My last few weeks of my internship have come! And it seems that the best was saved for last. Over the next few weeks we have a Bowling Camp, Teen Leadership Camp, Volleyball League tournament, and Punt Pass and Kick Contest all scheduled. First to come was the Bowling Camp. Now I was on the bowling team in High School and I enjoy recreational bowling very much. So to see these kids get so excited when they bowl a strike or spare made my day.
Also at bowling camp the kids were given a bowling pin on the first day and were told to bring it back decorated on the last day because there would be a contest. When the end of the week came along and all of the kids brought in their pins I was pleasantly surprised at the ideas that these kids came up with. The pins ranged from movie characters to animals to professional athletes and even a working lamp! It was our job as the interns to look at all of the pins and pick the top 5 that stood out to us. Now we could tell that some of these kids parents just could not contain themselves from helping with these pins, and that was something that we needed to put into consideration when it came to our choosing process. We could not look past one kids pin just because we felt that their mom helped them because we did not have any proof that that was the case. But over all the pins were decorated very well and the kids enjoyed themselves. And that is the most important part of these camps!
Lastly, the bowling alley offered to keep any pin in its display case for a few weeks so that others could see what the kids decorated. I felt like that was the coolest thing and then kids definitely enjoyed having the choice to do that.
The next event that came up was the Teen Leadership Camp. I have been waiting for this all summer! It's not that I don't like younger kids but with teens were are able to do more interaction with them and they can comprehend more. For this two day camp we did different activities such as trust falls, human knots, and other team building and character building activities. The first day was more
about leadership then anything else and then on the second day we were more
relaxed and had a corn hold tournament, which they loved! Volleyball had their tournament, it was single elimination due to the amount of rain outs we had this summer. So we set up the scoreboards made a bracket and made sure the sand was racked out nice. All teams had to be at the fields and ready to play at 5:45 and so the teams were able to watch one other. Since the tournament was single elimination the games went by pretty fast. I kept score for all of the games to ensure that there would not be any questions or concerns from either team. Once the winning team was announced I asked them about their championship shirts, what would they want it to say or if they preferred a certain color. Once I got that information along with their individual sizes I cleaned up the score board and balls and the night was over.
The following Sunday was the last event of the summer and of my internship. This event was the Punt, Pass, and Kick Contest held at Frost-Kalnow Stadium here in Tiffin. Registration started at 11:00 and then the contest started at noon. The kids were split up into groups by age. I was in charge of the measuring for the 8-9 year olds. But the other groups consisted of 6-7 year olds, 10-11 and then 12-14 year olds. I would say there were about 50 participants overall. So each kid (girls and boys) took their turn punting, passing (throwing), and then kicking the football as far as they could. We gathered their measurements and then turned them in to be calculated. After the winners were
calculated we a had the kids and their families sit in the bleachers while we announced and passed out the awards. The awesome thing about
this event was the first place winners are able to take the next step and
compete in a regional contest that is held at half time of one of the
Cleveland Browns Football games. Then the kids who win first place in regionals get to advance even further into state, and then possibly nationals!
This summer and internship as a whole was very beneficial and taught me
that there are many different directions that the sports and recreation field
goes in. There are many levels to industry such as professional sports, collegiate sports, governing bodies, compliance, coaching, and city parks and recreation departments. I was able to expand my interests as well as knowledge by working with the Tiffin Parks and Recreation Department and I look forward to the next chapter of my life in this career field. By working for the Parks and Recreation Department I was able to narrow down my interests and where I see myself in the industry. This experience was one of many stepping stones!
Through my internship experience I was able to experience more of the recreational side of the sports industry. I was able to make an impact on a child's summer, which I loved. Being able to see children grow over a period of two months is awesome, whether it is getting better at a sport or just growing as a person. It was very rewarding intrinsically for me to be a part of the Parks and Recreation Department. Even though I enjoyed myself and the time spent with the children I know now after my internship that I want to be involved more in the business aspect of the sports industry. Whether it is working in a stadium as an event coordinator or making budgets as an athletic director. I loved to coach and maybe one day I will be able to get back into the recreational side of the industry but after graduation I plan on working for a larger company and having the chance to travel for a few years before settling down.
I hope that in the near future that Parks and Recreation department can continue to grow their internship program so that others can enjoy the recreation side of the industry as I did.
