Let’s hear all those spicy takes from the Great Tailgate. Did you play? Did you watch? Did you officiate? Did you have fun? Did you hate it?
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I can speak from the announcer side of things, I was there all weekend, mostly on production but I also had a few in house and one broadcast.
SCAR Derby did a FANTASTIC job hosting. As an announcer/volunteer I was well-fed, watered, and had the resources I needed to feel successful. I mean, we were sitting in the Big10 Network (ESPN) announcer booths - that in and of itself is VERY cool.
I think the bar was set VERY high in terms of stream production quality. With the sunset of the WFTDA remote studio, host leagues were essentially left to “figure it out.” SCAR invested a lot in making sure the stream was top-notch quality and always had at least two people monitoring the stream to make sure things were running smoothly. I know there was sometimes a visual/audio disconnect but things like that are going to happen when you’re streaming from an arena with your own equipment and also reliant on YouTube. Lessons learned on day 1: YouTube DOES NOT ENABLE closed captioning until you have 1,000 subscribers. So if you want CC on ALL regionals and champs- go subscribe to the host leagues now. YouTube also does auto-generated captions, so there’s no point in asking for someone to sit there and transcribe. If you watch anything with any type of CC, you know they ALWAYS get something wrong, especially when it’s done live.
SCAR put together a lot of resources for people attending. There was a spreadsheet with local attractions, eateries, medical services, etc etc. There was no shortage of bathrooms at the venue, they were always kept clean. There was a sensory room available for people who needed a quieter environment between games. Two skate shops were there, as well as league merch.
Up-to-date COVID vaccination or day-of rapid testing was required at registration. Everyone was incredibly friendly and welcoming. By day 3 yes we were all tired but that is the joy of running a tournament. I was too tired to go to the after party but I heard it was VERY well attended.
Also I’m going to say it louder for the people in the back who might not know: WFTDA was responsible for staffing the refs and NSOs for the tournament. SCAR provided all announcers and other venue volunteers (stream, track maintenance, concessions, registration, etc). Applications for those positions were posted by SCAR Derby and WFTDA. If you’re interested in volunteering at one of the other regionals, keep an eye on the host-league’s socials as chances are they are doing more of the promotion for the positions they are responsible for staffing.
The only refs/NSOs SCAR provided were for the open-gender mixer scrimmages that happened off-stream before the start of day 3. I had the pleasure of reffing that morning, and while there was a minor confusion as to our hard stop time, that went smoothly as well and it was an awesome experience to be able to skate (1) in Pegula, and (2) during regionals.
All in all, I had a very smooth and good experience at The Great Tailgate. I think SCAR put on an amazing event and has set a very high standard for the upcoming regional playoffs.
Up-to-date COVID vaccination or day-of rapid testing was required at registration.
Just want to point out because I have seen multiple events do this and then wind up being superspreaders that this is absolutely not a sufficient COVID measure and is based on a ~summer 2021 understanding of the virus. I'm glad there was an attempt, to me that means people really do care but just don't have the right information.
The vaccines we have do not prevent transmission or long covid and rapid test sensitivity is pretty low, especially if only one test is taken. The bare minimum mitigation is universal (kn95 or better) masks and ventilation/air filtration.
I'm sure I sound like a broken record in this sub but it's because I love this sport and I want as many people as possible to be able to participate in it as long as possible.