Landing Sequence: Finishing up with the Flying Boxcars
This summer has been so much fun for me. Some internships feel stressful or tiring, but from my experience I had none of that. I enjoyed every day, getting to the ballpark and getting right to work. From my first day, everyone was so welcoming. The stadium had such a positive atmosphere, I wish everyone could have this experience. Even after being here for only three months, it was so hard for me to leave. I know now, more than ever, this is the kind of environment I want to have a career in.
I started the summer as a Stadium Operations intern. By the end I felt more like a Utility intern, filling in wherever I was needed. And I was so lucky that I ended up in that position.
In the sports industry, connections are everything. You can be really good at your field but if you don’t know anyone, you won’t find yourself with many opportunities. I’ve been fortunate enough to have these connections facilitated through this internship. I’ve learned a lot through the people who surround me. As I finished my internship, I was offered advice and additional information about the sports industry that, outside of working in sports, you wouldn’t know.
For example, if you make a mistake during a game, or are a little bit slow to fix something, it’s ok. Because there’s always something else going on somewhere else in the stadium. It’s important to have fun and relax, it’s not an enjoyable experience for anyone if you care too much.
Something else I learned is that no matter what you plan for, something else is going to happen. And that sounds a lot similar to other jobs but it's still true no matter where you are. So when something happens that you weren’t expecting, roll with it. One time during my internship, I was helping direct an outside performance act on the field. We always try to keep these performers as far from the field of play as possible to avoid any conflicts.This particular time, there was a flaw in the communication between me and the act, and they ran in front of the pitcher’s mound. That is in the field of play, and of course that delayed the game because the players could not continue until the performance was over and off of the field. I was forced to wait until the act came off as well, but instead of blaming myself or the performer for the mistake, I stopped them and showed them where to go the next time they were on the field instead. We didn’t make another mistake the rest of the night.
I will forever be thankful for my experience at Meritus Park. I’m excited for what my future holds with the team and the sport of baseball. Thank you to my supervisors, both official and unofficial, who helped me through my time at the park. I hope I can be back soon and continue to learn and grow as a part of the Boxcar community.