Ever been to a Western basketball game and wondered about those students who ran around handing out pizza, rolling out cheer mats and shooting out free t-shirts? Well we’ve got the inside scoop on these crazy cool interns. Alex Hamilton is a Western Washington University junior studying business administration with a marketing concentration and the current Game-Day Marketing Intern for WWU Athletics.
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Why did you choose your major and what interests you about it?
At first I wanted to be a manufacturing and supply chain management major (yeah, boring I know). But I then was lucky enough to get my internship with the WWU Athletics Department and absolutely LOVED it all! I chose to become a marketing major because of how much I loved that internship. I found this major was very broad and would allow me to pursue many different avenues. I also loved that this major dealt less with numbers and more with thinking outside of the box!
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What is your job title and responsibilities?
I am the Game-Day Marketing Intern, which entails many things. I am a coordinator of everything that happens on the day of the games. So this means anything you see on the court or fields before the games, during timeouts, or halftime has all been planned out and scripted. I am in charge of creating the script that the announcers read during the game as well.
During the game most people don’t know that whenever the cheerleaders come on the court, the band plays or a promotion (Dance for Dominos, Poppin’ Pepsi Name That Tune, Haggen Shot From Your Seat, etc.) is happening, its not all just a coincidence! This is ALL planned out and scripted 100 percent. Of course things don’t always go as planned so it’s up to me to be a leader and make a decision on how we are going to adjust what we will be doing.
It is my responsibility to have a full understanding of everything that is going on at the game so I can make decisions that are going to be best for the fans and our team! In reality I am just one person though and I just write things on a piece of paper (the script). I really am lucky to have a great group around me too WHICH INCLUDES the other interns who all have different responsibilities but are a HUGE help during the game, the Viking Band who make the atmosphere at games amazing and the Viking Cheerleaders who all practice and perform constantly so they can BRING IT to every single thing we ask them to do at games.
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How did you get this job?
Honestly I wonder how I did it all the time. When I applied as a freshman I had absolutely no experience in the workforce and had no idea what I was really even applying for. (I didn’t know all this behind the scenes stuff even happened within WWU Athletics). My goal was to make sure that I got across that I am personable and willing to do anything, which I think were the best traits that our boss was looking for. In this job NOTHING is out of question, never do we say, “I don’t do that, it’s not in my job description.”
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What else do you guys do besides basketball games?
The fact is nothing is out of the interns’ job realm! That might be the best part about this internship. We are all very willing to literally do anything. Not only do we work basketball games, but we take pride in bringing as much spirit and energy to all our other sports.
These other sports include: volleyball, soccer, softball, track and field and rowing. Often what we bring to these other sports is different than what we can bring to basketball games. For example at track and field meets we are there helping with set-up and the full operations of the track meet (since you can’t necessarily run promotions or get the cheerleaders and band to pump up the crowd like at basketball games). Or at softball games, often times the games are during classes and students can’t make it to them, but we choose a few weekend games that we are able to offer our support. Earlier this season we rented a popcorn machine and handed out free popcorn at a softball game. It is our goal to support all sports as much as we can!
In fact we are already starting to work on next school years t-shirts and slogans! We have to start with the basic now so we can start ordering and promoting events by the time next school year comes around.
We also all work really hard on some other events that are put on. Such as the info fair at the beginning of the year, our Jr. Viking intern is a liaison between WWU Athletics and the children in our community, TV viewing parties (like we had at buffalo wild wings earlier this year), fundraising dinners, mascot assistance and anything else that is thrown our way. We are a very dynamic and active team and do many things that no one would really know about!
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How do you guys plan sporting events?
There is A TON of preparation that goes into anything we do! When you walk up to a sporting event and there are tables full of posters, and other “WWU Swag” we are the one’s that make sure this is all gets ordered at the beginning of the season and then set-up and ready for the games. Also before the season we are always planning what the next shirt idea, slogan or giveaways are going to be!
We are all also always thinking of new and innovative ways to spice up the game. We all have the “disease” of when we go to any other sporting event we notice everything that is going on and try to figure out how we can improve and implement that idea into our games!
This year a big event for us was the introduction of Harrington Field, the new soccer field on campus! So much preparation and work went into this event, including working with the Viking band and cheerleaders to lead the march to the match, distribution of 500 free scarves, and making sure the atmosphere all around was what we wanted it to be. We don’t just show up at these events and hope everything turn out okay, it is all well thought out and planned by all of us and we try to make sure everything is executed according to that plan.
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What are some of your favorite parts about the job?
The best perks/parts of the job is how fun and passionate everyone is about everything. We do know that this is serious and need to take it seriously, but we all add an element of fun and personality to everything we do. No one is “too cool” for anything and we all are working towards a common goal. Plus the fact that we get to know and plan things for everyone is really cool. Overall I would say all the groups and the people I get to work with are the best parts! Everyone is great and not once have I said, “Crap, I have work today,” because I love what I do and love everyone around me. It truly is a family.
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What’s the hardest part about it?
The hardest part, (and the most fun), is always trying to push the envelope a little bit more. We are always looking to come up with new and unique idea, which can get hard when it seems like you have already done everything that is possible! But even though this is hard, that’s what makes it fun and challenging. Coming up with new ideas and then implementing those ideas is so rewarding.
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What have you learned from the job?
I have learned SO MUCH. I would even say I have learned more from this job and the field of marketing than I have in any of my classes. Everything I have learned is so relevant and I know for a fact that these experiences have set me apart for other jobs that I have applied for. Employers are continuously impressed with the things we do at WWU Athletics and surprised with the knowledge we have gained.
I have learned so much that it has allowed me to find a career path that I want to focus on and continue pursuing.
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What is your job title and description for the job you have with the Mariners?
With the Seattle Mariners I am a member of the Leadership team of the Fielder’s. With the Mariners we are responsible for running promotions and many other operations within Safeco Field. We also provide support for almost all departments that need us on game days or even non-game days, really for any event that occurs at Safeco Field. These other events include charity fundraisers, career fairs or even the larger events like the Beyoncé and Jay-Z concert. This is another job where nothing is considered out of our job description. I have done everything from paperwork for the front office, working a concert to even operating the manual scoreboard in left field. You never know what you will be doing that day, things are always rapidly changing and it all depends on the flow of the game to know what will be needed.
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How has the Athletics Internship correlated to your job with the Mariners?
It has directly correlated to my job with the Mariners. I have able to bring my knowledge of behind the scenes planning and implementation to my job with the Mariners. Also because of my experience with WWU Athletics I was able to move up through the ranks with the Fielders and become a member of the leadership team. I earned skills at WWU Athletics that many people have not learned prior to working for the Mariners, which I believe game me a leg up to succeed!
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What do you eventually want to do for a living?
For a living I just want to do something that is fun and makes me want to return to work every single day. I have found this in sports I enjoy and in a passion for what happens at those events. I think that if I got a job in the future in promotions, events or sponsorship I would be able to use the skills I have learned with the Seattle Mariners and WWU Athletics and love it! But I am not just limiting myself to sports, I would love to work for a travel agency or entertainment company where what I am doing is fun and allows other people to have fun as well! The name of the game for my future career I guess is “FUN!”
This job is why I have decided to set my sights into events and promotions! Like I said, I was going to major in Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management, but I have loved this job and industry so much that I switched majors and started to search for opportunities to grow within the industry!
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Anything else you’d like to add?
I would just like to add that I am such a small part of everything. You could interview any other intern and they would say the same things, we all work EXTREMELY hard behind the scenes and we work as a team. By no means is it one of us that makes things happens but it’s a team effort. Even though we all focus on different things we all come together, help each other out and work for the common goal of making WWU Athletics succeed!
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