Kings BBQ at Raley Field 8.12.14

Tonight the Sacramento Kings held their annual season ticket holders BBQ at Raley Field before a Rivercats game. I remember going the year before and seeing Coach Mike Malone interact with the fans. It was an awesome experience. This year King's GM Pete D'Alessandro was hanging out among the crowd of Kings fans. The SKD were also greeting guests and chatting it up.

The Kings served hot dogs and hamburgers as their main food items. We were also treated to watermelon, coleslaw, chips, and a beverage. It was nice to fill up on some of this food before heading over to see the baseball game.

I couldn't leave the BBQ without getting a selfie with Scott Fresh. He talked about his on-going tour with the NBA that he is in the middle of. I'm glad he made it back to Sacramento for the BBQ though! 

I was able to get a bunch of friends to come out to the park for the ball game. I can't say I'm a huge baseball fan, but it's nice to hang out at Raley Field and soak in the whole experience. Raley Field is a very nice minor league park with a lot of charm.

What a great annual event hosted by the Sacramento Kings. I love how this combines two of Sacramento's sports teams into one event. Seeing all the Kings fans out at tonight's game was also very cool. I can't wait to see them all back at the arena when the season rolls around again!

SKD Mini-Camp Weekend 7.27.14

This past weekend I was able to cover the Sacramento Kings Dancers mini-camp! I came in at selected times to capture some images of what went on. The first day took place at the Kings Experience Center (XC). It was funny to be back there after I had just gone a few days earlier. Here we see Andrew giving the dancers some social media training. The use of social media has become very important in the recent years, so it's important to know the ins and outs of it.

The dancers utilized the various offices at the XC to conduct their business. Whether it was learning information or taking care of paper work, the XC was the perfect venue. 

The SKD got a chance to experience a tour of the XC and all the amazing technology it has to offer. This tour was similar to the one I wrote about in my previous posting. The dancers were impressed with what the Kings are doing to make the new arena the best in the NBA. In this photo Corina is checking out a three-dimensional model of the arena on the tablet.

The next two days of the mini-camp concentrated a lot on getting physical - be it with self-defense training or learning routines. The self-defense portion of the camp occurred in the mornings, and I was sad to miss them due to other commitments, but I did enjoy the time I had covering the dance training and choreography.

Long hours were spent working on and committing to memory dance routines. I was reminded of the practice I attended last season. It is incredible to see how much hard work and effort is put into what the SKD do. This season I'm hoping to bring this story to more Kings fans. They've got to know how amazing their SKD dance team is in terms of the time, determination, and professionalism they put in.

It's important to pay attention and learn from the choreographers that are brought in. Each dance routine has to be precisely performed by each dancer. If anything was unclear, dancers would ask questions to clarify what needed to be done.

Once the dancers got going... it was on! The energy in the room was electric, and it was just practice! Whenever the SKD hit the court during the season they have the power to amp up the crowd. They can bring the enthusiasm up if a basketball team is losing, or hype the crowd up even more when things are going well. No matter what the situation, the dancers have always been an important part of NBA basketball games. 

Everyone needs a break during the hours of practice... even if it's just a short one. The dancers get a chance to catch a breath, grab an important snack to re-energize, and check in on personal messages during this time-out. It's just for a few minutes before it's right back to work!

A huge thanks goes out to SKD manager Jenn Santich for allowing me to cover the mini-camp. It was great to work with her and the rest of the dancers this weekend. I'm really looking forward to the coming season, and seeing all the routines polished to perfection on the court. These were just a few of the photos taken during my time at mini-camp, hopefully many more will be up on Kings.com later on this week. Keep your eyes peeled!

Kings XC Visit 7.22.14

I had a chance to visit the Kings XC (Experience Center) tonight in downtown Sacramento. It's located right where the new downtown arena is to be built. The XC has a preview of what the new arena will be like. I was amazed to see how much new technology they are packing into the place.

The XC is not open to the public, only certain groups can come in at a time, so I felt privileged to be able to see it for myself. Those who were invited to come today got an XC pass which included valet parking and complimentary food and drinks. Pretty sweet.

The group I was with was given a tour of the center. We got to see the blue prints for the new arena as well as a large drawing of how it will fit in the downtown area. Seeing it relative to everything was definitely a thrill, and it really builds the anticipation for the new arena's arrival.

Here's my friend Richard getting a virtual tour of the new arena. When you put this device on you can get a three-dimensional view of what the new arena will look like from the outside, at court level, and in a suite. The Kings are definitely going to be technology leaders going forward.

I really had a great time out tonight at the Kings XC. My favorite thing from tonight happened as I left... I got a Kings hardhat! And it's a legit hard hat as well - not some cheap knock-off. It's definitely a great addition to my Kings swag.

Mini Basketball Camp at Sleep Train Arena 7.16.14

As a Cap City Kingdom member, I was given the opportunity to participate in a mini basketball camp at Sleep Train Arena. I was able to take one person with me so I asked my friend Ray to join in. It was great having the opportunity to play on an NBA court!

After checking in at the security entrance we proceeded down the large hall to center court. This is exactly how the NBA players get onto the court. I'm sure my fellow season ticket holders attending these camps had a similar sense of awe as they entered the arena from here.

On the court we ran through quite a few dribbling and shooting drills. Former King Henry Turner was our coach that led us through this afternoon's activities. He was really fun to work with... and pushed us hard! He was demanding, but fun. By the end of the session, many people had a nickname that he made up for them.

The highlight of the mini camp had to be the scrimmage we had on the court. We played five on five full court. How cool is it to be able to do this? I'm really grateful for an opportunity like this - it's definitely a unique experience and a great perk for being in the Cap City Kingdom.

The two-hour camp went by really fast, but I was definitely sweaty by the end - I totally needed to jump in the shower. Hopefully the Kings will do a similar thing next year for season ticket holders as well. I can't wait until the next event... and you'll see it right here on my blog!

Kings Summer League Viewing Party 7.11.14

Cap City Kingdom members were invited to the Kings Practice Facility tonight to watch the Kings play a Summer League game on the big screen. The event was so well received that we were notified that the even was moved to the arena in order to accommodate everyone. I was actually really surprised to see so many Kings faithful come to this event - it was definitely filled up!

It wouldn't be a Kings event without some food, and the Kings did it right with their choice of treat this evening. The season ticket holders had their choice of complimentary ice-cream and toppings as they enjoyed the game.

I went with mint chocolate chip with a healthy dose of both hot fudge and whipped cream. It was delicious! The kids in attendance were especially happy as I saw many of them going back for seconds... and sometimes thirds! 

Former King Henry Turner was in the house speaking with us today during half-time. He broke down the first half of basketball play and discussed some of his thoughts on Kings players and development. We were all impressed as we watched new Kings rookie Nik Stauskas perform well during the game.

Throughout the night the SKD in attendance helped give away prizes to the fans in attendance. All fans were given a raffle ticket as they came in with the option of purchasing more. Autographed memorabilia and other cool Kings swag went to some lucky season ticket holders today!

Kings Draft Party 6.26.14

Tonight the Sacramento Kings hosted a couple draft parties around the Sacramento region - one was at Bistro 33 in El Dorado Hills and the other was at Firestone in midtown. El Dorado Hills is quite a drive for me so I opted for the event at Firestone. The festivities started at 4, but I was a little late in arriving. By the time I got there Firestone was absolutely packed. Only season ticket holders who had RSVP'd were allowed to continue entering the restaurant.

The inside of Firestone was absolutely packed to the gills. It was really hard to get anywhere in the restaurant - Kings fans were covering just about every inch of the place. Just about all the screens at Firestone were set to cover the NBA draft. I arrived a few minutes before the first draft pick was selected by Cleveland. The Kings selected Nik Stauskas with the number 8 pick this year.

Between draft picks Scott Fresh and the dancers raffled off some pretty cool Sacramento Kings memorabilia. There were autographed photos and jerseys given out to some lucky fans in attendance.

My favorite time tonight was getting a chance to hang out with Scott, Isela, Chanel, Moira, and Charli for a bit as we waited to see which players got drafted by which team. It'll be an interesting off-season as there looks like there will be quite a it of moment in the NBA this year. We'll all just have to hang on to our hats and see!

Kings Ticket Events 5.29.14 & 6.2.14

These past couple of weeks I've had the chance to go to a few Kings ticket sales events. The people at Kings ticket sales are definitely trying to fill out the arena and get the people of Sacramento in some seats! I brought my co-worker Aman to an event last Thursday.

The event took place in downtown Sacramento at a very fancy place called Il Fornaio. We had an exclusive area sectioned off for the event. I've passed by Il Fornaio before and was curious to what it was like, so I was happy that this Kings event took place here.

The Kings know how to put events together and treat those who come right! We had a great spread of food waiting for us when we arrived - very fancy. It was great, and everything was delicious. The most surprising food item for me was the bacon wrapped cantaloupe. I've never had that before!

Guests were given a presentation on the future of the Kings and why it is so important to get a hold of season tickets as soon as possible. I had heard this information before, but it was done well and I realize that it was really for the sake of the potential season ticket holders. 

This past Monday churches were invited to the arena for a presentation about group tickets. Last year I brought a large group out to the arena on Faith & Family night so I was invited to check it out. This time I brought one of the pastors at the church I go to with me.

We were treated to a nice dinner and got to see the Kings new chaplain introduce himself and encourage churches to come out to the arena. Both events were interesting and had great food. I appreciate being able to sit in on these things!