Thanks to everyone who came out to support the event this weekend whether you were a rider, spectator, or volunteer. We want to know what you liked or disliked about the event so that we can make the proper adjustments for next year. Please leave any of your comments in the replies or feel free to email us at TheMercerCup@gmail.com.
We will have official results and videos from the event within the next few days. Thanks again for all of everyone's support.
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9 comments:
While it was extremely cold and very dirty, I had a lot of fun. It appeared to be very organized and all the volunteers were told exactly what was required of them. Attendees of the event seem to appreciate our help a lot and were very friendly towards me. Overall, it was a great experience and I definitely have a different view of Cyclocross now. Good job team!
I had a lot of fun. Everyone at the event was really nice, and it was cool to get to meet some cyclocrossers and hear their stories on how they got into the sport. Despite the freezing cold I really did have a great experience.
I took my position as course marshall very seriously after watching the first race, because I saw how dangerous the course can be to spectators who are crossing. It was probably a poor decision, then, to lead the cheer: "When I say 'cyclo' you say 'cross!'" One man heard us chanting "cross" and took it literally. Luckily, he avoided any major collisions.
On a more serious note, I thought that the event ran extremely well. After seeing the 1,000+ people that were in attendance, I felt so proud of my classmates that helped organize the event. There were tons of people there, but the day never seemed even remotely chaotic. As soon as I arrived at the park, I was greeted by Christina, Marie, and Allison, who gave the other volunteers and me our instructions. Later in the day I saw Chanice monitoring the efficiency of the volunteers, and Scott and Charlie knee-deep in mud making sure the course was holding up. As tired as I was at the end of the day, I can't imagine how exhausted this event planning team was after HOURS of preparation and execution in the cold and rain. They all deserve a lot of respect for what they did.
I overheard many of the riders talking about how much fun they had this weekend. I spoke with a rider from Vermont who was thrilled to have driven 6 hours from his home for this event. I can't believe that I had never before heard of this sport that is SO intense and fun!
Once again, this event planning team had a huge undertaking, but they did their job with professionalism and friendliness the entire way through. Awesome job!
I really enjoyed experiencing this event. The 7:30 in the morning part was a little rough but it was great to try something new. Cyclocross seems like a really cool sport. Though the weather was a good thing for the riders, it was definitely bad for the spectators. It was a little difficult to monitor the crossing because people weren't really paying attention and a couple of the riders didn't want to be told to wait. Most of the riders were great, though, and thanked us for coming out and helping. One thing I would recommend is to have the entrance cross only one lane of biking. This way people wouldn't have to cross at the busiest part of the track. Other than that I think the event was great and I'm very glad I went.
Even though I was freeezing cold, it wasn't a bad day. The team was very good with checking in with the volunteers to make sure they were ok and had everything they needed, and I got to watch a sport I wouldn't normally get in to. It was really cool to see all the spectators and the riders get so intense over the sport, and to see all the cars parked in the lot from different states was awesome. Even the spectators were very friendly and it was nice to strike up conversations with random people. Nice job guys!
As a vendor at the event, I think we should go back to the format of last year where people are funneled between two rows of expo booths. This year, people didn't know where to go and when they were facing the course their backs were to us.
Alternatively, put us closer to the entrance of the course or by the porta-potties. Some of my best weekends for selling have been by these locations. Also, get a beer sponsor and have a beer tent. That totally centralizes people to one location and makes sure all the vendors are making back what they paid to be there.
I volunteered on Saturday and I thought the event ran pretty well. Fortunately, the weather held out that day, till after the event was over. I really wasn’t sure what to expect prior to the event. I knew that it was a cycling race and such, but I didn’t realize how intense the races would be. It was really great to see all the racers with such drive and determination. Whenever you saw the riders at any point in the day, you can see how much they were really enjoying themselves. When the spoke to each other, you could really hear the excitement in their voices.
As a volunteer I thought the event ran smoothly as well. When I first arrived, I saw Marie and Allison who both greeted me right away and gave me the information I needed to know. They explained what I would be doing and let me know some key information to know, should any of the riders and/or spectators ask me any questions. While standing at my cross section, there were several times when I was approached by one of the staff members. And every time he passed, he would ask me how I was doing, if I needed anything, and so on. As a volunteer, I thought this was not only nice of him, but necessary if he wanted everyone there to leave with a good impression of the event.
Overall I think Cyclocross was a successful event. I think my classmates did a great job. Whenever I saw them, they were always doing something to make sure everything was running accordingly. Great job guys!
So I was a volunteer at the Cyclocross event on Saturday and I thought it was a really cool event. I've never had exposure to the sport before so my first time was pretty enjoyable to watch. As for the volunteer experience, it was fun but I was also under the impression that we would be used for more technical aspects of the race such as registration or something of that sort. I pretty much stood in one spot for 4 hours as a course marshall directing traffic but I felt that about 7 out of 10 were able to use common sense as to whether or not they should cross the course or not. There were a few young ones here and there that I had to actually stop and watch for occassionally. Overall it was a fun event to attend and I feel that the TCNJ cyclocross group did a great job contributing to the success of the event.
Two words come to mind when I think of the Cyclocross event: "muddy" and "fun." However, beyond the total awesomeness of the event itself, the blog is pretty cool too. It uses all the same colors and general thematic feel of the USGP website, and so the branding of the blog can be associated easily with the USGP website and other related materials. Also, I liked the fun features like the little predictor poll; even though not that many people used it, it was there. The Flikr photostream adds a personalized touch, and my group liked that so much that we used it on our blog too. Finally, one little detail that caught my eye was the icon links to sponsor web pages. I liked that the links were pictures rather than words.
In terms of content, all the helpful updates and information available on the blog may be a second source for riders and fans, but it is certainly not one to be written off so easily. I think if it were better publicized--perhaps linked from the USGP website and maintained and operated by their same web designers and publicity coordinators--that the blog could really take off as a place for riders and fans to interact when they are away from bona fide Cyclocross events. The interactivity of a blog lends itself to fan/participant/organization involvement, and this one is no exception.
Good job, Cyclocross! I second what Danny said about what a professional and friendly group you are, and how much respect you deserve.
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