February 19, 2016 -- The athletic department has a conference room that hosts most of the meetings that are scheduled. The meetings can be for the whole department itself, or for specific sports and their players. On this day, 2 of the chairs in the conference room needed to be replaced because of wear and tear. The individual in charge of these things was out sick, and I volunteered to provide assistance in the matter. I basically assembled 2 of these new chairs, and was able to see the storage room where all of the new and replacement items are kept. I actually enjoy putting things like this together, so it was no issue for me. Some of the people in the department felt it could wait, but I gladly volunteered and finished the task. That took a few hours, and then I was able to help Colm McFeely with modifying and typing a handout for the women's soccer team. It has been a long week, but I finished on a good note, go Tigers !
February 17, 2016 -- I am a little over half way through my mentorship, and I wanted to just touch upon some of the things that have stood out to me. For starters, I enjoy the fact that the athletic department is helping young men and women achieve some of their goals through and alongside sports. I have realized over the last few years, just how much sports means to me, and through that vehicle how I can help others and reach my goals as well. The athletic department at Occidental College has a family atmosphere, and this is helped by the fact that it is a smaller athletic program. All of the coaches that I have had the opportunity to work with have a genuine desire to coach their sport and see their players thrive and succeed. The likelihood of student-athletes turning pro for their respective sport is low, so the coaches are realistic with their athletic goals and expectations. This places a premium on the other intangibles, such as leadership, teamwork, and accountability. It is a cliche for a reason, but the lessons learned from their college athletic experience will be useful for the rest of these young peoples' lives.
February 12, 2016 -- Today's shift went by pretty quickly, as it seemed as though I was constantly on the move. To start things off, I helped the women's soccer coach, Colm McFeely, prepare some things for an upcoming match. I accompanied him to the storage space near the soccer practice field. I was not aware that there was a practice field, as it is located in a part of campus that I have never seen. The field is on a hill, with a panoramic view of Los Angeles, and the view is simply divine. There were a few loudspeakers that needed to be moved in preparation for a Saturday softball game. I ran about three more errands after this, which entailed making my way through the nooks and crannies of the campus. I also helped with some light setup for the women's softball game the next day, where they are set to begin their pre-conference schedule. To end the day, I was given the task of proofreading the programs for the men's baseball and women's softball game. Lo and behold, I discovered a few mistakes on both, so the programs for the games will be mistake free and clear.
February 10, 2016 -- For my posting last week, I mentioned how Oxy could benefit from an upgrade to their facilities. This would bring a nice change to the landscape of the campus, and more importantly, it could signify their commitment to their athletic program. In addition, this commitment would open the doors to landing better talent for their varsity teams. For many non-Division I schools, this is the difficult limbo that they often find themselves in. To break this cycle, the school has to declare that they are going to invest into their athletic program. Oxy can certainly afford to improve some of their facilities, as they are a liberal arts college with a tuition rate that is above average. This investment may attract more talent, which could improve some of their teams to the point of even making postseason appearances. At this stage, some success can lead to more fund allocation from the NCAA itself.
February 5, 2016 -- To continue from the posting from the other day, I was writing about how the funds are distributed by the NCAA. According to their website, only $15 million is allocated to both Divisions II and III. Just on the surface, that does not sound like much, especially since we are talking about schools all over the country. For schools in those divisions, more money will be pumped in when they have successful seasons in their varsity sports. This is somewhat of a catch-22, because it is often difficult for these schools to recruit top notch talent. As a result, many schools fall into a vicious cycle of mediocrity and even cellar dwelling. Speaking for Occidental College, they do not recruit the most astute of athletes, translating in poor team records, no post season hopes, and eventually being stuck in the same position year after year. Oxy plays in the SCIAC conference, and as I look at some of their varsity sports over the last 5 years, they remain in the middle of the pack. They could certainly use an upgrade to some of their facilities, and I am certain that upgrades such as these will attract more talent.
February 3, 2016 -- Some of the coursework that I have completed prior to this internship has certainly helped me in some ways. There were some things that I learned and some information that I gathered that is completely applicable to my current internship. As I have alluded to, Occidental College is a Division III NCAA institution. In one of the courses that I took, the allocation of funds by the NCAA was
explained to us. A big portion goes to the Division I schools, because quite simply, those are the programs that provide the most exposure, and hence the most money for themselves and the NCAA. A bulk of the money that the NCAA receives comes from their lucrative contract with CBS. Their newest contract was signed in 2010 and it was for $10.8 billion, over a 14 year span. That comes out to about $771 million dollars a year, quite a hefty sum. In short, that is virtually what the NCAA as an institution has survived on, and many critics will point out the NCAA's cartel like approach to certain issues. I think more money should be allocated to the lower divisions, as some athletic programs could use a makeover. |
Augustine Caguco
Play sports, work in sports, live through sports.
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