Almost done!

My hours are coming down to the wire as we speak right now, as I have completed 194 of my 200 hours that are required for my mentorship. This past Wednesday, I was supposed to work a lacrosse game, baseball game, and a women's softball game, but the baseball and softball games were canceled due to inclement weather. The campus has a great set-up with the baseball, softball, and lacrsosse/soccer fields all directly connected to each other, with a concession stand and bathrooms right in the middle. It began to snow during the lacrosse game, as we've had terrible luck with weather since I began working at the University of Hartford back in January.

This weekend should be my last full weekend of working at UHart, as my hours will easily exceed 200 by the time Sunday night rolls around. I am going to miss the people the most from the University as I've met some great people who have helped me grow and I truly am going to miss them. I am going to continue to update this blog as often as I can and keep checking back on the university and its athletic teams. Also, I will continue to post pictures of my experience as I get to them.

Tournament Success!

This past weekend, I worked the America East Tournament held at the University of Hartford and I must admit, I have never been so tired after working in my life. Beginning Thursday afternoon and ending late Sunday night, I worked a combined 51 hours in those short 3 and a half days. Although it was a long and strenuous time, I enjoyed my experience with working the tournament as it was an exciting 4 days of men’s and women’s division 1 basketball.

The first day, Thursday, consisted of only 2 games as they were the play-in games for the 8-9 seeds in both the men’s and women’s tournaments. There are a total of 9 teams in the America East, so this game was necessary for each tournament as to eliminate one team so that there would be 8 remaining on both sides. The main arena for the tournament was set up in a way that no University of Hartford signs were displayed, instead replaced by numerous “America East” signs and symbols. Furthermore, a large tent was set up right outside the building which was dubbed “Fanfest” which included numerous food stands, memorabilia tables, and a number of high-definition television sets were set up to allow fans to watch the game live.

Throughout the course of the 4 days, I was assigned with numerous jobs around the arena, from ushering people in and out, to making sure opposing teams were not running into each other in the hallway leading into the arena. It was quite a hectic time, but everyone who was working the event had a special America East pass, which allowed them into different sections of the arena. There were four types of these credentials given out: All-Access, Event Staff, Media, and Volunteers.

My main duty when I wasn’t doing odd jobs around the arena was to make sure everything and everyone outside the main gym where the games were being played went smoothly. This included setting the clocks in each respective locker rooms to match the time in the gym so that coaches and players knew how much time they had until tip-off and how much time they had during half-time. My main goal was to make sure that nobody entered the back that wasn’t supposed to be there and to constantly roam around, checking on the workers to make sure they were doing their jobs.

During the course of the four days, we only got to eat twice over the 12-15 hours that some people worked, mostly eating pizza, wings, and sandwiches. We are also provided drinks and constant bathroom breaks if we needed it as well. At the end of the tournament, we were given great feedback from our boss, as he said he received numerous compliments from fans and an overall sense of accomplishment.

Overall, I thought it was a great experience and I look forward to finishing up my hours working lacrosse, baseball, and softball games this spring. Check back here to learn more about my experience during the tournament!

Hectic Week!

http://www.hartford.edu/daily/images/ae2011_large.jpg


This past weekend was a very hectic one at the University of Hartford. Preparations have begun for the America East Men's and Women's basketball tournament to be held at our arena in Hartford. This past Friday, I went in a little early to go over some information with both Ted and Chris and to discuss my role in the whole process. I have been tasked with creating flashcards for all of our employees, giving each a detailed description of their job title and what they can and can’t do on the job. I am going to be one of three supervisors in charge of over 50 workers. This is definitely going to be a tough responsibility, but I look forward to taking it on. I have learned a lot over the past two months of doing my internship for the University of Hartford, so I know I am up for the challenge.

On Saturday, February 26, the Hartford women had their senior day celebrations, which included a pre-game ceremony honoring each senior with a banquet in our aerobics room following the game. That Friday we were tasked in setting up both the intramural gym and the aerobics room for the festivities, which also included a fundraiser. We had to set up both tables and chairs along with put a tarp on the intramural floor to prevent any damage.

On Sunday the 27^th, it was the men’s turn for senior day and the seniors were also honored before the game and given a banquet following the game. Overall, both games went smoothly and the biggest problem we had was the set-up and break-down following both games. Sunday night after we finally had cleared the arena, we began set-up for the America East tournament which we are going to host this coming Thursday, March 3^rd through Sunday, March 6^th. Over the course of the four days, at least 15 basketball games will be being played, so we are all going to be at our best and show the conference that we can host a quality basketball tournament. Check back next week to see how it goes!

Hours are adding up!

My mentorship has been going really well lately, as my hours have started to increase a little bit each week. Last week we spent about 6 hours clearing off the lacrosse bleachers of snow and ice, which was extremely difficult given the mass amount of snow Connecticut has received over the past month and a half. There was at least a foot of snow on the bleachers themselves, and about 10 of us worked to bring the snow down to the base level of the bleachers, were workers could use their snowblower to shoot it on to the turf field so it could melt. This was probably the first time I was a little disappointed in what I was doing because I definitely did not expect to be doing such backbreaking work with the university. However, it was a good team bonding experience and I really got to know a lot of my peers within the job.

Most of the people I work with are current students at the school, with the majority of them playing a sport such as tennis or men’s and women’s soccer. So far as I write this, I’ve amassed 87 total hours with the University of Hartford, and I will easily continue to gain more and more hours as I work towards my goal of 200. This coming Saturday, the 18^th of February, is our first men’s home lacrosse game I will be working, so the hours will continue to add up as I work both men’s and women’s basketball and men’s lacrosse games. In a little less than two weeks I will begin to work our conference tournament, which I hear is extremely hectic. Nine different teams, including Hartford’s, will be in attendance at this tournament for both men’s and women’s basketball. That means that 18 different teams will be making an appearance at our facility within a four-day period. Although the days are going to be long and difficult, I look forward to the challenge and making a positive contribution to the best of my ability.

Work is well!

Work has been off and on the past couple of weeks, as we have been hit by a number of major snowstorms. I currently live at a house in the middle of the woods which has made travel to and from West Hartford for the games very treacherous. To make matters worse, my drive has a steep incline to it as well, making it that much more difficult to travel from my house to the arena. Connecticut has been hit with more than 80 inches of snow the past month and a half or so, making life very difficult for everyone.

This past Thursday, I worked the Hartford vs. Vermont men’s basketball game at Chase Arena. Although Hartford was beaten pretty soundly, I actually got work the instant replay monitor for about 10 minutes in the first half. This monitor is used for any replay instances where the referees feel the need to check on a particular play. For instance, sometimes referees will use this replay system to check to make sure a player’s feet are established beyond the three-point line to determine if the basket made was worth 2 or 3 points. This was a great learning experience and I enjoyed using the machine a lot.

What I am looking forward to the most is the upcoming America East Tournament, which Hartford is hosting at the main arena. This is a 4-day event for both the men’s and women’s teams to determine who will represent our conference in the men’s and women’s NCAA tournament. There will be four days of which I am going to be required to be working there at least 14-15 hours per day so it will definitely be a great albeit tiresome learning experience.

Good week of work!

This past week was a good one at the University of Hartford. During the week, there were three games, two men’s home games and one women’s home game. Last Monday was my first time ushering the balcony area of Chase arena, and everything went as planned. Since it was the lone women’s game of the week, my area wasn’t too crowded with many spectators, making my job a little easier.

Last Wednesday, I went in a little earlier than normal to shadow both Ted and Chris in their daily activities. Both received numerous calls from other department heads in our conference, trying to schedule practice and shoot-around times for their teams when they play us in Hartford. Chris also received a call from the University of Tennessee, who happened to be playing the University of Connecticut in Hartford Saturday afternoon. Apparently there was a scheduling conflict with the XL Center, Uconn’s arena they play at when they are off campus in Hartford. Therefore, Tennessee was forced to find an alternative gym to practice at the Friday before. Chris was able to work out a time where the Tennessee men were able to use our court for their practice before the game. I thought this was really cool, as it gave us a chance to see a more prominent men’s basketball team use our facilities when they had no other place to go.

Last Saturday was by far my longest day at the University of Hartford. I arrived at the arena at noon for a four o’clock game. We were asked to arrive early mainly because classes had finally resumed and we were expecting close to a sell-out crowd with Boston University, our biggest rival, in town. I was given the task of ushering the student section of the gym, which was actually pretty full for the first time since I had started there back in early January. All in all, things went pretty smoothly and Hartford actually pulled off the upset, winning by 4 against the lone team undefeated in conference play.

I have now currently amassed a total of 51 hours working for the University, and I must say, I am enjoying my experience a lot. I have met some great people and everyone has been really nice and outgoing to me. Ted and Chris have been a huge help, and I have definitely learned a lot from them so far about running a Division 1 facility. I’m looking forward this week to spending an entire day with Chris and Ted, to see what goes on during a non-game day.

Huge snowstorm!

Well I was supposed to go in this week for an entire day to see what goes on a day-to-day basis but the massive snowstorm that CT received stopped me in my tracks. We got over 25 inches in my area alone, thus making travel extremely difficult.

I hope to get in there sometime next week!