Alright so I just went through the whole circus of grabbing tickets for the CHSAA girls playoffs next month online. Figured I’d dump my experience here since folks keep asking how it went down. Buckle up, it was a ride.
The Ticket Hunt Begins
First thing yesterday morning, I hear rumblings that tickets were gonna drop soon for the high school girls playoffs here. Realized I hadn’t booked crap yet. Jumped on my laptop around 10 AM to check the official CHSAA site, obviously. Started poking around their “Events” section like a blind man in a maze. Where the heck are these basketball tickets hiding?
- Scrolled forever: Found football updates, wrestling schedules… zero basketball.
- Tried the search bar: Typed “girls basketball playoffs” – nada, zip.
- Got desperate: Clicked every tab like “Tickets” and “Winter Sports.” Felt like running in circles.
Finally Found ‘Em (Almost)
Almost gave up when I spotted it – buried under “Tournaments” or something ridiculous. A tiny link saying “2025 Basketball Playoff Information.” YES! Clicked it… and bam. Page loaded slower than my grandma climbing stairs. Just spinning, spinning. Refreshed twice like an idiot. Ughhh. Took like five minutes before it decided to work.
When it finally loaded, saw the ticket page. Simple looking, right? Ha. Wanted good seats for me and my kid. Saw a button for “Buy Tickets Online.” Hit it and… login screen. Crud. Forgot my darn password.
Password Panic & Seat Stress
Entered my usual password. Wrong. Tried my kid’s birthday. Nope. Started sweating. Hit “Forgot Password.” Email took its sweet time getting to me. Reset the dang thing. Got back in, finally.
- Seat selection map: Super simple? Nope. Looked like some kind of pixel art. Could barely tell what was a seat and what wasn’t.
- Click section: Nothing. Click again. Suddenly, half the court was grayed out! “Sold out already?” Panic!
- Found two: Section 103, Row E. Good angle near the free throw line. Clicked them. Fingers crossed…
The Payment Grind
Got ’em in my cart! Sweet! Timer starts – 10 minutes to pay. Easy, I thought. Filled in the card details super fast.
- First try: Hit “Complete Purchase.” Loading… then ERROR: “Payment Declined.” What?! Card’s fine!
- Tried again: Same error. Sweat level rising.
- Changed cards: Used a different credit card. Crossed my toes too this time.
- Success!: Finally got the “Thank You” screen after like four tries. Almost lost those seats! Got the email confirmation seconds later. Phew!
Moral of the story? Be ready for the website to suck a bit. Have your password ready. Have TWO cards ready. And for the love of basketball, don’t hesitate when you see seats you like. They vanish like donuts in a cop shop. Now I gotta explain to my kid why I yelled at my laptop. Totally worth it!