Memorial Day Madness 2014

Business

It’s May 3, 2014 and we are coming up on the biggest Memorial Day Weekend Tournament in the world. IN THE WORLD! (That is because we only celebrate Memorial Day in the USA, BUT STILL! IN THE WORLD!) And…Precision AT covers this tournament. And…it’s 20 days away. And…we have 111 fields to cover. And…62 ATs (so far) to schedule. And… we THINK we might still need more ATs. And……..the field schedule is not finished. Oh and… lastly… my husband is in a wedding in Buffalo that weekend this year so I won’t even be around!

So on a scale of 1-10, I’m freaking out about a 4.5, and I feel like that number should be higher. Not having the field schedule on May 3rd is pretty normal, but this year, the Big Weekend starts on the 23rd (next year it will start on the 31st). That extra week makes a huge difference. So these next 20 days are like final exam week around here. We’re cramming. If you are working the tournament and wondering “Mara, who’s going to be in charge of this madness while you’re off partying in Buffalo?” Meghan is! And she’s going to be AWESOME. It’s been fun training her and showing her how this all comes together. As soon as we get the field schedule, we’ll work on it together to make sure that people are scheduled as close to their preferred locations as possible and things run as smoothly as they have in the past. There is still a lot to be done and even without the actual schedule we still can prepare. Collared shirts are ordered. (These may be my favorite shirt we’ve ever had for this tourney!) On Monday, we’ll be pulling all of last year’s supplies out of my stock room and last year’s inventory list to see what must be ordered. We’ve got to look at the field lists and begin hospital directions and emergency number for our new fields and then start copying and assembling packets and bags. We’ve got to get the “longest protocol email ever” scripted. Then once we actually get the schedule, the real fun begins! Scheduling and contracting are the final pieces of this nutty pre-game puzzle

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OK. I think I’m freaking out a 6.5 now. I better get to work. Here’s a pic of my what my office looked like pre-tourney last year:

Athletic Training

I’m going to keep this section short and sweet this week. There were a few ATs from last year that emailed me saying, “Mara, I’m SO SORRY! I can’t do the tournament this year!” ATs: taking a family vacation over a holiday weekend is a normal thing. You DESERVE it! You worked damn hard this year and a million hours! I get it! Don’t feel bad about missing one Memorial Day Weekend Tournament! Family and work balance is extremely important and the tournament will be here again next year. (With that being said, this is absolutely NOT an invitation to back out if you’ve told us that you are planning on working this year. We are counting you.) Have a great weekend everyone!

PS. Comments make me smile!

Comments from old site:

Mara Smith says:

May 20, 2014 at 6:40 am

Hi Krista,

We may be looking for ATs… Please email me! mara@precisionat.com.

Thanks!

Krista Fazio says:

May 19, 2014 at 10:24 pm

Mara Hi, My name is Krista Fazio I am a certified AT who is currently going to NYIT to persue a doctorate in physical therapy. I am looking to work this memorial day weekend. If you think you could use an extra AT please let me know! Thanks! Krista

Meghan says:

May 3, 2014 at 12:23 pm

Thanks Mara! It’s been fun learning. You’re a great teacher! Hopefully after Monday we can get your freak out number down to a 2 or 3