“Let’s Go TO-KYO!” [Part 04] (This is a series of blog entries that will focus on my experiences with the Tokyo Apache during the 2010-2011 season) [Part 01 | Part 02 | Part 03]
Shoutout to Jeremy Tyler for getting drafted by the Charlotte Bobcats (then getting traded to the Warriors)! Remember the Apache, bro! It was actually his suggestion that made me choose Usher’s “More” as this season’s Apache theme song.
I developed a workflow and spent the days between games tweaking my setup, editing songs for the cheerleaders/players/management, and digging through my music collection to find different songs to accent different parts of the game (The reaction to Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” during an overtime game was awesome- I still get chills thinking back on it). I found myself really looking forward to the next game so I could show-off a more polished product.
We went on a 5-game win streak in my first 5 games so I like to think I had my own impact on the final score. (I remember one visiting team actually complained that my music was too loud, so I turned it down.. for half a timeout, haha) The team was playing a lot better, the crowd was really starting to get into it, and non-basketball fans started to recognize the team (this is HUGE in a country where basketball is regarded as a minor sport). Things were really building up and the stadium was filling up game by game.
Along the way, I danced during a halftime show, met Konishiki, got semi-sponsored by Under Armour (thanks, Nao!), and learned a LOT about sports entertainment.
I started to get to know the players, cheerleaders, and the staff better and the pieces were settling in. The entertainment team was really starting to jell (saku saku!). We were all learning and growing together and it definitely felt like we were on the verge of something huge.
And we were..
We just didn’t know it would come in the form of an earthquake…
