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SPORTSCENTER OFFERS VARIETY IN LEARNING EXPERIENCES
11-1-06
Only two months into our VCU SportsCenter graduate experience and we students have already had numerous great experiences. From bonding with each other to learning how to run and create events, we’ve done a lot. Since we’ve had these great times, each of us has decided to share with you just some aspects of what the VCU SportsCenter is all about.
Challenge Discovery
The first thing our class did as a group was to participate at the Challenge Discovery ropes course. Now I know what you are thinking: how much fun could a team-building activity be for a bunch of graduate school students? (Trust me, that’s what we were thinking.) However, after we all got there and the initial awkwardness had subsided, it turned out to be a lot of fun for everyone. We started the day by doing small team-building activities such as name games. This turned out to be harder than you might think because many of us were meeting each other for the first time. For one of our activities later in the day, we were given three planks of wood and were told we had to get across a 40-foot clearing with the help of only six supports already in the ground. In the beginning, this was difficult because everyone was talking at once and no one was in charge. As the activity went on, a few of us took more of the leadership roles and organized the rest of our team in a way to make a pretty quick and efficient path across this obstacle. After a quick lunch, we had the opportunity to climb the freestanding structure called the Alpine Tower. Everyone had the opportunity to climb if they wanted to, but no one was forced. As a team, we helped encourage each other to make it up as high as possible and everyone gave each other a lot of encouragement. Overall, the day turned out to be a very positive day. It helped us all get to know each other better and it jump-started the beginning of a great year.
VCU/Mattaponi Springs Shootout
During our first two months at VCU, we, as a class, volunteered to assist at several different events, including a golf tournament. The tournament was held at Mattaponi Springs, a golf course north of Richmond. This tournament was hosted by the VCU men’s golf team and included 13 other schools from around the country. The class spent the day taking turns acting as spotters and finding golf balls whenever the players hit them in the rough. Later this semester, we will be working in the concession stands at basketball games and during other Siegel Center special events. These activities help provide us with experience in different areas so we learn about different aspects of the sporting world and get to know what to expect as we gain more responsibility.
Lobs and Lessons
During our first day of classes, we were told that we would be participating in Lobs and Lessons. The instructor did not go into any detail whatsoever, so we were all wondering exactly what Lobs and Lessons was. After a couple of weeks, Kathleen Bowles, the director of Lobs and Lessons, came in and shed some light on the program. She told us we would be working with inner-city children from around the Greater Richmond area. So far, our group has done two sessions with the children and it has been a great experience. We travel to their after-school program and instruct them by running informative and fun lessons. The kids are a lot of fun to be around and they seem to have a great time, as do we. Some of the other students in our program teach the children tennis as well, hence the name Lobs and Lessons. We will continue with the program for the rest of this semester and next semester. We look forward to making a positive impact on these children’s lives.
“Big Event” Process
Each group was given the task of developing a “big event.” This idea will end up as some type of sports-related event being held at VCU sometime this year.
Our first task, as a group, was to come up with possible event ideas that would create exposure and revenue for the VCU SportsCenter and VCU as a whole. After coming up with a number of ideas, we narrowed our list down to two main ideas. We investigated these two ideas further so we could later present them to the rest of the class as well as a panel of sports-related professionals. We were in charge of the initial research and planning for the event. This process took a number of weeks, as there are many parts to planning an event.
After the initial research was completed, each group gave a formal presentation to a panel made up of businessmen within the Richmond area. Some of the businesses represented included the Richmond Kickers, the Richmond Braves, and the VCU Athletic Department. At the conclusion of the presentations, the panel narrowed down the possibilities for the “big event” to four ideas. At this juncture in the process, each of the four groups with event ideas selected are now continuing to research their ideas for the next panel presentation.
The exact event selected will be announced in the future. Stay tuned for more information on this exciting event that will take place at VCU in the coming year!
Classes and Trips
As we approach midterms during our first semester as SportsCenter scholars, we’ve gained enough insight into our innovative program to reflect and to look forward to next semester with great anticipation and eagerness.
Each day we begin class in the Sports Medicine building at 9am where we gain glimpses into our professional futures with Research, Sports Business, Action Learning, and Coaching & Administration. Depending on their elective choice, some students discuss current events and controversial issues in Contemporary Issues while others are learning about event and facilities management in a course of the same name.
Teamwork, “real world” experience, and practical application are three major underlying themes in the program. Our Research class has been charged with the challenge to do an actual research project on behalf of Nike marketing and research development. In Sports Business we have coordinated and organized a board, and “departments” of VCU SportsCenter students to oversee a project to publish a children’s book. As described earlier, Action Learning teams developed and then presented ideas for a large event to SportsCenter staff and community leaders to be decided on at a later date. Facilities management students are scheduled to attend a Washington Wizards NBA game in December to gain behind-the-scenes insight and meet with professional staff. The first day brought an awesome surprise as the Wizards’ Director of Basketball Administration, Tommy Sheppard, spoke candidly to our class.
VCU SportsCenter grad students will be in Charlotte, North Carolina on November 7th and 8th. During our trip, we will tour Bank of America Stadium, home of the Panthers, the U.S. National Whitewater Center, and the Bobcats Arena. Our guest speakers will include Jan Ivey of the Wachovia Cup; Greg Economou, NBA Senior VP of Marketing & Communications as well as the Bobcats Entertainment Executive CMO; Henry Thomas, Carolina Panthers’ Director of Broadcast Administration and Sponsor Events; and Jeff Wise, Executive Director of the U.S. Whitewater Center.
Our first semester has proven to be both enlightening and challenging. We welcome the challenges and growth that are sure to accompany next semester.
Internships
For the majority of the students in the VCU SportsCenter, classes and projects are not all that takes up their time. Thirty-five out of the forty-two students have internships that they are involved in daily. There are many different internships that the students are a part of that will give them great experiences for their future endeavors. All the members of the group writing this article are involved in a variety of internships. To give you an idea of what they entail, they will each be briefly explained, along with the mentor of this group’s actual job in the VCU Athletic Department.
Jen, who is the group’s mentor, works in the Athletic Department as the Assistant Compliance Director. This job entails quite a bit of paperwork, which includes signing off on travel authorizations, recruiting paperwork, official visits, financial aid, and more. She also responds to compliance-related questions from coaches, administrators and student-athletes. She oversees an intern and keeps everyone in the Athletic Department updated with new legislation. It’s hard to sum up her job in a short paragraph, because her job truly requires a lot of work.
Stuart works in the Athletic Communications Office. He prepares photos for the website, updates player bios, assists in researching old statistics, and helps make game programs. He is also in the process of making bios for everyone who works in the Athletic Department at VCU.
Jacob works with a company called ClibHoops, which is a professional basketball scouting service. Everything he does is centered on preparing teams for the NBA Draft. This requires him to assist in making databases of college player rankings by class, and in doing statistical manipulations to help teams make the best pick for their team.
Kim is an intern with the Richmond Ballerz, an ABA Team, which is a minor league basketball team in the area. She is charged with the responsibility to help develop a merchandising program, corporate sales initiatives, and season ticket packages. She is also responsible for special events and group sales orders as well as organizing and helping to facilitate special event nights, in-school presentations, and marketing plans. Game-day responsibilities include event management and inventory records.
Jon is a graduate assistant athletic trainer currently working with the men’s soccer team. In the spring, he will work with the baseball team. He says, “There are no two days that are alike while working as an ATC in college athletics.” His mornings include working with his athletes on rehabilitation programs for their different injuries, scheduling doctor appointments, and catching up on paperwork. He is there to help his athletes before, during, and after practice with their injuries and any taping they may need. When traveling with the team he is basically in charge of his team’s health and wellbeing while they are playing and practicing.
Quinn is an intern for the Ticket Office at the VCU Siegel Center. She works in the office during the week assisting with window and phone sales for athletic and special events. She also supervises soccer, volleyball, basketball, and baseball games along with handling any paperwork associated with those particular games. “My job is very customer service based and I have definitely been able to practice being personable with all kinds of customers,” she explains. Her internship requires a lot of time and effort, which in turn gives her a great experience.
Chris and Lauren are both interns in the Athletics Marketing and Promotions Office. Their responsibilities consist of promoting all the VCU sports games to the students around campus, working promotions during the games, brainstorming new ideas, making phone calls, and making VCU Athletics known around the area. They are both getting a lot of experience within this internship and enjoy seeing the behind-the-scenes aspects of college athletics.
We hope these vignettes have given you a glimpse into the world of the VCU SportsCenter and have helped you understand what it is that we do everyday. There is always something new happening and something new to learn. The VCU SportsCenter definitely offers a variety of opportunities and has been a wonderful experience for all of us so far.
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