Missing the LBC.

Every year, around this time, I take a trip back to my hometown. Long Beach, California is where I was born and raised. The LBC may be famous for a lot of things, but in my world it is most famous for hosting the longest running and most successful street race in America.

Every year the open wheeled Indy Cars take to the city’s streets and roar down the concrete canyons at nearly 200 miles per hour.

This is heaven to me.

I grew up with this as a regular part of my life. I had the opportunity to see, meet and talk to the drivers that most people only saw on television. As I got older I started working at the race. Little odd jobs but I sure felt like I was an important part of the race weekend.

For the last few years I have worked in the media center with the director of communications and an amazing group of volunteers doing whatever crazy or odd jobs we were tasked to make sure things ran smoothly.

The entire weekend is scheduled down to the minute and every morning you grab a copy of the “minute by minute” schedule to make sure you are doing what needs to be done precisely when it needs to be done. Days often start at 0400 and run until 2100. By the time the race is over on Sunday everyone is exhausted.

Yes, I think it is fun. I even take vacation time to do it. Most people don’t understand it, but it truly is fun.

Last year I worked as a pit reporter for the IndyCar series in Long Beach. Every year on Friday I assist in giving tours to a class of grade school kids in the morning and inner city high school kids in the afternoon. I have helped with set up and tear down of press conferences, taken VIPs to victory circle to join in the festivities, helped with pre race grid events, staffed the turn one photo tower, hauled whiny journalists around in golf carts and brought race winners into the media room from victory circle via golf cart.

The best part about the Grand Prix is the friends you make behind the scenes. I have met some amazing people and become good friends with some of them. They are from all walks of life, old, young, male and female.

What I am going to miss most this year are those friends.

I don’t know why fate chose to keep me in Minnesota this weekend but I am sure fate has a plan. I hope it is something damn good because I only get to see these friends once a year.