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. January 29, 2016 -- Today, I helped with some light data entry for the women's soccer team. They are coached by Colm McFeely, entering his eighth year as head coach. He has a long partnership with the game, as he had a 17 year career playing overseas. He eventually began coaching overseas as well, but made his way to the U.S where he has coached from every level from youth soccer to the NCAA level. I assisted with entering the vital data for players that are on a "watch list." The young women on this list consist of juniors and seniors, but the first step is getting their information correctly and accurately inputted into the specific database. From here, Coach McFeely can whittle down the prospects to the people interested and also to the players that he has his eye on.
http://www.oxyathletics.com/sports/wsoc/2010-11/coaches/ColmMcFeely January 27, 2016 -- On this Wednesday, I was able the help Alison Haehnel with some more of her steps in the recruiting process. Although the NCAA budget is quite large, most of it is used for the sports in Division I. Small schools in all NCAA divisions have trouble recruiting for different reasons, but the two main ones are budget constraints and competition. They are tied in, as when a school cannot recruit a coveted player because of budget issues, so that school has to resort to lesser talent. Alison is the coach of women's softball, and she has begun her recruiting process for next season. Some of the people contacted were brand new, and some were follow ups from previous contact. She is glad with the responses so far, and has taken steps to get a head start for next season.
January 22, 2016 -- Today was payday for the athletic department and I was asked to retrieve the paychecks for the individuals without direct deposit. I do not mind running errands such as this, because it gives me a chance to see a new part of the campus and the people in that department. I have not been on a university campus since my undergraduate days, and I forgot just how much goes on inside of a college campus. In a lot of ways, each campus operates as its own separate entity, almost acting like a corporation of its own.
In addition, I helped finish with the assembly of the locker room seats. All this was in preparation for the upcoming season, where the Oxy women are scheduled to start their first practice next week. The women's lacrosse team is coached by Stephanie Janice Mark, a New Jersey native with playing experience as well. She was a lacrosse player at Johns Hopkins University, where she helped guide the club to 3 NCAA tournament appearances, and a National Semifinal during her senior season. With her at the helm, the Oxy women's lacrosse team is in good hands. http://www.oxyathletics.com/sports/wlax/coaches/stephaniejanice January 20, 2016 -- Today, the students returned to campus for the first day of the spring semester. Classes were scheduled to start yesterday but they were postponed for some calendar issues. It was good to also return to the athletic department, as it felt like I had not been there for a year. The first week back is usually busy for everyone I was told, with everyone getting back into the swing after the Holidays. Today, I assisted the women's lacrosse team with some assembly. They are renovating their women's locker room, and would like individual seats along with the customary benches. I was assigned to assist with the assembly of these locker chairs. This project will take a few days, and I am glad to help and provide some extra hands on deck.
December 4, 2015 -- I did not plan to come into Occidental College on this Friday, because I woke up still weary from last night's food poisoning. After some tea, my stomach settled and I was able to make it to school. The athletic department was holding a lunch for the whole staff, an annual luncheon that takes place on the last Friday before the Christmas break. It is an opportunity for the whole staff to give thanks once again for the blessings of the year, for each other, and for the Holiday season. The lunch was delicious, and I had the chance to mingle and chat with some of the staff in the athletic department. One of the assistant coaches on the Men's Basketball team, Jim Hennacy, is actually just a volunteer technically. He is a retired teacher of 30 years, where he worked in some of the roughest districts in Pasadena. He shared some stories with us, and it is always great to hear some interesting and unique experiences from colorful characters.
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Augustine Caguco
Play sports, work in sports, live through sports.
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