The End (But Also Beginning) of a Journey

Yesterday, myself, the rest of the students, and professors made it back to Iowa from our sports management and marketing trip in Phoenix, Arizona. The trip was an absolute blast and I experienced things that I would have never been able to without this opportunity from BV, which I am very thankful for.

Coming into this trip, I expected to get a better idea of what I wanted to do for my career after graduation. Although I think this did come true in some respect, I think I got a better idea of what I don't want to do as a career, which is equally as helpful in my opinion. Going to Phoenix and talking to the people we did, I realized that I do have an idea of what I want to do and I discovered new possibilities as well. I definitely figured out on this trip that I do not want to be involved really in any type of marketing because it does not fit my personality well. I did discover though that I would consider working in finance in an athletic department, being an athletic director, working in sports television, or being a sports event manager. I would also like to be involved in basketball somehow either in my career or being a middle school girls' basketball coach or even both.

I think that the greatest thing this trip did for me was made me realize what part of the sports world was for me and what part was not. This is only going to help me even more in completely deciding what I would like to do after my time is done at Buena Vista. The most surprising part of the trip for me was finding out that a lot of the people that are in sports started out in ticket sales and marketing. This does not exactly help me out because I know that is not something I want to do at all but I am up for the challenge of getting in without starting there.

I think that what is next for me is getting as many internships as possible before I leave BV. Most of the people we talked to said that internships were very important in helping you get a job after college. I think I am going to look into working with BV's athletic department first and then try to find a summer internship for this year as well. Ideally, I would have at least 3 internships before I graduate because I can also take one next J-term. These internships will also help me narrow down my career options and give me a better idea of where I want to be.

So in conclusion, this trip was a great experience and helped me make important decisions when it comes to what I want to do after graduation. So, while the journey to Phoenix has ended, the beginning of my journey through my life and career is just beginning. And where that journey is going to take me, I don't know. What I do know is I am ready for the ride.

Last Day :(

So today was our last day in Phoenix and we left on a flight at 10:45 this morning back to Omaha. The flight went great and we drove the 2 hours back to Storm Lake from Omaha. Then my grandparents came to pick me up in Storm Lake and took me back home to Nashua, which was another 3 hours. So basically today I was traveling either by plane or car from 9 this morning until 9 tonight so I am pretty exhausted. I was going to write a reflection today but I think I'm going to wait on that until tomorrow. Just wanted to let you guys know who are following my blog that I made it back home today just fine and I will be writing my reflection soon!

Phoenix International Raceway

Today, which was our last full day in Arizona, we met with someone and toured the Phoenix International Raceway. Although I'm not a NASCAR fan at all, it was pretty neat to see something like this because it was a lot different than what I expected it to be. The raceway was a lot bigger than I had thought. The meeting was not all that great just because it was with a sales person and he repeated what a lot of the other meetings had said already. Then after the meeting we went to a place where there was mini golf and laser tag which was a lot of fun because I had never done either one of those things before. And that was pretty much it for the last day here in Arizona besides trying to fit everything back in my luggage. I did not realize how much more stuff I had accumulated since I have been here lol. Hopefully everything will fit and be inside the weight limit! I will do one last post when I get back home tomorrow with a reflection of how I think the trip went and then where I am going to go from here. But to end this post, here are some of the pictures that I took from the raceway today.

Phoenix Coyotes and Arizona Cardinals

So today was a great day as we went to the Phoenix Coyotes to see their practice since we were unable to see a game because of the hockey lockout. It was pretty neat to see even though it was not the same as watching a game. Then we went to the Arizona Cardinals for a tour and meeting which was pretty cool even though I am a Vikings fan lol. The meeting was one of my top highlights though because we actually got to talk to a management person! It was very interesting to hear the things she had to say because she deals with event management which I think could be something that I would be interested in as well. She said that while they work irregular hours, they love their job and love being connected to sports in the ways that they are and just knowing that they put together what they did gives them the satisfaction that they need. This meeting definitely went better than I expected it would because we finally got to talk to someone in management so I was very happy about that. Then after the Cardinals, we went to the outlet mall that was across the street and some of us spent a good amount of money, me included but it was worth it because I got my mom and myself a Coach purse for 80% of the normal price. So a successful day of shopping for me lol. Then I got to hang out with Sammie, which was totally awesome and we will have to do it again! Hopefully when I come back down to Arizona soon! ;) On the agenda for our last day here in Arizona, we are heading to the Phoenix International Raceway which should be interesting so look out for that post tomorrow! Here are some pictures from today!

Hockey Arena

Start of Hockey Practice

Cardinals Stadium

Inside of Cardinals Stadium

Cardinals Field That Gets Pulled Inside For Games

Waste Management Open and Lavidge Company

So today was one of the busier days as we went for tours and meetings at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and the Lavidge Company. In the morning, we were at the open and while it was pretty, it really did not capture my attention at all because I am not big into golf whatsoever. The person we met with said that he first started in banking and then found this sports opportunity and took it after being in banking for awhile. He mostly gave fun facts about the open and did not really go into specifics about what he did, just that he marketed the event. I was not particularly enthralled with this meeting. After this meeting, we had a lot of time to waste so we decided to go shopping. A group of 6 girls, including myself, and then our professor went to Sports Authority. Let's just say that killing that 45 min or so that we needed to was not cheap. As a group we walked out of there spending $600! I guess we really like our sportswear lol. Then we went to the Lavidge Company which is a marketing company so I knew from the start that it probably would not be something I was interested in since I am a management major and not a marketing major. The guy we met with talked about how sports marketing was only about 15% of the marketing that they do and they usually start working on a marketing strategy at least 4 months ahead of time. He also advised us to apply to as many places as possible that deal with sports if that is something that we really want to get into. Now since I only have a few days left here I thought I would also add in some of my thoughts about the trip on this post and I have to say that while it is an awesome experience, I feel like it is not helping me in my professional career decision at all. A lot of the people we are talking to deal with marketing and since that is not something I want to do, it is kind of disappointing as a management major going to some of these meetings and all I hear about is marketing. And I don't think the rest of the trip is going to help me in my decision either. Tomorrow we are heading to the Arizona Cardinals and hopefully seeing the Phoenix Coyotes scrimmage as well. Also tomorrow since I didn't get a chance to meet with Sammie today, we should be going out to eat which I am looking forward to! But anyway here are some pictures from the golf course that I took today.

Another Free Day!

So today I did not have a whole lot to write about because we had another free day. We were supposed to visit with the Phoenix Coyotes but due to the hockey lockout just recently being lifted, they were too busy getting ready for the season to meet with us, which is completely understandable. So we slept in since we could and then a group of us decided to go to a movie. Most of them went to see Lincoln but Cindy and I went to see Silver Linings Playbook with Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper and it was amazing! Definitely the best movie I have seen in a long time and a great decision! Then after that I spent time with my family again and Shirley picked me up and took me to Rhonda's house and we had some amazing sloppy joes along with an awesome dessert! It was definitely fun to get to see them one last time before I have to leave back to Iowa on Saturday. So that was basically it for today. Tomorrow is full of stuff to do as we go to the Waste Management Open in the morning and then to Lavidge Company in the afternoon. Plus, I am going to meet up with my friend from Arizona, Sammie, for dinner, which I am very excited for! So look out for tomorrow's jam packed post!

Fox Sports Network and Phoenix Suns

So today by far was the best day we have had and was the day that I was looking forward to the most as we had meetings and tours with Fox Sports Network and the Phoenix Suns, followed by the Suns games versus the Oklahoma City Thunder. We took the rail system to downtown Phoenix for the first meeting with Fox Sports and met with their marketing director. What he told us was pretty much what everyone else has been telling us: relationships are important, you need to network, get into sports somehow right away, and intern as much as possible. He did make it seem interesting with what they do though because they deal with the TV side of sports and I actually think it would be interesting to work in that area as well. Then we did the most exciting thing for me of the whole trip and went on a tour at the Phoenix Suns, had a meeting, and also went to their game afterwards. The meeting was about the same as everywhere else. They said that every day was different for them, get lots of internships, relationships are very important, and I thought it was really cool that they said if you are a female you are not at a disadvantage in any way in the sports industry. Then the tour was absolutely amazing because when we went on the court, we were literally 5 feet away from Kevin Durant! I'm sure I am never going to forget that moment at all. I was definitely close to freaking out lol. Then we went to the game and it was really cool and I would go to another NBA game in the future. It was neat to see the game in person and get pictures from our pretty decent seats. I will absolutely be including pictures at the end of this post. Tomorrow we were supposed to go to the Phoenix Coyotes but because of the lockout just getting done, they are not going to be able to meet with us so it is a free day. I think my plans are to do an activity with the group during the day and then go eat dinner with family in the evening. Should be fun!

Fox Sports Network Arizona

5 Feet Away From Kevin Durant!!!

5 Feet Away From Kevin Durant Again!!!

Tip-off of Suns vs. Thunder

Outside of U.S. Airways Center Where Suns Play

Westbrook Shooting With Durant Ready to Rebound