Looking to the Future

[00:00:11] Speaker A: Welcome to the surge in the city. [00:00:12] Speaker B: Beyond basketball, during the surge in the city, there were many things that were discussed. The venue, women in sports and the amazing community. My name is Lema El Wadia. [00:00:24] Speaker A: My name is Maryam Khan. And welcome to the final episode looking to the future. [00:00:28] Speaker B: We're starting off this episode with a look at the Calgary surgery's previous season. You might be familiar with our guests if you've been keeping up with the series. Welcome Dylan Howe and Brittany Easton. [00:00:42] Speaker A: Looking back at this first year, what was one of your most vivid memories? Good or bad? [00:00:50] Speaker C: I think this is a bit generic, but I think if I go back and I look at game one, there was some definite learning curves. New team, new city, new venue. A lot of us on the team had not really even seen from start to finish what this looked like from a technical and operational lens. A lot of us were first time in this role with experience from other sectors. So I think it's funny to look back at the first game and to kind of fast forward to game ten and playoff game. And I'm really, really proud of our team for every single game. I think they were very great at taking the learnings and implementing for the next game. And I think the operations got better, the activations got better. So just to kind of see like game one, which to us now looking back and I think Dylan can agree is a little bit of a cringe to halfway through the season, game ten, something that we were very, very proud of. And of course, looking into the next season, so excited to just hit the ground running and have that same mindset with every game. What can we do better? [00:02:01] Speaker B: Dylan? [00:02:03] Speaker D: Yeah, honestly, this is a great question because as soon as you said it, two things kind of popped in my mind, and one good, one bad. And I think I'll just probably tell the first bad story. I think it was leading up to our home opener. As part of our setup, we have sponsors and partners whose logos go on our court, and they were coming from Ontario. And long story short, the company didn't pull through. So this is the night before our home opener. Not too many people know the story, actually. Cause for obvious reasons, I try to keep it under wraps. And I get a call from the office saying that they printed the wrong logos. They're not gonna be able to get out in time. And mind you, we're scrambling. Like Brittany's saying, we're setting up, the court's down, we're setting our plaza. The whole team's getting everything ready. And I'm thinking, okay, well, what do we do? So, long story short, we were able to come through because that's the thing with the sport. The show must go on no matter what. So we came through in the end, found another local supplier who we had a good relationship with, and they overnighted it. And in the morning, before the doors opened around, I think it was like a 04:00 tip off. 05:00 tip off. Nonetheless, we were out there because, again, there's shoot around that happens beforehand for each team. So you're trying to fit within that window on court, but it's just one of those things you can't plan for, and that's the luxury of sport. But on the positive side, I'd say when you're looking at the overall season, the other area that sticks out to me is our semifinal game. This past season. It was in Vancouver. It was a highly contested game. They had our number for the better part of the season. We had some, you know, history with them as well. And I remember looking at my apple watch, and my heart rate's like 140 or whatever, and, you know, you got to keep it calm on the outside. I'm like, I can't how, like, nervous I am because obviously it's the semifinals. You want to get to the. To the finals, but those two moments stick out. But overall, like Brittany was saying, when you look back at the season, there's no, like, true moments that stick out in the kind of form you're mentioning, because it's the collective of. Of the parts of them all where you have your highs, you have your lows, um, you have your learning moments, you have the growth. It just all happens all so quick. Right. So it definitely comes in. Comes in quick. [00:04:22] Speaker A: So what were your thoughts on initially on the last season? [00:04:26] Speaker C: Overall? Yeah, that's a good question. I think it was a wild ride. I think it was an exciting ride. I think there was some so much build up to the season and planning and everything we wanted to make of it and everything that it could be, and it almost felt like we got robbed of time. Like, once you're in it, because it is such a short season, it's like it ended as quick as it started. And thank goodness we made it to finals and to championship weekend because we got a little bit more time and season. But I think next year, what's going to be instrumental and something that I didn't necessarily take the time to do, and even though Dylan told me many times, because he's been in the CEBL for many years, is not really taking the time to sit back and reflect in season. And not that there was an appreciation, but I think there was just such a go go go mentality. So this year, definitely one of the things that I know I'll be doing and hopefully getting the to do as well is really pausing and taking it in when we can. Because it's a phenomenal sport. It's a phenomenal thing to see this whole entire city of Calgary rally behind this team that wasn't even a concept six months before them even hopping into the stands. So yeah, just continuing to work with the community, spread the word and really grow this thing. [00:06:08] Speaker B: We obviously talked about some of your highlights from last season, but what were some of your biggest challenges? [00:06:16] Speaker D: I would say taking it outside of the operational piece. I think like anything, it's getting the word out there. We were a new team in a relatively new city and for a lot of people a new league. And so internally we had an idea in terms of what the game day experience, what the surge would bring to the community internally. But getting that out to external stakeholders or the basketball community or just the city of Calgary itself was probably the most challenging piece. And still today, because we just went past our year anniversary and to look back at a year, you look at the big picture and you think, wow, you can do a lot in a year. Time flies. And now here we are planning for the 2024 season. I'd say it's just continuing to grow the team and entrenching ourselves in the community again. One of our key mottos is always targeting the four quadrants of the city, right. Bringing the city of Calgary together and kind of being that linchpin between the community and sport, art, culture, etcetera, and showing Calgarians who we are and what we bring to the table is something that we do. We try every single day, but it, you know, it comes with time and, you know, our season being so short is when we have them, the, you know, the captive audience into Britney's point where, you know, you kind of get robbed where we kicked off in May and fast forward to here we are in November and we think you kind of look back at a lot of the things we had to deal with and do this summer. It's, I don't know, it's, you have to go through it to experience it. But I think just to continue to grow and entrench ourselves in the community is probably the biggest priority right now. [00:08:03] Speaker B: So what are the main things that you guys learned from last season? [00:08:08] Speaker C: I don't know if you have enough podcast time for this. I think for us, something we set out to do and it was a vision from the leadership of this team was we committed to kind of doing that tour of the city, listening to what everybody from every community, every quadrant wanted to see from us. And I think there was a lot of learnings there because there's some big sports team here. But we also, we chose to do things a little bit differently than, you know, just kind of the blueprint manual. So I don't know if it's more so of a challenge. Maybe the learning curve is a better word to say. But I think we did a good job at bringing to the communities the things that they wanted to see. Their asks that they from us. But I definitely still have a running tab, if you will, of things that we can do to continue to amplify. For example, we're running basketball camps now, so we're trying to. Obviously we're a sports team, but what can we do to be able to grow the basketball community in Calgary? How can we have more camps that are accessible to all kids in Calgary? How do we truly make that happen? And the really cool thing about the CEBL, about this league in general is this is such an entry point into the sports world. And when you look at, you know, NBA, NHL, it almost seems unobtainable for, you know, for kids to aspire to. But you see leagues like this and this league is, you know, I'm here to say it's, it makes it achievable, it gives kids realistic goals. So just continuing to spread that and to be able to get into schools and educate that, you know, maybe. Maybe you're not going to be pro athlete or maybe you are. But you could get a chance on front office or internship or volunteers, street teams. So just continuing to provide that accessibility for the community of Calgary. [00:10:29] Speaker A: While there's no harm in looking back to the past, reminiscing over the season and condemning, contemplating the mistakes, we should always look ahead. [00:10:38] Speaker B: And when we say looking to the future, what does that really mean? Up next, Dylan and Brittany answer a question about what's to come for the surge's upcoming season. I'm Lemma. [00:10:52] Speaker A: And I'm Miriam. And welcome back to the surgeon city. Beyond basketball. [00:10:56] Speaker B: Leonard I sweet once said, the future is not something we enter. The future is something we create. So what is the surge creating for their future? Next up, we'll discuss the surge's plans for next season. [00:11:11] Speaker A: Now that the previous season is wrapped up, what does making it to the finals mean? For the team this coming season? [00:11:18] Speaker D: Well, I mean, I don't want to. Sports is a funny piece, right? Like, I'm a competitive person, but at the same time, winning isn't necessarily everything, but it's important, right? We're keeping score. You play. The game's ultimate goal is to play in the final game of the season. But the one thing in life and in sport in general is as corny as it is to say, it's about the journey. Right? So the athletic side of the team is important and success is important on the court. But I would say we probably had more successes off the court than on it that not everyone gets to see on a day to day basis whether it's our new staff coming into new roles, and then you see the individual growth that they have and then you kind of see where the impact we have on the community, you see the growth there as well. So there's more wins outside of the team itself. But I'd be lying if I was sitting here saying I don't want to make it to the finals and I don't want to get back to where we were. We want to win. Right? [00:12:23] Speaker C: I think we're sorry to cut you off. I think we're a very, we're obviously a very competitive bunch. I think any sports fan would be lying if they said there wasn't a competitive bone in their body. So we're definitely hungry for it. But I think the approach that we took last season that brought success was one game at a time. Let's focus on doing this one game really well and then let's build off that. And that was an approach that the front office took, but that was a big approach that our coach, Nelson, and took as well. So I think if we keep that secret sauce, we keep that recipe. I think we have a good chance this year, and I hope you're rooting for us. [00:13:10] Speaker B: So let's move into more about the preparations for next season. So what kinds of things are you preparing for next season? [00:13:19] Speaker D: Yeah, I think it's much of the same. It's entrenching within the basketball community, for one, again building off of our relationship within the community, whether it's through organizations, kids for kids up front, YMCA, meals on wheels, again, continuing to work with those organizations. And then when it comes to in season conversations, it's more so going good from great, right. We had a very successful season that we're both proud of, but it's we. But we both know where the inefficiencies are and they're more so just, how do I put it? Essentially, just you don't know what you don't know. Right. So you're in new environment, you have staff that's doing things for the first time where you need to get those reps in. Right. The 10,000 hours motto. And I think as we look at next season, it's all right. We survived season one. There are things we didn't get to implement in year one that from a capacity and bandwidth standpoint, we weren't able to. It's now. Well, how do we, how do we add those elements into our season one game at a time and just going to the next level and just building off of the groundwork, if you will, that we have in place currently. [00:14:36] Speaker A: So considering the team and connecting with the Calgary community, what have been the best parts of this season? [00:14:45] Speaker C: Honestly, our fans. Our fans have been the number one part of this season. I'm not sure if you've had an opportunity to attend a game, but we would love to have you to one of our games next year. The energy, the just the overall, I hate to use this word because it's just such a trendy word in 2023, but the overall vibe of that, it's insane. Everyone is cheering. Everyone is up out of their seats. We have a very unique ending to our game. So we have what's called target score. So essentially whenever the stoppage of play is with four minutes left of the game, the clock stops and there's eight or nine points. Nine points. I should know that. Terrible. This is my podcast jitters. Nine points are added to whatever team is in the lead to their score. So long story short, the game always wins on a dunk. It wins on a basket. It gets everyone so excited. So yeah, that is definitely my favorite part of the whole season is just watching those kids, watching those families and knowing I have kids myself, knowing that we are making those memories that kids are going to look back on as they get older. Parents and families are going to go out and talk to their friends about. That's my highlight of this sport. [00:16:16] Speaker D: Yeah. And just not to be a pair of homers over here, to be biased. We had the luxury of attending a few other venues this past season and I'd say without a doubt, we probably have the loudest. If not, let's be honest, maybe top three. But I'm going to say the loudest fans and most passionate fans in our league. And it's really a testament because I think, as we know, Calgary is a sports city through and through. But you really notice, especially when it comes to the Elam ending or sorry, target score ending, where you hear, we had a few comebacks this season, so, like, the anxiety in the building, you're just like, all right, one more basket. They only need one basket, but, you know, we're still down by three. And, you know, we squeaked out a few wins. We actually have the largest target score comeback in league history. So we came back from 16 points. So Edmonton, I think they only needed about six points and we needed 16, and we came back and won, which is a testament. But I don't know. I think the fan piece is so true, especially, like Sergio, when he's out in the community. In the community o when he's out in the community or when he's in the venue, kids love him. I don't know. It's just fun. This is part of the reason why we do it, right? This is why we're in sport. There's just so many different elements that they're just fun. Right? The cleanest way to put it. [00:17:38] Speaker A: So how do events and initiatives help the relationship between Calgary community and the Calgary surge? [00:17:47] Speaker C: That's a really great question. I think for us it was a little bit eye opening, and this is kind of rewinding now before we ever played our first game and really reflecting back to our home team tour. So, you know, we made the commitment to go to the four quadrants, but some of the things that we started to uncover that weren't really talked about in Calgary or weren't talked about, I guess, on a large scale was, you know, that you've got kids that are playing basketball in, you know, makeshift gymnasiums with exposed wires in the ceiling, and just the, just the awareness that we could bring to, you know, elevate this and then it elevates, I guess, sparked a larger conversation. How do we get those kids to our games? How do we give back to so that every kid, you know, has the supplies that they need to be able to play basketball. And basketball is one of those sports where, you know, really all you need is a hoop and a pair of sneakers. But there's actually a, there's a barrier in Calgary right now where, you know, if kids don't have the Jordans or the air force ones or, you know, these high, high end sneakers, you know, they're going onto courts and they're getting made fun of a little bit. So these were the conversations and the things that we uncovered that led to building out these initiatives. So we were able to make them very purposeful and impactful, and by no means do I think that we're done. I think this is only kind of the can being opened, if you will. But, yeah, this is where, you know, we work with kids up front to be able and, you know, partners of ours to be able to bring kids to our games that maybe don't have the means to get there otherwise. And then we have our net gains program where we're just trying to take the stigma out of, you don't need 200, $300 shoes, you know, to be able to play basketball or sports of any magnitude. So we brought in artists. We brought in our players. We picked up some shoes from Walmart artists from all around, from the graffiti community all the way to the high end arts community. They all jumped on board to be able to. To turn this dream into a reality and the traction we've been able to make from this and the stigma that we've started to be able to take away from this, we just need to continue to build and grow on and, you know, get this whole community to just rally behind us. And there should never be a kid that doesn't want to play a sport because of, you know, any means that they have or barrier that they have. So our job is not done until that gap is closed. [00:20:34] Speaker B: What are your plans for next season? Can you go into a little bit more depth? [00:20:38] Speaker D: Yeah, I think it's, again, building off of the foundation we have in place. And I think when it comes to the specific aspect of the season, I think to the earlier point of competing for CBL championship, that's a priority. But as we know, our off season is longer than our actual in season. So I always like to say the in season is kind of the icing on the cake. You know, our off season right now is where we're continuing to build within the community. We're continuing to refine our own internal aspects, but also providing that outlet to Brittany's point, just when it comes to the basketball community, yes, we're a professional sports team, but we're much more accessible than I think people realize. Whether it's in our aspect, we hold multiple get togethers with our season tick members or fans with our players where that barrier isn't really there. Like, we have plenty of season tank members who are now friends with our athletes and the team. And I don't know, I think it's just, again, as we plan for next year, it's just growing as a team. We can dive into the specifics in terms of what theme games do we want to have next season. What areas can we improve upon with our partners up at Winsport? But realistically, it all kind of comes back down to the conversations we're having earlier with the community. Right? Whether it's, again, continuing to work with the nonprofits in the city, again providing different outlets for athletics, not just basketball, but again, being, again, that I kind of like, they'll call it, say, the linchpin, but kind of to galvanize the city from an athletic standpoint, just because, again, the basketball sport is the one we play. It doesn't stop there because, as we know, with sport in general, it brings people together, and we're going to continue to do that, whether in season or not. [00:22:32] Speaker C: I think just to add on to that quickly, because I know we are at a bit of a time crunch here, but what I will say is our games, they're a party. The music doesn't stop. You come in, you've got a plaza that is bumping with DJ beer garden activations, kids activities. Then even during stoppage of plays, once we get into game time, there's activations. It's interactive, is, you know, very hyped, very excited. So the one thing that I will, you know, just tease for next season is, you know, if you think we brought a party this year, you don't even know what's in store for you next year. [00:23:13] Speaker A: Way to bring in the suspense, Brittany. You heard it here. Mark your calendars because the Calgary surge are in it for the win next year. [00:23:22] Speaker B: And that's it for the series. Thanks for following along. If you want more, you can support the Calgary surge in their upcoming season, starting sometime in 2024. [00:23:30] Speaker A: This series is a collaboration between the Calgary surge and the Community podcast initiative based out of Mount Orleigh University. It was produced on treaty seven territory, and we recognize the stewards and storytellers of these lines, the Nitsapi, Iehe, Nakota, Suena, and Metis peoples. And as storytellers ourselves, we are committed to listening to their expertise and continuing to learn as we work toward reconciliation. Follow the surge and their new season at Calgarysurge, CA and at Calgary surge on social media. Learn more about the community podcast initiative at thepodcaststudio, CA and at Communitypod YYC.