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

ASU

So today we visited with ASU yet again but this time it was with a business professor and in all honesty, I was not very impressed. Maybe there was something about him that just rubbed me the wrong way but I thought he was very negative and had a pessimistic attitude. The overall message that I received from him was that you have a very slim chance at working in sports and he basically told us good luck and said that we aren't going to get paid anything either. Real promising words from a business professor that makes me feel so optimistic about being a sports management major. But I would rather love my job than absolutely hate it. But after that meeting we went to an ASU women's basketball game and that was definitely the highlight of my day because I am such a huge fan of basketball. And the women won so that made it even better! Then the group of us went out to eat at a restaurant that was having trivia night and our team got 2nd place so that was really cool! On the agenda for tomorrow is a meeting with Fox Sports Network and then a meeting and tour with the Phoenix Suns followed by their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder which is the single most thing that I am excited for on this trip so tomorrow should be an awesome day! I only took one picture today when we were featured on the jumbotron so I will include that at the end but definitely look for some awesome pictures tomorrow night about the meetings we went to during the day!

Being Featured on Jumbotron

Free Day!

So today was a free day where we didn't have any meetings going on and we could decide what we wanted to do for the day. So of course, I slept in this morning and then the group of us went out to eat for lunch. Then we went to the ASU gymnastics meet in the afternoon and it was awesome! Although I did not get a t-shirt, I did get to see Sammie (girl I met at the nail salon that was part of the team) and we waved at each other lol. And then of course when I got back I added her to Facebook so now I can say I made my first friend in Arizona lol. But then after the gymnastics meet, I went to hang out with my family in Arizona, which was great! First, Rhonda took me out shopping a little bit and then we went over to her mom's house where she had cooked dinner for us which was great! We also went over to Rhonda's sister's house and visited with them for a little bit as well. It was so awesome to get to catch up with them and the day overall was a great success! I am pretty excited for tomorrow though because we are going to meet with ASU again but then after the meeting we are going to see a women's basketball game on campus. No pictures from today but hopefully there will be some tomorrow but I'm not for sure. Check in tomorrow for the next update!

Harlem Globetrotters

Sorry for the late post but yesterday there was a lot of stuff going on. So yesterday we had a meeting with the communications person for the Harlem Globetrotters. We once again took the rail system to downtown Phoenix for this meeting. Some of the things that the communications guy talked about that was the same as some of the other meetings was to have as many internships as possible and that you will have to pay your dues in the sports business before you get to the better jobs. Although we did not get to meet any of the Globetrotters, this was still a pretty cool meeting and we got some cool memorabilia too. Then after we got back from this meeting, another girl on the trip and I went to get our nails done down the street and met a couple girls that were a part of the ASU gymnastics team which was pretty cool. They said if they saw me they would throw me a shirt because we are going to their meet today. Then a group of 6 of us went to a comedy club to see Bob Saget last night which was also pretty cool and he was hilarious. Overall, I think it was a great day! So today we did not have any meetings planned so the plan is to go to the gymnastics meet and then I am going to spend some time with some family after that! I will put some of the pictures that I took at the Globetrotters below for you guys to check out!

Globetrotters Jersey

Picture on the floor of the Globetrotters Building

ASU and Diamondbacks

So today we had meetings with Arizona State University again and with the Arizona Diamondbacks, so this was probably the best day for me so far. We took the rail system again today to get to Chase Field, home of the Diamondbacks. But first, our meeting with ASU was with their marketing people, the people that deal with making sure the games run smoothly, and with their compliance people. I thought this meeting was very interesting and I think that interning with a college is going to be a good route to go for me, especially after getting to visit with ASU so much. One of the things that ASU said today that has been brought up in every meeting is that networking is so huge because sometimes who you know works better for you than what you know, especially in sports. Hopefully these contacts that I am making right now will be helpful in the future then! After ASU, we went to meet with some of the people for the Arizona Diamondbacks and this was really neat to see and to talk with these people. We talked to the people in ticket sales and they talked about how they got to where they are now as well as gave us a tour and showed us things that people normally do not get to see. The main thing that I took away from this meeting is that they do not like when people give the typical answers to interview questions and that they would rather see the real you because they hire 90% based on your personality and 10% on your experience. I thought this was awesome because you usually hear the opposite. Tomorrow, we only have a meeting with the Harlem Globetrotters in the morning and then have the rest of the day open, which should be fun! I think we are going to be going to a comedy club Friday night for something fun to do. But now that you have read through this entire post, I will give you some awesome pictures that I took at Chase Field and show you what people normally do not get to that we did.

Chase Field

Arizona's World Series Trophy

Randy Johnson's Perfect Game

What Chase Field Looks Like Now Due to Motocross Being There

Clubhouse Where Players' Stuff Is

Clubhouse Where Players' Stuff Is

Clubhouse Where Players' Stuff Is

Arizona's Dugout

Randy Johnson at Chase Field (Tall guy in all black)

Greater Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau and Phoenix Regional Sports Commission

So today we had meetings with the Greater Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Phoenix Regional Sports Commission. We also took the rail system for the first time which was an interesting experience but not as complicated as I imagined. The meeting with the CVB was actually better than what I thought it would be and actually something that I found interesting that I might think about doing in the future as well. Basically their job is to bring big events to the city of Phoenix and then make sure that those people involved with the events have everything that they need such as housing. The main thing that I took from this meeting is that the partnerships and relationships that you have with everyone that you deal with in your business are really important and have an impact on your success as well. Then we went to the meeting with the Phoenix Regional Sports Commission and to be honest, I was actually kind of disappointed. I thought it would be interesting to learn about it because it deals a lot with high school sports and youth sports but I thought they really did not tell us a whole lot about what they actually do. The main thing that I did take from this meeting though was that sports is a competitive business to go into but it is growing. This kind of took me by surprise because all I had been hearing before was that sports is not good to go into because it is really hard to get into because there are not many positions available but these guys basically told us otherwise which gives me hope for my future in finding a job. After all the meetings today, a group of us went shopping at the Scottsdale Mall and in my opinion, I was not very impressed. There were lots of high end fashion stores but nothing that I would ever really shop at as most of you know. I have been looking for a sports store like Scheels but have had no luck so far. This girl wants to shop too! Just not at those kinds of stores. But anyway, tomorrow we are on our way to Arizona State University again to talk to different people and also to the Arizona Diamondbacks for a tour and meeting which I am pretty excited for. No pictures from today but I'm sure there will be some tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Ping and ASU

Outside of Ping Manufacturing

So today we had meetings with Ping Manufacturing and Arizona State University and they went pretty good! At Ping we got a little information on the history, toured their manufacturing facilities, and talked to some of their main people in marketing and customer relations. Ping was especially interesting on the tour because we were able to see how they manufactured the golf clubs and what goes into making the high quality products that they produce. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures inside any of the buildings but I do have a picture of us outside of the building. After we had our meeting with Ping, we went on our tour and meeting with Arizona State University. I thought this tour was really neat as well because we got to see the sports facilities and see other things that people do not normally get to see. We toured the football and basketball stadiums, saw their hall of fame, and also talked with their main people in ticket sales. Oh and we also all almost died because we had too many people in one elevator and the elevator was lurching and wouldn't open the doors. But we did make it out alive lol. I would have to say that between the two places, the major thing that was said was that it wasn't all about the things you know but the people you know so hopefully this trip is helping us out with that! After all the meetings we did a little shopping and now my feet are completely killing me after that and all the walking with the tours. Hopefully tomorrow will be a little less walking (one can hope) and we will be visiting the Greater Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Phoenix Regional Sports Commission. Look for the blog post on that tomorrow along with pictures and I will include pictures from ASU now as well.

Football Stadium

Basketball Arena

Hall of Fame

Inside the football stadium

Inside the basketball arena

 Oh and by the way, here in the Phoenix area today it was mid 60s. I was definitely wearing shorts after all the meetings were said and done. Kind of crazy that I could wear shorts in January! I'm loving it right now! :)

First Day!

So no pictures for this blog post but we made it to Phoenix this morning perfectly fine with no problems! First flying experience for me went pretty good. On the flight I even sat by the window and watched everything! It was a pretty neat experience. The most nerve-wracking part was probably the security and figuring out where we needed to be. We made it to the hotel in Tempe and got all checked in. Then shopping for a few supplies and some other interesting first experiences filled the rest of the first night. Tomorrow morning we are meeting with Karsten Manufacturing and Arizona State University so look out for pictures and a blog post hopefully tomorrow night about these meetings!

Almost Time!

All packed up and ready to go tomorrow besides a few things to get ready in the morning! Kind of nervous to go on a plane for the first time and all that entails but I'm really looking forward to the trip! I should go to bed now though since I have to get up really early to leave Storm Lake by 5:00 a.m. Keep looking for new posts as I will try to keep you guys updated every day with the things we will be doing! Here goes nothing! :)