Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com Internship - Part 3: The tournament
- Carlo Pezzana
- Jul 21, 2021
- 2 min read
It has been the most different winter break I have ever had in my life: all my thoughts were on the tournament, and we were all working incredibly hard to make it happen. Christmas was the only day I did not go to the office, and we were working even on New Year; the tournament was about to begin, everything was ready. We made it! The Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com was the professional male tennis event to kick off the 2021 season!
Then, the most fun, tiring, and challenging part was coming next: organize a safe and fun tournament. As the first tournament of 2021, and the first tournament in the United States after the US Open, it was tough to satisfy both tennis players and fans finally coming back to watch sports.
I was extremely excited about my main job for the tournament. After planning the entire COVID-19 testing system with the Tournament Chairman, I managed all the COVID-19 Testing Area. It was a huge responsibility, something nobody has ever done before. It was crucial to perform at the very best; one mistake could have led to the cancellation of the tournament.
This task at the Testing Tent turned out to be the most suitable one for me; I loved it. I have seen every day and talk to the world’s strongest tennis players, their coaches, and the tennis tour professionals. That was a dream coming true. My ability to speak Italian, English and Spanish has been beneficial to communicate easily with everyone successfully. I significantly improved Spanish, my third language. Career-wise I learned skills such as planning, management, problem-solving, and customer service, and the ability to be efficient. Networking with professionals, especially my partner at the Testing Area, kept me motivated every day and helped me to stay focused and maintain my enthusiasm all the time. I have never worked those many hours in my life for two weeks; it was incredibly tiring.
The tournament days were just incredibly unique: tennis was one of the first professional sports I started to watch and the one I am the most passionate about. Living a tournament experience behind the scenes has been very fulfilling for me. Being around individuals from many backgrounds and cultures was just extraordinary. That feeling of community that is built during an event, especially a smaller one like in Delray Beach, was keeping me passionate and excited over the tournament. The three departments in front of the on-site entrance (Medical, where I was located, Transportation, Credentials) built a strong sense of unity and community. That was just amazing and one of the best parts of my experience. At a multi-day event, you meet new people, and you spend time with them the entire day during the event and get to know them. After, you might not see them that often anymore, or maybe never anymore, but you will always keep that contact.
For two weeks, the staff dedicated their lives to the sporting event. Once the tournament ended, I felt mixed feelings: sad that the fantastic experience was over, but happy I could go back to my daily life at my university and see my friends.
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