Working for ESPN's GameDay - A Weekend to Remember

By Rachel Rosten '10

As a devout viewer of sports and ESPN, I was very aware of what ESPN College Gameday was even before Homecoming this past weekend.  Chris Fowler and the gang travel to various college campuses every Saturday to highlight a particularly important college football game, and to discuss all college football action for the day.  These various college campuses are not just random locations on the map, but BIG name universities with BIG name Division I football programs like Oregon, Ohio State, and yes, even Georgia.  So it took me a few minutes to comprehend that ESPN College Gameday was actually coming to Williams College.  I am a proud supporter of Williams athletics, and although slightly biased I must say we are the best Division 3 athletics program in the country.  In truth though, we are most certainly not up there with the big boys of the SEC or the Big 12 that College Gameday traditionally visits.  Once it actually sunk in that ESPN was coming to little Williamstown, Massachusetts, I was thrilled beyond belief.
  
I had actually known that ESPN might be coming to the Purple Valley a few days before the entire student body and community.  The Sunday prior to Homecoming I was working in the Sports Information office following a women’s soccer victory in the NESCAC championship, and Dick Quinn said to me, “Rachel, I’m about to make an important phone call and remember what’s said in Sports Info, stays in Sports Info.”  It turns out he was talking to Michael Fountain of ESPN about College Gameday, and I had to keep my lips sealed about the whole thing.  It is an understatement to say that I had to bite my tongue for the next two days, and I was very relieved when a campus wide email was sent out on Monday night and I could finally get excited with my fellow students.  It was great to see that most of the student body was excited as well!

When I was given the opportunity to actually work for ESPN, I jumped at the chance.  I became a “runner” for Don Larick, ESPN’s main logistician, and his operations assistant Erin Habersack.  Basically whenever they or another staff member from ESPN needed something I went a runnin’.  On Thursday, ESPN trailers and trucks began to pour into the parking lot adjacent to Towne Field House, and I headed over there before my afternoon class to meet Don and some of his staff.  I was asked if I could come back after class, and spent six hours working on Thursday.  I went to Stop and Shop to buy snacks for the crew and staff, and then helped Erin set up the trailer where Don’s office and the production meetings would be held.  For the most part though, Thursday was more of a “sit and wait” kind of day as Don put it.  
   
Friday I headed over to the Field House at 8 a.m., and I was given a tour of the famous orange College Gameday bus.  The bus was somewhat of a lounge for the broadcasters, and the back of the bus had about a dozen or so flat screen televisions so that they could keep up with all the football action of the day.  Afterwards I was given a car to pick up  some packages that were at their hotel at Jiminy Peak.  I returned and found that the make up artist for the broadcasters had missed her flight, and I spent the morning calling information attempting to find a make up artist from either a news station or salon in Albany.  Luckily, someone was found!  That afternoon, I headed to the grocery store once more and came back in time to watch segments for Sportscenter being taped.  It was great to see how excited other Williams students were!

Saturday was the busiest day of all and waking up at six in the morning was made a lot easier knowing that today was the day of the show!  I spent the first few hours putting together passes for guests, and setting up coffee and tea next to the set.  I also had to take a cameraman over to Cole Field House so they could get shots of the football team getting dressed and preparing for the game, but after that I really got to spend time observing.  Before the show started I got to go up on the College Gameday set and take a few pictures.  Then once the show began, I watched the first thirty minutes live, and then headed over to the production trailer and watched the last hour and a half from there.  That was my favorite part, as I got to see the behind the scenes work of putting together a live show.  

I felt really thankful to have been given this opportunity to represent Williams.  Every second of the experience was wonderful (yes, even the grocery shopping!) , and I met a lot of wonderful people at ESPN.  They were all extremely gracious and welcoming, and although they themselves had all been very surprised at being at Williams for College Gameday they loved the fact that they were somewhere different than normal.  They all raved about the beauty of the Berkshires, and the quaint nature of our beloved college town!  I for one was given a once in a lifetime opportunity.  My dream is to work in sports after college and to be able to work for ESPN, even for three days, was a weekend I will remember forever.