These are my last 2 days doing my internship at Spartan Arena and while I will enjoy the extra time i will now have during the week, I will definitely miss the people that I worked with. I do feel more confident about my future in sports, and the main reason being is because i was able to add to my network. Hopefully the connections I have made through this internship will help my get my foot in the door with the Castleton State College football team. even though this internship was not directly linked to my career path that I want to take, it definitely is a stepping stone and a resume builder and I appreciate the opportunity to be able work in this environment and the people around me.
As the end of November gets closer it seems as though the Arena is getting a little slower, but i guess that can be attributed to a few things. One reason is some people may be heading home for the holidays, and the big reason is that all the hockey teams have started to practice (Castleton State College Men's and Women's & Rutland High School Boy's and Girl's) So as things are a little slower now, it gave me a chance to get to know the other intern that work with on occasion. she used to race motocross and has an aspiration to get back into that, and she is also pursuing a degree in sports management just like I am. She is definitely a down to earth funny person that makes the slower days more fun.
Today was a pretty fun day as I had a project waiting on me when I arrived. I have already used Microsoft Excel to input data on all of the sold inventory and today i was tasked with taking an inventory for the the whole pro shop. It gave me a chance to really see everything that was sold there. The pro shop sells everything from clothing (mostly shirts, shorts, hoodies and sweatpants) to hockey equipment to coffee mugs and everything in between.
I think that today may have been the most exciting day that I have had since I have been here. I was able to learn how to use "Olympia", otherwise know as the Zamboni or "boni". Being as I am from Florida and have only been living in Vermont for a short period of time, I am not very familiar with the in's and out's of hockey and that includes exactly what a Zamboni does. After learning how it works I was able to take a ride and drive the Zamboni. although this was actually pretty fun, i can see where it would get old really fast. They use the Zamboni to cut the ice and apply a smooth layer about 10 times a day. Other than Learning about and using the Zamboni my day went as planned.
For the most part I feel like I learn something new everyday, and today was no different. When I arrived Steve (my supervisor) had a little project for me to do; he wanted me to make sure the schedule that we have for the Arena was the exact same as the one that is on the website that way that there is no confusion. If there was something that didn't match up i was supposed to change it on the arena's schedule so that it matched the website. I did about 6 months worth of schedule, which took most of my day up along with answering phones and covering the pro shop.
Today was a slow day with not much to do besides man the pro shop and take money for skate rentals, and people using the ice. One thing that I have noticed while I've been here is that this is a very relaxed environment. Employees, as well as myself are really allowed to wear whatever we want as long as it isn't all "ratty". The only times that we are expected to dress up is for special events like the Cage Fighting event i attended my first night here. During Castleton State hockey games (men's and women's) all employees that are working are required to be in professional attire. I am hoping to work a hockey game next month sometime.
Today I used one of the new skills that I have acquired while interning at Spartan Arena, sharpening skates. For a good portion of the day I was busy reorganizing all of the rental skates as well as sharpening some. Sharpening skates can be a bit tricky, while the machine does most of the work, everything has to be set up very precise and you must apply the right amount of pressure from the skate to the machine, otherwise it will sharpen the skate unevenly. One thing that i noticed while working today was the lack of disabled people that come into Spartan Arena. I have been here about a month and a half and have only seen a few people that had a disability (Wheelchair bound). Spartan Arena is a very accessible place even for those who have a disability such as being in a wheel chair.
Today I was able to do a few different things that I haven't done yet. During the first couple hours of the day I was inputting sales from the pro-shop into the computer using an Excel spreadsheet. During the second part of my day I was filling in at the fitness center, which I have done before, but this time I was able to sign up a new member and make a membership card. All in all it was a good day and I learned a few new things.I think that my fourth day was by far the most interesting. I was able to do a couple new things at the arena. One thing that I learned how to do is run the pro-shop. While running the pro-shop I was also taught how to sharpen ice skates. Sharpening skates is definitely a skill that has to be acquired, you have to have good eyes and steady hands.
On my third day it was a lot like day number 2, I answered some phone calls well my supervisor was away from his desk. I also learned how to file all of the paperwork in the office, it was mostly paperwork having to do with finances.
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