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 SPORTSCENTER STUDENTS GET CAREER ADVICE IN CHARLOTTE
10-20-05
On October 18, 2005, thirty-five VCU SportsCenter students set out for a two-day trip to Charlotte, North Carolina, as part of the SportsCenter's interactive educational experience. The SportsCenter uses these trips to provide a real world look at various jobs in the sporting industry. Trips such as these are an excellent complement to the knowledge gained in the classroom. Mike Ellis, Director for Recruiting and Special Programs, said, "I feel this trip is a great experience for the students because it exposes them to a variety of careers across the sports spectrum and creates early networking opportunities to capitalize on as the year progresses."
Regardless of each individual's professional goals or interests, on the trip there were many opportunities to gain knowledge in all facets of the industry. Our first stop was at Lowe's Motor Speedway, where Humpy Wheeler, president of the speedway, gave us insight into the world of running a super speedway, which involves such things as operations, marketing, promotions, and diversification. Mr. Wheeler also emphasized the importance of being creative or recognizing creativity. Creativity helped Wheeler introduce the world of NASCAR to night racing under the lights.
We later traveled to the Barnhardt Student Activity Center on the campus of UNC Charlotte where we met with a variety of professionals for interactive discussions. Tom Renedo, who is involved in licensing for EA Sports, talked about what his job as a licensor entails and also other aspects of the company. Next we met with Jim Bailey, creator and CEO of Red Moon Marketing, who is most notably known for bringing Jack Daniels into NASCAR. The next speaker was Mike Hummer, Executive Director for UNC Charlotte's Athletic Foundation, who spoke with us about the ups and downs of fundraising for a Division 1-AAA institution. Speedway Motorsports, Incorporated's Mike Burch talked with us about sponsorships and also the importance of networking. Riley Fields, Community Relations Manager for the Carolina Panthers, excited students with the possibility of working alongside professional athletes and discussed several of the Panthers' community outreach programs.
A highlight of our trip was the behind-the-scenes look we got of the new Charlotte Bobcats Arena, which had yet to officially open. We saw everything from the luxury boxes to the underground VIP night clubs to the players' locker rooms. We ended our time in Charlotte with an extensive look at the Ganassi Racing Team's stockcar headquarters. Students were amazed at everything that went into designing the perfect car, as Ganassi does all of its work in-house.
Overall the trip was not only a great chance for the students to get to know each other better, but also to learn about professional opportunities and develop contacts. SportsCenter student Jake Scott commented, "Whether you want to be a coach or video game licensor, everyone could take home something beneficial they learned from this trip. It was a great experience!" As we embarked on our trip to Charlotte, students had a vision of what they saw in their futures, yet when we returned students were enlightened with the opportunities the sports world has to offer.
By: Patrick Gibbs, Travis Jones, Brent Kintzer, Taryn Wyckoff
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