jhancock@journalnet.com

POCATELLO - Rebecca Anderson said her first year as executive director for the Simplot Games has been fun, challenging and exhilarating.

Anderson, who took over for longtime director Carol Lish after she retired last year, spent about two years as a volunteer for the national high school track-and-field event.

She was then tapped as Lish's successor and worked for three years as the former director's assistant. All that time shadowing her mentor made the transition easier, but not as smooth as Anderson would have thought.

"I compare it to being in the passenger seat while your mom is driving the car and thinking 'I can do that,'" she said. "But it's very different when you get behind the wheel."

One of the biggest projects Anderson has handled as the new executive director is the transition of the Simplot Games to a registration system that's completely electronic.

"We've been on pins and needles waiting to see if it worked right," she said. "It's worked out really well."

Not only is it paperless, but the ease of registration has led more athletes not associated with a group going to the games to sign up on their own.

"Technology is so much easier," Anderson said. "No one has to worry about whether we got their entry. They can just go online and check. Also, they are paying electronically, so we are not having to handle and deposit a bunch of checks."

The Simplot Games will be hosted at Idaho State University's Holt Arena Feb. 19-21.

But for Anderson, being involved isn't just a job, it's been about an historical association with the primary sponsor of the games and a family member's love of the sport.

"My dad was a Simplot employee," said Anderson, a Pocatello native. "My son also went to Highland and was a track champion."

During her time with the games, Anderson said she has been both impressed, and at times overwhelmed, by the generosity of the community, the sponsors and the volunteers.

"The doors are always open," she said. "You say Simplot Games and people say, "yes, what can I do.'"

And now for the questions:

ISJ: What's your favorite food?

Anderson: Ice Cream.

ISJ: When (and if) you arrive at the gates of Heaven, what would you like to hear God say to you?

Anderson: Welcome home - how was your trip?

ISJ: Any regrets?

Anderson: Definitely - but you repent and move on.

ISJ: What's the heaviest piece of furniture in your house?

Anderson: The china hutch built by my husband.

ISJ: If you won the lottery, how would you spend the money?

Anderson: Put my grandkids through college.

ISJ: What was the best day of your life?

Anderson: The day I married Kyle.

ISJ: The worst day?

Anderson: The day before the Simplot Games begin.

ISJ: What's in your refrigerator?

Anderson: I haven't look in my fridge for two weeks.

ISJ: What's under your bed?

Anderson: Cat hair.

ISJ: What was the best piece of advice you ever received?

Anderson: Remember to always take care of the alligator closest to your boat.

ISJ: What is your guilty pleasure?

Anderson: Chocolate.

ISJ: Who is (was) your mentor?

Anderson: Carol Lish.

ISJ: What chores do you do around the house?

Anderson: Until after the Simplot Games, not any!

ISJ: What was the first album you ever owned?

Anderson: Rubber Soul by the Beatles.

ISJ: What's your idea of the perfect vacation?

Anderson: Scuba diving in the Caribbean.

ISJ: Favorite musical era?

Anderson: 1970s Disco.

ISJ: What's your greatest fear?

Anderson: Driving on slick roads.

ISJ: What's your worst personal trait?

Anderson: Always trying to change things.

ISJ: What's your biggest pet peeve?

Anderson: People who won't change.

ISJ: How would you like to die?

Anderson: Airplane crash on the way HOME from a cruise.