At the beginning of the season I had a brief conversation with a former SJGiants player (who was now playing with the opposing team.) Part of the conversation that stuck to me was the question "So, do you like your job?"
Innocent question. But it was a toughie.. I caught myself hesitating. In other words, I was definitely not enjoying my job. And THAT made me think.
One problem I found myself in, was in a place of dissatisfaction.
I thought about that question all night long.
I applied for the job because I love broadcasting. I needed more experience in a live sporting event (besides using a still camera.) And we all know I absolutely love baseball!
So I knew what I wanted but I just didn't know how to deal with all the yelling & swearing I kept getting from the other side of my radio. All I got was that I "f*****g sucked and why did I exist?"
This wasn't only directed to me but to everyone who had a shift. The offensive words just added dead flies to a tasty cake and affected the performance of the employee.
My old job was discouraging and I didn't want this current job get ruined as well.
I wanted to prove that I can not only be dependable but to come to a point where they would need me. And for my sake, I WANTED to step it up.
A new season, a clean slate.
I started by signing up in every shift of every homestand i could possibly work at. I had to study my three directors style of directing and the amount of patience they had that day.
I talked to the other camera people working the same shift just to get to know them better. I exchanged phone numbers and told them if they felt like they couldn't make it, (and I wasn't working that same day) to call me so I can cover for them.
On game day I made sure to check up on twitter & instagram for lineup cards. Had the First Pitch MiLB app downloaded to check roster moves, what player was a lefty, a righty or switch hitter.
All of that and few swings at the camera and I was feeling a bit more confident with my work. Not only that, our camera people were starting to cancel their shifts so often that I was able cover them and plow through a few homestands without skipping a beat.
It was something I was beginning to get the hang of and I liked it. I wasn't that "get in & get out" kind of person anymore. I was that get in 15-20mins early and have no rush to leave once the game was over.
I even had time to talk to players families, players themselves, fans, employees, scouts, team photographers, graphers, security guards, the list goes can go on.
Fans would pat me on the shoulder and say "we appreciate your hard work! We're from upstate NY and we watch all the games online, can't wait to tell our friends it's a camera lady with all the fancy work!"
(I solely gave credit to my director who pretty much told me where to point my camera at.)
Some fans even wanted to tip me for putting them on the big screen.
I was fully enjoying my job.
I mean, I get paid to be at a baseball game, extra innings, walk-offs, firework shows, playoffs?
Not only that but I was treated with respect. Something that my previous jobs lacked.
It became my happy place. When I didn't have to work I still made it to games.
My family would come to watch some games, my friends came to watch me work. It was magically unraveling as a truly fun job. The support and encouragement of the people I met made it a wonderful experience that on the last game I worked, a trainer asked me if I liked my job.
Without any hesitation, I said YES.
Innocent question. But it was a toughie.. I caught myself hesitating. In other words, I was definitely not enjoying my job. And THAT made me think.
One problem I found myself in, was in a place of dissatisfaction.
I thought about that question all night long.
I applied for the job because I love broadcasting. I needed more experience in a live sporting event (besides using a still camera.) And we all know I absolutely love baseball!
So I knew what I wanted but I just didn't know how to deal with all the yelling & swearing I kept getting from the other side of my radio. All I got was that I "f*****g sucked and why did I exist?"
This wasn't only directed to me but to everyone who had a shift. The offensive words just added dead flies to a tasty cake and affected the performance of the employee.
My old job was discouraging and I didn't want this current job get ruined as well.
I wanted to prove that I can not only be dependable but to come to a point where they would need me. And for my sake, I WANTED to step it up.
A new season, a clean slate.
I started by signing up in every shift of every homestand i could possibly work at. I had to study my three directors style of directing and the amount of patience they had that day.
I talked to the other camera people working the same shift just to get to know them better. I exchanged phone numbers and told them if they felt like they couldn't make it, (and I wasn't working that same day) to call me so I can cover for them.
On game day I made sure to check up on twitter & instagram for lineup cards. Had the First Pitch MiLB app downloaded to check roster moves, what player was a lefty, a righty or switch hitter.
All of that and few swings at the camera and I was feeling a bit more confident with my work. Not only that, our camera people were starting to cancel their shifts so often that I was able cover them and plow through a few homestands without skipping a beat.
It was something I was beginning to get the hang of and I liked it. I wasn't that "get in & get out" kind of person anymore. I was that get in 15-20mins early and have no rush to leave once the game was over.
I even had time to talk to players families, players themselves, fans, employees, scouts, team photographers, graphers, security guards, the list goes can go on.
Fans would pat me on the shoulder and say "we appreciate your hard work! We're from upstate NY and we watch all the games online, can't wait to tell our friends it's a camera lady with all the fancy work!"
(I solely gave credit to my director who pretty much told me where to point my camera at.)
Some fans even wanted to tip me for putting them on the big screen.
I was fully enjoying my job.
I mean, I get paid to be at a baseball game, extra innings, walk-offs, firework shows, playoffs?
Not only that but I was treated with respect. Something that my previous jobs lacked.
It became my happy place. When I didn't have to work I still made it to games.
My family would come to watch some games, my friends came to watch me work. It was magically unraveling as a truly fun job. The support and encouragement of the people I met made it a wonderful experience that on the last game I worked, a trainer asked me if I liked my job.
Without any hesitation, I said YES.
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