I never really imagined myself working at a baseball stadium, although, baseball is something I have followed my entire life. Not as dutifully as my father, but I kept up with the NY Mets, been to a few games, and had been to a few Rockland Boulders games with my family over the summer. Every year they host an Irish Heritage Night, and we always found ourselves sitting along the third base line decked out in green.
Then I met Christian Heimall at the Manhattanville Job and Internship fair (shout out to the CCD!) and we talked about different internship opportunities the stadium had over the course of the summer. I wasn’t really that interested, but gave Christian my resume anyway.
I called my dad after the fair, and told him about how I met someone from the Rockland Boulders, and how they lived the next town over from us. I kept the internship in the back of my mind as I looked through all the employers I had talked to, looking to see which one I may want to work with over the summer, if they called me back.
Christian emailed me within a week, asking to interview me over the phone, and I agreed. Talking on the phone, I realized that the internship actually seemed like a wonderful opportunity. The Rockland Boulders were only ten minutes away from my house, and I would get the opportunity to work with people who were professionals in the promotions, public relations, and marketing fields, unlike the other internships I had been looking at. A few days later I was offered the job, a few hours after I accepted.
A few weeks into the internship, and I was really enjoying it. Working in a minor league baseball stadium I was able to learn the value of communication, teamwork, and understanding. Working in a small scale environment, we needed to keep in contact with each other and work past any differences we may have for the common good of the the company’s image and how smooth we would run. A lot of the time, it didn’t even feel like I was working at a baseball stadium, it felt like I was working with a family: a family that slowly adopted me as one of their own.
I dealt with office work, met members of the social media team, helped set up for parties, run on field promotions, worked with sponsorships from companies such as Coca-Cola, drove a mini train, ran and attended to issues associated with customer satisfaction of the train, as well have been in a giant tooth costume. It’s was an adventure to say the least, each day I took a ten minute drive to see a game, but more importantly to be the game; be the reason people came back, be the reason people enjoyed their time, and be the reason the stadium continued to succeed.
Half way through, the internship, it was hard to imagine that we had all worked 7 weeks together, and that July 4th would be half way through the season. We had lost two interns at this point, and it had been hard saying goodbye to the people we had been working so closely with for so long; I couldn’t imagine how hard it would be to say goodbye after fourteen weeks.
At this point, the staff of about forty interns, had started to add each other on our social media accounts, like Facebook, Snapchat, and LinkedIn. We had started to connect with each other professionally, as well as personally.
I was having a great time, and had almost finished the minimum amount of hours I needed for credit at the CCD, which was crazy to even fathom. I had been learning a lot as well. I learned the inside workings of sponsorships, and sponsorship satisfaction. I worked directly with the person in charge, who happened to be my assistant supervisor, Steph. She explained to me how she deals with fulfillment on days that it rains, and we would have to cancel some of our promotions. My supervisor, Christian, is in charge of the team’s social media accounts, and had shown us how he controls and runs the Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. I also worked alongside Nick and Tom, who both help put together and run the different parties we had throughout the season. I talked to some of the other interns, such as sales and PR to see how they like it, and if it has differed from any other jobs in the title they’ve had.
I had done more tasks at this point; I had been in a giant tooth costume, managed the train line, ran on field promotions, been a stabilizer for Nik Wallenda as he walked across the stadium on a tightrope, I’ve driven the train, been hit by a pitch, decorated the stadium to welcome the Cuban International team, sold scorecards, welcomed fans, thanked fans for coming, been a handler for our mascot, and dealt with some pretty unruly moms.
The internship was exhausting, especially since I was also working a part time job. Many times I ended up working fourteen or twelve hour days, trying to manage both, but no matter what the time, or how tired I was, I was always excited to go to Boulders. I admitted numerous times that I would gladly quit my part time job to work at Boulders more if they paid me, and I would’ve come in early every time they asked, and stayed late whenever necessary, and it’s made me realize that this really is what I love to do.
I’ve always said that I don’t want to ever be famous, I want to be the person behind the scenes, making the magic happen. You’ll search their name online, only to find out they’ve been involved in so many amazing projects that you love, and that’s what I do at Boulders. I’m another person in khakis and a blue polo, but I made sure your kids had the best experience they could, and I guaranteed you would have a good evening, all without you ever knowing my name. Basically, if I were being paid, I would’ve be living the dream.
The last day of my internship was August 26th, only two days before school started for the Fall 2016 semester. Throughout those thirteen weeks I made friends, connections, and memories that will last me a lifetime. I had been in a viral video, helped make history, and been hit with a baseball, and I wouldn’t take any of it back.
The Rockland Boulders has opened doors I never would’ve imagined, and has given me skills that I will take with me to every job and internship I have afterwards. I have learned patience and confidence at work when dealing with customer and patrons. I have learned that it’s okay to throw yourself out there, because chances are you’ll have a good experience in the end.
While with the Rockland Boulders I was put into a giant tooth costume, drove an oversize golf cart we called the train, danced on top of dugouts, helped lost kids find their parents, sold scorecards, and so much more. My promotional internship ending up giving me glimpses into the worlds of event planning, public relations, marketing, promotions, sponsorship fulfillment, and so much more. I never realized how closely tied some of these jobs were until I started at Boulders.
Never would I have ever imagined myself working at a baseball stadium, let alone in the sports industry. Now, I want to explore the sports world a little bit more, and possibly come back to Boulders next year to intern again. I’ve realized how large the communications field is -from public relations, to publishing, to media production – there are so many open doors into the industry.
I had a wonderful experience at the Rockland Boulders. My supervisor, Christian, and my assistant supervisor, Steph, along with the rest of the staff, were welcoming, helpful, and kind. They were open with you about mistakes, and about the wonderful things you did as well. They didn’t play favorites, or make us do small work such as getting coffee; they gave us jobs they would do, and most of the time you would find them right there doing it with you. The group of interns I worked alongside were hard working, goofy, and the nicest group I could have asked for. We worked well together, and I hope to stay in contact with some of them throughout the academic year.
I don’t have enough words to express how thankful I am for this opportunity. It has truly changed me as a person, for the better. I feel, going into my Junior year of college that maybe, just maybe, I’ll be ready for the real world once I graduate. The Rockland Boulders showed me that you could have fun at work, and truly enjoy what you do, which is what I aspire for in a position. I can’t wait to use the skills I’ve learned in the other workplaces I’ll experience.