Banner Day

[Ed. note: Things got so hectic at the end of Miami (Sony-Ericsson Open) a few months ago that I never did get a chance to post the story of how some of our Tribe members not only came up with that "Shhhh! Quiet, Genius at Work" banner that followed Roger Federer around the world last year, but also converged on Crandon Park in the hopes of presenting him with it, as a kind of group mash note, during the SEO. So here it is, as told in dialog form,  by the perpetrators. Roger's mission to claim the Roland Garros title, with Rafael Nadal in the way, is a formidable one, so this as good a time as any to post this tribute to TMF. Whether you prefer TMF or Jet Boy, it's actions like you'll read about below that make both of them wonderful representatives of pro tennis - PB]

THE MIAMI BANNER MISSION

Tari:  How do you prepare yourself for meeting the sports figure that has rocked your world for five, going on six years?  I don’t think you can, but CM and I did our best.  Through the help of Pete, we did get to realize the dream of meeting Roger and presenting him with a gift from his fans.  Some of you may know the story of the GENIUS banner, but in short, for those who don’t, CM has the background.

CM: Last year (2006) in Miami, a few of us Roger KADs created a banner that said “Shhh! Quiet, Genius at work” to commemorate our first live Federer sighting.  In the ensuing months, the banner was sent from fan to fan, nation to nation, and it was on display at more than 12 tournaments around the world.  A few months ago, Pete suggested that we might want to present this banner to Roger on its 1-year anniversary, and promised to talk to Tony Godsik and Mirka about it - which he did. Tony told him Roger  would be happy to do it.

Still, Tari and I didn't know whether this presentation would actually happen, on a flyer, we made late plans to go to Miami, and I had my mother and brother make a new, more durable banner to replace the one we hoped to give to Roger.

Tari:  Our first chance to see Roger was at his Friday morning practice.

CM:  We decided not to say anything directly to Roger that day since we kept thinking Tony (Godsik,  TMF's agent, with whom Pete had cleared our plan) would call us with an arranged time later in the weekend.  So, even though Roger came up to me and signed my Feder-bear (and I did have both banners with me), we said nothing.

Tari:  Saturday got totally messed up because the tournament was hit by torrential rain and Roger’s practice and match were delayed. [Ed . note: and the ladies were seen banging back GE's with the likes of Mrs. Santa]

CM: Yes.  Roger’s match was delayed 2 hours and it didn’t start until 10pm!  And he only practiced for a quick few minutes on a damp court beforehand.  Even though I was there, he was all business and I wasn’t going to interrupt him then.  By the time we got back to our hotel, it was becoming obvious that we might not pull this off.

Tari:  Making time for this meeting was proving very difficult.  We weren’t giving up though, and Sunday was our last chance.

CM:  We decided to take charge and do it ourselves by mentioning it directly to Roger.  Well, Tari and I were right upfront for his practice on Sunday and afterwards as he came to us (going down the line to sign autographs), we took our chance.

Tari: First of all, if you haven’t seen Roger up close, it is a special treat.  His skin is amazing, and his hair is incredible!  He looks right at you when you speak to him.  Lovely, brown eyes…but I digress!

CM: All true, Tari.  Roger has this inner light that shines through when he talks to you!  But I digress as well.  Anyway, I was holding both banners and I said “Roger, I have the GENIUS banners for you, did Tony (Godsik) tell you?”  Roger said no, he had not seen Tony.

Tari:  We were crestfallen - Roger didn't know?

CM: But I told Roger that we wanted to give him the original Genius banner that had been all over the world and wanted him to sign the new one, to start it on another, repeat journey.  He said he would do it when he came back down the line.  Tari and I had hope once more!  When he came back, he stopped again in front of us and I handed him the original banner and opened the new one.

Roger was so funny. He asked where he should sign it.  I laughed and said “hey…it’s your banner, you can sign it wherever you want!"  Then he said, “I’ll sign it right on the cross.”  And he did…right in the middle of the Swiss white cross.  By that time there were a million fans yelling at him and trying to grab him.  Roger thanked Tari and I and started to leave.

Tari:  I asked Roger if we could take a picture for his website and he said yes, but later on, since there were too many people.  We asked about coming on the court to take the picture but the security guy refused to allow us. Our hearts sank a little because we knew “later” probably would prove difficult to impossible!

CM:  Yes, I knew when Roger said "later" that he meant later in the week. But Tari and I were leaving the next day.  We were again crestfallen.  I just looked at Tari and said ‘Oh well…at least he got the old banner and he signed the new one" but we were disappointed as we had no real proof of anything.  But our fortune changed thanks to one of our mates.

Tari: After the practice, our friend Christina chased after Roger (with four security guards around him!), tapped him on the shoulder, and explained that a few of us were leaving in the morning.  She also told him that we had planned the trip just to present this to him.  Roger’s response was amazing.  He said that in that case, we could arrange something right then and there, over in the player’s area (which is off-limits to the public). He told us to meet Tony at the entrance and he would bring us inside. Christina had saved the day!!!

CM:  Of course, Tari and I knew nothing about this as we were solemnly heading to the Food Court.  My cell phone suddenly rang and Christina yelled for us to come to Gate C near the Players area for a picture.  I screamed at Tari to follow me and then I immediately called the three other banner girls (Leslie, Laura, and Marianne).

Tari: We ran like crazy across the grounds to the players’ area! I could have easily laid a couple of people out flat, but thankfully they got out of my way.

CM: Tony Godsik let the six of us into the patio area of the Players section and said “I’ll go get Roger”.  We were ecstatic!  Roger then came out with a professional photographer in tow.  I said “Thank you so much for doing this, Roger…I leave tomorrow.”  He was so sweet and said it was no problem and that he didn’t realize today was our last day.  Roger walked behind the banner and centered himself among us. I was on the end until suddenly I felt someone grab my shoulder and shove me right next to Roger.  It was my best Fedpal, Tari.  I'm not sure why she was so selfless to put me next to Roger, but she did.

Tari: What a thrill this was.  I can’t describe it, really. It took my breath away.

CM: Roger was very patient and funny as we posed.  All of us were looking at different cameras and Roger says out loud “Okay…which camera are we looking at?”

I just laughed and said “I’m glad you said something because I was thinking the exact same thing!”

Then Roger directed us to look at each camera and pose.  It was so funny.  He’s very generous in helping us make sure everyone got a good picture.

Tari: The last thing we expected was for Roger to stand around for a few minutes afterwards thanking us individually.

CM: I was surprised too.  He thanked us for everything and for the banner support all year.  It was funny because he tried to hand the old banner back to me.  I was like “No, Roger…this one is yours…the one that has been around the world”.  I think he got confused because he knew I had given him one at the practice court.

Tari: Have I mentioned yet that he is perfect?  Well, he is.

CM: It was surreal.  He is so incredibly generous with his fans.  It’s just the way he is.  I love how he looks you in the eye when you are talking to him.  He seems genuinely interested and never looks away.  And he’s tall too.  As I’m standing next to him in the picture, I’m thinking “Oh my God, I’m touching Roger’s shoulder and arm”…hahahahah.  Sometimes I truly feel 16 again!  And I have Tari to thank for that moment!  And Pete, of course.

CM and Tari:  Thanks Pete!

Roger and his girls. For those who dont know, that's Roger in  the middle (he's the one not in red).  CM to his right. And Tari is to her right.