Winter quarter was another stressful one for me. With 2 classes whose material did not compliment each other very well, on top of the ever demanding hours at my internship, it was again a quarter where everything came down to the last few days before getting finished, which is not typically the way this type A personality likes to work.
At this point in my education and my internship, I would hope that I would be in a position where I was beginning to develop expertise in some areas. I think that I can safely say that I am beginning to develop my own way of working with my students in order to get the most out of them. I have had to learn how each of them works, and what motivates them, and I think that I have successfully managed to do this. I have learned when to push and when to listen, and I feel that the relationships I've developed with my students have been positive ones.
The challenges with forming these relationships with students is that each one is a completely different entity. You have to learn how each student works best, and sometimes switch from one method to its complete opposite in minutes as students come in for meetings and appointments. As a female, you also have to be able to deal with dominant and intimidating male athletes who are not afraid to yell, scream, and cause a scene when things don't go their way. You have to have an understanding of their boundaries, and know when they're going to go off and when they'll just get angry and keep it inside. I've witnessed a few blow-ups in my few short months at my internship, and I've been on the receiving end of some venomous comments and glares. Fortunately, I've also gained the respect of most of the athletes who come through, so I know that I've got their support because I support them.
In this field, there is constant innovation and learning because people are dynamic, always changing, and so how you interact with them is always changing as well. I am always learning something new about the students I work with and how they learn, and why they behave the way they do. Each new piece of information allows for me to adjust how I interact with them and work with them.
It is my hope that once I am in the field professionally (and not just as an intern) that I can create an atmosphere with my students and my teams where we are constantly learning from each other. That is the challenge and the solution... Everything is always changing and so you must always change.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Autumn quarter in review...
One very large paper stands between me and the end of the quarter. This has been a challenging quarter, between 40+ hours per week at my internship and spending another grossly enormous amount of time completing readings, assignments, projects and the likes for my classes, I'm not sure everything has fully hit me yet. Perhaps that will happen when I venture home for the holidays; a short respite before it starts all over again January 3rd.
In looking back over what I've learned in all my classes so far, and the real time experiences I've had at my internship, I am beginning to see some of the major themes take form.
There's the arms race - Our relatively new football program still trying to find its legs, while attempting to gather the support and financing the other FBS schools have so that they can keep some of the amazing local talent, well, local.
Growth in facilities - 10 years into the program, our football team is, at long last, getting an on-campus stadium after finally securing the financing.
Academics vs. athletics - Student-athletes who may not have been accepted to the school based on their academic successes, accepted for their athletic abilities and the potential success they can provide to the program.
The fight between Olympic and non-Olympic sports - Our campus does not have a men's track & field team despite great interest, because they have not been able to create a way to balance out this new men's team with a women's team to stay compliant with Title IX.
Football will always be king - While home to virtually all athletics department staff, almost all the women's sports locker rooms, academics, sports medicine and university at large classrooms, football runs the athletic center building, and when they want a room or don't want you to have it, then it shall be done. When their staffing offices occupy as much space, if not more, than either the remainder of the athletics department staff and coaches offices and the academic support services offices and work space, it is clear who runs the show.
It's been interesting to see how everything comes out into the open when you've been trained to look for it. I can't wait to see what the next semester brings at my internship as football goes out of season, and the other sports take center stage, with some recently very successful teams. Will football remain king? My guess is yes, but I also think it will play a Prince Charles to the other sports' Prince William. Everyone knows football will be king, but a strong following want to jump over them to see what the young gun can do.
Here's to happy paper writing and a relaxing holiday break!
In looking back over what I've learned in all my classes so far, and the real time experiences I've had at my internship, I am beginning to see some of the major themes take form.
There's the arms race - Our relatively new football program still trying to find its legs, while attempting to gather the support and financing the other FBS schools have so that they can keep some of the amazing local talent, well, local.
Growth in facilities - 10 years into the program, our football team is, at long last, getting an on-campus stadium after finally securing the financing.
Academics vs. athletics - Student-athletes who may not have been accepted to the school based on their academic successes, accepted for their athletic abilities and the potential success they can provide to the program.
The fight between Olympic and non-Olympic sports - Our campus does not have a men's track & field team despite great interest, because they have not been able to create a way to balance out this new men's team with a women's team to stay compliant with Title IX.
Football will always be king - While home to virtually all athletics department staff, almost all the women's sports locker rooms, academics, sports medicine and university at large classrooms, football runs the athletic center building, and when they want a room or don't want you to have it, then it shall be done. When their staffing offices occupy as much space, if not more, than either the remainder of the athletics department staff and coaches offices and the academic support services offices and work space, it is clear who runs the show.
It's been interesting to see how everything comes out into the open when you've been trained to look for it. I can't wait to see what the next semester brings at my internship as football goes out of season, and the other sports take center stage, with some recently very successful teams. Will football remain king? My guess is yes, but I also think it will play a Prince Charles to the other sports' Prince William. Everyone knows football will be king, but a strong following want to jump over them to see what the young gun can do.
Here's to happy paper writing and a relaxing holiday break!
Like buildings, we build success one brick at a time
With the exception of one long paper due in a few days, I completed my assignments for the quarter last night when I submitted my Facility Enhancement Proposal. The purpose of this assignment was to enhance a currently existing athletics facility on our campus to meet the growing needs of the facility and its users. This could have been providing more space, updating features and facilities to meet codes, or enhancing certain features of the space to make seats more marketable or to allow sponsors more enticements for becoming involved among countless others.
My enhancement stepped away from the competition venues and took a look at the building that houses the athletics department, and focused on enhancing the student-athlete academic services offices and spaces so that they were more efficient and effective for the student-athletes, mainly through providing them with more space to grow and allow student-athletes to study comfortably.
What I learned about facility enhancement through this project is that there are a lot of small variables that can greatly impact whether or not you can succeed with an enhancement or even simply how you progress. For my enhancement, I had to come up with 2 separate plans for expanding the academic center - 1 for if the football offices moved into the new stadium when it was completed, and 1 for if they did not. While it may seem like a small difference, the resulting enhancements ranged on one end to simply taking over the abandoned space left by the exiting football personnel, to building an entirely new 2-story addition to house the academics center. Clearly this is going to have a huge impact on budget as well as what can be done with the different spaces to meet the needs of the student-athletes and the support staff.
I also learned that you have to be flexible with enhancements as sometimes you'll have to make decisions on the fly if something isn't turning out the way you want or expected. It's better to remain flexible and not get strung out over things as this will allow you to reevaluate and make changes more quickly.
I didn't learn much about my leadership style through this solo project, but I did learn that I have the ability to think through enhancement projects like this from start to finish, which I think will ultimately provide me with the confidence to broach an idea like this once I am within an athletics department. Demonstrating that confidence would hopefully also demonstrate my ability to think on my feet and take initiative on projects.
I'm excited to take what I learned with this project and add it to my tool belt for future jobs.
My enhancement stepped away from the competition venues and took a look at the building that houses the athletics department, and focused on enhancing the student-athlete academic services offices and spaces so that they were more efficient and effective for the student-athletes, mainly through providing them with more space to grow and allow student-athletes to study comfortably.
What I learned about facility enhancement through this project is that there are a lot of small variables that can greatly impact whether or not you can succeed with an enhancement or even simply how you progress. For my enhancement, I had to come up with 2 separate plans for expanding the academic center - 1 for if the football offices moved into the new stadium when it was completed, and 1 for if they did not. While it may seem like a small difference, the resulting enhancements ranged on one end to simply taking over the abandoned space left by the exiting football personnel, to building an entirely new 2-story addition to house the academics center. Clearly this is going to have a huge impact on budget as well as what can be done with the different spaces to meet the needs of the student-athletes and the support staff.
I also learned that you have to be flexible with enhancements as sometimes you'll have to make decisions on the fly if something isn't turning out the way you want or expected. It's better to remain flexible and not get strung out over things as this will allow you to reevaluate and make changes more quickly.
I didn't learn much about my leadership style through this solo project, but I did learn that I have the ability to think through enhancement projects like this from start to finish, which I think will ultimately provide me with the confidence to broach an idea like this once I am within an athletics department. Demonstrating that confidence would hopefully also demonstrate my ability to think on my feet and take initiative on projects.
I'm excited to take what I learned with this project and add it to my tool belt for future jobs.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Austin, TX Bids for the D2 Championship Festival... Sort of
Today brought with it the culmination of one of the most challenging group projects I've had to complete since my undergraduate years.
Our task: To select a city to host the 2013 Division II National Championships Festival and create a bid presentation, a complete marketing and promotions plan, a participants manual and an accompanying Facebook event, which we were to invite our classmates and instructors to. Trying to complete a project of this magnitude when group members are 3,000+ miles away, immersed in internships and jobs requiring 40+ hours per week, proved to be quite a challenge in logistics and coordination.
As for what I learned about event management and marketing from this project, I can't say it was much new. I've been planning and marketing events since I was 8 or 9 years old. My Girl Scout troop and I used to plan, organize and put on a handful of events each year for other troops in our council, which hundreds of girls and their troop leaders would attend each day. Additionally, prior to returning to school, I worked at an advertising and marketing agency where one of our services was planning and managing events and another was creating and executing marketing and promotions plans often times in conjunction with a PR firm we partnered with. I like to think events are what I do; they're a part of who I am. I suppose you could say what I did learn was that an event like the DII Festival existed and quite honestly had there been more time to actively work on this project and give it the attention I used to give the events I planned at my previous job, there would have been no contest as to which city would have won the bid.
When we turn this around to look at what I learned about my leadership skills during the completion of this project, I would say that much of what I already knew was confirmed through this project. While I often happily jump into the leadership role because, unfortunately, I'm a bit of a control freak and like to have control over my own grades and outcomes, just as often, leadership roles fall into my lap by default whether it's because I have a solid understanding of what needs to be accomplished or because people feel comfortable with me working them through the process successfully. I think that my "position" as the go-to person for questions on projects and assignments all summer and autumn quarters put me in the position of default leader for the group because they felt that I could direct them in the right direction with this project, while hopefully taking them along the least painful path. Additionally, as a leader I like everyone to feel comfortable when working on a project, and so I had each of my teammates select something they wanted to do so that hopefully they would tackle that component with enthusiasm. I often take a back burner on this and end up working on whatever no one else wants to work on, even if it's not my specialty. I'm willing to tackle the difficult components, while having my hands in everything else by helping teammates complete their parts. My role tends to end up with me as the hub of the group with my team members each bouncing ideas off of me and using me as the one person who knows every other component and how they should all mesh together to create one solid final outcome. I would say it's almost as though I'm the traffic cop for the group, directing everyone with their individual parts to one common central goal.
One area I've been able to improve upon a bit since my undergraduate group work days is delegating tasks and letting go of some things. I've learned that I simply can't take on everything and I have to begin to trust my team members to help me out and complete their components well.
Lastly, I take pride in often becoming the default leader because to me it shows that somewhere along the way I've managed to instill a confidence about myself in my team and that they are confident in me taking the lead on something that will affect their success in a class or on a project. As a leader in any capacity, there's not much more you can ask for.
Our task: To select a city to host the 2013 Division II National Championships Festival and create a bid presentation, a complete marketing and promotions plan, a participants manual and an accompanying Facebook event, which we were to invite our classmates and instructors to. Trying to complete a project of this magnitude when group members are 3,000+ miles away, immersed in internships and jobs requiring 40+ hours per week, proved to be quite a challenge in logistics and coordination.
As for what I learned about event management and marketing from this project, I can't say it was much new. I've been planning and marketing events since I was 8 or 9 years old. My Girl Scout troop and I used to plan, organize and put on a handful of events each year for other troops in our council, which hundreds of girls and their troop leaders would attend each day. Additionally, prior to returning to school, I worked at an advertising and marketing agency where one of our services was planning and managing events and another was creating and executing marketing and promotions plans often times in conjunction with a PR firm we partnered with. I like to think events are what I do; they're a part of who I am. I suppose you could say what I did learn was that an event like the DII Festival existed and quite honestly had there been more time to actively work on this project and give it the attention I used to give the events I planned at my previous job, there would have been no contest as to which city would have won the bid.
When we turn this around to look at what I learned about my leadership skills during the completion of this project, I would say that much of what I already knew was confirmed through this project. While I often happily jump into the leadership role because, unfortunately, I'm a bit of a control freak and like to have control over my own grades and outcomes, just as often, leadership roles fall into my lap by default whether it's because I have a solid understanding of what needs to be accomplished or because people feel comfortable with me working them through the process successfully. I think that my "position" as the go-to person for questions on projects and assignments all summer and autumn quarters put me in the position of default leader for the group because they felt that I could direct them in the right direction with this project, while hopefully taking them along the least painful path. Additionally, as a leader I like everyone to feel comfortable when working on a project, and so I had each of my teammates select something they wanted to do so that hopefully they would tackle that component with enthusiasm. I often take a back burner on this and end up working on whatever no one else wants to work on, even if it's not my specialty. I'm willing to tackle the difficult components, while having my hands in everything else by helping teammates complete their parts. My role tends to end up with me as the hub of the group with my team members each bouncing ideas off of me and using me as the one person who knows every other component and how they should all mesh together to create one solid final outcome. I would say it's almost as though I'm the traffic cop for the group, directing everyone with their individual parts to one common central goal.
One area I've been able to improve upon a bit since my undergraduate group work days is delegating tasks and letting go of some things. I've learned that I simply can't take on everything and I have to begin to trust my team members to help me out and complete their components well.
Lastly, I take pride in often becoming the default leader because to me it shows that somewhere along the way I've managed to instill a confidence about myself in my team and that they are confident in me taking the lead on something that will affect their success in a class or on a project. As a leader in any capacity, there's not much more you can ask for.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
My Late Summer/Early Fall Reflection
Back at the end of the summer, I realized that I gained a bit more of an understanding of why things were the way they were in college athletics. I was fully aware of many of the concepts that were discussed and brought up during our classes, but hearing more details from people who had experienced them first-hand gave me a new perspective on things.
I've always viewed the issues with college sports through the academic lens. Because that's what interests me, I've always taken a look at the rough and tumble kids that are recruited for their athletic abilities and not necessarily their academic abilities. I saw this exploitation without opening my eyes wide enough to really see that it was exploitation. What I saw was an under-served group of students who I wanted to help realize there was more to life than just sports, and for many of them there was going to have to be more than sports. I never wanted to be a dream crusher, but I wanted to help prepare these student-athletes for when "the league" managed to do that for them. I wanted to prepare them to "make it out" even if they couldn't do it through sports and entertainment.
I realized through my classes and interactions this summer that this isn't a simple task. I can't make someone care who doesn't want to, but I can hope that I can at least prepare the students I work with to face the world prepared for something. As I progress through the first months of my internship, I have witnessed first-hand the apathy some students view their school work with. Every day I am learning new ways to approach my students and work with them to get them excited about classes and doing well, and finding something they want to do with their lives after school and after sports.
I work directly with 13 students on a weekly basis and hundreds more indirectly. Each week I learn how each of these students work and respond to different methods of introducing information, absorbing information, and utilizing techniques and study skills and I deliver the same material to each of them in a way they'll be best able to utilize it. We talk football, baseball and boys and bring my world of academics into their world of sports and socializing with examples they can understand.
I want to keep growing these skills as I wrap up the fall semester with them. I've learned that by being flexible with my students and their learning styles they become more responsive. I think that this flexibility will help me become a stronger leader because it allows me to allow them to grow in their own way, but grow none the less. I've seen the change with many of my students over the course of the weeks we've been working together from skepticism to working with me to an open sharing of information, questions and concerns about their academics and how they can improve. I continue to learn as they continue to learn. That's a win-win situation if you ask me.
I've always viewed the issues with college sports through the academic lens. Because that's what interests me, I've always taken a look at the rough and tumble kids that are recruited for their athletic abilities and not necessarily their academic abilities. I saw this exploitation without opening my eyes wide enough to really see that it was exploitation. What I saw was an under-served group of students who I wanted to help realize there was more to life than just sports, and for many of them there was going to have to be more than sports. I never wanted to be a dream crusher, but I wanted to help prepare these student-athletes for when "the league" managed to do that for them. I wanted to prepare them to "make it out" even if they couldn't do it through sports and entertainment.
I realized through my classes and interactions this summer that this isn't a simple task. I can't make someone care who doesn't want to, but I can hope that I can at least prepare the students I work with to face the world prepared for something. As I progress through the first months of my internship, I have witnessed first-hand the apathy some students view their school work with. Every day I am learning new ways to approach my students and work with them to get them excited about classes and doing well, and finding something they want to do with their lives after school and after sports.
I work directly with 13 students on a weekly basis and hundreds more indirectly. Each week I learn how each of these students work and respond to different methods of introducing information, absorbing information, and utilizing techniques and study skills and I deliver the same material to each of them in a way they'll be best able to utilize it. We talk football, baseball and boys and bring my world of academics into their world of sports and socializing with examples they can understand.
I want to keep growing these skills as I wrap up the fall semester with them. I've learned that by being flexible with my students and their learning styles they become more responsive. I think that this flexibility will help me become a stronger leader because it allows me to allow them to grow in their own way, but grow none the less. I've seen the change with many of my students over the course of the weeks we've been working together from skepticism to working with me to an open sharing of information, questions and concerns about their academics and how they can improve. I continue to learn as they continue to learn. That's a win-win situation if you ask me.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
On to the next chapter
We've been out of classes for one week, and I will admit that it was probably one of the hardest weeks I've had all summer. Spending virtually every day for 8 weeks with the same small group of people results in bonds and friendships being established that are hard to break. And going from seeing everyone every day to not seeing anyone was a rude awakening.
America's Team has touched my heart. America's Team are the 25 other people I spent my summer with learning, growing, playing, laughing and who knows what else together. I learned a lot from my classes over these 8 weeks, but I learned just as much from my classmates. We got eerily close very quickly and we've been told by many that we're all way too comfortable with each other. But in an industry like ours, I'm glad to have these 25 on my side - on my team. These are the people I'll be moving through the ranks with, the people who may hire me when their institution has an opening and visa versa. These are the people I want working in the athletics departments at the schools my future kids will attend.
As I start the next chapter in my story with the start of my internship at Florida Atlantic University for the next 9+ months, it is a calming feeling to know that I have a support system that spans the country (literally). So as I jump into this new adventure, I wish the rest of America's Team luck as they too take their first steps into the world of intercollegiate (and interscholastic) athletics. See you in October kids!
America's Team has touched my heart. America's Team are the 25 other people I spent my summer with learning, growing, playing, laughing and who knows what else together. I learned a lot from my classes over these 8 weeks, but I learned just as much from my classmates. We got eerily close very quickly and we've been told by many that we're all way too comfortable with each other. But in an industry like ours, I'm glad to have these 25 on my side - on my team. These are the people I'll be moving through the ranks with, the people who may hire me when their institution has an opening and visa versa. These are the people I want working in the athletics departments at the schools my future kids will attend.
As I start the next chapter in my story with the start of my internship at Florida Atlantic University for the next 9+ months, it is a calming feeling to know that I have a support system that spans the country (literally). So as I jump into this new adventure, I wish the rest of America's Team luck as they too take their first steps into the world of intercollegiate (and interscholastic) athletics. See you in October kids!
The Sociology of Education - Reflection on Wk. 8
And so this week brings to a close our crazy summer course load. 8 weeks of readings, guest speakers, panels, projects, group work, and papers. This week worked to tie together everything we'd covered over the 7 previous weeks.
We took a good look at the groundwork that is set for many students coming into college (if they even get there) and realized that as educators, as leaders in athletics, we can make a difference. And that that difference can be as simple as believing in a child and showing them that someone cares for them and their well being - someone wants them to succeed.
Not every kid is lucky enough to have numerous opportunities growing up or the support of family and community. For many, school is an escape from the troubles and hard times they face at home. By making school a place that they want to be, students are given opportunities to succeed on their own, despite their environment.
The reason I went back to school and joined this program is because I want to be that person, that support for students. College, and intercollegiate athletics, is an entirely unique beast to tackle, but it is my goal to provide student-athletes with the support and the services and challenges they deserve, both athletically and academically. I want to see these students earn their degrees and feel that sense of pride in accomplishment. I want to give them something to hang their hat on besides their athletics. I know it will be hard to compete with $45 million contracts to play professionally, or unsupportive families, or the struggles that came before college, but I'm willing to give it a try - and I'm hoping to win some of these battles.
We took a good look at the groundwork that is set for many students coming into college (if they even get there) and realized that as educators, as leaders in athletics, we can make a difference. And that that difference can be as simple as believing in a child and showing them that someone cares for them and their well being - someone wants them to succeed.
Not every kid is lucky enough to have numerous opportunities growing up or the support of family and community. For many, school is an escape from the troubles and hard times they face at home. By making school a place that they want to be, students are given opportunities to succeed on their own, despite their environment.
The reason I went back to school and joined this program is because I want to be that person, that support for students. College, and intercollegiate athletics, is an entirely unique beast to tackle, but it is my goal to provide student-athletes with the support and the services and challenges they deserve, both athletically and academically. I want to see these students earn their degrees and feel that sense of pride in accomplishment. I want to give them something to hang their hat on besides their athletics. I know it will be hard to compete with $45 million contracts to play professionally, or unsupportive families, or the struggles that came before college, but I'm willing to give it a try - and I'm hoping to win some of these battles.
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