Game Operations
Maggie
Experience Information
Employer: Grand Valley State University
Job Title: GVSU Game Operations Intern
Major: Sport Management
Received Credit: Yes
Paid: No
Abroad: No
Description of the Organization
This past semester I interned for Grand Valley State University Game Operations Department within Athletics.
Description of the Tasks/Projects Completed
In the Grand Valley athletic department I worked on various tasks. My day looked different every time I was interning. Some days I would work at one of the sporting events. I often set up and tore down for the basketball games. I also did track and field set up and tear down. That involved moving all of the equipment in the right place and making sure everything was ready for the meet. For the basketball games I would do various tasks. Some days I would make sure the refs got to the game on time, or sometimes I would walk the team to the locker room. Every week I would go into the office to take care of various tasks. I would be in charge of doing facility checks and putting in maintenance orders if anything needed to be fixed. I made sure that all of the packages in the field house got delivered to the right owner. I would take photos at different games and manuals that student workers use for various sporting events. Those manuals were the reference point that the workers would use.
Skills/Knowledge Gained Through The Experience
One of the skills that I gained throughout this experience was problem solving. Previously, my confidence in my problem solving abilities has never been great. I have been used to being told what to do in the classroom. So at first I had a hard time having to make some decisions on my own. But once I started just going with my gut feeling, I started to gain more confidence in myself. Another skill that I gained was being more comfortable with asking questions. Constantly asking questions has allowed me to understand more of my supervisor's experiences which in turn has helped me find out what I am curious and passionate about.
Favorite Part of the Experience
My favorite part about my experience was working with amazing people. I absolutely loved my supervisors and everyone that I was surrounded by. They were the reason that I loved my internship so much. They never made me feel like I was a burden. They were also willing to be patient with me and answer all of my random questions. They helped me grow my love for various sports as well. I loved having the opportunities to watch a variety of sporting events and having the privilege of doing some behind the scenes work. I loved taking great pride in working for Grand Valley. Traveling around for my own sport I was able to witness first hand how not all school game operations execute to the same level as Grand Valley. I also loved the fact that each day I was able to talk about previous games that happened the day before with everyone in the office.
How the Experience Influenced Future Career Goals
This experience will directly impact my future career goals because it has allowed me to see almost every aspect of athletics. I loved working in game operations because it allowed me to constantly be on the move. I was always talking to a variety of different people from all departments. This internship gave me the opportunity to see all of the different jobs that are involved in sports. The experience allowed me to see each department and whether or not my skills would align better with a different department. This internship gave me great connections and knowledge that I will be able to apply to all of my future career goals. This experience empowered me to be myself and gave me hope that there is a job for me that will let me love what I do.
Internship Format
In Person