SnapchaNt

Posted on March 24, 2015 by brent

About ten months ago I wrote about the launching of our Snapchat channel here at Coastal Carolina University. I explained my strategy and I also talked aloud about how shocked I was that more universities were not on Snapchat. Almost a year later, if institutions still aren’t on SC, they have severely missed the boat.

I task my intern, Jada, with creating most of our Snapchat content. However, about three weeks ago I was logged in looking at our account. I was viewing the amount of users who looked at various snaps within our story. To my delight, all of these pieces of media had triple digit views. To know that roughly 150 people (mostly students) look at each image we send out via our Snapchat story is gratifying. It became very clear that we needed to leverage this service as much as possible. Thus, the creation of our latest #CCUSocialMedia event…

This Friday, we will hold SnapchaNt. On this day, we will shut down all of our other social media channels and communicate to our audience solely through Snapchat.

Our official SnapchaNt logo created by the wonderful Gwendolyn Washington.

We have a few goals:

1. We want to build our Snapchat following as much as possible. We already have 300+ followers*, I hope to double it by the end of Friday.

2. We want to continue to provide our #CCUSocialMedia audience with fun and creative ways to engage with us on Social. When have you ever heard of a university staging a Snapchat day? I am guessing never. We pride ourselves on being unique.

3. We want to generate fantastic user content! I am already excited for the snaps that our followers will send back to us. I will be screenshotting like crazy so I can create a gallery featuring the best of the best.

It will be fun! We will stage Snapchat giveaways throughout the day for students to cash in on. We will make our audience laugh. We will bolster our strong Snapchat channel even more. We will experiment a little. We will make one heck of a Snapchat story for all to enjoy.

Make sure to have fun with us on Snapchat this Friday.

Sure, we will alienate some traditional social media users who want nothing to do with Snapchat. But I know for a fact we will also convince others to join the service and follow us. The target market I am especially after, our students with accounts who just haven’t added us yet, will hopefully follow us in droves. It has actually already started to happen. After the announcement of SnapchaNt yesterday I spent five minutes Monday evening confirming new adds. I did the same this afternoon. Who knows what is awaiting our account right now.

In my opinion, having a strong Snapchat account is imperative. There is no faster way to reach students these days than through a simple Snap. Besides the practicality and necessity of having an active Snapchat account, it again just sends home the message to our social audience and specifically our students that we care about the social media experience we give them. Make sure to add us on Snapchat by searching “ccuchanticleers” and join us for some fun this Friday. Don’t Blink.

* I equate 300 Snapchat users to 3,000 Twitter users or 13,000 Facebook page likes.

A Classy Twitter Battle: Coastal vs. Wisconsin

Posted on March 23, 2015 by brent

The reputation of a social media program is much like that of a public figure. After much hard work, careful vigilance, and perfect choices up to a certain point, things can come crashing down after just one mistake. Conversely, when the pressure is on and people are watching, the opportunity to define your social program in a positive way is also possible.

Late last week on the morning of our basketball team’s NCAA Tournament game against #1 seed Wisconsin, our @CCUChanticleers Twitter account was tagged in a tweet from the official Twitter account at the University of Wisconsin:

This was the tweet that started it all.

It was a completely wide open and general tweet that didn’t reflect any menace or ill-intention. However, I did want to proceed with caution. I am pretty outspoken on how much I despise it when official Twitter accounts decide to go head-to-head in a game of who can be the wittiest while trying to make the other look like a complete fool. I have seen too many respected and well-followed entities completely embarrass themselves by clashing in social media battles that made all involved look like whiny children.

There was no doubt I was going to respond to the Wisconsin tweet. This had the potential to be awesome. Not only was it David vs. Goliath in basketball, it was also David vs. Goliath in social media. The @UWMadison account boasts almost 90,000 followers, a complete dwarfing of the 5,000 followers we have at #CCU. Any mention that the Wisconsin account gave us would help the exposure and following of our own account. However, all that potential help would be completely washed away if the conversation went badly. I chose my words carefully and issued a warm greeting back to the Wisconsin account.

I needed to test the waters.

The @UWMadison account responded back asking if we had our dancing shoes on, a second harmless question that let me know that Wisconsin was not out for blood. I answered back with the date that our team had won the conference championship and then sent a separate tweet asking about the best part of the Wisconsin campus.

Here is where the dialogue started to get interesting.

The ice was broken. I felt comfortable. We exchanged more Tweets while our respective audiences looked on. We both sent out playful jabs that the Twitterverse could laugh at rather than cringe at.

For space constraints I had to eliminate the photos but you get the idea of our dialogue.

After we went back-and-forth a couple times I decided to make sure we concluded while we were both on the top of our games. I sent out a pleasant tweet to Wisconsin that was almost immediately met by a similar response from them. I felt really good about what had just transpired.

We ended the morning conversation the right way.

Little did I know that it was just the beginning. Throughout the rest of the day and even into Saturday, Twitter users both related and unrelated to our schools expressed how much the dialogue touched them. One person said it brought a tear to her eye, another said it restored his faith in humanity, yet another said it was the best Twitter exchange ever. Too many other tweets to count used the words “classy,” “respect,” “adorable,” and “beautiful” to describe the conversation. More than one person remarked “that’s how it’s done.”

Here is just a sampling of some of the tweets received regarding the Twitter conversation between Wisconsin and Coastal Carolina.

Then came the media coverage. A newspaper in Wisconsin wrote a piece that they posted on their website highlighting the exchange. It was quickly favorited, retweeted, and shared numerous times. Our Myrtle Beach outlets soon followed as news channels WPDE and WMBF posted articles as well. I was quoted in one of these pieces and I was able to give credit to my counterpart at Wisconsin who had done so much to make sure the Twitter conversation stayed respectful and fun. Nate Moll, the man behind #UWSocial, humored me that morning. We quickly followed each other on our own personal Twitter accounts (follow Nate…@natemoll) and had the opportunity to exchange messages about the big morning. Indeed, it was a big victory for both of us.

When the buzzer had sounded and the Badgers had eliminated our Chants by a closer-than-expected score of 86-72, there was this final exchange:

And this is how it ended.

When it comes to social media, if you are out looking to “win” by shaming someone else you will lose. There is little consolation in acting like a jerk in front of thousands of people. However, if you take an approach where you are creative yet respectful, the outcome will be fruitful for all. Friday was a proud day for the social media programs at Wisconsin and Coastal Carolina. Don’t Blink.

A Great NCAA Tournament Experience in Omaha

Posted on March 22, 2015 by brent

Yes, I know I sound like a broken record. As I have said before, attending the NCAA Tournament is special; occupying a spot on the travel party for a participating team is a career highlight. Just about 24 hours shy from returning to Myrtle Beach from Omaha, I am still on a high from the experience I had watching the Chanticleer men’s basketball team compete in the most well-known tournament on the planet.

It was a pleasure to travel with the team to Omaha. I took this photo after the public practice in CenturyLink Center on Thursday night.

But what is it that makes the NCAA Tournament experience so special? Well, let me tell you one thing that doesn’t make it special…the city. God Bless Omaha but I won’t be moving out there anytime soon. You see, there is something about the tourney that transcends geographical boarders and makes whatever town you are in irrelevant.

It is the respect.

Team charters, police escorts, hotel employees dressed in university apparel, school logo plastered everywhere, locals looking at you in awe, national media on location, and an organizational structure that is ten times better than what the phrase “on point” can ever express all convey a deep level of reverence. It is intoxicating.

This is the police escort that led our bus to the CenturyLink Center for Thursday night’s public practice.

Personally, I had a wonderful trip. I had complete freedom and access to do my job but at the same time I also had fun. Throughout the duration of the trip, #CCUSocialMedia was able to give our audience a real time look inside the tournament experience through constant posts in addition to the release of four videos and three photo galleries. When I wasn’t sharing the sights and sounds with #TEALnation I was able to visit the site of the College World Series, eat an Omaha steak, check out a cemetery, and tour the downtown part of the city.

I got to see TD Ameritrade Park, eat an Omaha steak, and visit a cemetery.

But let’s get real here, the trip was about the student-athletes and it was a complete pleasure observing them and following them. The team let me shoot everything from breakfast to the private shoot around at Creighton University to moments before the game when they were stretching in the bowels of the arena. From the time of the sendoff to touch down in Myrtle Beach yesterday, everyone on the squad was a complete gentleman. It was a joy to cover them.

I have a couple of personal highlights from the trip. First was attending the public practice/press conference at CenturyLink Center the day before the game. The minute the fleet of police motorcycles lead you into the private entrance of the arena you really realize what a big deal it is. The size of the media workroom, the hospitality area, the staging area, and of course the facility itself quickly remind you that you aren’t in the HTC Center anymore. Watching the team practice in high spirits while Marv Albert and other notables looked on was really cool.

This was me at the shoot around at the CenturyLink Center on Thursday night.

Second, the game night experience itself was awesome as well. Once again, the prominence of the tournament hits you when you have schools like Oregon and Oklahoma State playing right before you. You feel like you have really made it when Barry Alvarez walks right by. You know your school is center stage when at halftime the TBS feed is displayed on the video board and Charles Barkley is talking about Coastal Carolina. Add that with a full arena with countless staff members/tournament officials in suits walking around and you can’t help but feel the pageantry.

Me on the court moments before Coastal and Wisconsin tipped off.

Our men’s basketball team represented our university gallantly on the huge stage. The Chants played Wisconsin tough and registered the slimmest margin of defeat in the tournament between #1 vs. #16 teams. The Badgers just had too much size. When the buzzer sounded, our student-athletes had nothing to hang their heads about.

Badou Diagne goes up against Wisconsin’s big stud, Frank Kaminsky.

Our other students who came along on the trip didn’t either. The pep band, cheer squad, and dance team did a fantastic job at the game and conducted themselves with class the whole time in Omaha. It is really cool to observe them as well and see how much fun they have. They did a lot to earn their way on such a special journey so it is gratifying to see them enjoy it.

The CCU dance team, along with the pep band and cheer squad, did a great job representing Coastal.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention one final aspect that makes an NCAA Tournament trip so memorable…the relationships made. In addition to the ones I already knew, I got to meet and hang out with more staff members from the athletic department, many around my age. To talk with them and have fun with them was a great opportunity for me to connect with other young professionals who share the same interests as me.

Many thanks to Athletic Director Matt Hogue for allowing me to go on the trip. He understands the importance of having someone who specializes in social media covering such a major event. I brought back a lot of memories from Omaha and will always look back on this trip very fondly. Don’t Blink.

Pumped Up for the Thursday Rundown

Posted on March 12, 2015 by brent

This just isn’t any Thursday. This is the Thursday before the start of the NCAA Tournament and the Thursday that my parents arrive in Myrtle Beach. So how about we make this an especially good Thursday Rundown? Here we go…

The Dress – Many of you might be surprised that it took me this long to weigh in on this but better late than never. I never saw the internet sensation known as “The Dress” as anything but blue and black. Each time I looked I only saw those two colors. Never once did I see any inkling of white and gold regardless of the angle I viewed it, the device I used, or the mood I was in. It was a blue and black dress. It was funny though to chat with people who only saw white and gold. Coming from my perspective I just wanted to yell “What are you looking at?!” This reaction made the latest internet sensation a big hit.

I only see blue and black.

New Office – I am the new occupant of a spacious office! A couple Thursdays ago I wrote about the appointment of our new athletic director, Matt Hogue. Before he was asked to serve as the interim AD, he worked over in our office as the Associate Vice President of Marketing. During his interim period over at athletics we kept his office as it was in case we were blessed to have him come back to us. However, now that he is the guy at Chanticleer Athletics I was able to move into his office. I am now living large with plenty of storage, a great view, and a powerful air conditioner. Life is good.

Up top is my view and below are a couple different angles of my new office.

Blog Post Gone Viral – Every now and then, one of my blog posts will go “viral”, even if I did write it over two years ago. This past Monday a blog post I wrote in September of 2012 randomly received over 8,000 views in one day. The subject matter was of Barry Anderson, the talented guy who portrays the mascot of the Chicago Bulls, Benny the Bull. Barry used to be Monte at the University of Montana. During my tenure at the university, he would come back each year during football season and perform as Benny. As one of my duties entailed serving as the mascot coordinator, I got to work with him closely. In the post I wrote about that experience and his professionalism. The reason for the sudden explosion of views? A glorious highlight video of Benny at his best recently gained a lot of steam and my link was shared in conjunction with it on Reddit and many other places. Seriously, watch it.

At the top you can see the large number of people who viewed my Barry Anderson blog post on Monday. Underneath you can see the terms people typed into search engines that day that sent them to my site.

Bracket Busted – So the other night I went out on a limb and offered up my Final Four picks. My projection was pretty unconventional as I had Coastal Carolina, Gonzaga, Montana, and Oregon State making it to Indianapolis. Well, last night Oregon State let me down. The Beavers fell in the first round of the PAC-12 tournament to Colorado. It is a 100% certainty that Oregon State WILL NOT make the Big Dance. Of interesting note is that in ESPN’s Bracketology, Coastal is tagged to play Gonzaga in the second round. Although I don’t have them playing until the national semifinal, it would be cool if one of my matchups actually did come to fruition, even if it was much earlier than I anticipated.

This did not go according to plan.

Fun Products – Although the selection of weird snacks at Wal-Mart doesn’t compare to what you would find at a dollar store, sometimes you do stumble across a gem. This evening when I was at my favorite spot in the whole world, I snapped this photo of an Easter-themed snack called Cotton Tails. It is just a simple cheese ball munchie but I loved the name and the artwork. No, I didn’t buy the bag but I did take a photo!

I didn’t buy the bag but I would definitely eat some if the opportunity presented itself.

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Time now to get ready to greet my parents at the airport! Have a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day weekend, everyone. Don’t Blink.

My 2015 Final Four Prediction

Posted on March 9, 2015 by brent

With Coastal Carolina punching a ticket to the NCAA Tournament, my pick for the 2015 men’s basketball national champion is penciled in. However, I still have three spots left in my Final Four. Taking full liberty to dream very big, I am going to assume that the rest of the teams I list actually make the tournament and that the Selection Committee does me a personal favor and places them all in a different region. I feel they owe me.

Coastal is not only already in the dance but they are my favorite to win it!

Well, I don’t have to assume anything about the tournament status of this second team that I predict to make the Final Four. I am talking about Gonzaga! This 2014-15 Bulldog squad is supposed to be the best in school history. This says a lot as I had the opportunity to watch a bunch of really good ones growing up in Spokane both while serving as a ball boy and as a fan. I hope this is the year Gonzaga finally gets past its own personal best of the Elite 8 and lands in the Final Four. As they will most likely garner a #2 seed they will play the #15 seed Chanticleers.

Gonzaga makes my Final Four.

Do you think I would wish anything less than success for my old employer? I predict that for the first time ever a Big Sky Conference team will make the Final Four and Griz Nation will go nuts. Led by senior Jordan Gregory I am picking the Montana Grizzlies to go very deep in the tournament. Of course they must go deep in their own tournament first. The University of Montana is hosting the Big Sky Conference tourney this week and let me tell you, it is difficult for opposing teams to win in the Adams Center. I believe they will make it through and then shock the world later this month.

This is me at the 2012 NCAA Tournament when Montana played Wisconsin in Albuquerque.

So those who know me well could probably guess that Gonzaga and Montana were givens. But my final choice? Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the Oregon State Beavers. When I worked at Montana, Wayne Tinkle was by far one of my favorite coaches I got to work with. Not too soon after I left for Coastal, Coach Tinkle was hired at Oregon State. What he has done this year in Corvallis is nothing short of spectacular (he inherited a completely depleted roster). Anyway, the Beavers will have to win the PAC-12 Conference tournament to make the Big Dance but with the coaching skills of Wayne Tinkle they will be able to do it. Oregon State will then out-defend and out-hustle opponents as they manage to squeak out win after win until they make it to the Final Four. Waiting for them in the other national semifinal will be the Montana Grizzlies.

Wayne Tinkle will bring the Oregon State Beavers to the promised land.

Under the bright lights of Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Gonzaga will come out slow and sluggish and Coastal will bury them with the three-ball all night long. What was supposed to be a blowout win for the Bulldogs turns into an easy victory for the Chanticleers. The #15 seed Montana Grizzlies will then battle the #11 seed Oregon State Beavers in the major storyline of the tournament. Wayne Tinkle will coach his heart out against his former team but it won’t be enough as Montana plays its best game of the tournament in front of 4,000 crazy Griz fans that made the trip to Indiana.

This is my 2015 FInal Four bracket.

The first ever #15 seed vs. #15 seed national championship will be one for the ages. The game will go to three overtimes and will contain 53 lead changes. However, a charge that Tristian Lucas takes late in the game sends Coastal on a 5-0 run in the final minute and, just like during the FCS playoff game, the Chants beat the Griz.

My final bracket!

Perhaps a little far-fetched? Maybe a little. But it is March now and anything can happen. As Dick Vitale would say, “I LOVE IT BABY!” Don’t Blink.

My Big South Championship Experience

Posted on March 8, 2015 by brent

It was only a very short time ago when I was writing about working at two different schools that held the number one ranking in football. At around 2:30 p.m. this afternoon I could say that I have now worked at two different schools where during my time of employment the basketball team went to the NCAA Tournament.

It was definitely an awesome past three days. While sitting cross-legged on the baseline for 120 minutes of basketball I had the joy of watching the men’s basketball team here at Coastal Carolina run through the Big South competition and punch its ticket to a second consecutive NCAA Tournament. As it happens in these conference championships, the games just get better and more intense each round. This was definitely the case this weekend and I left the HTC Center today with some great memories.

I had a great time working the Big South Championship.

In order, Coastal played UNC Asheville, Gardner-Webb, and Winthrop. The Chanticleers came in as the number three seed and actually never had to play a team seeded higher than them. They did, however, have to face two teams that they couldn’t beat during the regular season (Gardner-Webb and Winthrop). The team played well the whole tournament and with the direction of legendary coach Cliff Ellis the Chants had the firepower to win the championship. But enough with the seeds, statistics, and game plans.

Coach Cliff Ellis led his team to a second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.

What I really want to talk about is just how cool it was to be part of the 2015 Big South Championship. Our students and fans (along with Winthrop’s students and fans) came ready for the ESPN2 audience today. Although the HTC Center only holds a little over 3,000 people, fans made plenty of noise. When I wasn’t doing my job of taking photos and posting to social media, I was just enjoying the environment. Not working a conference tournament from such an involved level let me be a fan to a degree.

I sat right up on the baseline, in front of the visiting team’s student section. In this photo, ESPN2 is shooting the Winthrop student section.

Those memories I briefly mentioned above? Let me give you a few.

Mascots – I sat on the opponent’s baseline for all three games. It just so happened that I was right next to the designated mascot box so I became acquainted with the bulldog mascots from both UNC Asheville and Gardner-Webb as well as the eagle from Winthrop. Considering my history with mascots, it was cool to observe them. The Gardner-Webb bulldog had a habit of complaining about the officials’ calls to me (no, he was not barking at me…he was speaking English).

The Gardner-Webb bulldog spoke to me several times yesterday.

Dual Fanbases – Because the Big South Conference has member schools that are all relatively close together, whenever a game was going on you had two distinct crowds. Of course the Coastal fans outnumbered its opponents but the other universities definitely brought respectable contingents. Having the gym erupt on one side when one team would do something followed by the gym erupting on the other side when the opposing team would do something made it an authentic tournament atmosphere.

Watching student sections go back and forth with each other is a lot of fun.

Feeling of Kicking It All Off – The Big South Championship is one of the earliest conference tournaments. It helps to kick off Championship Week. Knowing that pretty much the whole country was paying especially close attention to our tourney made for a cool feeling. Now for a whole week ESPN will have to list Coastal Carolina as a school with its ticket punched. Majority of smaller universities don’t get this recognition for a full seven days.

Coastal was one of the first schools that had the pleasure of storming the court after a punched ticket to the Big Dance.

I want to say congrats to the Coastal Carolina University athletic department. Putting on one conference tournament is tough, putting on two conference tournaments is pure mania. Although it is a conference event, make no mistake about it, the host school does majority of the work. Chanticleer Athletics put on two first class competitions that other schools in the Big South Conference should surely appreciate.

I want to say congrats to Coastal Carolina Athletic Director Matt Hogue and his staff for putting on two great conference tournaments.

The exposure from now until whenever Coastal wins the national championship or is eliminated is priceless. There is no event in intercollegiate athletics like the NCAA Tournament and there is no better marketing tool for a university than being one of the 68 teams included. From a social media standpoint, this is pure gold for me. The response today from the social content I posted was through the roof and it should only just continue to build. It is a wonderful time to be a Chanticleer and I am so happy to be part of this university. Don’t Blink.

This is the Thursday Countdown

Posted on March 5, 2015 by brent

Good evening to you all! It is March and each day from here on out in the month just gets better. Hopefully my rundowns will as well. Let’s get started.

Throwback Thursday – Exactly one year ago today I interviewed on the campus of Coastal Carolina University. It was a whirlwind day as I did interviews from the morning though the early afternoon. Before I knew it, I was heading to the airport riding shotgun in our Vice President’s vehicle with our current Athletic Director in the backseat. When they dropped me off at the terminal I really hoped I would be offered the job. The below photo is a selfie I took that morning on my hotel room balcony. They were nice enough to put me up in a place with a pretty cool ocean view.

Before my big day of interviewing one year ago, I took a selfie on the balcony of my hotel room.

Big South Madness – I often say that I almost like conference tournament week (aka Championship Week) better than the NCAA tournament itself. Lucky for me, this special time of the year is here AND my university gets to host one of the first automatic qualifying tournaments. Tomorrow Coastal Carolina will attempt to return to the Big Dance for the second consecutive year. The quest starts with a Big South quarterfinal matchup against UNC Asheville in our HTC Center. The semifinal round will be Saturday and the championship game will be played Sunday on ESPN at 12:30 p.m. I am excited to cover the tournament and hopefully see the Chants punch their ticket to the one of the biggest spectacles in sports.

My credentials ready to go for the Big South Tournament.

Cause You’re Hot And You’re Cold – Talk about crazy Myrtle Beach weather! Yesterday was a gorgeous mid-70s day and today was more of the same except it hit 80 degrees. Tomorrow we take a plunge. When I wake up on Friday it very well could be 30 degrees. For me, going on a temperature roller coaster that drastic is a recipe for me to get sick. Considering I just recently overcame my annual February cold, however, I am crossing my fingers that this doesn’t happen.

The forecast in the paper called for it to be just 72 degrees today but it got hotter.

“Getting Life” – How would you feel if you spent 25 years in prison for a heinous crime you didn’t commit? “Getting Life” is a book by Michael Morton, a man who was wrongfully convicted of killing his wife. Morton describes the corrupt court that tried him, the quarter century he spent in various Texas prisons, and the redemption he finally received. It is an easy read but a frustrating read! It definitely gets you thinking and sympathizing. Thank you to Brynn Molloy for recommending it to me.

I enjoyed reading “Getting Life.”

Funny Mom – To end the rundown on a humorous note, I received this text from my mom a few minutes after I returned home from work tonight. She is always joking around with me (I think).

The actual text is on the left with a cleaned up version of the graphic on the right.

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On Thursday nights, OWN shows episodes of Dateline and 20/20. That is what I am watching this evening. Have a wonderful weekend. Don’t Blink.

One Impressive Sand Sculpture

Posted on March 2, 2015 by brent

Growing up where I did, I never had the opportunity to view something quite like this. Starting early this morning, talented artists started to construct a very cool piece of art out of an interesting medium: Sand.

Artists converged at the entrance of the HTC Center this morning.

Coastal Carolina University is the proud host of the Big South Conference basketball tournaments. The college that I proudly work for doesn’t have the opportunity to host just the men’s tourney or just the women’s tourney, it has the distinct pleasure of hosting both. Because Myrtle Beach is such a travel destination with an awesome chamber of commerce and because our athletic department is the best when it comes to putting on tournaments, CCU is the predetermined host of both tournaments for the third year in a row.

Coastal Carolina University is hosting both Big South Conference basketball tournaments. (Photo courtesy of my intern Jada Bynum).

In order to properly welcome the visiting universities, student-athletes, and fans, this sand sculpture is being constructed. This morning when I arrived at the HTC Center for my workout it was just a clump of sand. When I left work this evening It had turned into this.

How cool is this?!

Around 11 a.m. this morning I had my intern go over and take photos of the progress. By that time it had already transformed from nothing to a pretty cool sand castle. This afternoon when I went over it was nearing completion.

Me in front of the sculpture.

I enjoyed watching the artists work. They moved fast but they all paid very close attention to detail. I observed as they sculpted with tiny tools, crafted out letters, and spray painted.

The artists were extremely precise.

My favorite part of the sculpture is how sharp looking it is. Take a look at the social media icons, they are absolutely perfect. The structure just looks so strong and powerful.

These social media icons are spot on.

Included in the sandy piece of art are logos of all the participating schools. You then have sand basketballs devoted to Coastal Carolina University, the city, and the Big South Conference. The centerpiece reads “Big South Conference Championships.” Completing the front side of the structure is a striking red, 3-D ESPN logo complete with a welcome greeting and the tournament hashtag. The back of the structure is currently under construction but will have similar markings.

The ESPN/Welcome to Myrtle Beach portion of the structure.

I wish I knew the science and logistics behind sand sculpting but I don’t. All I can offer is that this thing looks super sweet and I am glad it will be sticking around for a whole week. Don’t Blink.

Sweet Way to Start the Thursday Rundown

Posted on February 26, 2015 by brent

It is the last Thursday in February. However, no matter if it is the first or last, any Thursday means it is time for the rundown. Time to get started.

#CCU Director of Athletics – Today news came down that our university now has a permanent athletic director. The man officially in charge of our sports program is Matt Hogue. Not a stranger to this huge responsibility at all as he served as the interim athletic director for the past several months, I couldn’t be more thrilled for Matt now that it is official. He was one of the three members on the committee that decided to hire me. When I came for my on-campus visit almost one year ago he was so welcoming and professional. Since I have started working here at Coastal he has humbly reached out to me several times and has even asked for advice whether it be about social media or about how we would do certain things at Montana. AD Hogue has already done a great job in his interim role and will continue to move Chanticleer Athletics forward now that he is the guy.

This is a photo I took of Matt during summer commencement.

Recognition for #CCUSocialMedia – Yesterday I received word that our summer #CCUSA campaign was recognized in the Educational Advertising Awards. Entered in the “Social Media: 4-year Institution, 5,000-10,000” category, it received the bronze award. Although I am much more interested in winning gold awards, earning any type of national recognition is a cool deal and a great starting point for our social media program. Thank you to Kevin Olivett and Jon Fernandez for their great help assisting with the conception of the #CCUSA campaign.

#CCUSA earned some recognition through the Educational Advertising Awards.

Very Interesting App – Last week my brother drew my attention to an app called Fling. Here is the concept: You take a photo or video, hit send, and then the app will transport the media you created to 50 random people worldwide. My brother likened Fling to a cross between Snap Chat and Chat Roulette. I personally like it because I can broadcast my blog to 50 new people at a time over the whole planet. Sadly, I have found out that not everyone is as enthusiastic about my website as I am. You see, people who receive your “Fling” can respond. I have had a couple people tell me in not so nice terms that they don’t really care about www.brentreser.com and that they rather see a hot girl instead.

This is the Fling logo.

Silly Weekend Planned – Saturday will be a lot of fun! I am not going to release the exact details now because I am going to write about it on Sunday night but I will say this: It has to do with Sidney and I traveling to the area of Raleigh, North Carolina. It is a typical “Brent Being Brent” trip. Stay tuned to www.brentreser.com for a recap at the end of the weekend.

Words of Wisdom– Exactly one year ago today, these words of wisdom appeared on my “Life’s Little Instructions” calendar. This definitely goes down as one of my favorite pieces of advice. Personal disappointment is tough, but nothing helps remedy the pain more than by lifting someone else up. I have tried to use this remedy as much as possible as I have faced my own setbacks. With these words appearing exactly 365 days ago, I knew I had to share.

Great Advice!

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Have a superb weekend, everyone! As always, I am very appreciative of your readership. Don’t Blink.

Loving My Gym

Posted on February 10, 2015 by brent

I have mentioned my gym a couple times, most notably right when I arrived at Coastal. At the time I was so impressed with the practically brand new facility that I couldn’t wait to get started with my regimen. After ten months of putting in my 6 a.m. Monday-Friday workouts, my sentiment has not changed. I love working out at the HTC Center and consider myself lucky to exercise in a first class gym. After nearly a year, it is time for some updates and evaluations.

When I left the University of Montana, I looked back fondly on the relationships I had made with people solely because we saw each other at the gym every day. I mentioned how I hoped the same would happen at Coastal Carolina. It has. Over the months I have worked out in the HTC Center I have met professors, staff members, and students. Several of these people I am on a first-name basis with. The center’s director is around a lot, even when it is during the 6 a.m. hour. We have become very well acquainted. I have locker buddies that I talk to. I have had people come up to me in the middle of my workout and introduce themselves. I have connected with many of the student workers, but that is worth its own paragraph.

This is the very front of the HTC Center…my gym.

The rec center student staff is absolutely amazing. Jody Davis, the director I mentioned above, has done a fabulous job of hiring and training his student employees. The word “professional” is what comes to mind when I think of the young men and women who serve at the welcome desk and monitor the weight room floor. I have literally pulled a couple outstanding students aside and told them I was going to feature them for #CCUfamily, completely bypassing the nomination process. Funny things happen too. Last week one of the new floor attendants came up to me and asked if I was a foreign language professor. I responded that no, I wasn’t, I was a staff member. I asked her why she thought that. She told me it was because I looked foreign. It made me laugh.

A look at Coastal’s gym. I took this photo at around 11 a.m. on a Monday.

I really appreciate the fact that I don’t have to pay for a membership. I equally appreciate that I don’t have to pay for towel service either. Each morning I pick up a big fluffy black towel to shower with. The facility’s showers are nice with water pressure about 20x greater than what I have in my apartment. Speaking of towels, the HTC Center probably owns about a million workout towels that you get to use to wipe off with during your exercise. Adding to the resources to combat sweat, there are numerous damp disposable towel dispensers around the weight room floor to wipe down equipment after use (or before use). I always despised spraying disinfectant into an old towel and scrubbing.

A side view of the HTC Center. The large windows create great views.

As far as the equipment offered, I have more than what I need. Machines and free weights are top notch. There are more than just a few benches to use. Thankfully they have an indoor track. A floor attendant once told me nine laps equaled a mile but just to make sure I always run ten laps or 20 laps based on whether I am running one or two miles. The direction you are supposed to run on the track never changes so you never have to worry about whether it is an even or odd day. One thing I do notice…far less people use the indoor track at Coastal than at Montana. Many times I am the only one running on the track and I think people look at me like I am crazy for completing my cardio in such a boring fashion.

I took this photo directly from one of the large windows in the HTC Center. Each morning I watch the sun rise while doing my sit up routine.

The HTC Center comes with a climbing wall, several rooms for fitness classes, ping pong tables, and drinking fountains where you can actually slurp up an adequate amount of water. You type in your Coastal ID number and scan your hand to enter through the facility’s gate. Televisions are located throughout the whole floor as opposed to just on the cardio equipment/cardio area. Each morning I watch “Sportscenter” while getting my pump in.

Another look at the gym with a good view of the track and climbing wall.

Now to the music. I have said before that when I work out, my thoughts are my music. I don’t use a personal iPod and I am not dependent on whatever the gym I am at is playing. I enter my own zone and block the external sounds out. With that said, I do at least notice what is being played through the facility’s speakers. At the HTC Center they have a very clear, volume-sufficient system. It can be a role of the dice though when it comes to what is being played. Depending on the day, I routinely hear mainstream pop, country, old school hip-hop, and classic rock. What usually seems to win out though is a station that plays a mix from the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. Once in a rare while though, a station that specializes in techno type mainstream remixes will be blasting and on these days (and these days only) I allow myself to enter into a trance.

Finally, time to address the crowds. As mentioned, I work out in the early mornings. There is a core group of us, probably around 15 people, who show up every single day when the gym opens up. Depending on whether it is a Monday or a Friday, you will see an additional influx of about 10-30 people. Because of the size of the gym and the equipment offered, it never gets crazy early in the day. Us morning people have it very good. I have worked out a couple times during the lunch hour when I returned from trips and let me tell you, the people volume is turned up a couple notches. I have heard the traffic reaches an insane level during the evening…I have yet to experience that and have no desire to do so.

Working out in a place where you are comfortable and feel welcome is important. Luckily for me, both of these needs are met at Coastal Carolina University. I love the HTC Center and can’t wait for my workout tomorrow! Don’t Blink.

Don't Blink

By Brent Reser

Tag Archives: Coastal Carolina University