Farm-to-Fork Experience 10.9.14

Tonight the Kings Season Ticket Holders were invited down to the arena to try some of the new Farm-to-Fork offerings that will be available at games on the concourse this year. We went into the Capital Club located just inside the security entrance at Sleep Train and were greeted by tables of delicious food!

I've been to these types of events before... and I've got to say that the Kings spare no expense when it comes to giving their season ticket members a good meal. I was pretty hungry going in, so I went straight for... well... everything.

There were three different locally sourced meats at a carving station. I ended up choosing the tri-tip steak. I'm sure whatever I chose would have been great, butif I wanted to, I could have gone back to give another meat a try. 

I was really impressed with the presentation of the food. It looks like the food options available at the arena are getting quite an upgrade. At the pre-season game I went to a few days ago I settled for a slice of pizza from Pizza Guys. It was decent, but this would have been really good.

Even the bread choices were top notch and of quality - this isn't the stuff you can get for 99 cents at the grocery store. I was invited to build a sandwich with this, some lettuce, herb spread, and the meat I chose.

And here it is in all its glory... my tri-tip sandwich! And I've got to say it was delicious! It really hit the spot tonight and filled me up. I sort of wish it didn't because it would have allowed me to try some more of the meats, but I can't complain.

Soup and salad were also available. The Kings set out clam chowder and bread bowls alongside salad with walnuts, blue cheese, and crispy fried onions. See what I mean by not sparing any expense? And not pictured were the desserts, other sides, and open bar with sodas, beer and wine.

I'm pretty sure all the season ticket holders who came to this event really enjoyed the meal they had this evening. The Capital Club is always a classy place to hold and event. I definitely wouldn't ever pass up a opportunity to visit it in the future.

After the meal we were given a presentation on how to use our season ticket membership. It was great to learn all the details of the benefits we have as season ticket holders. I'm definitely excited to start this next season of Sacramento Kings basketball!

Kings v. Raptors (Pre-Season) 10.7.14

Tonight was the first pre-season game at the arena. The Kings hosted the Toronto Raptors, and I was excited to get back to watching some NBA action! It was extra fun tonight because I was able to bring my wife along to the game. She's been to a few Kings games, but not nearly enough in my opinion!

I renewed my season tickets so I'm back in the same section as last year... 122! I really like the seats I am in and am glad to be right back in them this coming year. Walking into the arena felt really nice and comfortable. It's like a second home!

We ran into a lot of familiar faces around the arena tonight. It was especially cool to run into Andrew, head of Kings social media. I've collaborated with him a few times last season and he has been a real encouragement to me. Congrats to him on his recent marriage. I was keeping up on Instagram and it looked EPIC.

Since the Raptors were in town, the Canadian anthem was sung before the game. It was awesome to see Sacramento Kings Dancer Isela come out to sing it. She's done the American anthem a few times already, but this is the first I've seen her do the Canadian one. Great job as always - Isela is multi-talented to the max.

I was very interested to see new Kings rookie Nik Stauskas play tonight. I was very surprised to see him in the starting line-up. He showed he has what it takes to play in the NBA as he hit shot after shot that he took. I'm impressed at what I've seen so far.

Former King Omri Casspi saw a good deal of action tonight. He has rejoined the team after leaving a few years ago. He was another player that I was impressed with as he was definitely working hard and showing effort.

Long time King Jason Thompson surprised me a bit with his play tonight. I heard on the radio that he had really upped his game. I was a bit skeptical, but from what I saw tonight he has really gotten better. I hope this translates and is able to be continued during the regular season.

The Kings lost fan favorite point guard Isaiah Thomas in the summer and replaced him with Darren Collison. I thought Collison did a solid job, but I wonder how the Kings will replace Isaiah's leadership that he brought to the team. Only time will tell.

Well, there wasn't much new in the arena food area, but we were able to get some of our old favorite standby's to snack on. Jenn had a soft pretzel and I went for a slice of Pizza Guy's pizza. It may not be the most gourmet of selections, but they both hit the spot.

The Sacramento Kings Dancers performed great on this first pre-season game. I was wondering what routines they would do! They look to already be in mid-season form as they were totally on-point. The next pre-season game in Sacramento will be next Saturday. I won't be able to attend that one, but I'm looking forward to the home opener at the end of the month!

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!