Entrance to OVC Office
August was approaching which meant the start of a new academic year. My summer internship was drawing to a close. I spoke with Jenn about possibly staying on board for the fall internship, or even the entire year if she was alright with it. I was doing well enough that she thought me staying on board all year would make things easier for her and I would obviously get a lot out of it as well. I asked if I would be able to accompany her at all the championships throughout the year and Jenn was all for it.
Conference USA, in Irving, Texas had a posting for a Championships Intern for their academic year that I applied for earlier in the summer because I was unsure of how everything would turn out at the OVC. The C-USA internship was paid and since it was in Irving, I would be back in the Dallas area where I already knew some people. They called me for an interview, which went well, and the final selection once again came down to me and one other person. I told Jenn about the interview and we talked about my future with the OVC a little more in depth. At the OVC I would have the opportunity to have my hands in a lot more and work every championship event, where as C-USA only brought their interns to one or two championships. I decided that even if C-USA offered me the position, I would turn it down because I thought I would get more out of the OVC.Turns out, C-USA went with the other candidate anyway so everything worked out well.
I moved to Nashville the last week in May 2009 and started working for the OVC the first week in June. The last 8 months have been some of the most rewarding in my short professional career. I always had the inclination that I would enjoy conference work. The desire to help build a league rather than a single institution coupled with the thrill of amateur athletics at their finest has met my expectations. It's not very often that high expectations are met, but not only has the work met my expectations, it's exceeded them. I love what I'm doing with the OVC and the people I'm fortunate to work with are all great individuals and I look forward to continuing life long friendships with all of them once my time here is complete.
The only draw back is the financial aspect. Going back to what I said in yesterday's post about having a great friend in Josh that has allowed me to stay on with him for the duration of the internship has really made all of this possible and without his support and blessing I'm not sure what I would have done. We've worked out an agreement on rent and other expenses and I looked for a part time job as soon as I got settled. I looked into temporary employment services, agencies, I walked in to retail jobs, I've looked for work with golf clubs, sought opportunities through conference connections - the whole gamut and the only promising lead was (hate to admit this) Bed, Bath & Beyond.
I remember walking into the store 25 minutes from where I stay in Nashville thinking, "I'll apply there because of the women who are sure to come through." I got the job and I was right, women do come through, but they're often twice my elder...talk about your all time back fires. The work itself is easy, but the minimum wage, distance from home, working 4-11PM and other facets of the job make it challenging at times. I think the biggest issue is that I've finally found what I want to do in terms of work, due to my time with the conference, yet I'm stuck putting freight away at Bed, Bath & Beyond to support myself. It comes with the territory and what I'm gaining in experience at the OVC more than makes up for the lack of financial help - I'm confident it will work itself out down the road, again, good things happen to those who work hard.
Its been ten years since I started my formal education in 2000 at Pleasant Valley High School. By the time I was a Junior I already knew I wanted to work in collegiate athletics. I chose a college that best suited my career aspirations instead of the University I grew up admiring and always saw myself attending. I moved to Texas and turned down my first real job offer. I completed half my MBA work in one of the most frustrating and stressful years of my life. I did all of this in pursuit of an opportunity at a conference office. The time working with OVC has been amazing and I enjoy every day I go to work there. Even though I feel I've accomplished a lot in this last decade just to get to this point, there is one thought that continually resounds in my head as my internship begins down the final stretch. I haven't accomplished anything. I haven't arrived. This is a starting point. All the work it has taken to get here was necessary but the conclusion of this internship will mark a new beginning, a fresh 35, if you will, into the business of collegiate athletics.
I'm not sure what the next step is but I know I'm going to make every effort to enjoy the ride. My hope is that this week long intro has allowed you the chance to see where I'm coming from and give you a reason to follow me on this ride because if the next decade is anything like the past ten years, than I know its going to be one hell of a ride so feel free to take up residency on this blog and share your thoughts, feelings, and your own personal stories if you've got em and hopefully together we can find our way down the winding road of intercollegiate athletics.
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