Green Bay, Lambeau Field Flag Ceremony....

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I'm not that into sports,but I do have fun when I can go to a game at the stadium. For a guy not into sports, I've been to a surprisingly high number of events. I have only paid for some of them, mostly I was paid to be there. A friend of mine from high school had a pretty cool job. He ran the flag ceremonies for several stadiums around the US. It was his job to supervise the organizing of the volunteers, and provide the flags and other required equipment. Being a good friend, and me living here in the MIdwest, he was trying to help me get hired on his team.. at least for Midwest events. So I met up with him at Lambeau Field to have my "audition". Basically he told me to act like I have been doing flag ceremonies all my life. If the higher ups liked what they saw,I'd be seeing a lot of stadiums in the near future. We had several teams of volunteers helping with the ceremony using 4 huge flags that took up most of the playing field. Each of us were in charge of one side of a flag. We first met in the Don Hudson Center (the practice field) to account for all the volunteers and teach them their little corner of the ceremonial duties. After a couple of dry runs, we headed to the Lambeau Field Tunnel. There we were told the rules we were supposed to enforce for the volunteers. The biggest one, no taking pictures in the tunnel or on the field. In the tunnel that was easy. On the field it was next to impossible to enforce. If any of your friends and family have been volunteers, you know how unenforceable that rule is. To us the biggest rules were, don't get hurt,and don't drop the flag. Getting hurt ruins the fun for everyone and dropping the flag in front of a sold out stadium is NEVER a good idea. The team was announced to much cheering. We hear stories about how load it gets on the playing field of a sports event, but wow, it's another thing to experience it. An Iron Maiden concert is the closest that comes to mind. It was deafening and exciting. It takes a lot for those athletes, cheer leaders and band members to perform in that cloud of sound. One of the Safeties (Jerron McMillon) high fived me! It would have been a fun job, but alas, was not to be. My friend's manager got canned about a week after my "audition", my friend lost his job too... So well... so went my opportunity. It was a great memory though. Also my Packer Fan friends will forever be jealous of me. ;~D