{"id":245,"date":"2016-02-05T07:48:17","date_gmt":"2016-02-05T07:48:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kathleenstarmer.com\/?p=245"},"modified":"2016-02-18T02:36:22","modified_gmt":"2016-02-18T02:36:22","slug":"stadium_survival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vosvado.com\/stadium_survival","title":{"rendered":"Surviving a Stadium Stampede \u2026and Other Critical Super Bowl Skills"},"content":{"rendered":"

READING TIME: 5 min 47 sec<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Unless you\u2019ve been living in a small cave with no cell signal, you are likely aware that Super Bowl 50 is upon us. Ah yes, the annual Man Ballet where sadism and masochism collide with majestic and sometimes terrifying force on a wide expanse of greenery\u2026and beers are $8 a pop.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s Super Bowl takes place in Santa Clara, California, a mere stone\u2019s throw (well, if you had a REALLY good arm, but still\u2014it\u2019s pretty close) from my abode. I don\u2019t know that any of my friends will be in attendance, but I do know that people will be there. Lots of people. Lots and LOTS of people. Which got me thinking about public safety.<\/p>\n

(Yes, my brain is a jumble of preparedness scenarios. You probably don\u2019t want to go in there without a flashlight and a map. And possibly a compass.)<\/p>\n

You see, preparedness isn\u2019t just about terrorist attacks and natural disasters. It\u2019s about keeping yourself safe in ALL environments. And it\u2019s about thinking through the most likely scenarios for the situation at hand. While it is unlikely that Santa Clara will experience a volcanic eruption next week, its proximity to the San Andreas fault line means it could<\/em> experience an earthquake and a subsequent stadium stampede. There\u2019s also the far more likely chance that unsavory characters will take advantage of the press of humanity and attempt to relieve said humans of their valuables. Not the end of the world, but an inconvenience, nevertheless. And let us not forget the potential for everyday mishaps\u2014things that could happen anywhere at any time, but would be a particular drag at the Super Bowl par-tay.<\/p>\n

So let\u2019s address these issues, shall we? In this blog, we\u2019ll examine some potential personal safety issues, progressing from extremely general concerns, then onto \u201cslightly annoying,\u201d and culminating in \u201choly shit\u201d on the impact scale.<\/p>\n

Situational Awareness<\/h2>\n
\"There's<\/a>

Don’t get engrossed in Cyberville!<\/p><\/div>\n

Pay attention to your surroundings. Look up from your iPhone. Take notice of who is standing next to you while you wait for your nachos. Just showing simple awareness is often enough to convince a would-be thief to ply their trade elsewhere.<\/p>\n

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Keep Your Valuables up Front<\/h2>\n
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Zip those bags, ladies!<\/p><\/div>\n

Do you carry a wallet or phone in your pants pocket? Then make darn sure those items are in your FRONT pocket. Wrap a few fat rubberbands around said items, too, so that they \u201ccatch\u201d on your pocket liner when you\u2014or a pickpocket\u2014try to slide it out.<\/p>\n

If you are inclined to carry a purse, satchel, or some other sort of bag, first of all, keep it small. Secondly, keep it visible (i.e., sling it across your body so that the bag itself is in FRONT of your hips\/torso). And lastly, consider investing in a slash-proof bag. I am a HUGE fan of the PacSafe brand. Not only are they slash-proof, but they also have locking zippers and RFID-blocking pockets. Oh, and they don\u2019t look totally dorky, either.<\/p>\n

Lastly, ladies, keep those purses ZIPPED. I can\u2019t tell you how many times I\u2019ve caught myself doing this: reaching into my bag for lip balm or gum\u2026and then forgetting to re-zip my bag. I just let it all hang out in the open for anyone to access. And I\u2019m supposed to be on top of these kinds of things!! So do better than me. I promise this is something that I\u2019m working on being more conscious about!<\/p>\n

Wear Totally Unsexy Shoes<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"\"

Not sexy…but practical<\/p><\/div>\n

By far the most common injury among stadium spectators is falls. Every year, dozens of people bite it on the stairs. Sometimes, they\u2019re just drunk, but other times, it\u2019s because slick-soled footwear and smooth concrete don\u2019t mix. So make sure your lovely tootsies are shod in something that has good grip on the pavement.<\/p>\n

Another consideration: unless you have a chauffeur or a VIP valet parking permit, chances are, you\u2019ll be hoofing it quite a distance between your mode of vehicular transit and your stadium seat. Wear shoes you can walk a few miles in.<\/p>\n

Still another argument for practical footwear: you may need to leave the scene in a hurry. More details on that below. (Oooo, suspense!)<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be a Dumbass: Have a Designated Driver<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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A pregnant friend doing her 9-month good samaritan stint<\/p><\/div>\n

Do I even have to say this? Flip a coin and select a member of your party as the designated driver for the event. Even better: make sure to bring a pregnant friend who can\u2019t imbibe booze (kidding\u2026sort of. But think about it: this is one of the few people in your posse who won\u2019t resent the forced sobriety!). Buy them all the free nachos and garlic fries they can eat. Quid pro quo, baby. (See how I snuck in another baby reference?)<\/p>\n

Always Have an Out<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Imagine all of these folks trying to get to the exits at once….<\/p><\/div>\n

Finally, you\u2019ve achieved the prize! You\u2019re in your coveted seat at Super Bowl 50! But before you settle in to full-on revelry, take a moment to look around you. Identify at least three routes of egress that you could use if you had to get out of the area pronto. When you have a choice of where to sit in a large venue, always pick a seat as close to the aisle as possible. Think of it like finding a seat on an airplane near the exit row. You never want to be fashionably late to a mass exodus party.<\/p>\n

Also, should you find yourself swept up in an Exit Stampede, make sure you\u2019ve pre-selected a rendezvous point with the other members of your party, just in case you get separated.<\/p>\n

And here\u2019s the part where I reiterate my earlier plea for you to wear comfy shoes that you can run in if needed. Yes, my Californian brothers and sisters, this is one of those rare cases where flip-flops are NOT the answer.<\/p>\n

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So there you have it: a few pretty damn easy things you can do to take care of yourself, take care of your amigos, and still have a kick-ass time. Oh, and bonus: during this rainy, freezing El Nino weather, the football gods have smiled brightly on the City of Santa Clara and blessed it with a predicted high of 79 F! Which of course gets me thinking about staying safe in the sun\u2026but that\u2019s another topic for another time.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

READING TIME: 5 min 47 sec Unless you\u2019ve been living in a small cave with no cell signal, you are likely aware that Super Bowl 50 is upon us. Ah yes, the annual Man Ballet where sadism and masochism collide with majestic and sometimes terrifying force on a wide expanse of greenery\u2026and beers are $8 a pop. This year\u2019s Super … <\/p>\n

Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1065,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2,7],"tags":[14],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=245"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1065"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vosvado.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}