The winter quarter of the IAL program seemed, to me, like a long one. Maybe it was the rainy and cloudy Seattle, or maybe it was the fact that we had two classes and my internship was not what I had anticipated, but none of that helped the equation.
The content of the class schedule was not necessarily my cup of tea, but I managed to be engaged, and do the work in a timely and reasonable fashion. Where I really struggled was with my internship. I contacted the track and field coaches at UW to see if I could be involved somehow with the track and field operations. Obviously they could use help, as most organizations can, especially when it's free. My task was to help game-day operations at the indoor track meets throughout the winter quarter. The only problem is that the experience I gained while there, isn't the kind of experience that will help me with further progress in my career. I want to make it clear that this has nothing to do with the track and field program in itself, it has more to do with my late start on setting myself up with an internship that would be more beneficial.
For the weeks leading up to each meet I was on the computer, verifying marks that athletes and coaches had entered into the meet database. With that, I was making a determination whether that particular athlete had earned his/her way into the fastest heats. This aids in speeding the heat up, and allowing the best athletes to compete against the other quality athletes. In addition, on meet day I was working the information table, selling merchandise, replacing lost or mistaken bib numbers, and generally organizing the volunteer student-athletes.
I am about to begin a new internship, which I'm positive will give me great experience and a host of connections in the world of college athletics. I am looking forward to both the spring quarter class and the internship.
