Facilities Enhancement

When I first looked at the Cal softball field I was amazed that a team of such high caliber as Cal would be playing on such a field. The surface itself and the field walls are all top tier, but the stadium itself is a good representation of why not many fans attend Cal softball games. Cal is undergoing two massive construction projects at the moment. They are in no position to take on another such as the renovation of the softball field. However, the field is so rudimentary that the overhaul of it would not be difficult.

The profile of the Pac-10 is on the rise and Pac-10 softball is known as the best in the country. The Cal softball team has a lot of stock to offer in the way of alumni and notable current team members. These aspects make the Cal softball team a target for media coverage. The University of Washington softball team drew large amounts of coverage because of their high profile pitcher Danielle Lawrie - Cal has Valeria Ariotto. Not only is she an All-American pitcher, but she is also a member of the USA Futures team. Her Cal teammate Elia Reid is also a member of the US Futures team. These players are a good profile for the Cal softball team to use to attract TV stations for broadcasting.

I believe this renovation is well within the reach of the Cal Athletics department when they get out of the shadow of the current projects they are undertaking. I really enjoyed looking at all the marketing and fundraising possibilities for the Cal field.

Autumn Quarter Reflection

This quarter has been relatively difficult for me. I am used to being in school and playing sports so I know how to manage my time. However, I have never tried to work and study at the same time. While in college I would do homework almost every day because that was the only way I would be able to finish all of my assignments considering how busy my weekends were with games. This semester I have found that working all day does not incline one to do any kind of homework at the end of the day. I don’t feel as though I have accurately represented my personal brand with every piece of work I have produced this semester. I do feel good about some of my assignments I hope to raise the level of my productions next quarter.

I have found that this quarter of marketing and events & facilities has been easily applicable to my day to day work. While our subjects may not directly impact my thinking on a situation they always seem to creep their way into my thoughts. Even while I am enjoying an event on campus simply as a spectator I find myself examining the facility. When I watch the marketing and media relations teams during basketball games I find myself asking questions that were raised in our readings or class discussions. This semester has both been immediately and secondarily impacting on the way I observe the athletics department at Cal. After my experience during the game day shadow assignment I hope to get involved in event management next semester. The way the experience an event was far different from anyway I had previously and I would like to understand more of what they do on a daily basis.

NCAA Division II Festival Bid Project

Working in a group is always both a struggle and more fulfilling than expected - the NCAA Division II Festival bid project was no exception.

When you work on a project by yourself the timetable is entirely up to you. Every decision from the font to the actual substance of the project is your choice. While this is helpful and often easier than working with a group it can also be limiting. Many of my group mates found creative resources for us to use as references when constructing our project and they also came up with answers to questions I hadn’t even thought about.

I like to be in control because when I am not I stress easily. Therefore, working in a group is often difficult for me, but my group helped answer questions I would not have been able to answer as easily on my own. We also all often weighed in on decisions. One aspect I personally appreciated about our group was that if one person floated an idea and another person disagreed, that second person came with another option. Often people will simply shoot down an idea and not off an alternative. Our group did a good job making sure that if one idea didn’t work there were more options to consider.

It’s always difficult to bring the different components constructed by different group members together and I feel this project was a good way to assess how that is done. Many different moving parts had to be put together to have one successful project.

And now for something completely different: this post is being uploaded courtesy of Alaska Airlines complimentary inflight wifi service while I am somewhere in the skies between Seattle and Oakland.

Late Summer/Early Fall

Within the first few weeks of starting my internship my perspective of intercollegiate athletics changed dramatically. As a student-athlete in a Division III athletics department I was blissfully unaware of all that it takes to run a team and a department. The eight weeks of summer class had prepared me for this dramatic change, but taking part in the difference has been very illuminating.

The vast majority of our class information and discussions focused on Division I athletics. After our eight week summer intensive I believe Division I athletics are most in need of change; however, I also believe the change that is coming for Division I will not help serve the best interests of the student-athlete. The most significant personal outcome for me after “boot camp” is my realization that I have no desire to work in Division I athletics. The culture is such that progress will be extremely difficult and right now I don’t believe I have a thick enough skin to handle the likely disappointment.

During my internship I hope to gain a greater understanding of the world of Division I athletics. I hope to observe those in leadership positions in order to continue to grow my leadership skills and hone my leadership style. I believe changes can come from proper leadership that harnesses the skills of all those involved. I hope to learn what it takes to be a good leader or, more importantly, how to achieve success as a leader.

Week 8

This week of Sociology of Education was both depressing and empowering. We spent the week looking at what makes the collegiate student-athlete who they are - high school.

Many high school student across the country are denied the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities. Often those that take part in sports do so with extremely limited resources. The PBS special “The Story of American Public Education” was particularly shocking. While it may have been slightly out of date it was nevertheless a vivid reminder of the state of out public school system. For those student-athletes that make it to the collegiate level, we as athletic administrators, have an obligation help them to the highest levels of success. By making school a place that students want to be we can help them toward a more productive future.

This week was very discouraging to me, but it also made me want to become a part of college athletics even more to perhaps help bring about change. Collegiate athletics are an opportunity for many to get an education. It is critical that we as leaders articulate the goal is the education and not the sport. Collegiate athletics are loosing site of the opportunity they are providing student-athletes - the scholarships are for an education not simply a chance to compete.

Week 7

Week seven was Human Resources in Intercollegiate Athletics. We spent the majority of the week discussing various leadership styles and ways they can be utilized. I enjoyed hearing the female administrator perspective. Hearing our instructors speak about their varying backgrounds was particularly illuminating. The changing landscape of intercollegiate athletics guarantees that people from many different backgrounds can be found in an athletics department. Understanding how different backgrounds can enhance a group is essential to productive leadership.

I was particularly interested in Chris Volez’s discussion of managers versus leaders and the vary levels in between. Some projects or situations call for a good manager and some for a good leader. I appreciated her emphasis that one is not better than the other. I wish I was creative and ambitious to be what Ms. Volez’s described as a leader, but I realize that I am much more of a manager. I have no problem with this distinction and her discussion helped me understand how they can both help further each other.

Week 6

During class this week we examined one of the most critical components to running a athletics department - Development and Fundraising. Nothing can happen within an athletics department without donors and certainly not progression, which is crucial to a healthy department. The legendary athletic director, Andy Geiger, made it abundantly clear that the key to a strong development program is the relationships. Jennifer Cohen and O.D. Vincent then confirmed his statement and explained that making a donor feel appreciated is central to a good relationship, but to never forget that they are people first and then donors.

If your donors are integral to the success of you department, your friendships with your donors are the foundation of that success. There is nothing keeping a donor connected to an institution except goodwill. Ensuring that such goodwill remains strong is the fundamental duty of the development office. By fostering relationships development offices give them advantages when it comes to the actual asking of a gift. As an athletic administrator I will be sure that personable skills are at the top of the list when looking for qualified development officers.

Week 5

After this week of law I am certain the only reason I didn’t become (or haven’t yet become) a lawyer is because both of my parents are lawyers. If I hadn’t been so determined to stand against their chosen career path I may have discovered the joy of the law long ago.

While some of the definitions of legal terms learned this week may not stick in my head in a few years, I will certainly remember our discussion of the NCAA Division I manuel and the entirely arbitrary nature of intercollegiate athletic law. The members of the NCAA have become overly paranoid about other members cheating. The result of this paranoia is an oversized manual that very few people fully understand. Intercollegiate athletics is constantly changing and thus the law must change right along with it, but at what point do we say we have just gone too far? At what point has the idea of protecting the student athlete experience been overlooked?

I truly enjoyed this law class and if my career as an athletic administrator doesn’t work out I could strongly consider going back to school once again to then become a lawyer. Right now, I am glad there are compliance departments within athletics departments and I imagine, during my internship, I will become good friends with the compliance directors. Best to not try and interpret the NCAA law yourself and instead, turn to those who are sure they know what they are doing.

Week 4

During Student Populations and Experiences in Higher Education we touched on social issues such as race, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and many others. I would like to thing that sport provides us with a level playing field for all, but more than anything we drape sport in a veil of ignorance - we claim a level playing field without any foundation.

While reading “Game One” by Tom Farrey we were presented with the children that are pushed into their sport at increasingly younger ages. The pressure on these children often drives them to burn out. The growth of youth sports can be seen as a wonderful opportunity for kids to participate in sports early and often, but such advancement is also pushing youth toward professionalism or more accurately commercialization earlier than ever before.

The NCAA attempts to combat this trend through their commercials highlighting that the vast majority of collegiate student-athletes to not turn pro. Still, those of lesser backgrounds turn to sport as their chance to get out or escape their underprivileged lives. Student-athletes are turning to their athlete identity rather than their student identity in an attempt to secure their future. We as future administrators are face with the most difficult task of how to turn the focus toward the academic portion of the student-athlete experience.

I believe education is the greatest tool for future life. Many of the social factors discussed this week are leading student-athletes to attend college for their sport rather than to play their sport in order to attend college. While we as administrators may not be able to change society before college, we can certainly change the culture within our athletics departments.

Week 3

I had a great time in accounting this week! I haven’t been in a science or math class in nearly four years and I didn’t realize until this week that I was missing that mindset. Not only did I enjoy the math related concepts Coach Hodge taught us, but I also appreciated understanding more of the details that are part of the budget process.

With the foundation knowledge of accounting gained in this class I am confident that, when presented with a budget, I will not panic and sit blankly staring at the information presented to me. This is extremely important to the running of an athletics department. While very few people outside of the business office of an athletics department are expected to have financially oriented minds, money, accounting, and budgeting are used everyday in athletics departments.

Prior to this class I had no education in accounting. My mother was a bank lawyer and yet I managed to stay far away from any accounting information she brought home from the office. After this class I feel better about asking questions regarding budgets because I have a background that will allow me to ask intelligent questions. Despite the fun I had during this week, I certainly will not be working in a business office. However, now I feel as though I can speak with the accountants and not loose my head when they explain the daily transactions of an athletics department.

Week 2

Throughout this week I found a common theme in our discussions to be identity. We spoke a lot about our personal moral compass when debating the question, what is the purpose of athletics with education? We all bring our own core values to the discussion which then shape our opinions. One of my core values is wisdom. I believe there is nothing more important to the growth of a people than education and athletics can help to educate people - there are lessons in life that are best learned through sport. Education is meant to provide a foundation for all future endeavors of the students life. Education should help prepare the student for what may happen. Education allows for understanding and provides the basis of knowledge that people need to become productive members of society.

Identity was also tackled through discussion of various institutions mission statements. In many cases the mission statements of the institutions were similar across the different NCAA divisions; however, the missions statements of the athletics departments varied significantly across divisions. The question here then becomes, does the student athlete identify with the mission of the institution or the mission or the athletics department? At my undergraduate institution the missions were one in the same - or at least I can make that argument seeing as your department of athletics doesn’t have it’s own mission statement. This discussion then blended nicely into identity with regards to school mascots.

Identity is key when describing the experience of the student-athlete because they inherently have dual identities. It is critical to understand both the student and the athlete when attempting to understand the student-athlete. Our discussion of identities helped me understand how important being a Division III athlete was to my experience. I really think my future in collegiate athletics lies either in Division II or III.

Core Values

Integrity and wisdom

Week One Reflection

“While no single conversation is guaranteed to change the trajectory of a career, a company, a relationship or a life - any single conversation can.”

This concept expressed to us on the first day of our Foundations course has continued to resonate with me throughout our class. I take the ideas of using a conversation to enrich a relationship and that the conversation is the relationship as the core of this overall concept. If every conversation has the potential to change your life you should use that potential to better a relationship with someone. There is no relationship without communication - you cannot expect people to read your mind - inviting a person into a conversation invites them to develop a relationship with you. The value of a conversation is immense and should never be overlooked.

I often default to the “less is more” idea and while you should allow silence to do the heavy lifting when it is appropriate, you also should not miss the opportunity to engage in a conversation. From personal experience I know the power that one conversation can have and I hope to take advantage of that with future people that I may mentor or work with. I hope in the future to use conversations to enrich relationships. The idea that any one conversation can change your life shows that you need to take advantage of opportunities to improve your relationships. I intend to pay more attention to subtle invitations to a conversation I may receive from other people. However, I also intend to engage or invite conversations myself.

In engaging others in conversation I will not back away from conflict. I hope to be able to implement the confrontations model - of course only when appropriate and hopefully not often. With the help of the model I have a better sense of how to construct and engage in such a conversation. While I have been able to see multiple sides of an argument I have struggled with how to make a difficult conversation constructive and not argumentative. The confrontation model will help me get around that problem. With the help I hope to turn a difficult situation into an opportunity to enrich my relationship with the other person involved in the conversation as well as promote progress through an issue rather than dissent.