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What do you do when you go on holiday to Orlando? Disney, Universal Studios as most tourists do yes, but there is also the Basketball.

Earlier this year John Timms met representatives from the NBA and had asked if the Sharks sound crew could attend an Orlando Magic game and maybe even go one step better and be allowed to go courtside and observe how the game is run.

A week before the game I was e-mailed by Shelly Driggers who is the Assistant Director of Event Operations for Orlando Magic and she invited us to attend the game so we could witness firsthand how an NBA game day is run.

Orlando Magic play their games at the moment at the Amway Arena just off the I.4,to full houses of 17,000 plus, though a new stadium is being built next door to the Amway which will be the new home of Orlando Magic with seating for up to 20,000 and the plans to increase capacity later.

Game day arrived; we were to be at the Arena for 16:30hrs to attend pre-game meetings, prior to tip off at 20:00hrs.  We set off in plenty of time, but just like the roads in Sheffield, the Interstate was congested and we arrived at the Amway Arena with 5 minutes to spare.

We made our way to the Media Entrance, and were directed to the Security entrance where we had to undergo searches similar to those at the Airports.  I had taken my laptop with me, with all the music that we use at our home games, this was checked and given its own security clearance.  We were then given a single game pass, this pass was like gold as it allowed us unlimited access to anywhere in the arena. We were then led into the arena itself. We think Sheffield arena is large when we play there, but imagine walking into arena that holds over 17,000, what a feeling; we looked very small standing there on court.

Two pre-game meetings were held, the first for the dancers, the game day MC’s and courtside assistants, in total about 14 people attended this meeting. The dance routines were allocated, the 2 MC’s were given their instructions, yes they have 2 game MC’s and a game announcer.  The second meeting involved numerous personnel who deal with the lighting, T.V. and video, pyro effects, the flying blip (an inflatable cow that sits on a bottle) and of course the main guy Simon who does the Sound.

After the meetings, the extra entertainment that was scheduled for during the game arrived, this involved a drumming group, a school choir for the national anthem, acrobats from Disneys Animal Kingdom and of course the Orlando Magic Dancers. Shelly carefully ensured that they all knew their timings and where they needed to be.

We then went with Simon up onto the top level of the arena into an area that was filled with computers and lighting controls. We then went into the control room. This room was divided into 3 sections, the first for the house technician, the second for the lighting technician and the third was where Simon plays all the music during the game. Simon operates 2 computers and a 60 channel mixer desk, just a little bit more impressive than our 12 channel mixer unit back in Sheffield.  As I had brought the Sharks music with me Simon connected the lap top into the arena system, and was impressed with the system we used along with the music we had on and was actually playing some of our music.

Following the National Anthem, the team intro’s commenced firstly the Nicks led by head coach Mike D’Antoni and then the Magic coached by Stan Van Gundy. The Arena then went to black out with spot lights lighting up the crowd, the intro music started and the Magic came onto court with an explosion of fireworks.

The game got underway and it wasn’t long before the ever impressive Dwight Howard for the Magic added another dunk to his tally of 199 for the season with yet another trade mark slam. The game stayed pretty close throughout the first 3 quarters as neither side could build on any lead. As a game it wasn’t actually the best as the Magic had already qualified for the playoffs and the Nicks were playing for pride. However the quality of the Basketball was very impressive as they seemed to make the offensive plays look effortless. Unfortunately for the majority of the crowd the game slipped away from the Magic in the last quarter with the Nicks winning 105 – 95.

Throughout the game, operations were all closely controlled by Shelly at courtside with all entertainment scheduled and requested by her. During the game we were connected via headsets and could listen into the game day entertainment being organised by Shelly who was continually issuing instructions, ensuring that the game went ahead without any hitches. At every opportunity some form of entertainment was scheduled, from the drummers to Disney's Animal Kingdom acrobats. The magic also employ a group called the “D squad” who entertain around the floor with banners keeping the noise loud and firing t-shirts into the audience with an air propelled launcher amongst other antics.

Being in a position to witness the organisation of a sporting event of this scale which was being shown live across the US was quite incredible. It takes an incredible amount of hard work by dozens of support staff. Events of this magnitude require timings to be slick, and people have to be in position and ready to perform at their scheduled spot.

So the connection between the Sharks and Orlando has been further cemented since the days of ex Shark and Magic player John Amaechi. What a fantastic experience for both of us, and the opportunity to be courtside and go into the sound gallery and get involved was extremely worthwhile.

The potential for the British game I’m sure is there, let’s hope the game in the UK can further develop at grass roots and the BBL can secure greater television coverage and the sponsorship that it generates.

Then maybe we could be playing in front of crowds of greater than 10,000.

Phil & David
Sharks Sound Crew