Till The Game is Won: A Summary of my First 15 Hour Shift This Football Season

Every year when football season comes around I can't help but get a little excited. I've never particularly enjoyed sports. In fact, quite the opposite. Now, that I work at Buffalo Wild Wings though (and I've experienced two great football seasons), I've learned to enjoy the beginning of the Hawkeye football game season; honestly, there's nothing quite like it.

The best way to enjoy a Hawkeye game day is to start early. If you're going to the game, that might mean waking up before 10, getting decked out in your best Hawkeye gear, and then start tailgating as soon as possible. If you're me (or anyone else working at a sports bar), you're waking up early to get to work. I started my morning by hitting the snooze button at least 5 times. When working a long shift, you should always eat a good breakfast to ensure you won't be too hungry until at least halfway through your shift. I ate a couple of Wheat Thins straight from the box, then left a little early so I could help Hannah open the restaurant (if necessary).

When I got to work, I asked Hannah what she needed help with. All she had left to do was to fill the ice. So I got up on the step stool and lifted bucket of ice after bucket of ice into the soda machine until it was full. After that, I vowed to Hannah that I would not be filling the ice again during our shift. Then Ari came back, which was partially the most exciting thing about game day. Ari was our manager only a month ago, but she stepped down because she was moving back home, which is a town at least 45 minutes away from Iowa City. She made an arrangement with our GM that she could come back during football games. Even though she was only gone for a month, I've really missed her; she always made sure we felt like a team.

As soon as we unlocked the doors there was a long line of guests forming at the registers. We took their orders as more and more of our coworkers started coming into work for various different things: cocktail servers, expo, cooks, etc. Though the game didn't start until 6:30 in the evening, Buffalo Wild Wings was already popping by noon.

Hannah and I split some nachos for breakfast/lunch pretty early into the shift. Then Sydney went on an energy drink run and brought back every one enough liquid cocaine to keep us going until the game.

As the game approached and more and more people started showing up, both to work and watch the game, things started getting stressful. Long lines started forming, the expo window started filling up with food, guests had to be greeted at the door and sat like when we ran as a full service restaurant.... more ice needed to be put in the soda machine. I was the only one available to fill it, so I did that twice. If I don't have some serious muscles after scooping all that ice then the 15 hour shift wasn't worth it.

Most of the Iowa game was a blur. To be honest, I don't ever really watch the football game when it's on. I don't usually have time. I'll look up from my register every once in a while to check the score and to see how long we have until the end of the game. Beyond that, I don't really see much of the actual game.

I totally stole this from Google - Photo: Matthew Holst/Getty Images

During the game, Carissa came out of the bathroom and told me someone threw up in the bathroom and she didn't think she could clean it up. I decided I would handle it, especially since I have been told by Hannah more than once that she didn't do puke. She once told me if I was ever sick and throwing up to call someone else to take care of me, even though her bedroom is only ten feet away from mine.

So I ventured into the bathroom with gloves on and a spray bottle of bleach in my hand. There wasn't a lot of vomit, but enough to make the task disgusting. It seemed pretty typical though; almost like it just wouldn't be a football game without someone throwing up or making a mess in the bathroom. While I was in there, a drunk girl pointed out to me that someone broke the last stall door, which is just another thing typical of football season.

Something I've always enjoyed about working game days is the energy in the restaurant before the game. Every one is so excited and happy. The Hawkeye spirit is incredibly fascinating and infectious. I wish every day felt like a game day in downtown Iowa City.

The Hawkeyes won their first game 38-13; an exciting beginning to the season. Buffalo Wild Wings made a deal, so if the Hawkeyes win by more than 20 points, those who attended the game can come get a free appetizer with any $10 purchase. This, was not told to me until after the game was over and Hannah instructed all of us to brace ourselves.

We should have done a better job of bracing ourselves.

We had to stop taking orders at least twice. People kept calling asking about reservations, but we don't take reservations. People kept coming and coming; ordering wings, asking where to get beer, and wanting their free appetizer. A couple of times, people complained about the ticket times, complained about their food, complained about literally anything; something that is also typical of not only football season, but any time we're busy. The game was over and we were busier than ever, but we were almost to closing time. We all kept watching the clock waiting for 1 a.m. and started closing the restaurant down when we could get away from the registers.

Hannah gave us all tasks to do to help ensure no one left before the restaurant was ready to be closed down. For the most part, we didn't really stick to the list. Everyone just did their part to close.

The day was over. We'd finished the day with little to no casualties and not a single breakdown among the staff. A couple of times I got really stressed out or got tired of being nice to people, but the shift was completely worth it.

The restaurant was clean and we were just waiting for our drawers to count before we could leave, so Hannah, Jessie, Sydney, and I sat down at the bar while Ari mopped her floors. Sydney got Hannah a chocolate milk, Jessie a white milk, me an apple juice, and a pineapple juice for herself. We toasted to the first game of the season and a day full of stress and success.

This was my favorite moment from the day. It may have taken all day to get there, but it was worth the work and waiting. At the end of the football games, the whole football season, we always come together to remember that we're all in it together. That we're a team and a family despite the times we may not get along. The shift was exhausting to say the very least, but we made it through and that was a small victory worth celebrating; and I'm excited to do it all again next Saturday.