UNK networking in the Lone Star state |
| Posted by Administrator on Apr 16 2008 |
Courtesy Photo
HPERLS students reenact the Dallas Cowboy's line of scrimmage at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas. The stadium will soon be replaced by an estimated $1.1 billion stadium that is currently under construction. The students toured the stadium as part of their educational experience during the AAHPERD conference last week.
Scott Levy
Antelope Staff
BBQ, baseball and interactive sessions were all part of the educational experience students in the Sports Administration Majors Club had while in Fort Worth, Texas.
The club attended the AAHPERD, American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, conference last week.
The conference helped students meet and network with professionals from the sports industry and related fields.
"The conference was fun. They had a bunch of games on display for PE teachers, and they let you try them out," Amber Gigstad, a senior parks and recreation major and president of the Recreation Majors Club, said.
Attending conferences like AAHPERD can give students an advantage in a competitive industry like the sports industry.
Several of the sessions stressed the importance of networking. They featured a variety of panelists who provided a personal account of how they became successful in their careers.
"I really enjoyed the opportunity to talk to people who have a career similar to what I want in the future. I made a point to ask them how they got to where they are today, and if they had any advice for me," senior sports administration major Ashley Krause said.
A total of ten SAM Club members went to the conference. Eight were sports administration majors, and two were recreation majors. All ten students had a positive reaction towards the trip.
Tom Strauss, a senior sports administration major and SAM Club president said, "It was a great experience for all of us. We went to meetings all day, and we learned more about our major and that gave us a step up on everyone else trying to enter into the sports field."
In addition to attending meetings, the SAM Club members also had the opportunity to tour a professional-level athletic facility.
They chose to tour the current Dallas Cowboys Stadium, since they are in the process of building a new stadium, which is estimated to cost close to $1.1 billion.
The tour took them through the front doors of the stadium, into a luxury box suite, the player's locker rooms and finally directly on to the field.
Cody Reinert, a junior sports administration major and Sam Club president elect said, "To see the Cowboys Stadium was an amazing site. The stadium showed me why a team would need to build a new stadium worth a billion dollars. There are many factors that contribute to why teams build stadiums, but to see them for yourself was an outstanding experience for me that I could not get in the classroom."
The club also went to two Texas Rangers baseball games with several thousand fans in attendance.
This experience let them see how everything comes together for a major league baseball game to run smoothly. The students can learn in classes about facility management, game day promotions and risk management, but first-hand experiences provide something a textbook cannot.
"There was a streaker! You don't really think about something like that during your classes. The guy had to pay a $2,000 fine and spend the night in jail, but I bet he made ESPN," Krause said.
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