Archive for the ‘Personal Thoughts’ Category
Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Added: February 5th, 2010 | Be the first to add a comment »
Running a water park in Missouri is a curious way to earn a living, for lots of reasons.
One of the more spicy elements to the job is the fact that our success depends, more than anything else, on something wholly beyond our control. I refer, of course, to the weather.
There’s an old saying in Missouri that if you don’t like the weather, just wait five minutes, but in the past few years that hasn’t done us much good. We’ve had two of the wettest, coldest summers since records began. We’re due a scorcher, that’s for sure.
And here’s the funny thing. Deep in our hearts, we know that at some point over the season it’s going to rain and get yucky. We know we’ll have to issue rainchecks to our guests and console upset kids who were looking forward to a few more hours of fun. But still, right now, in February, I operate on the assumption or belief that we will have beautiful, sunny days for three months straight. It takes some mental gymnastics to believe in something that you know isn’t really true, but I’ve had a lot of practice. This leap of faith is akin to believing in the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, and the Tooth Fairy all rolled into one. In Alice in Wonderland the Queen of Hearts boasted about believing six impossible things before breakfast. She should come and work for us.
Anyway, with a bit of luck we will have those three months of hot sunshine, and I’ll look back on this post, and… oh. There I go again.
Phew.
Added: September 8th, 2009 | Be the first to add a comment »
Wow. Hard to believe yesterday was Labor Day - another season is already over. Boy, did that go fast!
We’ve had an amazing time. It’s been a wonderful year. Not as much sunshine as we all would have wished for, certainly, but we still have some wonderful memories to keep us warm over the winter until we open again next May, and hope that you do, too.
We’ll be posting some photos of some of our favorite events on the blog in the forthcoming weeks.
Believe it or not, we have ALREADY begun to make plans for 2010, and to work out how to make Big Surf even more fun for you all! We have lots of cool things in the pipeline, including some exciting ideas to reward our most loyal guests. Keep checking back at this blog over the winter as we’ll be giving regular news updates as we develop these ideas. And, of course, we’ll be keeping our e-newsletter subscribers up to date with everything that’s going on, and offering them some exclusive offers. If you haven’t signed up yet, better do so now!
Thanks to everyone for a great 2009, and we’ll see you all again next year!
Only 3 days left!
Added: August 30th, 2009 | Be the first to add a comment »
Here it is…the end of our 2009 season. I know it sounds corny, but it only seems like yesterday that it all began!
This is my first season at Big Surf, and I do have to say…I enjoy it! There are days I have gotten overly exhausted and wanted to go home and sleep…don’t get me wrong! But, overall, my summer has been a good one!
With the awesome staff we have here at the park, you can’t help but enjoy yourself. I know you might think I am biased, but I feel like we have the best employees in all of the lake area. They are the most courteous, kind and loyal employees around and we are lucky to have them. They come back summer after summer and everyone knows the reason why…Big Surf treats their employees with dignity and respect. They reward for great things and take care of their employees. I couldn’t have found a better company to work for!
With Labor Day just around the corner, our season is coming to an end. Preparations are already being made for the 2010 season and the staff is gearing up for another great year! Be sure to get out here on the 3 days we have left…9/5-7.
Lacey Filley
Does Anyone Have a Weather Machine…?!?
Added: July 22nd, 2009 | 7 Comments »
Surely this is not too much to ask.
If someone - anyone - has any ideas how to build a WEATHER MACHINE, we would very much like to know. We love our park, but it’s best enjoyed when it’s hot and sunny out. Which, as you may have noticed, it’s not been lately.
All ideas and suggestions gratefully received.
Does Anyone Watch TV Any More?
Added: July 21st, 2009 | Be the first to add a comment »
Here’s a funny thing. I’ve been responsible for all the radio and TV commercials that Big Surf has run for the past three years. It involves an awful lot of work - much head scratching, laughing, and hanging around waiting for inspiration to strike (although it usually doesn’t strike me.). It’s a lot of fun. But the strange thing is that I’ve never actually seen one of these commercials on the television, because as a family we just don’t watch very much, especially during the summer, when there are lots of better things to do outside (like splashing around in a waterpark, for example.) So I am yet to see this little gem anywhere other than on my computer:
Now, I hear lots of compliments about the ads and people often tell me they’ve seen them, but I wanted to ask our blog readers - how often have you seen these ads this summer? Do you watch much TV over the summer, or are you out watching T-ball games and enjoying the summer evenings outside? I think I know what I would rather be doing…
I’d love to hear from you.
Alex G
Cold weather?
Added: July 19th, 2009 | Be the first to add a comment »
I suppose my kids must have got fed up with me muttering about how I wish it was hotter. This afternoon my four year-old decided it was time to pretend it was the middle of winter… not sure whether she was trying to sympathetic or to torment me a little more…
On the Level
Added: July 9th, 2009 | Be the first to add a comment »
Simply based on size, adults can make an imposing threat to a youngster before they ever speak a word. Even when making a good-natured greeting, children can shrink in fear when an adult addresses them.
Small children react much better to an adult if they’ll just crouch down so that they’re not so tall (something, by the way, that is virtually impossible to do while wearing a shark suit). They talk more, will usually give you a hug and almost always wave goodbye when they’re done.
Missy McPheeters
Meteorological logic
Added: June 23rd, 2009 | Be the first to add a comment »
During the season we all think about the weather a lot. It doesn’t matter how great our park is – if it’s raining, nobody’s going to come. We send our lifeguards home and hope that tomorrow will be better. It’s very tough on everyone – this is what we live for, and to be foiled by uncooperative weather is difficult to take.
So of course we’re all hoping for an endless string of hot, sunny days - and, thank goodness, just recently we’ve been having some terrific weather, which looks as if it will be continuing for a little while yet. But it doesn’t always happen like that in Missouri. As a result I’m always checking to see what’s coming our way. I have downloaded two weather-related apps to my phone, which can tell me what’s going to happen by the minute, hour, or day, up to two weeks into the future. With the sweep of a grubby finger I can summon up radar, maps, pretty little pictures, or streaming video of the latest local weather forecast. My laptop is forever whirring and beeping anxiously whenever clouds gather overhead. It should feel good to have so much technology at my disposal, except that none of it really works. You’d think, given where we are, with hundreds of miles of flat land in every direction, it would be pretty easy to see what was coming our way. Apparently not. My arsenal of whizzy gadgetry often gets it wrong. So from hereon in I’m going to be using a new brand of hyper-connected, real-time multi-dimensional information transferral technology interface to get my weather news. It’s called a window.
Alex G
Job Perks - An Occasional Series
Added: June 17th, 2009 | Be the first to add a comment »
There are many, many good things about my job.
Those of us who work at Big Surf are (if you hadn’t noticed already) HUGELY proud of our park and everything that we do here. Like every job, running a water park has its ups and downs - watching the torrential rainfall over the past few days has been a definite down. But the upsides more than make up for it. Throughout this site (and throughout the park) you’ll see people having fun, especially kids, and you can’t put a price on that. Throw in the joys of working with a dedicated and committed (and actually rather lovely) group of people, and the chance to get to blog about all this stuff - I could go on. You get the idea. I love this job!
But there’s one other perk that I love. I have two children, a son of 8 and a daughter who is 4. I love ‘em both to pieces, but most of the year I’m a constant embarrassment to them (as all Dads should be.) When summer rolls around, though, Hallam and Catherine are actually quite impressed by this thing that I do. They love to come to Big Surf and splash about in the wave pool. And they love to bring their friends. Actually - and I admit I may be paraphrasing just a little here - they think I’m the coolest dad in the world. Given that I’m also an attorney, you can imagine how proud that makes me. As fringe benefits go, it really can’t be bettered. Better still, the government can’t tax it!
Alex G
Safety First - Fun Always
Added: June 16th, 2009 | Be the first to add a comment »
Safety is a simple word but a very complex concept. It’s one that everyone here at the park strives to be better at every day.
A fun day must also be a safe day.
Our safety program starts from the day a new employee starts. They must become familiar with park policies and procedures. Then as a guard you are tested for raw swimming abilities before you are even allowed into our guard training program. If accepted, they receive lifeguard training as set by the American Red Cross. This includes basic water surveillance, water rescue, first aid, CPR, AED training and other lifesaving skills. Along with this they receive training on the rules of operation for the various rides in our facility.
Once they pass the test, all lifeguards are required to attend weekly training sessions to ensure that their skills remain in excellent shape. They are also subject to random testing by the American Red Cross.
The guards are the most visible staff in the park, but we also have a top notch maintenance department that keeps everything in superb shape. So it’s not only safe, but it looks good.
Not to be left out is our admissions and office staff. They are trained to answer just about any question you can throw at them so hopefully everything is clear before you start your day.
All of our staff are drug tested on the day of hire, and a random sample is tested every two weeks. We leave NOTHING to chance.
So you see safety is not only a word, but a way of life for us. Here’s the deal: you follow the rules, we’ll take care of safety. You have the fun!
See you soon, Darin
