Birmingham, Ala. -- Men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball, softball, men's tennis, women's tennis, swimming and diving, indoor track and field and gymnastics.
All at once.
Welcome to the busiest time of the year for us here at the SEC Digital Network.
While there may be busier times in terms of national importance of the immediacy of a story, from a sheer volume perspective there is no topping this two month stretch. The crossover between nine different sports combined with the time difference between when each plays make for a long schedule, and something that has come to be known as the "Overlap Month" in our circles.
That all begins in earnest a week from now, when the 12 SEC baseball teams hit the diamond for the start of their season. This upcoming weekend is a warmup, as softball hits the field; all the while the calendar continues to be full with SEC activities. If you are a fan of this league, you will definitely get your money's worth when it comes to conference athletics during this time.
What does that mean for us at the Digital Network?
For the most part, it means a change in schedule. While this has never been a "9 to 5" job by any means, our "office" hours will switch, as we have to accommodate for the many events now taking place on nights and weekends. In the fall, when football is going on, this is an easy fix, meaning you just switch out a weekday for Saturday.
Now, it is not that simple, since nearly every night of the week some form of SEC athletic contest is taking place. So for the next six weeks, I'll spend more time in my home "office" then at the actual SEC office, but that transition is something I'm used to after years in the business.
Although it can be a long in terms of work hours, the interesting part of this stretch is how all the sports are at different parts of their respective seasons. So, while you are watching the tail end of the basketball campaign, softball and baseball are just getting started. Gymnastics is in full swing, with tennis just getting their feet wet in out of conference play. Makes it fun to follow, since you have teams fighting for the postseason lives (basketball, swimming, track) and others trying to figure out just what kind of team they have this year (baseball, softball).
It can be tough to keep up with it all. My best suggestion is to check our "Infocenter", which can be found just under the home page carousel of the website. You'll get a daily review of the upcoming games/matches, and also have a chance to plan out in advance what is coming down the pipe.
So for the next two months...sit back and enjoy! We will try our best to cover it all.