Written by: Kasperi Ojantakanen

My name is Kasperi Ojantakanen and I am originally from Helsinki, Finland. This summer my internship was with the Finnish Triathlon Association which is located right in Helsinki. I was very fortunate to obtain this internship, thanks to a pre-existing connection with the executive director of the association. Because of our connection I was able to solidify a meeting and as a result she offered me the position.  

Throughout the summer I had the opportunity to work on various tasks. I started my internship remotely because my athletic demands at UConn prevented me from being on-site for the first month. However, during this time I completed a range of tasks which included translating doping rules and the International Triathlon Union’s competition rules from English to Finnish.

During the month of June, I worked in the office and even traveled to different national and international triathlon events throughout Finland where I was responsible for various tasks that related to event preparation.  These tasks included building stations and bike racks, fencing the area, putting up event sponsor banners, and selling triathlon licenses. On competition days I had different responsibilities such as working as a bike inspector, working at supply stations, and working as a guide. In the office, my responsibilities required me to manage participation lists for different competitions, update information in the database, and keep track of individual triathlon standings.

During my internship, I was able to further develop my skills and put them into practice as well as learn about everything that goes into event management and event-day operations. I met and worked with different groups of people who all have their own, unique way of preparing for events. I believe this experience helped me to gain insight on different styles of event management. For my future career path, I could see myself working in some aspect of event management, and I believe that my internship gave me more tools to be successful in my future career.

Written by: Kim Urbanek

My name is Kim Urbanek and I am from Nürnberg, Germany, the second largest city in the state of Bavaria. This past summer, my internship was with an organization called SportService Nürnberg, the official Department of Sports of the municipality of Nürnberg.

The SportService Nürnberg is a non-profit organization consisting of five departments and 16 employees. Due to the relatively small number of employees, I was able to get a brief insight into every department. The departments are structured into sport development, sport facility management, public relations, controlling/budget management and sport promotion which is then further divided into development of club sport, promotion of club sport, subsidy management, and integration. Apart from getting to know usual work tasks and general procedures in the different departments, the main project I was involved in during my internship was the organization and realization of a soccer tournament called Metropolcup. Throughout the tournament, 23 teams united to offer a comprehensive program of activities and entertainment for both participants and visitors. During the organizational process of Metropolcup, I was able to follow and contribute to the many steps that were necessary to make the event run smoothly. Some of the various tasks I was assigned to were creating a match schedule, comparing and ordering trophies for the winning teams, providing food services, arranging an appealing entertainment program, or informing teams, referees, the sport venue operator, and other constituents with necessary details about the tournament. Since the tournament represented the Europäische Metropolregion Nürnberg (European Metropolitan Region Nuremberg), various high-profile companies sponsored the event, including Adidas, Puma, and Nürnberger Versicherung (a well-known insurance company in Germany). It was a great experience to meet and be in direct contact with representatives of these companies while simultaneously get a glimpse of what the environment and atmosphere in the sport industry is like.

The SportService Nürnberg was a great first experience in the sport industry and showed me the diverse field of activities and the multiple sectors and possible directions in sport business. Some key takeaways that I gained from this internship were taking initiative, not hesitating to reach out to both familiar or foreign people alike, being open to new tasks that are out of my comfort zone, and most importantly being adaptable and flexible. Furthermore, I learned that when interacting with people it is particularly important to be patient while concurrently being persistent.

Being an intern at the organization SportService Nürnberg really helped me to gain more insight  about the Sport Industry as a whole and made me realize that I like a diverse work life, preferably in a well-recognized and international company. Even though I am still uncertain about what exactly I want to pursue as a primary focus, I am more convinced than ever before to be a part of the sport industry.

Written by: Ryan Steinman

My name is Ryan Steinman and I am a rising senior at the University of Connecticut. I am from Rocky Hill, CT, which is located right outside of Hartford. This summer, I was lucky enough to intern with the Connecticut Basketball School where I served as the Director of Social Media and Marketing. The Connecticut Basketball School is one of the oldest basketball camps in the country in its 59th year, which was celebrated on August 5th. The camp takes place in Oakdale, CT on St. Thomas More School’s campus. I obtained this internship through my high school physical education teacher who is a co-director of the camp. With little to no presence on social media, he brought me in to change that reality, modernize the camp’s identity, and drive attendance.

I began this experience by meeting with my former teacher and going over his expectations for the summer. Once this was clear, I began driving around the state a few days a week to hand out pamphlets which consisted of all necessary camp information and details. Being that their target age is 9-17, I went to high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools. In May, I focused on in-person marketing and working to familiarize the Connecticut Basketball School name with schools across the state. Once my academic year ended, I shifted my focus to social media where I began using Instagram and Twitter to advertise the camp online. With an account name of @ctbballschool I was able to create posts on both platforms that included camp updates, photos, general information, etc. The camp ran from August 5th through August 17th and during this time, I captured live footage, make posts, and helped out in various ways.

The biggest takeaway from this internship was the development of my social media and marketing skills as well as the connections I established with the staff. I never knew exactly what I wanted to focus on within the sport industry, but this internship showed me that marketing is definitely an option. I hope my ability to market a product in-person as well as via social media will set me up to land a job next summer. I plan to network with the staff and utilize their connections in the basketball industry to set myself up for the future.

Written by: Mary Jastrzebski

My name is Mary Jastrzebski, I am originally from West Hartford, CT., and this past summer I interned with the Connecticut Sun; a WNBA team that plays at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT. I obtained this internship based off connections that I made through the contacts I found on Mohegan Sun’s website, which eventually led to an interview and then the position.

One project I assisted with involved researching and gathering data on local businesses that support breast cancer awareness. The CT Sun team hosts various breast cancer awareness events, so I contacted local businesses to see if they would be willing to help us promote the events. I also created graphics that were displayed on the jumbotron during games. This was challenging because I had to learn how to create these graphics from scratch, but once I had the finished product, it felt amazing. This position required a lot of interaction with people on a daily basis, our fans in particular, as we requested help in promoting team games and special events. I’m a people person so I really enjoyed this part of the internship. I got the chance to meet some of the WNBA players, such as UConn alumna, Rebecca Lobo, and the VP of the CT Sun team, Amber Cox.

One of the main takeaways I’ve gotten from this internship is that in sport, there is no such thing as 'one person does one job'. Everyone wears a lot of different hats and helps out where they are needed, so even if your job is with will-call, you could be helping roll t-shirts before a game. Another takeaway I’ve gotten from this internship is that social media plays a huge part in promoting, and a lot of time, work, and thought goes into each post. Every single post has to be sent out to the public at just the right time, being sure to include attention grabbing images, words, colors, and more. From this, I’ve learned that social media/marketing is the career path that I’m most interested in. I would really like to help market a team by helping with their social media presence by thinking of interesting and creative ways to grow their fan base.

Written by: Ashley Marti

My name is Ashley Marti and I am originally from Cazenovia, NY.  This summer I interned with AVPFirst volleyball organization, assisting with their marketing and programming efforts in Newport Beach, CA. AVPFirst is the nonprofit youth initiative of the AVP Professional Beach Volleyball Tour. The organization hosts junior tournaments, community clinics, and is in the process of creating community leagues and building/renovating courts throughout the country.

My main role was to represent AVPFirst at all of the pro tour stops throughout the country, including NYC, Seattle, San Francisco, Hermosa Beach, and Manhattan Beach. At these events, we fundraised for AVPFirst through opportunity drawings, silent auctions, and a partnership with Hydro Flask. In addition to fundraising, we also helped to run the AVPFirst junior tournament at each stop. The organization is still in its early stages and with beach volleyball being a niche sport, the opportunity for growth is tremendous as it pushes to be more mainstream.

Having worked for UConn Athletics in marketing and operations, it was exciting to work for a professional organization and to see how differently they function. With beach volleyball being a tour sport, there were a few moving pieces to consider and coordination required to continually put on a high quality event wherever the location may be. The experience I have gained has been great, and I can see myself pursuing a career in this field. I would love to work abroad and the FIVB (International Volleyball Federation) would combine that with my love for the sport!

Written by: Liwei Ye

My name is Liwei Ye and I am an international student from China. My internship this past summer was with the First Tee of Connecticut. The First Tee is a non-profit youth golf organization whose goal is to introduce kids to the game of golf, while teaching them life skills and lessons along the way. I began volunteering with the First Tee last summer as a coach, so I was excited to advance to the position of Summer Community Outreach Intern this summer.

In the beginning of my internship, I mainly focused on office related tasks, such as using the printer and stamp maker. One of the bigger projects I worked on involved using a program called Salesforce to update summer program information on the First Tee website. Another big project involved clearing out the storage garages by sorting all of the golf clubs and teaching equipment. Both of these projects required strong attention to detail, because any mistake would have inconvenienced others in the future. We also held different golf events throughout the summer, such as the Final Open and Walmart Charity Classic. I contributed by helping with the setup and breakdown of events. These events gave me a great opportunity to meet and network with individuals from a variety of different fields.

I still have some exciting things to look forward to that are coming up in my internship, such as the Travelers Championship where I will have the chance to meet many PGA professionals. UConn’s very own alumni, Ray Allen, will speak at the Patron’s Breakfast during Travelers Weekend. I’ll also be working a lot of camps in different areas of Connecticut throughout the rest of the summer.

I am a double major in Sport Management and Statistics, so I am very interested in sport analytics in particular. Although this internship does not deal with sport analytics, the experience is definitely helpful for my career in the long run. It not only provides me with experience in event management, but it also allows me to gain a look at the operations of a non-profit organization that has managed to expand its chapter all over the nation. Raising money is a large part of the operation, and I think knowing how to successfully raise money for an event or business is extremely important, especially if I want to start up my own business one day. In addition, I was able to go out and talk to a diverse group of people who work in the field. I felt my contributions to the program have been really meaningful, and I have enjoyed making a difference for kids.

Written by: Walker Hill

My name is Walker Hill and I live in Jacksonville, FL. This past summer, I found an internship in a field I had absolutely no experience in, but was related to my professional aspirations. Through the Husky Leads Tier II Mentorship Program, a program designed to pair students and faculty with similar backgrounds and professional interests, my mentor helped me find my internship.

For the last few months, I have worked in Gampel Pavillion with UConn Athletics, specifically in the Compliance Department. My title for the summer was Intern Assistant for Compliance Services. The rules governing collegiate athletics are so expansive and detailed you need an office like compliance to ensure everyone is operating in co-ordinance with the NCAA bylaws. In particular, UConn Athletics examines many different areas, such as eligibility, financial aid, ethical conduct, amateurism, and awards & benefits. These different areas focus on assisting prospective student athletes (PSA's), coaches and non-coaching staff members so they comply with these rules.

This experience started with simple yet tedious tasks which included filing, scanning and organizing all of the official and unofficial recruit visit forms and all of the compliance forms staff and coaches sign at the beginning of the year. I learned the importance of scanning, organizing, and filing which serves as proactive measures in case the NCAA or internal investigators examine our athletic department. Collegiate athletics are constantly under a microscope and it is extremely important for the school and athletic department to have everything documented well.

As the internship progressed, I started working on more difficult jobs, such as running weekly reports for PSA’s and creating new financial aid agreements for incoming PSA’s and returning student athletes (SA). Compliance has a hand in many departments across campus, so although I was primarily stationed in Gampel, I also got to work with the ticketing office, admissions, and student athletes themselves. This position also yielded the opportunity to meet many different coaches, Beth Goetz, UConn's former COO, and David Benedict our Athletic Director, which expanded my professional network.

In my previous summer jobs, I have always worked as a camp counselor or swim coach, so this office related experience was new for me but as tasks were assigned, I greeted them with positivity. I used this opportunity to learn more about projects, reports, and other applicable information and paired it with my experiences both as a prospective student athlete and as a student athlete, which helped me to understand why coaches do what they do, when and why.  I intend to use this internship experience in the coaching field, as I would ultimately like to coach a power 5 swimming and diving program and eventually transition into the administration component for collegiate or professional athletics.

Written by: Chris Judson

My name is Chris Judson and I have had the amazing opportunity to intern with CrossFit New England in Natick, MA, for the past three months.  I have learned so much and have had the opportunity to improve my coaching skills and better my fitness levels by working with some of the best trainers in the sport, which has been a humbling experience. I have met many amazing people and have learned a lot about the business side of what it takes to run a gym.

My special project of the summer was to put on a watch party event for the CrossFit games in August so that all of our members would get a chance to watch and cheer on the athletes that were competing from our area. This project taught me a lot about marketing strategies which granted me insight into how CrossFit competitions are designed.

This internship has taught me a lot about how to structure an event and market that event around the local area. I hope that these skills will translate into a great career in the future within the sport industry.

Written by: Merlin Neal

My name is Merlin Neal and this summer I had the opportunity to intern with the Aspire Group at the University of Connecticut, in  Storrs, CT. For the duration of this internship I worked out of Gampel Pavillion as a ticket sales and service intern, where I developed and practiced sales skills and provided professional service and support to UConn sport fans. Using my connections as a marketing assistant with the department of athletics, I was able to secure this full time internship for the summer.

In this role, I covered specific subgroups of sales and marketing for a delegated period of time. One of the main tasks I worked on throughout this internship, and will continue to work on, are my sales skills. This skill developed by going over the structured sales call method outlined in the Aspire employee playbook in addition to role playing with employees from other Aspire calling centers across the country. These calls yielded valuable feedback and identified the things I need to improve on with my sales pitch. I also worked on data entry, which included updating and entering information into the daily call logs that the full time staff use to record their data and track their work. This organizational structure allowed me to learn how the Aspire UConn Fan Relationship Management Center (FRMC) uses the data to track progess once it's been sent to the headquarters in Atlanta, GA.

The main takeaway I acquired from this role is that sales is a tough industry. Learning to intelligently, naturally, and confidently speak to clients takes practice and working on those sales skills is the only way to get better. Right now I am aiming to pursue a career in marketing in the sport industry. This internship has taught me the value in selling your crafted pitch and being able to effectively communicate with clients and other partners, both of which is an important component of being successful in the sport business industry.

Written by: Kelli Bates

My name is Kelli Bates and this summer I worked as an Event Management and Marketing Intern for USA Rugby, which was based in Lafayette, CO.

This internship consisted of a wide range of responsibilities and opportunities; including but not limited to, creating marketing ideas and strategies to promote and plan international events while building relationships for future sponsorships. I've had the opportunity to travel throughout Colorado, attending different events while documenting and learning what goes on behind the scenes. I was able to assist in the growth of rugby through clinics and social media promotions.

This internship has taught me a lot about non-profit organizations which includes both positive and negative aspects, but ultimately, it helped me identify that working for a non-profit is a great experience because it allows you to focus on the expansion and growth of the company which creates a plethora of opportunities for everyone. This experience allowed me to expand my skill set in both event management and marketing, and in turn develop new skills that I can use as I continue my undergraduate degree with the Sport Management Program.