Check out the Corporate Flex club HERE or call 324-PUCK (7825) for more information.

It’s an interesting discussion, because friend of the blog and parking ticket phenom @KevinBartl said he has “lost the ability to be a fan after working in sports.” In fact, he said that he is without a doubt “The Fan who Manages to Maintain Perspective.” To an extent, I agree with him. Which is why I, along with now Condors.TV video superstar Brad Urbani (watch here), will head over to Sir Bartl’s on Saturday to watch the Champions League soccer final. Soccer has become Bartl’s last hope of being a fan and we want to witness. That and he’s having a German food spread.

It got me thinking – what kind of fan am I? What kinds of fans do we have in Condorstown? I honestly want to know since I don’t get to sit in your living rooms on road games, or see everyone up close at home games. What types of reactions do you have? Surely, the past two years haven’t exactly been happy times so how have you dealt?

I’m only going to give three big games during my fandom life and how I reacted. Why three? Well, friend of the blog @WillHoenike is sick of things being in five. Again, I’ll remind you, it’s my blog and I’ll do what I want, but Will is bigger than me.

May 14, 2010 – I’m 22 years old. I’m graduating college in less than a week, and the Bruins appear ready to head to the Eastern Conference Finals. Happy times in HoltyTown. Until…The Philadelphia Flyers mount a remarkable comeback from down 3-0 in the series and 3-0 in the game. This had to be how Leafs fans felt. How did I react? Definitely No. 5 “The ‘How?’ Fan.”

February 3, 2008 – The Red Sox had just won the World Series. The Celtics were on their way to winning the NBA Finals. The Bruins even would have a thrilling playoff series. But, the Patriots were undefeated. They cruised into the Super Bowl. They had Tom Brady and “Good” Randy Moss. But, their perfect season comes to an end to the Giants in Super Bowl XLII. How did I react? Without question I was No. 18 “The Non-Reaction Fan.” Actually, my reaction was to roll over and go to bed to avoid having to listen to the partying Giants fans in the dorms.

October 16, 2003 – Aaron “Bleepin” Boone. Game 7 of the ALCS and this guy leads off the bottom of the 11^th with a home run to send the Yankees to the World Series. I was 15 and a sophomore in high school. At the end of the game I was positively No. 3 “Oh My God No” fan, but before that, when Grady Little refused to take out Pedro, and he coughed up a 3-run lead in the 8^th, it was more of a No. 11 “What Are You Doing?!”

Enjoy your Memorial Day weekends. Here’s hoping Bayern Munich wins on Saturday or else we may see Bartl become Fan No. 8. And we don’t want that. Until next time Condorstown…

Ryan Holt a.k.a. Holty, is the voice of the Condors and recently wrapped up year two in Condorstown. The Condors office is closed on Monday. Have a #HoltysBlog idea? Follow him on Twitter @BroadcastHolt or shoot him an email with ideas to rholt@bakersfieldcondors.com

FAIRVIEW ELEMENTARY PHYSICAL FITNESS DAY

Colonel Claw’d and Condors Staff will join students and staff from Fairview Elementary School during their annual physical fitness test from 12:30-2:30 p.m. The main goal of the test is to help students in starting life-long habits of regular physical activity. Fairview Elementary School is located at 425 East Fairview Road.

INVITE US TO YOUR NEXT EVENT

We had a great time last week at Ramon Garza Elementary School for their career day. The appearance calendar is filling up fast for the summer and we want to attend your next event. For more information,click here or contact Kelly in the Condors front office by calling 324-PUCK (7825).

Ticket packages for the 16th season of Condors hockey are on sale now, with plans for a family of four starting at just $20 a month. Call 324-PUCK (7825) or click here for more information.

Check out the Corporate Flex Club: click here. 

Best ways to use your season tickets, #11: Take a potential customer to the arena and close the sale at the game.

Comments: What leaves a more sickening feeling in the pit of your stomach than the Condors not making the playoffs? Its Stockton playing for the Kelly Cup. Here’s hoping Reading can dominate, and annihilate The Thunder and send them home with their Viking mustaches between their legs!

Reply: Heard that, brother.
#rivals

They’re going to have their hands full because that Reading team is legit. They had the second best record in the league during the regular season, and only two players in the Top 40 in ECHL scoring, meaning they have a balanced attack. And two of the top 3 goalies in the playoffs. It’s going to be a battle.

-The Mailbag Guy

We have here on our website a list of 84 different ways that you can utilize your season tickets to Condors games, other than just keeping them all for yourself, of course. But for right now, we want to focus on the Top 5 ways to use Condors hockey to GET MORE BUSINESS. Narrowing this list down was hard, but these five cover a lot of ground – your employees, your new customers, and your old customers. Click on the link above to read the rest of the ways!

1. Invite a customer who hasn’t done business with you recently – Sometimes all you need is a good reason to reach out to a former customer and start building that relationship back up. Bring them out to a Condors game; it’s a low-pressure environment that may allow them to realize all the great reasons they had to work with you before.

6. Run a sales contest and reward the winner with tickets – Motivation is big in the sales world. It’s not easy to just work the phones all day every day. Contests can make or break your team’s efforts, and a contest that gives out some Condors tickets might really be a great motivator.

11. take a potential customer and close the sale at the arena – Networking reigns supreme at Condors games. Year after year we hear stories of people closing their deal at a game. We even had a fan tell us they ran into a company rep at a game that he had been trying to get a hold of for years, and ended up landing a contract with him for nearly a million dollars. All because they met at a game and shared a drink in the Club Room. Think he feels pretty good about his measly $3,840 ticket package now?? You bet.

32. Thank a new customer for their business – This is one of the most popular uses for Condors tickets. Everyone likes free stuff. And sometimes that “free stuff” is enough to get someone through your doors, and if two Condors tickets costing $38 helps land a $500 sale, it really makes that ticket package worthwhile, doesn’t it?

52. Give tickets to your customer service reps – Not everyone is involved in directly bringing the money into your company, but everyone is always “selling” your product. That person who answers the phones or helps your customer appreciation often does just as much as the salespeople in making sure you retain your business and perhaps even earn more through those relationships. And they rarely get the credit (or the commission). Condors tickets are a great way of showing you think their efforts are important.

Now for the blog…

I’m addicted to the ESPN Films “30 for 30” series. Honestly, can’t get enough. There was a mini-marathon on last night and you bet I watched. What are the best ones? The U, The Two Escobars, The Best that Never Was, Pony Excess, and The Fab Five. So far there have been 51 of these docs with the latest being “Elway to Marino,” another great one.

The first “30 for 30” was about Wayne Gretzky being dealt from Edmonton to Los Angeles. Since then, there has not been any hockey-centered story. (Sidenote: The John Spano owning the New York Islanders debacle is next up in the series)

It got me thinking of creating a new series called “5 for 15.” They would be five documentaries chronicling stories of the first 15 years of the Condors. No order. I’m tired of orders. If you like orders go to another blog, because as I’ll remind you, this is my blog, and I’ll do what I want…

-          “Unlatched” This is the story of the 2005 Kelly Cup Playoff series with the Alaska Aces in which NHL’er Scott Gomez went through an open bench door causing him to break his pelvis. Between that game, the switching of hotels in Alaska, the police escorts for game five, and the end of Paul Rosebush’s career, I think there’s a compelling story to be told.

-          “Against All Odds” Sure, there’s been a book written about friend of the blog Ken Baker’s (@kenbakernow) 2001-02 season in Condorstown, but why not bring it to life on the big screen?

-          “I am Woman” Goaltender Danielle Dube becomes the first (and only) woman in Condors history to play in a game when she beat Anchorage, 6-4, on January 11^th, 2003. Good story behind it as well with her acquisition from Long Beach and the game itself.

-          “Goal-Gate” In 2002, the Condors had their best playoff chance at beating the San Diego Gulls. But two disallowed goals prevented a game four victory for the Condors. But, less than a week later the WCHL issued an apology saying one of the goals should have counted. I want cameras everywhere, sports science brought in, and an inside look at the WCHL.

-          “To The Queen” I know it’s still fresh in everyone’s mind, but how could I leave off including the story of Queen Victoria’s night in Condorstown and the ensuing set of days. The practice flights, the video eventually getting out from a La Quinta Inn and Suites, to me not having a voice in San Francisco, to the players’ reaction on the bus, and everything else, it would be cool to look behind-the-scenes at that.

Have any other Condors stories that should be documentaries?

Until next time Condorstown…

Ryan Holt a.k.a. Holty, is the voice of the Condors and recently wrapped up year two in Condorstown. A cold PB&J is better than a freshly made PB&J. Have a #HoltysBlog idea? Follow him on Twitter @BroadcastHolt or shoot him an email with ideas to rholt@bakersfieldcondors.com