March 18, 2016 -- Today was one of those days that just flew by. It amazes me how there will be days when time is dragging , but today was not one of those days. It seemed like the minute I started the day, I was constantly on the move. Today was payday for the athletic department, so I made several trips to human resources across campus to drop off documents and also retrieve some of the staff's paychecks. I performed some traditional intern work, such as getting some paperwork from some of the staff that they wanted to shred. I do not mind doing tasks such as this, because in the grand scheme of things, it will help to prevent clutter and it is making the overall running of the department a bit smoother. I concluded the day by inputting the women's softball schedule for the rest of the season into the athletic department calendar. This calendar is what is eventually put into the athletics website for anyone to see if they need information. I like having this behind the scenes access, as it gives me more insight into how things are run, and it gives me a sense of being part of the athletic department team.
March 16, 2016 -- Two of the things that we are allowed to address in these journals are what we like most about our mentorship experience and also what we like least. I will use this entry to discuss what I do not like particularly. To be clear, it does not actually have to do specifically with this mentorship, but something more general that has shown up from time to time during the experience. What I like least is being shackled to my desk and cubicle. I have had jobs in the past where I was sitting at a desk for basically the whole work day, and it highlighted to me what I did not want in my future jobs and career. Granted, any administrative job will have its share of desk work, and sports administration is no exception, but as long as I can keep this to a minimum then that is okay with me. I like the fact that I can oversee basically all of the varsity sports, and that I am able to be "out in the field" from time to time. Prior to my enrollment at Tiffin, I was in the medical field where the bulk of my jobs were to sit at a desk for most of the day. One of the main reasons I have chosen to get my MBA in Sports Management is the fact that I still love sports overall, and it will give me the opportunity to still be involved, even if it is not necessarily on the field itself.
March 11, 2016 -- On this day, I assisted with the annual track & field meet that Oxy hosts on the campus. Athletes from local colleges and junior colleges are allowed to compete, and there were even some participants from as far as Anchorage, Alaska. I was assigned to help with the long jump for both men and women, assisting with raking the pit. I have attended a track meet before as a spectator, but never as someone helping with the event. This was another great opportunity to take a peek behind the curtain to see all that goes on with carrying out an NCAA athletic event. Raking the pit was pretty straightforward, as I and another student worker smoothed out the sand after the young men and women made their jumps. The job is simple enough, but it can take a toll after several hours of standing and raking. I was able to meet some new people, and the gentleman doing the tape measure told me how he has been able to work at two different Olympic games. I enjoyed the experience, the events, and meeting some new and interesting people.
March 10, 2016 -- Today, I was assigned to help with the SCIAC league opening match for the women's water polo team. Going into the day, the women had a record of 2 wins and 4 losses, so the match was a good way to build some momentum heading into league play. I have watched water polo practices in high school, but never actually saw a game. This was an opportunity to witness a real match from the other side of the "lines." I was in charge of handling the clock duties, both the game and shot clock times. There were some nerves since it was my first time, and I did not want to make any mistakes during an NCAA sanctioned game. There were some clock delays in the first quarter, as I found myself watching the game as a spectator, forgetting that I had to view the game as somewhat of an official. After the first stanza, I settled in and everything went smoothly from there. I am grateful to the women's coach, Chris Lee, for being patient with me. Unfortunately, Oxy lost the match 12-6, but I gained some more valuable experience.
http://www.oxyathletics.com/sports/wwaterpolo/coaches/chrislee March 9, 2016 -- Occidental College is a Division III program in the NCAA. I have been to campuses in Division I, and there is certainly a difference with regard to the size and scope of their athletic programs. Oxy itself is a liberal arts college, and the athletic program focuses on developing every aspect of student-athlete life, with the emphasis leaning more toward the student part. I like the "family atmosphere" of the athletic program, and a lot of that, as mentioned, is due in part to the smaller size of the program. I would imagine, that as the university sees more athletic success and growth, that the feeling of the atmosphere would change. This would be a natural progression of any program, and it is part of the trade-off that occurs when programs move up in divisions. There are positives and negatives to both sizes, but I can certainly appreciate the way things are as they stand currently.
March 4, 2016 -- Today was the last day before Spring Break, so although the campus was relatively quiet, I could still feel the buzz of excitement from the students. When I arrived and departed for the day, I saw several airport shuttles ready to haul students away. There are quite a few students from out of state, so many of them were looking to unwind and spend their break in their hometowns.
This entry will provide some information about the location of the college itself. Occidental College is in the Eagle Rock section of Los Angeles, which is basically in the Northeast part of the city. Los Angeles County is so spread out, that to actually get a good gage of this, one just needs to drive around to see and feel the extent of this. I read somewhere recently that in the county itself, there are over 80 smaller cities that comprise the whole county. Oxy is in a great location because it is away from the hustle and bustle of downtown, but it still close enough to not make the commute unbearable. Eagle Rock received its name from a huge boulder that still sits next to the 134 freeway, one of the major arteries in the area. When sunset nears, the shadow cast from the sun looks like an eagle with its wings spread out, thus the name. March 2, 2016 -- To begin the day's shift, I was asked to help with some light accounting. Katie Grogan, the Director of Operations, needed to balance the concessions from the women's softball game during the week. In short, the students are allowed to make purchases from the concession stands using their meal plans. Whatever amount is spent is calculated and then deducted from their meal plans later. When they buy food or snacks from concessions, their names and the amount that was spent are recorded. This is a great way to allow the students more freedom with their meal plans, and it is also another way to get students to attend the games. As we all know, the years during one's undergraduate studies can produce some "lean" times, and actual cash may not be something that they walk around with frequently. After my first attempt, my accounting was off by seventy-five cents, but eventually, I was able to find the error and balance the books. Katie is definitely involved with all aspects in the athletic department, and working under her has opened my eyes to many of the little things that must happen behind the scenes.
February 26, 2016 -- As soon as I started the day's shift, I was asked to help with the task of setting up two goal posts for the women's lacrosse team. Two posts needed to be replaced so I was glad to help with the job. The new goals would be used for practice and warmup sessions, and the women's coach wanted them ready before the Saturday match. Another student worker helped me with the task, so the extra help certainly reduced the assembly time. Also on this day, I walked over to the campus print shop to retrieve some correspondence created for several track recruits. The head coach was busy with meeting with some of the recruits himself, so I was asked to assist with getting the printed materials. These are all of the small things that go into landing a potential future student-athlete, so every bit helps at this level. I like the idea of helping a young person attain their athletic goals in college, and ultimately, their long-term goals for life itself.
February 24, 2016 -- My mentor for this internship, as you may have forgotten, is Mike Wells. He is one of the Assistant Athletic Directors and also an Assistant Coach of the men's basketball team. One of the duties that he performs from time to time is proofreading the programs for the upcoming athletic contests. I have had the chance to proofread some of the programs before, and although it is straightforward work, he did not bother checking once I handed him the final corrections. The last thing I would want is to have a small typo reproduced on the programs for all of the fans and supporters to see. On this day, I was given the task to check the programs for three athletic contests. The women's softball team was playing a double header on Saturday, while the women's lacrosse team had a match also on the same day. All of the matches are at home, but they do play on different fields, so the campus will have some extra traffic on the weekend. Everything checked out and I handed Mr. Wells what would become the final draft.
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 !
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Augustine Caguco
Play sports, work in sports, live through sports.
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