on, it makes all the hours put in all week worthwhile.

No matter our role, we all get to be fans on Saturdays.

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