WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.360 --> 00:00:06.360 It's Nightside with Dan Ray on WBZ, Boston's news radio. 2 00:00:06.960 --> 00:00:08.960 Hey Nicole, as far as I'm concerned, the weekend has 3 00:00:08.960 --> 00:00:11.279 already started. It's Friday night. It's as simple as that. 4 00:00:11.679 --> 00:00:13.679 I happen to be working. You happen to be working. 5 00:00:13.720 --> 00:00:16.480 So it's really not our weekend, but the weekend is underway. 6 00:00:16.519 --> 00:00:19.399 My name is Dan Ray, host of Nightside. Rob Brooks 7 00:00:19.440 --> 00:00:21.920 he's working too. He is the producer back in the 8 00:00:22.239 --> 00:00:30.160 control room at Broadcast Central, the big socket for WBZ Radio. 9 00:00:30.199 --> 00:00:33.439 You're listening to WBZ Radio and ten thirty Am in Boston. 10 00:00:33.479 --> 00:00:35.679 My name is Dan Ray, and we have four very 11 00:00:35.679 --> 00:00:39.960 special guests on this hour. Later on tonight, we're going 12 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:43.159 to talk about the big snowstorm heading this way tomorrow. 13 00:00:43.159 --> 00:00:45.280 This one looks like maybe the first real deal we've 14 00:00:45.320 --> 00:00:47.799 had in several years here in the New England area. 15 00:00:47.880 --> 00:00:50.719 Then we're going to talk about streamflation. Now every price 16 00:00:50.759 --> 00:00:55.679 of everything's going up, regular TV, cable TV, and now 17 00:00:55.679 --> 00:00:58.320 they get you with all these the streaming services. And 18 00:00:58.399 --> 00:01:01.759 we'll have our Super Bowl predictions and there'll be a 19 00:01:01.880 --> 00:01:05.079 prize involved for the person who comes closest to predicting 20 00:01:05.120 --> 00:01:08.879 the accurate winners and the closest to the final score. 21 00:01:09.439 --> 00:01:12.040 But we're gonna begin with four interesting guests, and first 22 00:01:12.040 --> 00:01:14.760 we're going across the pond to truck with Robbie Dueck. 23 00:01:15.200 --> 00:01:18.799 He's the CEO of a company called blast b Last 24 00:01:19.159 --> 00:01:24.280 like blast Off, and he is with an e sports 25 00:01:24.359 --> 00:01:29.079 program that's competitive video gaming. I'm not sure that I 26 00:01:29.159 --> 00:01:31.120 know too much about it, but I think I'm gonna 27 00:01:31.200 --> 00:01:33.319 learn about a lot because they're going to be hosting 28 00:01:33.319 --> 00:01:37.239 a major event at the MGM Music Hall later this month. 29 00:01:37.400 --> 00:01:41.120 Robbie Dueck, welcome from You're over in England right now? Correct? 30 00:01:41.959 --> 00:01:44.480 Yeah, absolutely, dain nice to be here on the show. 31 00:01:44.519 --> 00:01:45.560 Thanks so much for having me. 32 00:01:45.719 --> 00:01:47.840 You're very welcome. Where about Are you in London or 33 00:01:47.879 --> 00:01:49.159 are you out in the countryside? 34 00:01:49.920 --> 00:01:52.560 No, no, no, London, London, London. I don't think it's 35 00:01:52.599 --> 00:01:54.719 as cold as it sounds like it's over there. It's 36 00:01:54.760 --> 00:01:56.120 pretty it sounds pretty bleak. 37 00:01:56.680 --> 00:01:58.920 Well No, no, we love son here in New England. 38 00:01:59.000 --> 00:02:01.640 We're hardy New England, so that's no problem. A mere 39 00:02:01.799 --> 00:02:03.920 five to eight inches they're talking about we're going to 40 00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:06.439 talk about like people will freak out, will there'll be 41 00:02:06.480 --> 00:02:09.159 no bread and milk in the stores. Tomorrow. That's the 42 00:02:09.159 --> 00:02:12.080 first thing. Everybody gets, bread, milk and eggs. You can 43 00:02:12.120 --> 00:02:16.680 always be making French toast during a snowstorm, simple as that. 44 00:02:16.919 --> 00:02:19.639 It's a tradition here in New England. So what is 45 00:02:19.800 --> 00:02:23.919 competitive video gaming and you're hosting this major event at 46 00:02:23.919 --> 00:02:27.319 the MGM Music Hall in February. I don't know a 47 00:02:27.360 --> 00:02:30.680 lot about competitive gaming. What are we talking about? 48 00:02:31.680 --> 00:02:34.280 Yeah, so this is like the combination of the best 49 00:02:34.319 --> 00:02:37.840 teams in the world playing competitive games. So competitive e 50 00:02:37.879 --> 00:02:41.599 sports is competitive teams who aren't sort of built out 51 00:02:41.680 --> 00:02:44.840 to play a specific game and compete against each other 52 00:02:44.919 --> 00:02:48.039 in front of a live audience, streams around the world, 53 00:02:48.120 --> 00:02:50.800 in front of millions of people. And that's what's going 54 00:02:50.840 --> 00:02:54.319 to be hosted in Boston in the next week at 55 00:02:54.360 --> 00:02:56.479 the MGM, and it's going to be a spectacle that 56 00:02:56.560 --> 00:03:00.439 you've never seen before. Probably playing to. 57 00:03:00.400 --> 00:03:02.919 You that, So let me ask you this. I can 58 00:03:02.960 --> 00:03:08.400 remember when they had big time chess matches and there 59 00:03:08.520 --> 00:03:12.479 was an American going against a Russian or something like 60 00:03:12.520 --> 00:03:15.520 that back in the days, and they would be streamed. 61 00:03:15.639 --> 00:03:17.879 It wasn't streamed, it was just on TV and people 62 00:03:17.919 --> 00:03:21.800 would watch. And that's not the same thing as we're 63 00:03:21.840 --> 00:03:25.080 talking about you're talking about people like consoles, and what 64 00:03:25.199 --> 00:03:27.319 are the games they compete with. We're not talking about 65 00:03:27.360 --> 00:03:29.960 basketball or hockey games. We're talking about probably some of 66 00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:31.400 the war games, I assume, right. 67 00:03:32.240 --> 00:03:35.080 Yeah, so these are like what they call first person shooters, 68 00:03:35.120 --> 00:03:37.599 and then they're like they're like competitive games where they're 69 00:03:37.599 --> 00:03:38.639 actually strategy games. 70 00:03:38.719 --> 00:03:38.840 Right. 71 00:03:38.879 --> 00:03:40.280 So this is a game where you've got a certain 72 00:03:40.280 --> 00:03:43.000 amount of people playing against each other in what they 73 00:03:43.000 --> 00:03:45.599 call a map. So that's like an environment where they're 74 00:03:45.599 --> 00:03:48.120 playing to win a given round against each other to 75 00:03:48.159 --> 00:03:51.599 then ultimately win the set like in tennis if you want, right, 76 00:03:52.039 --> 00:03:54.759 And they're competing in a really tactical way with like 77 00:03:54.840 --> 00:03:57.439 ammunition to try and find out where they are on 78 00:03:57.479 --> 00:04:00.199 the map and ultimately win the round, right, And it 79 00:04:00.240 --> 00:04:01.800 takes a lot of practice and skill. 80 00:04:03.360 --> 00:04:08.039 Okay, And these competitive gamers are they mostly young people? 81 00:04:08.240 --> 00:04:10.879 Are they old people like me who have taken up 82 00:04:10.919 --> 00:04:14.159 the sport in their retirement even though I'm not retired. 83 00:04:15.360 --> 00:04:17.879 Now. They tend to be they tend to skew a 84 00:04:17.920 --> 00:04:21.120 lot younger. And actually the average gamement who's a competitive 85 00:04:21.160 --> 00:04:24.120 gament probably by the age of twenty seven or twenty eight, 86 00:04:24.560 --> 00:04:27.319 he's he or she's in their retirement, right, And the 87 00:04:27.399 --> 00:04:30.240 reason for that is because the hands ye coordination is 88 00:04:30.279 --> 00:04:32.800 just way better when you're younger, and therefore, by the 89 00:04:32.839 --> 00:04:35.519 time you're twenty seven twenty eight, you're not quite at 90 00:04:35.560 --> 00:04:37.680 your peak because as you were when you say eighteen 91 00:04:37.759 --> 00:04:39.240 to twenty one, Now. 92 00:04:39.079 --> 00:04:41.800 That's when everything starts falling apart, is what you're telling me. 93 00:04:43.439 --> 00:04:44.680 I don't know. I'm way past that. 94 00:04:44.800 --> 00:04:49.040 So I'm with you in this, okay. So now in Boston, 95 00:04:49.120 --> 00:04:51.360 this is a live event with a live audience, and 96 00:04:51.399 --> 00:04:53.079 you're selling tickets to this event. 97 00:04:53.160 --> 00:04:58.439 Correct, correct, So down down on the MNGN beautiful venue, 98 00:04:58.480 --> 00:05:01.920 thousands of people have bought to I think we're sold out, 99 00:05:02.160 --> 00:05:04.120 but I think there might be a few still to get. 100 00:05:04.399 --> 00:05:07.519 But ultimately the app you know, the noise is large, right, 101 00:05:07.519 --> 00:05:09.120 because people are very excited about this. 102 00:05:09.439 --> 00:05:11.560 So who's your audience. Who's your audience? 103 00:05:12.959 --> 00:05:16.279 These are going to be, you know, demographic of eighteen 104 00:05:16.360 --> 00:05:21.600 to thirty five male female love the game. They're really 105 00:05:21.680 --> 00:05:24.959 into this particular game. They're following it or they're particularly 106 00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:27.439 following a team. Right. What we shouldn't forget is there 107 00:05:27.480 --> 00:05:31.360 is actually a local team from New England. Oxygen Esports 108 00:05:31.439 --> 00:05:33.720 their calls right. They've made it all the way through 109 00:05:34.120 --> 00:05:37.199 to the final stages of this event, which is unheard 110 00:05:37.240 --> 00:05:39.519 of for them. And there are I think four or 111 00:05:39.519 --> 00:05:42.319 five North American teams that have got this far, right, 112 00:05:42.560 --> 00:05:45.879 but the locals are clearly going to be cheering on Oxygen. 113 00:05:46.160 --> 00:05:48.600 But they're there mostly because they love the game, they 114 00:05:48.639 --> 00:05:49.439 love the spectacle. 115 00:05:50.680 --> 00:05:54.959 So all in all, how many teams are? You know, 116 00:05:55.000 --> 00:05:57.600 this has got to be a competition that builds from 117 00:05:57.680 --> 00:06:01.759 I guess Friday, Saturday, Sunday Valentine's Day, the fifteenth, which 118 00:06:01.800 --> 00:06:04.759 is Saturday in the sixteenth, which is Sunday, how many 119 00:06:04.800 --> 00:06:07.920 teams start? It's sort of like the NBA Playoffs of 120 00:06:08.000 --> 00:06:10.879 the NHL playoffs. You start with maybe sixteen teams, and 121 00:06:10.959 --> 00:06:14.959 of course it takes three months to the playoffs. Now 122 00:06:15.079 --> 00:06:17.199 the NBA and the NHL, until you get to the 123 00:06:17.279 --> 00:06:19.600 championship series. You guys are going to do this in 124 00:06:19.600 --> 00:06:20.439 three days. 125 00:06:20.240 --> 00:06:24.360 Right, correct? But what we shouldn't forget there are sixteen 126 00:06:24.399 --> 00:06:26.199 teams that have got this far. But what we shouldn't 127 00:06:26.199 --> 00:06:28.959 forget is actually one hundreds and hundreds of teams have 128 00:06:29.040 --> 00:06:31.680 been through the process of qualifying to get here, right, 129 00:06:32.040 --> 00:06:35.040 regional corner tournaments from around the world, in all four 130 00:06:35.079 --> 00:06:38.199 corners of the clos Right, It's actually taken all year 131 00:06:38.319 --> 00:06:40.920 to reach this pinnacle moment that will come to a 132 00:06:41.000 --> 00:06:42.560 head in Boston next weekend. 133 00:06:42.560 --> 00:06:45.199 As you say, what's the grand prize? I know that 134 00:06:45.240 --> 00:06:46.680 there's some serious prize money. 135 00:06:47.639 --> 00:06:49.879 Hey, there's three million bucks on the line, but the 136 00:06:49.920 --> 00:06:51.879 winners take a million dollars time with them, which is 137 00:06:51.920 --> 00:06:53.759 a serious amount of cash. 138 00:06:53.959 --> 00:06:57.879 Yeah, so a million dollars are split between your team members, 139 00:06:57.879 --> 00:06:58.720 I assume. 140 00:06:59.480 --> 00:07:01.720 Correct, you know, four or five members of the team. 141 00:07:01.879 --> 00:07:03.759 They're going to take that home and they're going to 142 00:07:03.800 --> 00:07:04.560 be had a bad. 143 00:07:04.600 --> 00:07:06.519 It's not if you win it. It's certainly not a 144 00:07:06.560 --> 00:07:10.639 bad weekend's work, that's for sure. There's no question about that. Uh, 145 00:07:11.000 --> 00:07:14.360 do you know offhand with this Oxygen team is from 146 00:07:14.439 --> 00:07:17.279 this New England team? Are they like spread across the 147 00:07:17.360 --> 00:07:21.199 landscape or are they from one community that we can identify? 148 00:07:22.839 --> 00:07:25.160 Well, so this is a group of people that actually 149 00:07:25.199 --> 00:07:28.240 are the mix of players from There are actually two 150 00:07:28.319 --> 00:07:31.600 Brazilian players in this team, and then there are three 151 00:07:31.600 --> 00:07:34.759 American players in the team. And you know, so I 152 00:07:34.759 --> 00:07:37.480 think there's actually a strong cohort of Brazilians who are 153 00:07:37.519 --> 00:07:40.279 living in Boston and South understand, and they're going to 154 00:07:40.360 --> 00:07:42.680 come out and force to support these two Brazilian players 155 00:07:42.800 --> 00:07:44.959 in the team. This happens to be a game where 156 00:07:44.959 --> 00:07:47.720 the Brazilian audiences have a very strong propensity to play it. 157 00:07:48.240 --> 00:07:49.839 And then the other three players, and one of them 158 00:07:49.879 --> 00:07:52.920 in particular is a local from the region, so I 159 00:07:52.920 --> 00:07:56.519 think everyone's going to be cheering for that individual and 160 00:07:56.639 --> 00:07:58.480 that's probably in a serving crowd for that. 161 00:07:59.399 --> 00:08:02.800 All right, Well, Bobby, I appreciate the information. Do you 162 00:08:02.839 --> 00:08:04.720 want to give us a website where people can get 163 00:08:04.839 --> 00:08:09.319 more information on this event, either to go and attend 164 00:08:09.600 --> 00:08:11.720 or to follow it and learn more about it. 165 00:08:12.800 --> 00:08:15.000 Yeah, they need to just go on to Rainbow six, 166 00:08:15.000 --> 00:08:17.519 which is the game, and they'll be able to ord 167 00:08:17.600 --> 00:08:18.879 Uve yourseft and they'll be able to get a whole 168 00:08:18.879 --> 00:08:21.040 bunch more informational ticket mister, if they want to get 169 00:08:21.079 --> 00:08:23.519 a ticket at the last minute, or come down to 170 00:08:23.560 --> 00:08:25.800 the MGM and they'll just have a great time. So thanks 171 00:08:25.839 --> 00:08:27.360 for time, Dan, I really appreciate it. 172 00:08:27.759 --> 00:08:30.360 You're welcome, And I know it's quite late, probably you're 173 00:08:30.399 --> 00:08:33.279 probably after one I am, So it's Saturday, morning over 174 00:08:33.320 --> 00:08:33.919 there already. 175 00:08:35.000 --> 00:08:37.279 Yeah, it's all good. It's the end of the week 176 00:08:37.360 --> 00:08:39.279 and we'll have the beginning of the weekend now. But 177 00:08:39.480 --> 00:08:41.039 I've enjoyed speaking to you, so thank you. 178 00:08:41.320 --> 00:08:43.480 And I hope by time I assume you'll be here 179 00:08:43.519 --> 00:08:46.039 next weekend, I hopefully the snow will be plowed away 180 00:08:46.039 --> 00:08:49.000 and we'll have temperatures in the mid sixties or seventies 181 00:08:49.039 --> 00:08:49.960 for you, Okay. 182 00:08:49.879 --> 00:08:51.840 That would be great. It will make the loading of 183 00:08:51.879 --> 00:08:53.960 the venue easier and the load out easier as well, 184 00:08:54.080 --> 00:08:56.440 So I'm looking forward to that for the operational reason. 185 00:08:56.960 --> 00:09:00.240 Robbie Duick, CEO of BLAST, appreciate your time tonight. We 186 00:09:00.320 --> 00:09:03.919 learned a lot from you and we'll follow on. Thank 187 00:09:03.919 --> 00:09:07.559 you much, thank you when we get back. And to 188 00:09:07.600 --> 00:09:12.639 talk about Special Olympics. New Hampshire, they have a big 189 00:09:12.639 --> 00:09:15.399 event this weekend. It's called the Penguin Plunge. It's the 190 00:09:15.440 --> 00:09:20.200 Penguin Plunge weekend that we're eighth and ninth at Hampton Beach, 191 00:09:20.559 --> 00:09:24.480 benefits benefiting Special Olympics. I suspect if you'd like to 192 00:09:24.519 --> 00:09:27.879 take a little swim, we have an opportunity for you 193 00:09:27.960 --> 00:09:29.759 if you stick with us. My name's Dan Ray. This 194 00:09:29.840 --> 00:09:33.200 is night Side on a Friday night, February seventh. We 195 00:09:33.240 --> 00:09:35.960 will be here all the way, virtually all the way 196 00:09:36.039 --> 00:09:37.960 till midnight. Hope you'll stick with us. We have some 197 00:09:38.000 --> 00:09:41.679 interesting conversations you can participate. We have some more interesting 198 00:09:42.000 --> 00:09:45.080 interviews coming up, not only going to talk about special 199 00:09:45.120 --> 00:09:48.679 Olympics New Hampshire, but we'll also give you a way 200 00:09:48.720 --> 00:09:52.639 to fix your marriage without counseling, a practical method we're 201 00:09:52.639 --> 00:09:56.120 told men will appreciate. We'll see about that, and then 202 00:09:56.200 --> 00:09:58.240 we're going to talk with the former wife of Apollo 203 00:09:58.279 --> 00:10:04.159 fourteen astronaut Edgar Mitchell. She has written a book which 204 00:10:04.200 --> 00:10:06.840 is called You Don't Look Like an Astronaut's Wife. But 205 00:10:06.960 --> 00:10:11.039 she is remarkable stories in Riveting in her riveting new 206 00:10:11.279 --> 00:10:13.960 memoir You Don't Look like an Astronaut's Wife. He, by 207 00:10:13.960 --> 00:10:16.559 the way, is the sixth person to walk on the 208 00:10:16.600 --> 00:10:18.919 face of the moon. He is he passed a few 209 00:10:19.000 --> 00:10:21.559 years ago, but his wife will be here with us 210 00:10:21.639 --> 00:10:25.320 later on during this hour back on Nightside. Right after this. 211 00:10:26.120 --> 00:10:29.120 Now back to Dan ray Line from the Window World 212 00:10:29.240 --> 00:10:32.360 Nightside Studios on w b Z News Radio. 213 00:10:33.279 --> 00:10:36.320 Put to welcome back Mark Erickson. He's the multi media 214 00:10:36.399 --> 00:10:39.919 manager for Special Olympics New Hampshire which has a very 215 00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:45.399 active Special Olympics group, and I guess this weekend the 216 00:10:45.440 --> 00:10:49.240 Penguin Plunge takes center stage in the Granite State mark 217 00:10:49.639 --> 00:10:51.200 ericson Welcome back to Nightside. 218 00:10:51.200 --> 00:10:54.639 How are you sir, goody evening, Happy Friday night, Dan. 219 00:10:54.720 --> 00:10:56.039 Thank you for having a phone. 220 00:10:56.600 --> 00:10:58.559 Yep. I think you've been with us a couple of 221 00:10:58.559 --> 00:11:01.879 times before, and so again you do great work up there. 222 00:11:01.919 --> 00:11:05.039 Tell us about the Penguin Plunge. It looks to me 223 00:11:05.120 --> 00:11:07.639 it's February eighth and ninth, which of course would be 224 00:11:07.679 --> 00:11:10.600 tomorrow and Sunday. Don't tell me. People have to stay 225 00:11:10.600 --> 00:11:12.200 in the water for two days. 226 00:11:14.159 --> 00:11:17.519 No, no, no, no. And it's kind of an interesting 227 00:11:17.559 --> 00:11:22.039 story on that one. About seventeen years ago we stage 228 00:11:22.080 --> 00:11:25.600 everything in the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom, and about seventeen 229 00:11:25.679 --> 00:11:28.960 years ago the event started to grow large enough that 230 00:11:29.039 --> 00:11:32.440 we were exceeding the capacity of the ballroom and that's 231 00:11:32.440 --> 00:11:35.360 when we decided to split Saturday off as a high 232 00:11:35.399 --> 00:11:40.559 school event. We got the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association involved, 233 00:11:40.600 --> 00:11:44.759 so the schools themselves compete against one another and this 234 00:11:44.840 --> 00:11:49.080 weekend is the largest single fundraising weekend for Special Olympics 235 00:11:49.120 --> 00:11:52.240 New Hampshire all year long. It's that's the tone for 236 00:11:52.320 --> 00:11:55.320 the whole rest of the year. So tomorrow a little 237 00:11:55.360 --> 00:11:58.080 more than four hundred. Right now, the computer says four 238 00:11:58.159 --> 00:12:01.759 hundred and six high schoolers plan on plunging at Hampton 239 00:12:01.799 --> 00:12:06.240 Beach from all different schools all across the state. And 240 00:12:06.279 --> 00:12:09.919 then on Sunday, six hundred and thirty penguin plungers will 241 00:12:09.960 --> 00:12:12.720 be hitting the water at Hampton Beach. It is the 242 00:12:12.840 --> 00:12:16.720 seventeenth annual High School Plunge and this year will mark 243 00:12:16.759 --> 00:12:19.440 the twenty sixth annual Penguin Plunge. 244 00:12:20.080 --> 00:12:25.080 So in all, one thousand, little over one thousand brave 245 00:12:25.240 --> 00:12:29.720 souls will dip more than their toes into the Atlantic Ocean, 246 00:12:29.799 --> 00:12:30.600 is what you're telling me. 247 00:12:31.879 --> 00:12:34.799 That's what is registered and signed up. 248 00:12:34.879 --> 00:12:35.080 Now. 249 00:12:35.240 --> 00:12:37.679 As you know, we've got some weather on the way 250 00:12:38.000 --> 00:12:41.759 Saturday night and into Sunday, so we have taken to 251 00:12:41.799 --> 00:12:44.919 social media and to our website to let people know. Listen, 252 00:12:45.159 --> 00:12:47.320 if you think it's a little too dicey for you 253 00:12:47.399 --> 00:12:49.759 to be driving to Hampton Beach, because people do come 254 00:12:49.759 --> 00:12:53.519 from all over the state, then we're saying you don't 255 00:12:53.600 --> 00:12:55.759 have to do it. We've set up a way that 256 00:12:56.240 --> 00:12:58.279 if you've raised the money and you've done it online, 257 00:12:58.360 --> 00:13:01.639 we've already got that. And if you still have some 258 00:13:01.720 --> 00:13:04.600 funds that need to come to us, you can drop 259 00:13:04.639 --> 00:13:06.919 them off at any TD Bank branch in the state 260 00:13:06.960 --> 00:13:09.120 of New Hampshire and they will find their way to 261 00:13:09.200 --> 00:13:12.639 us and whatever premium items you qualified for, we will 262 00:13:12.639 --> 00:13:13.440 deliver it to you. 263 00:13:14.000 --> 00:13:17.000 So let's let's deal with the fund. What do you 264 00:13:17.039 --> 00:13:20.399 think you'll raise with these these two events, one again 265 00:13:20.440 --> 00:13:22.320 for high school kids and the and the rest for 266 00:13:23.120 --> 00:13:25.720 you know, older folks. What do you what do you 267 00:13:25.759 --> 00:13:26.879 hope to raise this weekend? 268 00:13:27.960 --> 00:13:31.600 Well, we would we would like to get somewhere near 269 00:13:31.759 --> 00:13:35.320 the million dollar mark. Uh. Not sure whether we can 270 00:13:35.360 --> 00:13:37.919 do that in one weekend or not, we are certainly 271 00:13:37.919 --> 00:13:39.799 going to give it a try. I can tell you 272 00:13:39.799 --> 00:13:41.000 that I think Dan. 273 00:13:40.879 --> 00:13:43.440 Would set I assumed that would set a record mark 274 00:13:43.519 --> 00:13:47.799 for for Special Olympics New Hampshire if you could, uh 275 00:13:47.840 --> 00:13:51.159 for the for the Penguin Plunge raise a million dollars. 276 00:13:52.879 --> 00:13:57.080 Well, the Penguin Plunge weekend last year did just about that. 277 00:13:57.440 --> 00:13:59.720 And and let me explain that to you a little bit. 278 00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:03.559 We've got various systems in place where some money trickles 279 00:14:03.600 --> 00:14:07.519 in after the fact. So it's one of those situations 280 00:14:07.519 --> 00:14:11.159 that when the weekend itself and we aren't sure exactly 281 00:14:11.200 --> 00:14:15.080 how much money really the event came got us until 282 00:14:15.240 --> 00:14:16.279 a couple of weeks later. 283 00:14:16.759 --> 00:14:19.399 Okay, So it's a big The point is it's a 284 00:14:19.399 --> 00:14:24.159 big fundraising event. How many are yeah, how many Special 285 00:14:24.240 --> 00:14:29.159 Olympic athletes? How many Special Olympians does New Hampshire Special 286 00:14:29.200 --> 00:14:31.679 Olympics serve over. 287 00:14:31.480 --> 00:14:36.799 The post COVID post COVID We're at about twenty seven hundred. 288 00:14:37.360 --> 00:14:40.440 They're in all ten counties in the state. They are 289 00:14:40.480 --> 00:14:44.960 spread across about seventy local programs run by volunteers all 290 00:14:45.000 --> 00:14:48.320 across the state and ninety school based programs. And the 291 00:14:48.320 --> 00:14:51.639 great thing about the Penguin Plunge weekend is every single 292 00:14:51.720 --> 00:14:54.200 penny that is made this weekend stays right here in 293 00:14:54.240 --> 00:14:54.919 New Hampshire. 294 00:14:55.320 --> 00:15:00.440 Okay. And if there are people who are listening who 295 00:15:00.480 --> 00:15:04.240 maybe haven't signed up, but they'd like to support Special 296 00:15:04.279 --> 00:15:07.919 Olympics on New Hampshire, is there a way in which 297 00:15:07.960 --> 00:15:11.919 they can contact you easily? Either through the mail. How 298 00:15:11.919 --> 00:15:15.000 can folks who are listening tonight and admire the work 299 00:15:15.039 --> 00:15:18.440 you're doing. What can they do to help well? 300 00:15:18.840 --> 00:15:21.399 I will tell you that so O NH dot org 301 00:15:21.519 --> 00:15:24.399 is in Special Olympics New Hampshire. So O NH dot 302 00:15:24.519 --> 00:15:27.799 org is all things Special Olympics New Hampshire. At the 303 00:15:27.879 --> 00:15:30.600 very top of the homepage, we have the Penguin Plunge 304 00:15:30.720 --> 00:15:33.240 and if you click on that, you have the opportunity 305 00:15:33.279 --> 00:15:36.799 to make a donation. And I will be straight up 306 00:15:36.840 --> 00:15:39.279 with you on this dan. We are a little light 307 00:15:39.320 --> 00:15:43.080 on volunteers for the weekend. We've got the opportunity for 308 00:15:43.120 --> 00:15:45.320 some folks to come out and help us out. And 309 00:15:45.399 --> 00:15:48.039 not every job is outside. We have a lot of 310 00:15:48.080 --> 00:15:51.279 tasks that are inside both the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom 311 00:15:51.440 --> 00:15:53.559 as well as the Ashworth Hotel, which is where we 312 00:15:53.600 --> 00:15:56.159 do all of our registration and all of our paperwork. 313 00:15:56.559 --> 00:15:59.799 So there are plenty of inside jobs that need to 314 00:15:59.840 --> 00:16:02.120 be young by volunteers and we still have room for 315 00:16:02.159 --> 00:16:04.519 plenty more volunteers. So you can go to s O 316 00:16:04.639 --> 00:16:07.039 n H dot org if you're inclined to make a donation. 317 00:16:07.360 --> 00:16:10.159 That's a wonderful thing for the programs and athletes or 318 00:16:10.200 --> 00:16:12.720 Special Olympics New Hampshire. But if you have some time 319 00:16:12.759 --> 00:16:14.720 and want to have a little fun between the hours 320 00:16:14.759 --> 00:16:18.879 of say nine am and two pm, either Saturday or Sunday, 321 00:16:19.120 --> 00:16:21.600 we are done by two o'clock in the afternoon. So 322 00:16:21.960 --> 00:16:24.720 no worries about missing any football games on Sunday evening, 323 00:16:25.200 --> 00:16:28.559 and we'll take any volunteers that want to help. 324 00:16:29.080 --> 00:16:30.559 Is there a football game Sunday night? 325 00:16:32.000 --> 00:16:33.159 I heard something about that. 326 00:16:33.320 --> 00:16:36.120 Yeah, okay, the Patriots are not in that one. 327 00:16:35.919 --> 00:16:38.679 Though, I don't no, no, no, no, no. 328 00:16:38.480 --> 00:16:40.440 Yeah, okay, no problem. I just wanted to make sure 329 00:16:40.440 --> 00:16:42.200 that I was I was aware of what you were 330 00:16:42.200 --> 00:16:46.000 talking about. You only joking, obviously, So even if what 331 00:16:46.200 --> 00:16:52.080 lives south or northeast of New Hampshire, people who are 332 00:16:52.120 --> 00:16:58.559 close to Hampton Beach in northeastern Massachusetts or in southeastern Maine, 333 00:16:58.840 --> 00:17:01.720 they can come across state lines also volunteer and help 334 00:17:01.799 --> 00:17:04.440 that There's no obligation to be a New Hampshire resident 335 00:17:04.680 --> 00:17:07.720 to help this weekend the Penguin Plunge. All right, great Mark, 336 00:17:08.640 --> 00:17:11.119 I think you got some good information out and hopefully 337 00:17:11.200 --> 00:17:13.519 we'll be able to wrestle up a few more volunteers 338 00:17:13.559 --> 00:17:16.400 for you a great cause. Thanks very much, best of 339 00:17:16.480 --> 00:17:19.200 luck and are you jumping in the ocean yourself or no. 340 00:17:20.559 --> 00:17:23.680 You know, I've been associated with this event for twenty 341 00:17:23.720 --> 00:17:25.960 five of it's twenty six years, and I did that 342 00:17:26.119 --> 00:17:29.240 about a dozen times over the course of the twenty 343 00:17:29.279 --> 00:17:33.000 five years. I've done it about twelve times, but at 344 00:17:33.000 --> 00:17:35.039 some point my cardiologist put a stop to it. 345 00:17:35.640 --> 00:17:39.720 So you'll continue your streak this year of not jumping 346 00:17:39.960 --> 00:17:42.799 into the Atlantic not jumping in which is commended to 347 00:17:43.599 --> 00:17:46.440 the streak alive. Okay, good enough, Thanks Mark, you just 348 00:17:46.480 --> 00:17:49.319 having fun with you. That's all very great one. Congratulations, 349 00:17:49.319 --> 00:17:51.079 Say hi to all the Olympians for us here on 350 00:17:51.160 --> 00:17:54.519 night Side. When we get back, right after the news 351 00:17:54.559 --> 00:17:57.240 at the bottom of the hour, we're going to talk 352 00:17:57.319 --> 00:18:03.039 with a very interesting gentlemen who's a licensed licensed clinical 353 00:18:03.079 --> 00:18:06.839 worker and a marriage counselor. He's written a book, Fix 354 00:18:06.880 --> 00:18:10.720 Your Marriage Without Counseling, A Practical Method from method men 355 00:18:10.799 --> 00:18:14.680 will appreciate. It's an intriguing title. We'll be talking with 356 00:18:16.039 --> 00:18:19.759 Ziba Graham right after the news at the bottom of 357 00:18:19.799 --> 00:18:22.519 the arm. This is Dan Ray. This is Nightside w BZ, Boston, 358 00:18:22.559 --> 00:18:25.039 Boston's news radio ten thirty and your AM dial. 359 00:18:26.720 --> 00:18:31.359 It's on Boston's news radio. 360 00:18:32.640 --> 00:18:36.960 Well, here's an intriguing guest with an interesting book. I'm 361 00:18:37.000 --> 00:18:47.279 delighted to welcome, Ziba Graham Zba. Okay, I got it right, easy, 362 00:18:47.400 --> 00:18:52.240 last name to pronounce. You're a licensed clinical social worker 363 00:18:52.359 --> 00:18:54.359 and a marriage counselor, as I understand as well. 364 00:18:54.400 --> 00:18:56.920 Correct, that's correct. 365 00:18:56.799 --> 00:18:59.920 Okay uh. And you have done this for some time, 366 00:19:00.279 --> 00:19:04.119 and apparently as a result of the positive results that 367 00:19:04.319 --> 00:19:07.119 you believe that you have achieved, you've written a book 368 00:19:07.319 --> 00:19:11.559 with an interesting title, Your Marriage without Counseling, a practical 369 00:19:11.599 --> 00:19:17.720 method men will appreciate. I suspect there's probably some female 370 00:19:17.799 --> 00:19:20.319 listeners tonight are saying, well, why is it that men 371 00:19:20.400 --> 00:19:22.440 will appreciate this? Tell us about it? 372 00:19:23.480 --> 00:19:25.839 Well, because men are a lot of times the last 373 00:19:25.839 --> 00:19:31.039 one to find out something's wrong. That's a simple explanation 374 00:19:31.200 --> 00:19:33.519 for that. But I tell you what, Dan, this has 375 00:19:33.559 --> 00:19:37.319 been a very interesting journey for me. I started out, 376 00:19:37.559 --> 00:19:41.079 you know, marriage counseling, and thought, boy, I want to 377 00:19:41.200 --> 00:19:44.839 help people, you know, have long marriages. And I wasn't 378 00:19:44.880 --> 00:19:47.160 having any Look, I don't know, it just seemed like 379 00:19:47.759 --> 00:19:50.880 I wasn't getting anywhere. You know. They would come in 380 00:19:50.960 --> 00:19:53.599 and say, well, I'm not happy, and you know, and 381 00:19:54.599 --> 00:19:57.400 such as that. And so what I did is I 382 00:19:58.039 --> 00:20:03.400 kind of cheeze my whole attitude, and I thought to myself, 383 00:20:03.440 --> 00:20:06.480 you know, these people have been getting along for a 384 00:20:06.480 --> 00:20:09.720 certain long time, and so all I have to do 385 00:20:09.839 --> 00:20:14.359 is find out what really works. And what I've found 386 00:20:14.359 --> 00:20:17.640 out is the most important question that I could ever ask, 387 00:20:18.319 --> 00:20:20.559 and that is, on a scale of one to ten, 388 00:20:21.480 --> 00:20:25.039 where's your marriage now? With the one being the worst 389 00:20:25.079 --> 00:20:29.960 ever and ten being the best ever. Well, if they came, 390 00:20:30.119 --> 00:20:32.200 if they came in to see me, they were probably 391 00:20:32.200 --> 00:20:36.599 about a four. And then I would ask them more 392 00:20:36.720 --> 00:20:39.799 questions about where would you need to be to feel 393 00:20:39.880 --> 00:20:44.799 satisfied in your marriage? And usually they were saying about oh, 394 00:20:44.839 --> 00:20:48.279 maybe a seven or an eight. And then how willing 395 00:20:48.319 --> 00:20:51.920 are you to do your part? And so right away, 396 00:20:52.160 --> 00:20:55.920 and I knew exactly where they stood, and they know 397 00:20:56.119 --> 00:20:59.640 kind of where they stood. And then I would I 398 00:20:59.640 --> 00:21:04.359 would keep asking them questions, so like, what could you 399 00:21:04.400 --> 00:21:07.000 do to bring up your marriage? Maybe half a point? 400 00:21:07.160 --> 00:21:10.960 So what could he do to help you go up 401 00:21:11.000 --> 00:21:14.519