All the Mandalay teams focus
attention on their game operations. In a the 2003
August Gameops.com interview President Jon Spoelstra explained
that "My feeling is that when
a fan walks into the area or ballpark its the teams job
to entertain them.", so the attention
starts at the top and has been impressed through-out the
organization.
The also won the PRISM award for excellence so the Gameops.com
panel was not alone in singling out the Dragons' for their
entertaining presentation.
After hearing the praise from across the sports world
Gameops.com decided to take in a game first hand and see
what makes their show so strong.
Shari Sharkins is the Director of Entertainment for the
Dragons, a position she has held since their second
season. Sheri's background in entertainment includes work
as a dancer for Royal Caribbean Cruises and as and instructor
, choreographer, and atmosphere manager for various professional
entertainment shows. She has a Bachelors Degree in Performing
Arts from Point Park College in Pittsburgh.
During her 4 seasons in Dayton, the Dragons have sold
over every game, and each year every ticket is sold before
opening day. Their entertainment has proven to be a hallmark
of the team and the fan base has shown its loyalty by maintaining
the sellouts during winning and losing seasons.
After watching the game on June 15, 2004 it was obvious
the the praise and awards for the Dragons was well deserved.
Three aspects of the show also stood out, which clearly
helped the Dragons go from a good show to a great show.
In a slightly different format from the standard Q and
A Interview this month Gameops.com will instead look at
those aspects and why they help make Dayton show so special.
- The personality of the Director
- A multi-layered elements
- Preparation for each element
These elements that ran through the Game Production. Each
played a role in not only making the entire show entertaining
and fresh, but each helped to make each inning break
more engaging and memorable. We will examine those themes
based on the visit to Dayton and hopefully will provide
insight on how every teams operations can be improved.
In addition to the review of those 3 elements this months
feature will include a brief review of a few of the Dragon
game elements, some related comments from others, and
the usual array of links to related content on the web.
The Personality and Background of the Director
Shari Sharkins has been entertaining for many years and
her experience is obvious not only by how her show comes
together, but in the style it is built. Shari's background
in dance is clearly evident, her personality and background
shine though like the rhythmic quality of a well choreographed
dance number. In fact many of the routines and inning
breaks are built around dancing elements.
Live elements that featured dance included a Soul Man
routine with Mini Dugout Dancers and a mascots, a mascot
dance featuring all three mascots, a routine with the Dugout
Dancers, and a hysterical routine called the Retirement
Village People Dancers. Another number featured two contestants
in a season long talent show contest who performed a swing
dance routine.
Shari dance background was evident and as it was clear
the show was created by someone with a history of entertainment
on stage. The show was tied together by similar
elements. I often sense a pattern of disjointed elements
in many sports shows, with a patchwork combination of comedy,
dance, and motivational elements. While the Dragons show
had all of those elements, they felt a part of a more overall
package due to the fact they all were joined under the
overall personality of one person.
Shari
explained how many of the routines came about and who she
enlisted to help. In many cases she approached routines
like a dance number, both in how she planned the number,
but also in how the performers would be costumed and begin
and end the number. For example,we can consider the Retirement
Village People YMCA number
The Retirement Village People is a group of older gentlemen
who come out to the dug out and perform the YMCA during
a late inning break. Aside from the clever name and hysterical
visual, the presentation had the appearance of a choreographed
dance number than a thrown together comedy piece. The
performers came out in a structured way, and were clearly
performing to a number they had been taught together. The
result was more than the sum of the parts and the loud
crowd reaction was a testament not only to the performers,
but to the careful preparation of the routine.
While it is may not be possible to have any show feel
as connected as the Dragons, the Dragons clearly benefited
from having the show shaped and designed by one person
and as a reflection of her background and interests in
dance.
Multi-Layered Elements
Any customer wants to fell like
they are being rewarded for their patronage. Whether its
the level of effort from a player on your hometown team
to friendly service at a restaurant, you want to feel like
the service provider is not only trying, but going beyond
the call and presenting you a final package that is multi-layered
and well-planned.
Game entertainment is no different. Fans want to see effort
beyond the basics. Any team can have a dance team, but
fans will naturally enjoy one that is professionally
trained, has put in the rehearsal time, and is dressed
to reflect their image and routine. The more layers of
thought and preparation that go into each element, the
greater appreciation fans can have. A carefully considered
mascot, whose name and back story reflect a natural and
clever connection to the team and or community will certainly
benefit the team more than a character selected based on
a discounted costume price.
In the July 2000 Gameops.com interview
with Atlanta Thrashers entertainment guru Peter Sorckoff,
he details the importance of finding as many ways to
connect your promotion to everything you do. This multi-layered
approach was evident in Dayton and was the second way
that the Dragons presentation really stood out.
Perhaps my favorite element of the night was a quasi-Superhero
character called Roofman.
Roofman is a good example of
taking a funny concept and thoughtfully adding layers
to take it from a one-note gimmick to a multi-dimensional
inning break that fans look forward to. Shari and the
Dragons clearly excelled at this layering.
Shari described how Roofman came about. The idea originated
with their PA announcer who thought it would be funny
if someone would come out between innings and throw back
all the balls that had been hit foul and landed up on the
roof. They joked that they had named him "Roofman" and
wondered what she thought. Shari could have presented
Roofman exactly as described, but instead she ran with
the concept.
Shari decided that he would be a Superhero, but
without the superhuman traits of a Spiderman, Aquaman
or Superman. Roofman's lone super power would be his ability
to magically transform errant roof-bound baseballs into
soft pillow balls (with his photo on them). To add to
the mystique of the character he would wear a superhero-style
outfit. She likened the character to Damon Wayans character
in Blankman (which is actually one of my favorite movies)....a
superhero with no real powers and in fact a superhero
who is a bit of a clumsy dork. So the Roofman concept went
from an idea to toss back balls to fans, into a character
with a defined personality, a mission, an outfit, and style.
Shari
then even auditioned various staffers to fill the role.
Once she found her Clark Kent of the roof, she rehearsed
the bit with him until it met her vision. Roofman now
appears with no introduction about every fourth game, to
throw back the balls he finds. I had heard the legend that
people actually ask on the way thru the turnstiles
if Roofman is there tonight, which is believable when you
see the entire crowd stand, turn around and look to the
roof when his music plays.
Roofman
is a fantastic example of taking an ordinary idea and making
it extraordinary. The layers of the character make it interesting,
the costuming makes it engaging, and the performance makes
it truly funny. The layers make it memorable.
This layered approach isn't unique to Roofman, it can
be seen across the show. When asked Shari responded with
a paraphrase from the movie "Shrek"....that
the show was like an Ogre, which is like an onion....Not
in that it stinks, rather that it has layers.
And in
the case of the Dayton Dragons, those layers lift the
show into something really worth seeing.
Click to read
Part Two of the Gameops.com Feature on the Dayton Dragons including their preparation, a look at the
their elements, more photos, and links to additional content.
Special thanks to Shari Sharkins and the
Dayton Dragons for their hospitality. Visiting their stadium
and seeing their operation was a tremendous experience.
Thanks also to Robert
Murphy for taking the time to visit
with Gameops.com during the game.
Thanks
also to Gameops.com summer intern Courtney Spellacy for
her additions to the story and for many of the photographs.
Read
the two-part Gameops.com Interview with Jon Spoelstra