Travel time, game time

[slappy4428]

I was asked to cover a D-I game Saturday, but since I was 150 miles away from home when I got the phone call, I couldn't. The cards got shuffled and the D-I spot ended up with another part-timer going to a different D-I school, 120 miles from town.
The guy drove with another writer and figured they'd leave like 3 1/2 hours early for the early evening game, putting them in the stadium like an hour, hour and a half before kickoff.
The fulltime guy said, no, he wanted to be sure they got there with plenty of time. So they packed up and left town six flippin hours before kickoff, getting to the pressbox with enough time to spare that they could have watched the directors cut of "The Abyss" with time to spare.
Back in the day when I covered a major D-I football team, I'd usually leave early enough to be sure I was in the pressbox like 60-90 minutes before kickoff -- usually to get a parking spot, but mostly to run the press pool.
So, boys and girls, what's normal for you? When do you try to arrive before a game and what are the reasons behind it?

 

[Rockbottom]

Dude, count me among those who likes to be there 2:30 before the game. Enough time to ensure a spot in the over-loaded media parking area/areas, entry into the stadium without having to wade through the well-heeled who use the same elevators, to set up/troubleshoot computers and to eat a little something-something before toe meets leather. I might also wander down to the field to check out the finest scenery Southern football has to offer.

rb

 

[Stupid]

I like to be in the pressbox at least an hour before kickoff. That's more than enough time to eat, set up the laptop, look at game notes and do any socializing that's inevitably going on. At least that's true of UNC and NC State games (and East Carolina, to a degree).

Duke games, like the one I covered Saturday, only need a 30 min. advance to park, get in the stadium and grab some food. There's rarely much of a line anywhere.

 

[JBHawkEye]

2 hours before an NFL game, 1 hour or so before a college basketball game. A lot depends on traffic.

The I-AA team I cover, I can pull into the parking lot 15 minutes before the game and still be OK.

 

[slappy4428]

I can do an hour, I can even do 2:30, depending on when kickoff is (No way, no how for the early game. Ever).
I draw the line in the sand there.
Was much easier when I covered Michigan and knew I could be at my parking spot in 15 minutes...

 

[Stupid]

Chapel Hill's a hellish town for game day traffic. If I leave about 2.5 hours before the game for the 75-mile trip, I'm usually in the press room an hour before game time. If I wait another 20-30 minutes, I'll be lucky to make it there by kickoff/tipoff.

 

[Norman Stansfield]

I cover a top-25ish college hoops team in a major conference that plays its games in a metro downtown area.

For non-conference games, I'll get there about 1 1/2 hours beforehand. Get settled, eat, read game notes, see who's warming up and who's not, etc. Clear my head.

Big games, rivalry games, I'll get there at least 2 hours before if not 2 1/2. Parking can be an issue, as can seating in the media room.

I have nightmares once in a while about oversleeping and missing games.

 

[Batman]

I usually like to get in the pressbox an hour before the game, but a lot of times I'll get on campus much earlier. We cover a SWAC school that has one road into and out of campus, so it sometimes takes an hour to go the last three miles. For that, I'll get there maybe 2 hours early so I'm not cursing and sweating in the car. Some SEC schools (like LSU and, I think, Mississippi State) also close off campus a few hours before the game, so I'll get there a couple hours early. In that case, though, I'll usually wander around campus and check out the tailgaters for a bit.

 

[JBHawkEye]

I actually got to a college football game at Nebraska 3 1/2 hours before (it was a night game, I had never been there before) and I was glad I got there when I did. I think I got one of the last spots in the media parking area.

A lot of my travel time depends on the arena. If there's little space in the press room (Kohl Center, Wisconsin; Assembly Halls, Bloomington and Champaign) I'll get there more than an hour and a half before the game.

 

[2underpar]

D-2 game -- 30 minutes to an hour ahead (got to get the pizza before it gets cold.
SEC: aabout 90 minutes or 2 hours ahead. Long enough to get settled in and bull**** with the other hacks and maybe knock out a few early notes.

 

[Bubbler]

Depends on the venue and event. Usually the bigger the event, the earlier I go. For auto racing, I get there ridiculously early because of traffic/press parking availability.

But generally, the later the better. I've never understood the fascination some sportswriters have with getting there hours early. I subbed on our I-AA beat at a I-A school on Saturday and the 45 minutes I was there before kickoff was more than enough prep/eat/socialize time.

 

[Norman Stansfield]

I actually got to a college football game at Nebraska 3 1/2 hours before (it was a night game, I had never been there before) and I was glad I got there when I did. I think I got one of the last spots in the media parking area.

A lot of my travel time depends on the arena. If there's little space in the press room (Kohl Center, Wisconsin; Assembly Halls, Bloomington and Champaign) I'll get there more than an hour and a half before the game.

An hour and a half early at the Kohl Center sometimes isn't even enough.

 

[WSKY]

I'd say 1:30 is about right. Make sure everything works, grab a bite to eat, mingle with the out of town media, watch a little warm-up and a few games on the TVs if it's an afternooner. You can never get there too early, especially if its a big game.

 

[Cosmo]

Usually 60-90 minutes for the reasons stated above. Basketball's a different animal. Usually about 45 minutes early, though I need to get better at judging my time for road games. A couple of times last year I showed up about three minutes before tipoff because I got caught in massive traffic or couldn't find the media parking. I definitely need to allow myself more time for such scenarios.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

When one was schooled on the traffice at the old Route One and the old Foxboro Stadium, one developed the habit of arriving at least 2.5 hours before a kickoff. I've always been as early as I can be and always will. Color me paranoid.

 

[Stupid]

Is the buffet out 2.5 hours before the game? If not, do you hover around the table edgily and ask the catering personnel how much longer every time they pass by you?

 

[Cosmo]

Michael ... I won't even go into the time when I arrived five minutes into the first quarter of an NFL game because of traffic. Yeah, I was young. That was a lesson learned for sure.

 

[playthrough]

I'm in the waaaay early camp, especially for auto racing. I'll pack the morning paper and a couple magazines to pass the time.

 

[imjustagirl2]

I despise every single one of you.

Races, you're there 6-7 hours before the race starts. You put in a full day, timewise, before the damn green flag drops. Even at that point, I've come to a dead stop in the interstate from traffic. SEVEN FREAKING HOURS BEFORE A RACE.

College games? 2 hours. NFL? About 2, 2 1/2. Never done anything else.

 

[micropolitan guy]

I have an assigned spot but still arrive two hours early for a football game (I-A). Gives you plenty of wiggle room should something unforeseen happen along the way, gives you time to send a test, do some socializing, eat, check game notes, etc. You're not hurrying.

One hour for a basketball game.

I know of one writer who regularly came in just before kickoff/tipoff, disrupting everything, making people move stuff, etc. Several times he/she even missed the tipoff, often by 2-3 minutes. Very unprofessional.