- Venue Contracts - signed
- Menus - under review
- Giveaways - ordered...
Planning an event always has its challenges. Planning an event for a school in Florida during the peak of hurricane season... well any precedent at that point goes out the window.
As we neared the home stretch of planning for our annual golf tournament, Tee It Up, a literal and figurative storm was a 'brewin. Enter Hurricane Irma. Thanks to being out of school for 11 days due to power outages, our 22 days of final prep time before the tournament suddenly became 10 days. If you have ever worked or volunteered in special events, you already know that any little thing that happens in the last few weeks can make or break you. Thus, thoughts of doubt started to creep in as we realized how much work still had to be done. “Can we really pull this off in less than 2 weeks?”
Of course, we can, and we did!
On Monday, October 2, Canterbury parents, alumni parents, families, and friends came together to show their love of Canterbury Athletics. They spent the day outside with surprisingly beautiful weather--despite the original forecasts--bonding over stories about Canterbury or perhaps their rusty (or complete lack of) golf skills. Student athletes were on hand to thank players and sponsors as they checked in, while Pep Squad girls and cheerleaders offered that little extra boost of energy as they handed out giveaways.
We beat Murphy’s Law and dodged the water hazards by planning ahead. An article I found from Endless Events, “What to Do When Your Event Goes Wrong” offers some obvious advice and insight on how to avoid those “double bogeys” before they even happen:
- Stay Calm
- Stay in Control
- Bring Backup
- Have a Knowledgeable Staff
After working at various events I can tell you, however, that they left out a very important component that we know very well at Canterbury: the importance of your volunteers! A huge THANK YOU to Gina, Jen, Karl, Jacquie, Susan, Dan, and Melissa for your help at Tee it Up for Athletics 2017! We truly would have been in the “rough” without you.