A few weeks ago, Mike Carroll asked me if I wanted to work an event at the Cotton Bowl on a Sunday morning. Because Sunday is usually the day off for a high school athletic trainer and the distance between Stephenville and Dallas, I had to first ask what event I would be covering. The event that myself, Yvette Carson of Coppell High School, and Lindsey Watson of Aledo High School would be covering was the Biggest Loser 5K Run at the Cotton Bowl.
Earlier in the week, Mike had received an email from Sandy Krum, athletic trainer and set medic for NBC's Biggest Loser television show. Sandy was looking for help with coverage for a 5K run that would take place around Fair Park grounds. After speaking with Sandy, I found out that we would be providing medical coverage for about 100 runners including current members of the BL cast. I was also told that the day wasn't just about the run, but also about filming an episode for the actual show. I have never seen a television show filmed so I was immediately interested.
When Yvette, Lindsey, and I arrived at the Cotton Bowl on that cold Sunday morning, the crew had already set up the "stage" and cameras that would be used for filming, and the participating runners had started to gather inside a near by building. We were told the runners won spots in the event by calling into local radio shows to answer health and fitness questions related to weight loss. There were men and women of all shapes and sizes and fitness levels excited to run just over 3 miles with the contestants of the show.
After a little while we met up with Sandy. Sandy is in his fourth season working with the BL contestants. Before moving to Hollywood, Sanday was an athletic trainer for the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, and Pittsburgh Pirates. He also covered men's tennis for the USTA Men's Tour and the U.S. Open. He told us that the BL show occasionally travels to different cities to host events in hopes of bringing attention to the growing problem of obesity and its effects.
Because none of us had ever worked in such an environment, we all had many questions as to what was going to happen during the day. First, we had to discuss why we were really there - to provide medical coverage for the participants. We discussed the course layout, water stops, and athlete trainer placement as well as where the paramedics and ambulances would be stationed. We were given radios that had communication for the entire operation. The production communications chatter over the radios was constant. There's a lot that goes into television production that the regular person would never imagine. Next, we got to tour the set and meet various producers, story editors, wardrobe staffers, and many other people involved in the operation and production of the show. The coolest meeting of the day was when Sandy took us to prepare his athletes - the contestants.
The show is approximately ten weeks behind on air, so we met only a few of the original contestants. These individuals were male and female, from all over the country, and had many reasons as to why they chose to participate in having their weight loss battle filmed for millions to see. Their stories of struggle and previous failure with their weight and other life issues are the sames ones you hear from your family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors. The injuries they told us about were the same ones see in any athletic training room. They asked to stretched, taped, and have wounds covered. These athletes were athletes; the only difference is their competition is themselves and their weight loss battle rather than the guy lining up acress the ball from them.
After meeting and speaking with the BL cast, we got to stand around and see the little things that make a big television show. Before the actual event, the participating runners were brought down to the playing surface inside the Cotton Bowl and pumped-up so that the excitement seen on TV would be real. The host of the BL, Alison Sweeny, came down and filming soon began. There were lots of starts and stops during filming. They even had to stop when airplanes flew overhead. After a while, the contestants entered the field and all of the runners got to meet with the contestants they would be running with or sharing the same color. On the BL, each contestant is represented by a color. All of the runners wore a color matching a contestant.
Luckily, we had no medical issues when the race was finally run. The day was more about the excitement that is created when a television show comes to town than a winner or loser. For me, it was neat to see a wide array of people spend a few hours of their time to promote health and fitness during this unique opportunity. An opportunity like this only comes about occasionally and being able to be a part happened because of professional connections.
Earlier in the week, Mike had received an email from Sandy Krum, athletic trainer and set medic for NBC's Biggest Loser television show. Sandy was looking for help with coverage for a 5K run that would take place around Fair Park grounds. After speaking with Sandy, I found out that we would be providing medical coverage for about 100 runners including current members of the BL cast. I was also told that the day wasn't just about the run, but also about filming an episode for the actual show. I have never seen a television show filmed so I was immediately interested.
When Yvette, Lindsey, and I arrived at the Cotton Bowl on that cold Sunday morning, the crew had already set up the "stage" and cameras that would be used for filming, and the participating runners had started to gather inside a near by building. We were told the runners won spots in the event by calling into local radio shows to answer health and fitness questions related to weight loss. There were men and women of all shapes and sizes and fitness levels excited to run just over 3 miles with the contestants of the show.
After a little while we met up with Sandy. Sandy is in his fourth season working with the BL contestants. Before moving to Hollywood, Sanday was an athletic trainer for the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, and Pittsburgh Pirates. He also covered men's tennis for the USTA Men's Tour and the U.S. Open. He told us that the BL show occasionally travels to different cities to host events in hopes of bringing attention to the growing problem of obesity and its effects.
Because none of us had ever worked in such an environment, we all had many questions as to what was going to happen during the day. First, we had to discuss why we were really there - to provide medical coverage for the participants. We discussed the course layout, water stops, and athlete trainer placement as well as where the paramedics and ambulances would be stationed. We were given radios that had communication for the entire operation. The production communications chatter over the radios was constant. There's a lot that goes into television production that the regular person would never imagine. Next, we got to tour the set and meet various producers, story editors, wardrobe staffers, and many other people involved in the operation and production of the show. The coolest meeting of the day was when Sandy took us to prepare his athletes - the contestants.
The show is approximately ten weeks behind on air, so we met only a few of the original contestants. These individuals were male and female, from all over the country, and had many reasons as to why they chose to participate in having their weight loss battle filmed for millions to see. Their stories of struggle and previous failure with their weight and other life issues are the sames ones you hear from your family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors. The injuries they told us about were the same ones see in any athletic training room. They asked to stretched, taped, and have wounds covered. These athletes were athletes; the only difference is their competition is themselves and their weight loss battle rather than the guy lining up acress the ball from them.
After meeting and speaking with the BL cast, we got to stand around and see the little things that make a big television show. Before the actual event, the participating runners were brought down to the playing surface inside the Cotton Bowl and pumped-up so that the excitement seen on TV would be real. The host of the BL, Alison Sweeny, came down and filming soon began. There were lots of starts and stops during filming. They even had to stop when airplanes flew overhead. After a while, the contestants entered the field and all of the runners got to meet with the contestants they would be running with or sharing the same color. On the BL, each contestant is represented by a color. All of the runners wore a color matching a contestant.
Luckily, we had no medical issues when the race was finally run. The day was more about the excitement that is created when a television show comes to town than a winner or loser. For me, it was neat to see a wide array of people spend a few hours of their time to promote health and fitness during this unique opportunity. An opportunity like this only comes about occasionally and being able to be a part happened because of professional connections.
