Orlando's Sporting Scene

Ello-ello, it has been a while since I last re-lived my adventures...but hanging out in the warm-weathered south encourages one to leave the computer unattended. After the Cocoa Beach adventure we made the trip to Orlando. And it just so happened that it was the opening night of the Amway Center (home of the Orlando Magic). After settling in at the hotel we ventured downtown where the streets were closed and Magic jerseys were as common as 'Silly Bands' in a middle school. Surprisingly J.J. Redick was one of the most commonly seen jerseys - he even had his own billboards scattered around Orlando. Nevertheless the atmosphere was excellent with such high hopes for the season.

Tickets were few and far between, but was able to hustle a scalper and get a decent deal (the gentleman asked if I would be interested in selling tickets with him the future). Once inside the staff was unbelievably friendly and helpful. Our seats were as close to the rafters as humanly possible, but the sight-lines were what you would expect from a new stadium. Before the game David Stern came out and addressed the fans - and he received a chorus of boos and jeers. Along with the opening of the new stadium it was the debut of John Wall (see video)! The Magic were all introduced in what seemed to be as long as the Super Bowl introductions. The game turned out to be a blow-out, and I spent some of the game walking around the stadium exploring the O-Zone Bar and lounge, the giant playground and sport-court area for kids, and Megan the Emcee! (Stuff the Magic's mascot resembles a Sesame Street character and is a wild man - see videos)

The next morning we woke up and headed back to Cocoa Beach for the night - it was our intention to watch the last shuttle launch. However, it was scrubbed for about the fifth time in as many attempts. So it was a day of hanging out on the beach and watching fighter pilots practice for their air-show. One of the fighter jets came out of Star Trek-like warp-speed and dusted the beach...it was so loud and sudden that it knocked an old-man strolling on the beach to his knees. The old-man was so embarrassed that he quickly rolled over on his back to pretend like he had been lounging in the line of sea-weed near the tide-line. He then swiftly popped up and walked back the direction he was coming from. Finishing up the day at the beach we just hung out with the locals at Coconuts on the Beach - see earlier post about Coconuts!

Saturday morning we headed back to Orlando for a college football game. East Carolina Pirates v. Central Florida Knights. It was held at Bright House Stadium - home of the UCF Knights. Before the game I visited the East Carolina alumni tailgate where people were clad in purple, gold, and some in full-pirate attire. The athletic director was present walking around talking with the alumni, and they had delicious food and a live music. However, the tailgate scene (amongst the UCF alumni) was sub-par at best - in all fairness I heard the student tailgate scene is legendary. Perhaps the legendary student tailgating explains why the stadium was full of empty seats. I was appalled at the lack of noise in the stadium considering it was for first place in the C-USA East. The game was a high-scoring affair with the Knights overwhelming the Pirates with a relentless ground game.

So in 3 days I sandwiched a beach visit in between two sporting events. It was a lot of back and forth driving, but it was a blast...just wish I would have had more time to go visit Mickey Mouse and or Universal Studios!