by Jennifer Burton – Positively Northern Nevada
I think I know what Jack Nicholson feels like when he sits court-side at a Laker’s game. Easter Sunday we had front row seats as the Reno Bighorns beat the Tulsa 66ers 105 to 88 at home. Several times I thought a player might land in our lap; we were that close!
An exciting game, but the best part was sitting next to Candace Spiers and her husband Ken Fernandes. Candace handles the travel arrangements for the Reno Bighorns and the Reno Aces. With the Bighorns in the playoffs, and the Aces starting their season this week, she has her hands full. I asked her what it was like being a travel agent for a professional basketball team. “It’s the most fun I’ve had in the travel business in years,” she said. She often finds herself at the airport, helping the players check in and getting boarding passes. She loves the job, but says it’s the players that make it special. “They’re not your typical celebrity types, they’re all so easy going,” she explains.
This Thursday the Reno Aces play their season opener against the Fresno Grizzlies, and Saturday, the Reno Bighorns play their first-ever playoff game when they take on Rio Grande Valley. The season overlap will have Candace scrambling. “Let’s just say I’m not going to have a whole lot of sleep, and neither is anyone who works for the Reno Aces or the Bighorns!”
Candace says she’s very proud of the teams and the way they bring people together in Northern Nevada. And she’s looking forward to Thursday’s Aces game, and Saturday’s Bighorns game. An added bonus: both teams are playing at home.
