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BG sports editor to cover Super Bowl
With all the state, national and international focus on Sunday's Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis, Banner Graphic readers will also get a little bit of local perspective on the event.
Sports Editor Caine Gardner will be on the scene in Lucas Oil Stadium when the confetti falls and either the New York Giants or New England Patriots claim the Lombardi Trophy.
A five-year veteran of the Banner Graphic staff, Gardner applied for credentials back in November, but wasn't sure the request would be honored in the thousands of requests the NFL receives.
"I thought we'd give it a good shot, having covered the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400 in the past," Gardner said. "I applied, fully expecting not to be granted credentials."
Then Gardner got an early Christmas present in email form on Dec. 22.
"Then I got the email saying we were allotted one credential after applying for three," Gardner said.
Since then, it's been more than a month of applying for parking passes, figuring out where to go (and not go) downtown and trying to prepare himself for what will be an overwhelming crowd.
All of this on top of continuing to balance local sports coverage.
Given the overwhelming media coverage of the game itself, Gardner plans to take a different angle in writing about the event for local readers.
"I'm going to take the angle of a first-time person at the Super Bowl," he said. "From the people I've talked to who've been at games like this, it's a completely different atmosphere.
"It's not something everybody gets to do," he continued. "I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to cover the game and bring a local perspective to a game that's played on a global level."
In much the same way that first-time players in the Super Bowl say it's about weathering the first few minutes, Gardner plans to just take in the scene at the opening kickoff before settling in to do something he's done dozens of times before -- cover a football game.
"I'm going to be in awe -- trying to take in as much as I can," Gardner said. "It's going to be such a sensory overload that it's almost going to be too much to handle. But after that it's going to be falling into a familiar place."
One thing that won't be familiar will be downtown Indianapolis itself. The crowds, vendors, ziplines and various attractions have made the familiar unfamiliar. Gardner hopes to get a jump on it.
"I'm going to get there as early as the press is allowed to enter," he said. "I'm going to get my spot and the walk around downtown and take in as much as I can."
To help local fans follow the game, Gardner will be sharing his thoughts throughout the day on Twitter via the handle @bgsports1.
He also plans to share the experiences of a Super Bowl rookie with stories in the Monday and Wednesday editions of the Banner Graphic.
Putting his sports writer hat back on, Gardner shared his thoughts on the Giants and Patriots.
"It's hard to bet against Tom Brady, but it's hard to bet against a more balanced team, which the Giants are," he said. "If (injured Patriots' tight end Rob) Gronkowski is hampered by his injury, then I think the Giants will pull it out.
"And then hopefully Eli Manning can answer questions about what it's like to win a second Super Bowl and not about what's going on with his brother."