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Discussion Topic: Nobody wants to hear this...
Deven Dittrich added to this discussion on September 15, 2018
(copy-and-pasted from another site -- edited for tOSU fans)
Nobody wants to hear what I'm about to say, but I'm going to say it anyway: some of us won't get tickets for NCAA's.
Nobody wants to hear that; nobody wants to believe that; nobody wants to think about that. But, that is the reality.
However, not having tickets doesn't mean you can't still get inside PPG Paints Arena, hear the "OH - IO" chants, and join in the roar of the crowd. You just need to think outside the box and be willing to help...
The NCAA Division I Championships will be held at Pittsburgh's PPG Paints Arena March 21-23, 2019. Tickets for this always sell out. But, one way to see some of the action up close and be involved in the excitement of the event is to volunteer to work it. Volunteers are needed both in PPG Paints Arena and also at Fan Fest, which will feature practice sessions of the USA National Teams (among other things). VisitPITTSBURGH/SportsPITTSBURGH typically pull their pool of volunteers from the Pittsburgh area. However, in an effort to ensure a group of volunteers who know wrestling, they are offering this opportunity to the local wrestling community. The benefit to Pittsburgh is that better volunteers will provide a better overall experience for fans, wrestlers, coaches, and officials, which will help Pittsburgh earn the chance to host the Championships again (it's been 60 years since the last time Pittsburgh served as host). The benefit to the volunteers is that they will have an opportunity to not just see the Championships, but to actively participate in the operation of the event. Some volunteers may be right on the floor/matside, others may be in the backstage warm-up area and be privy to watching the preparations of our sport's top coaches and wrestlers leading up to a life-defining moment, others may be at Fan Fest helping Team USA. The earlier you register, the better your chance to sign up for the shifts that you want.
Below is the SportsPITTSBURGH volunteer link. They will have a page built specifically for the championship, but until they get the OK on shifts they are just collecting interested volunteers via their own page at
https://visitpittsburgh.my-trs.com/
When someone registers for the page, there will be a “NCAA D1 Wrestling Championships†box to check off. This will place the volunteer in a specific pool, and will get first priority to sign up for shifts once they become available. The login they create for the VisitPITTSBURGH list will be the same that they use when the wrestling page is made.
This is a great chance to both help our wrestling community and also to peak behind the curtain of our sport's most compelling Championship. But it's also a chance for Ohio State fans to be in Pittsburgh for the Championships, join other fans at restaurants and bars between sessions, feel the excitement of the action in the arena, support the team throughout the tournament, and try to crash the team's party on Saturday night.
This may not be the ideal way to see the Championships, but it has the potential to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Sign up early for the best opportunities!
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Discussion Topic: Nobody wants to hear this...
Jim Behrens added to this discussion on September 15, 2018
I would have to say that this really is not the best idea to see anything at all based on experiences here last year.
In Cleveland this past year, the same sort of "opportunities" were offered. However NONE of the volunteer positions were inside the arena. You could be a greeter at the airport, work the hospitality area, be a guide at the local hotels, or something like those jobs but you were not going to in the arena and you were not going to see any wrestling. In fact for the D1 event, that was made very clear in every request I saw.
I guess what I am saying to to look very carefully and ask questions.
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Discussion Topic: Nobody wants to hear this...
Deven Dittrich added to this discussion on September 15, 2018
Thanks, Jim, for the insight. I signed up as a volunteer but i'll be sure to investigate prior to committing.
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Discussion Topic: Nobody wants to hear this...
Justin Hayes added to this discussion on September 16, 2018
I don’t want to hear that...
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