National Sports Center Blog

It's intern-hiring season again!

By Greg Hutton
NSC Media Specialist

Did you notice the change from NSC Media "Intern" to NSC Media "Specialist"?  No?!?!

Anyway, yes, that means I've returned to the National Sports Center's media department after completing my internship with the facility this past summer. For my first task, Matt Koehn, who coordinates the NSC's intern recruitment, asked me to write this blog about the facility's internships. I happily obliged.

To start, read the descriptions of available internships here.

If you're wondering what an internship at the NSC like, I'll sum it up in three words: fun, busy and rewarding.

Fun - because of the organizational climate, the structure and working on such interesting and unique events. And also this:

ABOVE:  Intern softball.

Busy - because my to-do list was full the first day after intern orientation. But that's what you want - to be an asset to the organization.

And rewarding - because we were successful in our tasks and I gained lots of new experience that will be valuable for the future. I firmly believe that an internship at the NSC is one of the most rewarding experiences someone who is interested in entering the sport management field can have.

As such, being hired as an intern is not easy. Staff members are highly selective. Approximately 200 resumes and cover letters are received each season.

Also, just because you don't live near the Twin Cities doesn't mean you can't apply for an internship. Past interns have come from a variety of locations throughout the United States and even the world. A pair of last summer's interns are natives of France. The NSC doesn't provide housing, but for those concerned about finding a place to live: rest assured. Finding an apartment to sublease during the summer is very easy with the help of Craigslist.

Here are a few other reasons to consider applying for an NSC internship:

1. It's huge. The National Sports Center, that is.

Everything the NSC does is large in scale. So is the facility itself; it's in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest soccer complex in the world. Also, SCHWAN'S USA CUP is the largest youth soccer tournament in the Western Hemisphere. Approximately 1,000 teams from 25 states and 21 countries make the trip to Blaine each July.

2. Responsibility

Scott Clasen, the NSC Web Architect and also a former intern, said it best in his Jan. 16, 2007 blog:

"Internships are quite different than at other organizations. First and foremost, interns are given actual responsibility with actual consequences for not performing on the job. With the large number of events we host in the summer, there's no choice but to rely heavily on college interns to ensure event success."

It is guaranteed that, as an intern at the NSC, you won't be needlessly making copies for eight hours each day. While the specific work that each individual intern completes varies, one thing remains the same: the work is paramount to the success of the facility's summer events.

3. Location

The North Metro suburb of Blaine is just a 15- to 20-minute ride from both downtown Minneapolis and Saint Paul. As such, there's no shortage of entertainment options for the time you're not at work. I even chose to live in Minneapolis, both during my internship and now as I complete my graduate degree.

One's time on the NSC campus also promises to be entertaining, which leads me to the next reason to apply:

4. The other interns

One of my favorite parts of my internship was that I worked with 17 other college-age interns. They became not only co-workers, but also great friends - both during and after work.

Not that the other staff members aren't enjoyable - they definitely are - but having a group of people that are in the same boat as yourself makes work that much more fun.

5. I interviewed Roberto Donadoni, the head coach of the Italian national soccer team.

It's true, I did, for Kick TV during last summer's SCHWAN'S USA CUP. You can even watch it here if you don't believe me.

But my point in mentioning that fact is to draw your attention to the unique aspect of the NSC's internships. Where else would I have been able to interview Roberto Donadoni? Or get mail from the President of the United States? Regardless of one's political opinion, receiving an envelope addressed to you from "The White House" is pretty cool.

6. The NSC offers paid internships.

Granted, the money is never a reason why one should or should not apply for an internship. Rather, internships are more about gaining experience to take to future employers. But having some extra money to help pay for rent, tuition, or more importantly, Twins tickets, certainly helps.

As evident from this blog, I was 100 percent satisfied with the decision to complete my internship at the NSC. I think you will be, too.

Please feel free to shoot me an e-mail (ghutton@nscsports.org) or give me a call (763.792.7342) if there are any other questions you would like to have answered. I'm happy to help.

More Intern News

By Greg Hutton, NSC Media Intern

SCHWAN'S USA CUP, presented by PUMA, is how many days away??

I think it would be safe to assume that the above sentence is one that routinely comes to mind in all 17 of the interns here at the NSC. The correct answer:  seven days (not long!).

While our attention has now completely turned to SCHWAN'S USA CUP, for two weekends in June, 3-4 interns traveled south to Rochester for the Star of the North Games, Minnesota's annual Olympic-style multi-sport event. The primary staff from the MASC/NSC offices consisted of: Barclay Kruse (Director of the Games), Tara Durheim (registration), Lindsey Eichenlaub (registration) and myself (media), but the infamous Jenny Lee also accompanied us to Rochester for the first weekend.

Aside from a sneaky game Tara, Lindsey and Jenny made up (Phase 10), good times were had by all, as the event ran extremely successfully and all of us enjoyed ourselves during and outside of working hours.

I also had the privilege (for lack of a better word) of finding my desk completely decorated in about 452987498672496 sheets of paper when I arrived back at the office, each representing what has been described as "Greg-isms". This, of course, was courtesy of the same trio mentioned above. Took me 20 minutes to clean my desk up...

Don't ever play Phase 10...

Anyway, several interns also chose to take part in the annual "Intern Velodrome Day" on June 20. The NSC Velodrome is one of only three all-wood, all-weather cycling tracks in the United States. It is 250 meters long and turns are banked at 43 degrees. Several notable events have been held at the complex, including the 1990 Olympic Festival, 1992 Olympic Cycling Trials and 1993 World Championship Cycling Trials. The track is used on a daily basis for training, and weekly races are held on Thursday evenings.

Bob Williams, the velodrome director, was generous enough to give the participants a lesson and some pointers before they took to the track themselves.

Camille Saliot had quite the spill (see picture above), but that didn't stop this tough France native from getting right back on the bike. His skin is still recovering, however...

In the last race of the afternoon, Ryan Palmer made a late run to edge out Adrien Bequart in the four-lap competition.

Velodrome cycling seems to be quite the unique experience.

I suppose now would be a better time than ever to introduce you to Tara and Lindsey, but you'll also get to meet Clint LaBeau.

Tara Durheim is a native of Duluth and a recent graduate of the College of Saint Benedict. She worked as the Registration Director for Star of the North Games until a week ago, when she transitioned to join me in media. Her previous course history will allow her to work primarily with Kick TV, our daily "e-magazine" show, although she will occasionally find herself writing articles and hosting media as well.

"I am excited for two things: my amazing lemonade-colored PUMA shoes, and working on our new project, Kick TV," Tara said. "This will be the first time that the media staff produces the show, so it is sure to be an adventure. We are trying to be as prepared as we can, but I am sure unexpected things will come up. Bottom line: I know we will make it fun."

Lindsey Eichenlaub is a veteran to the NSC, as she has worked here in some capacity for the past three years. Her various roles have included working for Star of the North Games each year, assisting with media as needed, coordinating Schwan's USA CUP Opening Ceremonies as well as working with the NSC Football Classic (her current job). She is a native of Crystal and attended the University of Minnesota.

"Working for media last year was a great time, and I was able to learn so much information that I will be able to take with me to this year's event," Lindsey said. "But this year, Opening Ceremonies is definitely going to be my favorite part of the tournament."

She also added: "Greg is pretty awesome for putting up with everything we put him through."

Definitely.

All three of us (Tara, Lindsey and I) are located next to each other in the media/marketing area of the office due to the fact that Barclay is our boss. That's a good thing, and I say that not only because he will read this.

Clint LaBeau is the referee intern, as he coordinates all of the logistics for NSC tournament officials. His job is very fitting, as he is a soccer referee himself. This also allows him to fill in during tournaments when referees mysteriously disappear...  Clint is from Cambridge and currently attends Minnesota State University, Mankato, where he is majoring in Sports Management.

Saved by the Interns

By Teri Vogt, Schwan's USA CUP Director

It's that time a year when a portion of our week is dedicated to interviewing interns.The NSC brings in approximately 15-20 college students each year to help with the execution of summer events.The small NSC staff always looks forward to when the interns begin each spring. It adds a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the office.The interns work from May-August and are assigned to several events each. The best intern candidates for us are those who have experience working events, either as a volunteer or staff. Students who run campus activities like concerts or sporting events often have good experience. We also generally like to hire juniors or seniors as they seem to have the maturity it takes endure event work. We get some candidates who apply for the sole reason that "they like sports." As a seasoned event administrator, the interview response "I just love sports and want to be around sports" falls on deaf ears. Those of us in the biz know that as event organizers, often we are very far removed from being able to watch or participate in the sport itself. 

Last year we had one intern at the NSC who came from one of the leading business schools in France. This school required her to do a 6-month internship and she chose to fulfill this requirement at the NSC. Clara worked with event marketing producing a promotional DVD for Schwan's USA CUP, with event volunteers helping the USA CUP field services committee in attracting volunteers, with the rugby program in bidding for USA Rugby events, and several other NSC projects.  Her experience was so successful that she has told her schoolmates about it and we are getting several French applicants this year. 

It's a fun time of year getting to know a variety of college students in the interviewing process. 

Tis' the Season To Talk Internships

By Scott Clasen
NSC Web Architect

Although the weather has finally brought the typical Minnesota cold and snow this week, at the NSC our thoughts are six months ahead and planning for the summer event season. With that comes the annual influx of intern positions. All of our intern positions are posted here.

Internships here are quite different than at other organizations. First and foremost, interns are given actual responsibility with actual consequences for not performing on the job. With the large number of events we host in the summer, there's no choice but to rely heavily on college interns to ensure event success. This can be a double-edged sword for us. When a competent intern comes along, it makes our lives much, much easier. However, when they flame-out, and we've had some spectacular intern burnouts, it certainly ratchets up the stress for the full-time staff. That being said, I think interning at the NSC can be one of the most rewarding experiences for a young person who's interested in a career in sports management. And I don't just say that because once upon a time I was an intern here. The experience you get as an intern will quickly tell you if you're an event person or not, whether you're cut out for working long hours, weekends and willing to do just about anything to get the job done.

So as we hover below zero this morning here I hope that college students are thinking about summer as well and we get another bumper crop of interns for our 2007 summer events.