Special thanks to the NAVY and USS John C. Stennis for permission to post this video on Goldentee.com

Well, it’s been nearly six months since the team from Incredible Technologies completed Operation: Golden Tee aboard the USS John C. Stennis aircraft carrier… and nothing has changed.  Our sense of patriotism.  Our sense of pride.  Our wonder and awe – it all remains as strong as the day we disembarked in San Diego.

Our experience took place in January, you followed the before and after stories right here on the GTB.  It’s now nearly July and while most of us have lived our normal lives – working, relaxing and spinning trackballs with our friends, the men and women aboard the Stennis have had a different go at it.  They’ve been dedicating their time to protecting our country on a deployment half way around the world.  They’ve worked, worked, worked – hard – for us.  They miss their families, they miss their friends and long to return to normalcy. This dedication has been an inspiration to the Incredible Technologies family as we hope it’s been to yours as well.

Going aboard also taught us that the person behind the sailor is as inspiring as the sailor themselves.  Like us, they love their family and friends.  They have hopes, dreams and their own experiences.  I look at it as if we met “the Golden Tee player” inside.  The average Joe (or Jane), looking for a short break from reality to wind down and be entertained.

That’s where we come in…

Incredible Technologies is an entertainment company – we work to play.  And not only did we walk away from the Stennis inspired, we were proud.  Proud to provide fun.  Proud to be a small, yet happy, piece in peoples’ everyday lives.  Proud that whether folks Tee-up at their corner tavern or while crossing the international date line, they do it for fun, to relax and be entertained.

That’s our mission accomplished.

The video above is an homage to that sentiment.  It’s also a thank you to the dedication of the men and women of the US Navy and all forms of service.  And a thank you to the fine folks on the USS John C. Stennis that took us in as part of their team – our time aboard was short, but the impression left will last a lifetime.

Finally, the main purpose of this video is to remind all of us Golden Tee fans out there to never forget that it’s sometimes the little things in life that can mean so much.

Good times,

- DD

]]> http://blog.goldentee.com/navy/video-making-waves-golden-tee-at-sea/feed/ 3 http://blog.goldentee.com/navy/a-photo-diary-golden-tee-at-sea/ http://blog.goldentee.com/navy/a-photo-diary-golden-tee-at-sea/#comments Wed, 28 Jan 2009 23:51:09 +0000 "Duffer" Dan Schrementi http://blog.goldentee.com/?p=126 We’ve told you much about our journey as civilian ride-a-longs on the USS John C. Stennis during the installation of the Golden Tee game.   But we here at IT believe a picture is worth 1,000 words and these pictures, well… you tell me.

Below is a photo diary taken by the team from Incredible Technologies as we sailed aboard the Stennis from Bremerton, WA to San Diego, CA.  See the incredible sites from our point of view and hopefully be as inspired as us by the hardworking men and women of the US Navy.  From the installation of the Golden Tee game, to photos highlighing the amazing life scenes aboard this Nimitz-Class Carrier.

For best viewing, click the  ”PicLens” link below.  Pause the the slide show and page manually to read the captions.

Or click the photos below, page forward with arrows beneath the pictures.

Enjoy!

[View with PicLens]

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To put it bluntly, I work for a company that makes video games and for one week I was a part of one of the most serious and prestigious pieces of the U.S. Military.  When you think about that, it’s downright incredible.

We were there through the dedication of one particular sailor (LTJG Mike Hall) and his ability to coordinate us with the MWR  department aboard the ship – this department is responsible for the morale, wellfare and recreation of over 5,000 sailors.  And I am honored that our Golden Tee game is now a part of that mission and yes, that one game is making a difference for all members aboard the ship.

In the coming weeks, we will begin to piece together our story as best we can, with the aid of hundreds of photos, hours of video footage and words from IT staff (like Sobe and I) who were aboard.  We have interviews with LTJG Mike Hall, we meet many of the hardworking men and women of the Stennis and learn more about their life/duties while underway.  We followed the journey of the game’s installation in the aft deck mess hall, we also kept a diary of our own experiences.  From little things like traversing the endless passage ways and hundreds of ladders on the ship, to poignant reflection on the dedication of the men and women aboard.

We left Chicago excited, yet aprehensive, about the experience – I mean come on, it’s not something we do everyday.  We knew we’d return with cool stories but we’ve returned with something way more.  It’s an overwhelming sense of patriotism, pride and awe.  I only hope that our stories can instill the same in you.  We can’t wait to see.

So tune back here and in the mean time you can read more on our official website www.goldentee.com.

And as I type this on a cold Chicago day, the Stennis is somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, working hard on the start of a long deployment, protecting our country and hopefully, sneaking in a tee time or two of Golden Tee Golf.

- Duffer Dan

I’ve finally made it to a computer aboard the amazing USS John C. Stennis.  Things are going fantastic and the American spirit overwhelming.

I’ve learned something though, carriers are a busy, busy place – even for video game people like us!  While we intended to blog throughout our adventure, there’s just not enough time in the day to do so. Or free computers – these guys have work to do!

But don’t fret, we’ll give you the full rundown of the experience next week when we return back to Incredible Technologies.

So until then, rest easy knowing that Sobe, Duffer and the gang are having a once-in-a-lifetime experience - and we’re humbled, honored and in awe of the men and women of the United States Navy.

Duffer Dan, signing off.

So for those of you I didn’t meet over beers this past weekend – here is “why!”

- Lt. Mike Hall of the US Navy sent a letter to Incredible Technologies expressing his passion for Golden Tee and his longing for the game when at sea on the USS John C Stennis Naval aircraft carrier.

- The coordination responsibilities fell to IT’s marketing/PR director, Gary Colabuono.

- The Navy invited us to install the game, meet the crew, see the ship, etc.  And duh – of course we would!

-  To get the full experience captured on video, we will do a civilian ride along from her port in Bremerton, WA, to San Diego, CA, where she’ll prepare her next deployment.

Wow.

Sobe (L) and Duffer (R) in Prior Podcast

- So, a video team consisting of Steve Sobe (3-time Golden Tee National Champion), Sean McMenemy (IT videographer/animator) and I, “Duffer” Dan Schrementi (mkth mgr, host of ITtv) have been given the honor of making the videos happen.  We’ll also be joined by Carol Anderson (purchasing director at IT) and Richard Ditton (co-owner of IT) .

There are dozens of people at IT that helped make this trip a reality.  Nick Frank (CSR Manager) who handled the logistics, to Ed Koeller and Matt Randazzo in game manufacturing, all the way to our graphic artist Christine Campana, who designed the custom wings for the game (with a John C Stennis  seal).  It was a an incredible team effort and I am honored to be able to tell the story.

So that’s it – the power of Golden Tee never ceases to amaze me time-and-time-again.  This game connects millions of people in lands across the world – and now we have our first game on an active Navy carrier.  Where will it end?

- Duffer Dan