My Top Ten Best Moments Working For Grizzly Athletics

Posted on April 9, 2014 by brent

I have just one week remaining at the University of Montana and I can’t help but think of all the wonderful moments I have had the privilege of taking part in or helping directly with during my tenure. Tonight I want to reflect on some of the times I will never forget while serving the Montana Grizzlies. I give you my top ten moments working for Grizzly Athletics:

10. 2013 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament: After experiencing the men’s tourney the year prior, I got the opportunity to attend the Women’s NCAA Tournament when the Lady Griz qualified for the Big Dance in 2013. Serving as the Pep Band/Spirit Squad contact while also covering all facets of the trip for our social media audience I enjoyed my time in Spokane at Gonzaga University. Although the Lady Griz ended up falling to powerhouse Georgia they put up a great fight and I got to watch all the action from under the basket.

I snapped this photo of the team at the practice session at Gonzaga the day before the game.

9. NACMA Retreat: During the summer of 2012 the University of Montana had the distinction of hosting the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators Board of Directors retreat. Former Marketing Director Christie Anderson worked her way up to a prestigious spot on the NACMA Board of Directors and spearheaded a successful campaign for the hosting opportunity. She let me come along to beautiful Whitefish, Montana, where the retreat was held and help out with the three day event. I had the opportunity to network with the best intercollegiate athletic marketers in the country. Listening to their ideas and challenges provided me with a wonderful learning and development opportunity.

I hung around these intercollegiate athletics marketers for a few days

8. 2013 Home Opener Against Appalachian State: In what would be my last football season for the Griz, our home opener was truly memorable. After much buildup to a brand new fan experience in Washington-Grizzly Stadium our advertising did not disappoint as the game went perfectly. All of our planning, brainstorming, and hard work paid off as everything from the sky divers to the Monte entrance to the fireworks to all the intricacies of our protocol went off without a hitch. And oh yeah, on a gorgeous night under the lights our football team steamrolled Appalachian State, 30-6.

My brother and dad got to come over for this great game. After the game I went on the field with them to get a picture.

7. The Roots of “United”: After our athletic director and head football coach were let go completely out of the blue in March of 2012 the Missoula community was in crisis mode as people reacted to the news in a variety of different ways. As the dialogue started to get very volatile and as the national media started to converge the young men on the Griz football team gave all of us a true example of what class and restraint is all about. The team provided us with a letter that we posted on www.gogriz.com that gave a nod to their former leaders, took responsibility for the allegations, promised to hold themselves to higher standards, and asked the community to stick with them. At the conclusion of the letter it stated that with or without that community support they would come back stronger than ever. They certainly did.

6. Montana Grizzlies Facebook Page Reaches 100K Likes: In a major milestone for the Griz Social Media program, our department’s official Facebook page went over 100,000 likes in early March of 2014. In a league completely above anyone else in the Big Sky Conference and the FCS, this mark validated the emphasis our department had placed on social media and provided just another example of why Griz Nation has some of the best fans in the country.

5. A Memorable 2013-14 Lady Griz Basketball Season: Although the 2013-14 Montana women’s basketball team did not advance to the NCAA Tournament I will still remember it very fondly for a couple reasons. First there was Robin Selvig’s 800th win. The celebration that ensued with him and his team followed by Coach Selvig’s humorous and touching speech will forever stay with me. Secondly, the two games we got to host for the WNIT were so much fun. The team played their hearts out and our fan base truly showed up to support them as much as possible. Although I really wish the Lady Griz would have picked up the win against San Diego I will just remember the noise level in the arena and the feeling inside of me that our players and fans truly valued the post season opportunity they were given.

I hope somewhere this speech is recorded (photo courtesy of the great Todd Goodrich).

4. 2009 Appalachian State Snow Game Semi-Final: This game goes down as the most memorable game ever inside of Washington-Grizzly Stadium. Besides the national television audience, the snow, the lights, and the big time victory to advance to the national championship it was also a breakout game for me as the stadium DJ. As a brand new employee for Grizzly Athletics tasked with the big job of running music at the football games, I was always nervous come game time. However, after that game my nerves seemed to permanently go away. Mostly because of the atmosphere that night everything I sent through the stadium speakers seemed to work. Music traditions were born that evening and it was the only time I ever played music postgame at a football event as fans stayed long after to party on the snowy Washington-Grizzly Stadium turf.

3. Griz Demolish Montana State in Bozeman in 2011: During the football season of 2011, the Griz-Cat game was held in Bobcat Stadium with Montana State boasting an undefeated record in Big Sky Conference play. No one gave Montana a chance. It was supposed to be some type of formality for the Bobcats to win and celebrate with the Brawl of the Wild trophy. Are you kidding me? The Griz used the disrespect to kick the tar out of Montana State from the get-go. Early third quarter the fans inside Bobcat Stadium were literally leaving. When the final horn sounded Montana had sealed the victory 36-10 and at the time secured another Big Sky Conference championship. Vacated or not, standing on the sidelines for that game was the sweetest moment I have had as a Griz.

Christie and I during the half at the 2011 Brawl of the Wild Griz-Cat game.

2. Griz and Lady Griz Go Dancing on Same Day Under Same Roof: Just the buildup in general to March 16, 2013 was an awesome moment all in itself. Grizzly Athletics had the pleasure of hosting both the men’s and women’s basketball Big Sky Conference tournaments last year. As I worked every single one of those tournament games I kept telling myself how lucky I was to have the opportunity to be a part of something like this. To get to the final day and realize that we very well could send both our teams to the premier college basketball tournaments in the nation made me know that an already awesome experience could get even better. Boy, did it.

With fireworks going off pregame and confetti falling from the rafters after, the game presentation we put together was almost as good as the play of our teams. The Lady Griz defeated Northern Colorado and the Griz took down Weber State as both Montana basketball programs punched tickets to the Big Dance on the same day on their home floor. Not only had both our basketball teams pulled it off but our staff had pulled it off as well in providing quality tournaments that you don’t see at other conference schools. Along with the 2013 Griz football home opener, I had never been more proud of the experience afforded to fans that day.

March 16, 2013 will never be forgotten in the history of Grizzly Athletics.

1. 2012 NCAA Tournament: By far one of the best experiences of my entire life, getting to travel with the Griz basketball team to Albuquerque for the 2012 NCAA Tournament earns the #1 spot on my list for top moments while at Grizzly Athletics. NCAA Tourneys are so special in general but to have the opportunity to be front and center as a participating institution takes it to a whole different level. I had the opportunity to cover the tournament for our social media outlets and gogriz.com. I got to attend the practice with the team. I enjoyed a tour of The Pit. I volunteered my services passing out tickets to the people on the travel party. I watched the game courtside with Christie and our dance team coach.

But you know what? Besides the responsibilities strictly related to the tournament I also got to have a lot of fun. I soaked in the refreshing Albuquerque sun, ate the best Mexican food I had ever had, stayed in a super nice hotel, toured the town, and had the best time with my co-workers. What an amazing experience!

Monte and I before we went out on the court for the 2012 NCAA Tournament.

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I am so indebted to Grizzly Athletics for these special moments that I will carry with me forever. I will reflect on them now but in three weeks I will be totally committed to making new top moments and memories at Coastal Carolina University. Can’t wait to start building a new top ten list in the South! Don’t Blink.

Dreams That Linger Throughout the Day

Posted on April 8, 2014 by brent

In the past I have written about dreams but I have never really discussed the phenomenon that I am about to bring up.

Most nights I will dream and have very little recollection of what I actually dreamt about. Sadly, my dream journal is lacking these days. Some nights I will dream and wake up in the morning with a vague idea of what happened. Then, on a very small percentage of nights, I will wake up either in the middle of the night or in the morning with a complete recount of what I had dreamt about. When this happens, the memories will usually stay with me throughout the whole day.

Last night I had a dream about a person who I had not really had any contact with for a couple years. This person didn’t die or we didn’t have a falling out but we had gone our separate ways and I really hadn’t thought much about this individual over that time. However, after my dream last night I couldn’t stop thinking about this person throughout all of today. The dream came totally out of the blue and sidetracked my mind for the next twelve conscious hours after. I thought about reaching out to this person but decided against it.

This happens to me in other ways too. Several times I have had dreams about certain things from my past that happened many years ago, I am talking about totally mundane things such as a family gathering at a park. When I woke up in the morning the dream residue was still floating around in my brain and I thought about that reunion in the park (or whatever event it was) all day long. It just stayed with me. I find it fascinating because the only way I would have ever thought about those events ever again was if I decided to look back in my journals to those specific days several years ago. Instead a random dream brought them back into my consciousness. I have also had dreams that took me back to events when I was really young. Upon awakening the dream was still crystal clear but I couldn’t actually pinpoint if the event the dream portrayed had actually happened or not. I would go through the whole day trying to trace through my memory bank trying to decide if the dream represented a real life event from when I was a toddler or if it was a figment of my imagination.

I sometimes feel the impact from nightmares throughout the day too. However one of two things will happen. Either the nightmare will seem completely silly and non-frightening as the day goes on or the unconscious experience will trouble me all the way up until I go to sleep again the next night. Definitely very interesting.

I don’t always want to have weird things I dream up in the wee hours of the night/morning stay with me during the day but every now and then it is okay. To me it is kind of like a mystery trying to figure out how I could have dreamt whatever it was and why it had such an impact to stay with me when the sun rose. Dreams are fascinating and their power can sometimes extend much further from when our eyes are closed. Don’t Blink.

I Will Miss You UM Spirit Squad!

Posted on April 7, 2014 by brent

As I wind down my time at Grizzly Athletics I will be saying goodbye to a lot of people. When the time comes I will write an all-encompassing post thanking all the people who helped me so much during my time here. However, I don’t want to fill my blog space each night with the latest from “Brent’s Farewell Tour.” I know majority of my readers don’t want a nightly dose of my swan song.

With that said, I do want to make an exception tonight and express my appreciation to a very special group. This evening up in our football booster area (The Canyon Club) we had our Spirit Squad end of the year banquet. It was a time for our cheer squad, dance team, mascots, and coaches to get together one more time to celebrate the 2013-14 season while giving out awards and eating good food. It was also a time for our seniors to say goodbye after their many years of devotion to the program. This time around I said goodbye too.

This is me with our cheer squad and coaches after tonight’s banquet.

Stereotypes run rampant in our society and one of the most unfair ones center on cheerleaders who are labeled as ditzy, obsessed with their looks, and cruel to others. Although I never subscribed to this thinking it took me less than an hour here at the University of Montana to realize that this stereotype just isn’t inaccurate but completely opposite from the truth and terribly unfair.

I feel so fortunate that I got to have such involvement with the young women and men who make up the University of Montana Spirit Squad. Because of my role as mascot coordinator combined with the Spirit Squad sitting under the marketing umbrella I got to know many of our cheer squad and dance team members very well (while of course developing even stronger bonds with our two students who serve as Monte). I can confidently say that they are some of the most driven, humble, hard-working, and passionate people I know. They do what they do because they love to dance/cheer and because they love the Griz. Basically what I am trying to say is that they do it for all the right reasons.

This is me with the dance team. Going to miss these girls!

Like I alluded to above, I feel fortunate that I have developed relationships with many Spirit Squad members that go above playing music for them at games or driving them around on various Griz road trips. I think of many of them as friends, people who I truly care about and people who I know care about me too. For the most part I am a positive guy and I love life but I can’t count the number of times I have had a Spirit Squad member brighten my day by stopping by my office, saying something nice over social media, or yelling my name to say hi at games. In a truly humbling moment just this year, a cheer squad member asked to do a profile on me. Wait…a profile on me? It is these types of things that will really make me miss these special individuals once I make the move to South Carolina.

This is me with the cheer team at camp in Idaho in 2012

I don’t think the public really understands this, but the students who make up our Sprit Squad go through rigorous try outs to earn a spot in the program. They devote thousands of hours throughout their careers at practice, at competition, and in the community all in the name of Grizzly Athletics. They put their bodies through stress and pain so that they can please stadiums and arenas full of fans. The fact that they can subject themselves to this and still have enough energy to show so much respect and kindness to people like me says a lot about each one of them.

Of course I will miss our mascots, Monte and Mo!

To the two mascots, the cheer squad, and the dance team: THANK YOU for making me feel so welcome in the Spirit Squad family. I will miss all of you. Don’t Blink.

Sunday Evening Smorgasbord

Posted on April 6, 2014 by brent

I hope everyone had a great weekend! I feel like treating my readers to a Sunday evening smorgasbord of topics so let’s get right to it and watch out as I throw five different things at you.

Iowa Recap: Last weekend I visited a friend in Iowa City, Iowa. It marked the first occasion that I actually got to spend time in the Midwest. I enjoyed seeing a different part of the country. I saw my fair share of cornfields and might have felt a little exposed with no mountains around me. I had the opportunity to meet some super nice people and relax a little bit from my hectic life. I enjoyed seeing the Iowa football stadium and driving around a few of the different communities that make up Iowa City.

The Wolf of Wall Street: On Thursday night I finally got around to watching “The Wolf of Wall Street.” I thought the movie for the most part was pretty good, although I wouldn’t want to watch it again. It was just a little too long for me. Also, I must claim ignorance when it comes to the stock market. You could fit my knowledge of stocks into a thimble so a lot of the “shop talk” addressed in the movie went over my head. However, I did enjoy the premium acting. Leonardo DiCaprio killed it and I especially liked the scene with him and Matthew McConaughey in the restaurant for lunch and also the scene on the boat with DiCaprio and Kyle Chandler (he played the FBI agent). Jonah Hill provided some good laughs.

Hosting Glen: This weekend I got to enjoy time with my brother. Glen flew out of Missoula for a job interview so after he returned on Saturday morning he got to spend the day with me. From the wonderful confines of my apartment we had a nice time watching Felix Hernandez and the Mariners dominate the Oakland Athletics and then witness the Connecticut victory over Florida in the Final Four. For the second Final Four game we watched the action at Buffalo Wild Wings. From there we concluded the night bowling with a couple of my friends. This morning we enjoyed a nice breakfast and then watched a couple episodes of “Bar Rescue” before Glen hit the road for Spokane. As it marked the last time I will ever host my brother in Missoula again I am glad we once again had a great time.

Speaking of That Breakfast: Glen and I ate at Stone of Accord for breakfast this morning. Over the past couple of years the brunch offered at Stone of Accord became my favorite. Although I love the traditional breakfast fare of pancakes, waffles, and French toast the Irish themed options at “The Stone” always just hit the spot for me. I became a huge fan of the cow pies offered…meat, eggs, veggies, and mashed potatoes combined together for a filling and unique meal to start the day. Don’t forget the soda bread that comes with each entre either. I am beyond stoked for the southern eating I will soon become introduced to but I will miss Stone of Accord.

NCAA Basketball National Championship: Although I wanted to see a Florida-Kentucky national championship game at least I get to see one of those teams in the chipper tomorrow night. I hope the Wildcats defeat Connecticut. For some weird reason I kind of like Coach Calipari and I love the story line of a freshmen starting five getting the better of much more experienced players. Go Kentucky!

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Have a great week! It is going to be a very busy one for me but it won’t slow me down from publishing to Don’t Blink. I will talk to you guys tomorrow. Don’t Blink.

How I Used Instagram to Choose My Home

Posted on April 4, 2014 by brent

Moving across the country to start a new job will give any person a mile long checklist of things to do before the official start date. When I accepted a position at Coastal Carolina University last week I put one of the most important and stressful components of relocation at the top of that list: housing. For the past several days I have poured a lot of energy into finding a nice place in the beautiful Myrtle Beach area. I am happy to say that with about three weeks to spare I have found my new home.

I did not take this decision lightly. Knowing only that I would definitely be renting I looked at houses, condos, and apartments. Not enjoying the luxury of looking at properties in person definitely adds an additional component of mystery and stress to the search but luckily I was not alone. The head of University Communication at CCU put me in contact with one of his real estate friends to give me advice and guidance throughout the process.

As the smoke started to clear I settled on an area where I wanted to live and I had my eyes set on two apartment communities. I left no stone unturned as I researched both of them through every means at my disposal as I scrutinized websites, read every review ever published, interrogated the leasing agents, and of course consulted my real estate contact. With me still going back and forth on what community I wanted to live at I decided to institute a tiebreaker by going to one final source…social media!

As I looked through the photos on the Facebook page of one of the two complexes I was looking at I saw a flyer for an Instagram contest they conducted (that creativity won them extra points from me right on the spot). Tenants could enter the contest and possibly receive money off rent by taking a picture at the complex and using a certain hashtag. Of course right when I read it I opened up Instagram and searched the hashtag.

Several beautiful photos showing the complex’s pool, pristine landscaping, and apartment layout popped up. Here I was looking at photos actually taken by tenants living there! No doctored or enhanced professional photos taken by the complex to possibly fool me. Although the photos looked nice these Instagram users were obviously submitting the images because they wanted to win a contest. Of course they were going to try really hard to post pictures that looked aesthetically pleasing. Because the promotion ended months ago I knew I could reach out to these people and get an honest opinion on what they thought about living at their location.

I targeted four of the people who entered the contest, two males and two females, and I commented on the pictures that they submitted. Well, technically I didn’t “comment”….it was more like asking them to tell me everything they liked and disliked about living there. Within a couple hours I had long, detailed responses from all four, with one of them transitioning into a very helpful e-mail conversation. The reviews they gave me were glowing. Besides the e-mail conversation I entered in with one of the people, I also asked follow up questions on Instagram to the others. I got the information I needed and of course it made my decision a no-brainer.

I received some great reaction from Instagram users who took the time to answer my questions. Here are the initial responses I received.

By April 28 (pending an accepted application of course) I will be living at Alexan Withers Preserve, an apartment community in Myrtle Beach that is absolutely gorgeous, only five minutes from the beach, and just a mile from the vibrant city center. Although those are just facts that you can get from the website, it was the reaction I received via Instagram that won me over. When legit people who I contacted out of the blue described the complex as “the best I have ever lived in,” “luxurious,” “overall I would recommend Alexan ten times out of ten,” “brand new,”and “the crowd is great” it eased a lot of my fears and uncertainty.

An image of the apartment complex I will be living in. Thanks to the Alexan Withers Preserve Instagram account for the photo. (@alexanwithers)

Social media helps me in my life every single day in multiple ways. I find it fascinating that even a service such as Instagram that is more designed to showcase photos rather than serve as a way for people to talk and ask questions can yield fantastic results. Congrats to Alexan Withers Preserve. They designed a contest intended to engage and reward current tenants but it also brought them a new one. I can’t wait to live there. Don’t Blink.

The Best TV Production in Sports

Posted on April 3, 2014 by brent

When it was announced this week that Tiger Woods would not play in the Masters of course I was disappointed. He brings so much talent, skill, drama, and tension to golf’s biggest stage that it turns into must-watch TV. However, his absence won’t make me ignore the action at Augusta this next weekend.

I will still watch to see the other best golfers in the world battle it out for the green jacket. I will still watch because of the tradition of the tournament. I will still watch because even though Tiger won’t be there storylines will still develop. I will still watch to see spectacular shots and putts that make me shake my head and look up to the sky while simultaneously muttering “are you kidding me?” But even if none of these above things didn’t exist there is still something about the tournament that would still glue me to a television screen.

I love watching the Masters most of all because of the television production. In my opinion there is no other sports broadcast as beautiful as the Masters. Wait, mind if I take it one step further? In my opinion there is no television production period as beautiful as the Masters. This is the one time where I make sure to find a TV with high definition and just enjoy the breathtaking views and angles provided by CBS.

Although the spectacular images delivered right to our television screens constitute my favorite part of the Masters production I truly like it all. CBS does an incredible job of shifting from hole to hole. They got it down to a complete science. The team also knows how to tell a story and will do whatever needed to adjust to cover emerging leaders and changing plots. Then of course you have Jim Nantz. His voice is synonymous with the tournament and you can’t help but admire his knowledge and respect for the history of Augusta. I personally never tire of listening to David Feherty. His colorful analysis and sharp Irish accent always manages to put a smile on my face. To cap it all off you have a sporting event pretty much devoid of all commercialism, a very pure and rare thing.

But again I keep coming back to the imagery. Nothing beats the mixed dark and vibrant greens contrasting with the polos and visors of the golfers combined with the random outfits from the gallery. On a big screen television under high definition you literally feel like you are on the course with golf’s best. Because of the simplicity of golf, the absence of equipment covering the body up, the beautiful Augusta course, and the manpower and effort that CBS pours into covering the event anyone who takes time to watch is in for a magnificent treat.

So sure it sucks that Tiger Woods is not playing. Is it a deal breaker for me? Definitely not. I can’t wait to watch the 2014 Masters and take in the best television production of the year. Don’t Blink.

Career Move: Coastal Carolina University

Posted on April 2, 2014 by brent

Last week I made a major career decision as I accepted a position at Coastal Carolina University. On May 1 I will officially start my duties as the Social Media and Online Marketing Coordinator at the school. With such a life changing adventure ahead of me I definitely have many emotions inside of me and a lot of words I want to say to numerous different people. But I still have four weeks to get all that out. Tonight I will just offer the basics.

At my new position at Coastal Carolina I will no longer work directly in athletics. Rather I will have the task of developing and overseeing the social media program at the university as a whole. Working in the University Communication office I will get firsthand experience working with marketing, licensing, and public relations folks on a day-to-basis. It is an amazing opportunity.

But the job opportunity itself, although the primary reason, is not the sole factor on why I am moving across the country. First off, I can’t wait to work for the people who hired me. During the search process I was treated like a king and made to feel extremely valued by a couple vice presidents and a very well established public affairs director. To have people of that stature spend time on me made me feel extremely honored and wanted. Then there is the whole Myrtle Beach thing too. People I am close to know my strong preference for a warm climate. The fact that the area is right on the ocean helped as well. Finally, earning a higher salary, although not what I base my existence on, definitely factored in.

When I visited Coastal Carolina in March for my on-site interview I had a hotel room with a balcony that overlooked the ocean.

Of course distance from my family will be the toughest obstacle to overcome. But we do live in a world where thousands of miles can be reduced to a few inches with Skype and FaceTime. I will manage. I also am sad to leave Grizzly Athletics. Although I am so ready to leave the state of Montana I love the people I work with and the job I get to perform here.

Just a quick timeline for my dedicated readers: My last day working for Grizzly Athletics is Wednesday, April 16. I will then spend a few days including the Easter weekend with my family in Spokane. From there I will make the trek across the country on my new adventure. My official start date at Coastal Carolina is May 1.

Early in March I got to visit South Carolina for my on-site interview and while in the area and on the campus I knew the place was right for me. Although I know the nerves will probably hit me in the coming weeks I am 100% confident in my decision and I am excited for the things to come. The outpouring of support that has greeted my announcement has already exceeded anything I imagined and I am incredibly thankful. You are all welcome to join me via Don’t Blink as I go on this ride. Don’t Blink.

Singing “Happy Birthday” at Restaurants

Posted on April 1, 2014 by brent

I have never worked in the restaurant industry as a server. Because of this I don’t personally know the hardships of serving ten tables at once, putting up with entitled and snotty customers, or dealing with the aftermath of a table party that decided to get up and leave without paying. However I feel that if I ever did find myself as a waiter I would jump at doing those things ten times over instead of something I see all servers painstakingly doing at every single restaurant I go to:

Singing “Happy Birthday.”

About 95% of the time when I witness restaurant wait staffs serenading a customer with the song (or whatever variation they choose to sing) I watch them perform it with as much enthusiasm as if they were about to watch paint dry and with as much authenticity as a WWE wresting match. The whole experience is painful and miserable to watch.

When I would go out for birthday dinner with my family back in the day I made it clear that the ultimate birthday gift of all would be for them NOT to tip off the restaurant staff that it was my birthday. While it is painful and miserable to watch such a dog and pony show it is those two things plus embarrassing and mortifying to have it directed at you. Last thing I want is to minimize the enjoyment of my special meal because I am dreading the half-hearted singing and clapping cacophony that is about to come.

But enough about my disdain for such a train wreck. While I have to avoid it just once a year I genuinely feel bad for the servers across the nation who must perform silly songs multiple times a day. The nightmare varies from restaurant to restaurant. Some restaurants just opt for a mildly embarrassing rendition of the birthday song and that is it. Other establishments such as a Texas Roadhouse perform full out choreographed routines. Some restaurants use props, others use actual instruments.

Let’s face it, there is a reason why “funny people” like to go to a restaurant and slyly tell the server that it is their friend’s birthday when it really isn’t. No, it is not for the free ice cream or piece of pie. It is to bring upon as much embarrassment and humiliation as possible. Right from the start these things are jokes.

But then again, what do I know? As I mentioned above I have never as much brought out water glasses to a table before. I don’t know the first thing about serving. So let me open this discussion up to my friends in the industry and ask for their opinions on recognizing the birthdays of customers. What does your restaurant do for birthdays? Do you verify birthday claims with an I.D.? Must the whole restaurant wait staff participate in the birthday recognition? Do you feel like a complete fool?

If you take the time to answer any of these questions on my Facebook page I will send you one of my Don’t Blink pens so you have something really cool to write with when taking orders. Silly birthday songs aside I really do appreciate the work of restaurant servers. It is definitely a skill with extreme patience and multi-tasking involved. With so much already on the “plates” of servers I don’t think they should be required to add “serenader” to their list of duties. Don’t Blink.

Off to Iowa

Posted on March 28, 2014 by brent

Besides a very quick trip to the east coast earlier this month I have remained stationed in Missoula since late December. Now I love the town I live in but after a certain amount of time any reasonable person needs to “get out” for a little bit. Thankfully for me I will have a little weekend respite.

I busted out of work a little early today and made the 200+ mile drive to Spokane. As I sit in my parents’ recently remodeled kitchen I am passing the time until we go to our favorite Italian restaurant to celebrate my sister’s 30th birthday. For a milestone occasion such as this it definitely required that I make the trip back west to join in on the festivities. After tonight’s celebration I will be traveling back in the eastward direction tomorrow, although it will be well past Missoula.

My sister turns 30 today. Happy Birthday, Miranda!

Tomorrow early morning I will hop on a plane and go to Iowa City, Iowa. I am going to the Hawkeye State to visit my friend, Carissa. As she visited me in Missoula this past February I now have the opportunity to make the return trip to her territory. I am excited as I have never been to Iowa before. I look forward to seeing a new place and making memories.

Carissa when she came and visited me in Missoula….I swear I will never use a Snap Chat photo in my blog ever again.

Although I hear the internet works perfectly fine in Iowa City I will not be posting to Don’t Blink during my mini vacation. Please feel free to check my Twitter account for “important updates.” If you know my sister, make sure to wish her a happy birthday. Have a great weekend everyone. Don’t Blink.

Rubbing Elbows With Five Country Music Stars

Posted on March 27, 2014 by brent

While posting my baby photos as my #ThrowbackThursday images are always fun I very seldom get blog post ideas from them. Although I get to prove to people that at one time I was semi-cute I have started to prefer posting throwbacks that aren’t over two weeks old. Why? Because I can follow it up with a post! When I featured a photo of myself with gnarly long hair in high school I received such a strong reaction that I decided to write about it. In turn, that blog post received numerous views and many more jokes at my expense.

Today I posted an even more recent photo of myself with country music star Dierks Bentley. Taken two years ago (yes, I think that qualifies as a throwback) it showed the both of us during a meet-and-greet session prior to his show in Missoula. As that photo garnered more than normal comments and likes an idea came to mind.

I am a huge country music fan. Because of my love of this genre I have attended a great deal of concerts over the past several years. At some of these shows I have even had the opportunity to meet some of the performers I listen to on the radio every single day. For tonight’s blog post I want to feature the five country entertainers I have recently met and rank them according to how genuine and nice they were. Let’s go!

5. Sunny Sweeney – The first question I can already hear all of you asking: “Who is Sunny Sweeney?” Well back in 2011 she looked to be a promising country female singer on the rise. So promising that Reba Mcentire made her an opening act on her tour. In August of 2011 my brother and I attended Reba’s show at Northern Quest, a large resort in Airway Heights, Washington. The concert venue is outside in a large grassy area. Sunny completed her set and then went to her own private tent roped off from everything. When Reba started to play my brother noticed that Sunny had emerged from her tent, crossed over the ropes, and was standing by a souvenir tent. My brother and I immediately went over to where she stood.

By the time we got to the tent a group of about five people had already surrounded her. She started to get visibly nervous. As more people approached she became more distraught and said a couple times that she couldn’t be visible when Reba was on stage. Finally someone from her team came and got her and they walked back to her private tent. Although I have no idea why she strolled over to the souvenir tent in the first place I will always remember her last words before she left: “Thanks hun.” She directed them at me when I told her nice show.

Because the situation was awkward, I only managed to get this blurry photo of Summer Sweeney (in the black with blonde hair).

4. Justin Moore – I met Justin Moore in 2011 in Missoula where he opened for Miranda Lambert. My friend Fawn and I had “meet and greet” passes that enabled us to talk with Mr. Moore himself. If you don’t already know, meet and greet sessions can be about as impersonal and artificial as anything you can imagine. With that said, I compliment Justin Moore for at least putting a smile on his face for us. He talked about the elk he shot in Montana that day and how he was going to convince his wife to move to Missoula with him. The thick southern accent and his incredibly short stature are the things I remember most about him. Apparently though he remembers nothing about me! I saw him from the front row at a Blake Shelton concert about four months later and when I yelled at him he looked at me like I was crazy.

Fawn and I with Justin Moore where he opened for Miranda Lambert.

3. Dierks Bentley – Now we arrive at the man who inspired this post. After seeing him twice in concert beforehand, I finally got to actually meet Dierks Bentley in April of 2012. Like with Justin Moore it was another meet and greet situation. Even though Justin Moore was nice and gracious I felt that Dierks was just a little more genuine. He introduced himself to me and talked about taking a jeep up the Rattlesnake area in town. He complimented the beauty of Missoula and thanked me for coming out.

I met Dierks Bentley in April of 2012.

2. Toby Keith – I had the pleasure of seeing Toby Keith in concert at the same venue I saw Reba at. He totally rocked the show. At Northern Quest they have a large casino. My boss at the time, my brother, and myself were strolling through it a few hours after the show. At that time, the casino wasn’t too busy as some tables were occupied and others were totally empty. At one of the Three Card Poker tables with players at it I noticed something a little out of place. Two very big men were standing behind another decent sized guy sitting at the center of the table. Yep, you guessed it…Toby Keith.

The three of us went over the table trying to play it cool. My brother bought in and sat down at the table right next to Toby. I watched the action for a little bit before piping up the same way I did with Summer Sweeney by dishing out the “nice show” compliment. When Toby heard the voice he slowly looked around his shoulder, identified me as the person who had called out, and gave me a pound! He also gave my boss a pound too. We enjoyed small talk with Toby as he gambled away and drank Michelobs with his body guards and a couple band members who were also gambling. For someone of that superstar status not to mind getting bothered while gambling after a long show earned him tremendous respect from me.

1. Phil Vassar – Our former athletic director has a couple of big connections in the country music business and those connections led him to develop a friendship with country music star Phil Vassar. The friendship proved strong enough that sometimes Vassar would just randomly appear in the athletic department. I had the chance to meet him once in 2010. The guy was humble as could be. He asked my name, inquired about how I liked working for Grizzly Athletics (I was new), and talked to me about my duties. He didn’t blink an eye when I asked for a picture. He was just so relaxed and kind that it seemed like the fame had never once gotten to him.

When it comes to personality, Phil Vassar is my favorite country music star.

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Even though I don’t mind posing for a picture with a celebrity I do keep one thing in mind: they are regular people like you and me. Just some of them are better at embracing that reality than others. Don’t Blink

Don't Blink

By Brent Reser

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