It was a busy day in the office. I was working on many different assignments and tasks throughout the day. The biggest project was coordinating the USA Masters Games BodyBuilding competition with the tournament director, Martin. Each sport has a specific individual in charge of that tournament as to lessen the load on the CSG staff. It is our job to support these directors in successfully implementing the tournament by providing their staff t-shirts, medals, banners, balls if needed, and any other items requested. The BodyBuilding competition will be held on June 24th in Vista, California. I will be the onsite contact for all Games questions and concerns. This event is in a whole new realm for me and I can’t wait to see it all completed.
The remainder of the day I worked on contacting BMX tracks and Rugby teams to encourage enrollment with the California State Games. I inventoried and checked all ball numbers and sizes for various sports such as water polo, basketball, soccer, and volleyball. I then divided these balls up based on size and which Games they will be assigned for, either the California State Games or the USA Masters Games. Another task during the day was reaching out to teams in Northern California that attended the 2015 Summer Cal State Games. During these Games a freak rainstorm hit and many of the events had to be canceled. I offered free entry to the 2017 Games as a way to encourage more Northern California teams to attend and to make up for their bad past experiences. If one team enjoys their experience and then spreads the word to all their local clubs it will increase out number of Nor. Cal participants.
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As we all know, Mondays are difficult. It was pretty mellow in the office today despite being packed with employees and interns (when I say packed, I mean 4 employees and 3 interns). Today I was able to focus on better familiarizing myself with the files and drives for the California State Games and the USA Masters Games. I have started answering phones as well to assist with any questions regarding the Games and registration. There is only one office number so I have learned to expect any type inquiry or request while picking up the phone. I also spent a lot of the day reaching out to old contacts to see if they would be interested in purchasing a vendor booth or advertising in the program for the summer Games. I reached out to LEGOLAND, the San Diego Zoo, and Mystery Café Dinner Theater. There is a line between abusing contacts and utilizing them for good and I am trying to stay appropriate while sending out these requests. During the second half of the day I updated the VIP contact list and researched all VIP emails. This took a long time due to the required searching of various websites. I have been learning and developing as I go. Constantly checking in with Sandi to see what I can do to assist and how I can continue my understanding of the company and the business as a whole.
It appears my new commute will be the hardest part of this new job. It takes me at least an hour to get to and from work which is now located in Downtown San Diego. I am hoping to move closer to the office but, until then, I will be investing in new music and audio books. The second day as an official employee was busier than the first. I am now also responsible for coordinating all Games Ambassadors and Representatives. The Game Ambassadors are individuals that volunteer to spread the word about the Games to their specific region or area. I will now provide these individuals with flyers, postcards, business cards, and any other Marketing materials needed to be successful. The goal is to increase the number of participants signed up for the California State Games as a whole. Today, among many things, I created a USA Masters Games flyer to be sent out to all of the San Diego Social Leagues, or SDSL. The SDSL are basically adult teams that have created a recreational league here in San Diego. Due to the fact that the USA Masters Games are for participants age 21 and above, these leagues are a great resource. I have added a copy of the flyer in the projects section of this website. The day was full of other small tasks including the creation of information packets and quick fact sheets. At the end of the day I took all of the created packets and dropped them off at the post office to be mailed out. Another great day in the books. Today was my first official day as a full-time employee of the California State Games. I am excited to be able to devote all of my energy and attention to the tasks required of me for the Games. It was getting difficult to balance both the mentorship and my Event Supervisor position at LEGOLAND. There were many interns in the office along with the other staff members so it was an energetic atmosphere. On top of the projects I am already responsible for, such as the USA Masters Games Road Race, Triathlon, and Tennis tournaments, I have been given additional tasks. These tasks include confirming and formatting the Athlete Ads and contacting all Jr. Lifeguard Agencies in California.
Families can purchase Athlete Ads which will appear in the California State Games Program. These Ads often feature a good luck or a we are proud of you message along with a photo of the athlete. Many high school yearbooks do a similar program for graduating seniors. This element allows for the Games to raise some money while also personalizing the program for those participating. Jr. Lifeguards, another sport that is included in the California State Games, has been lacking in registration numbers. Packets were sent out to each club, or Agency, to promote the Games. I updated the contact list for all of these Agencies and then followed up with them each individually to ensure they all the information needed. Moving forward, I will updated a spreadsheet when I hear back from Agency’s to be sure we have accurate information. It was a busy first day and I am excited to see what else I learn as the days continue on. Today is my last day as an unpaid mentor. The next time I will be working for the California State Games will be my first day as a full-time paid employee. Very exciting! Today began with some office work and file reviews. Sandi was not in the office this morning so it was a quite start to the day. I have been given some small tasks and am still trying to familiarize myself with the folders and operations of the company. There is a lot to learn but I am excited to soon be here full-time so I can dedicate my entire attention to the tasks required of me. I composed an email to LEGOLAND on behalf of the California State Games informing them of the vendor opportunities. I think it would be great to utilize my contacts at LEGOLAND to benefit my new company in some way.
In the afternoon I went to a meeting at the Crowne Plaza Hotel with Sandi, Lisa, and Mia Sakasegawa who just returned to work with the Games for the summer. Mia is in charge of volunteers and hotels. The purpose of the meeting at the Crowne Plaza was to determine which ballroom to place the Sport Director Pick Up Meeting and the two events this Hotel will be hosting, weightlifting and powerlifting. I was able to familiarize myself with the layout and specific locations for the various events which was helpful as I have never been to that location before. I am still constantly impressed with Sandi and all she is able to do. Can't wait to officially start with this amazing company. Today I was in the office coordinating multiple sports for the USA Masters Games. The sports included Road Race, Triathlon, and Tennis. All three of these sports are being combined with a preexisting events located in San Diego. The Road Race taking place with the Craft Classic 5K on June 16th, the Triathlon is taking place with the San Diego International Triathlon on June 25th, and the Tennis tournament is taking place with the La Jolla Tennis Championship on June 23rd through 25th. I created a quick fact sheet for each sport outlining all important information and questions that still need to be answered. I then contacted the coordinators of each event in San Diego to clarify any outstanding items.
The purpose of this project is to assist the USA Masters Games staff better coordinate with the local events. I then sent on any responses from the San Diego crew to my USA Masters Games contact and informed her of all items that need to be completed. It was a great project to get my feet wet and allowed me to see the process of planning tournaments and coordinating with preexisting events. It is slightly difficult to keep everything in line while I am still working only one day a week with the State Games. Everything should be easier to maintain once I get into the office full-time. A copy of the quick fact sheets I created are located in the Projects section of this website. This day was a shorter day but the most impactful thus far. Today was the day that Sandi and I finalized my full-time position with the California State Games. Last week she presented the opportunity to me and I was very excited about the possible position. We were able to negotiate salary and position title along with confirming hours and benefit packages. I am still working at LEGOLAND California as the Event Supervisor until the end of May when I will switch over to the State Games full-time. It is a bitter sweet as I enjoy the work I do at LEGOLAND, but this opportunity is something that connects my two passions of sports and event management into one amazing career.
I will be officially starting with the Cal State Games on May 30th after Labor Day Weekend. My title will be the Marketing and Event Manager and I will be focusing on the USA Masters Games for the first portion of my employment. I will continue to shadow Sandi and Lisa to learn all I can about the operations and procedures of the company. It will no doubt take time to learn everything, but I am eager and up for the challenge. These next few weeks I will continue to mentor one day a way as a prepare for the transition. It will be an interesting time, as I will be splitting my attentions between wrapping up my current role at LEGOLAND and entering into my new role with the California State Games. There are many exciting changes to come! This was a fun day for the mentorship. I met the team in Downtown San Diego at a bar called Parks and Rec for the Cal State Summer Games Sports Director Meeting. There are three of these meetings every year: one in January, one in April, and one the week prior to the Games. These meetings are meant to get all the sports directors in the same room to discuss the upcoming Games and operational info and updates. There were approximately 20 sport directors representing sports from water polo to basketball to judo. The meeting portion of the event consisted of Sandi explaining updates and changes that have developed for the Games. Flyers and other information was passed around for the directors to take home with them. After this meeting portion, a representative for Woodstock Pizza, a major sponsor for the Cal State Games, discussed their involvement and fundraising opportunities. They provided pizza for everyone to enjoy. Once everyone ate their pizza, the real fun began. Each individual at the event was given a name tag that assigned them to a specific team. These teams then competed against each other in bean bag toss, ping pong, connect four, jenga, and darts. The top three teams then won gold, silver, and bronze Cal State Games medals. My team won gold! It was a very fun event that allowed everyone in attendance to mingle and have fun while prepping for the upcoming tournaments.
Today was another day in the office for my mentorship. I started off by reviewing the files on the computer drive in more detail. I reviewed all information for the Cal State Winter Games held this past March. Some of this information included vendor forms, sponsorship contracts, venue layouts, team registration requirements, and sport schedules. After reviewing the various items for the Winter Games, I then moved on to the Cal State Summer Games. These games are still in the process of being planned so I was able to review the process from the starting phases. Sandi and I then went to lunch as a small reprieve from a day in the office.
After we returned, Sandi asked for my assistance with organizing the information for the potential basketball teams for the upcoming Summer Games. I was tasks with the creation of an excel spreadsheet that would make it easy to view how many teams would be registering within each age group. This sheet was to include team name, coach name, coach contact information, tournament they participated in, and where they placed within the tournament. This took quite some time to complete as there was a lot of information to acquire and organize. The actual spreadsheet can be found under Projects in the Menu tab. The third day of my mentorship was the first time I have been in the office for the entirety of my hours. Sandi was off this week on vacation so I was able to shadow both Lisa and Sara. Sara started by showing me the sponsorship and vendor information for the upcoming Cal State Games. She showed me the Google Document she created for vendors to sign up with more ease than in years past. This Doc outlined the possible vendor locations, booth information, and reservation pricing. The popular venues and activities cost more than others. For example, the Opening Ceremonies cost the most to reserve a booth due to the fact that vendors will see the most amount of foot traffic at this event.
After she showed me this information, I started searching for potential vendors. I did this through various web searchers and contacts. This was my first project assigned to me during this mentorship. I created an excel sheet to keep notes on the companies and businesses that I have found and contacted. I then created a welcome/information letter to send via email to those possible vendors. Both of these documents can be found under the Projects tab in the drop down Menu. I contacted some potential vendors and waited to reach out to others while I asked for clarification from Sara. I was also able to familiarize myself with the drives and folders that store all the information for both the Cal State Games and the USA Masters Games. Day two was just as exciting as the first. I started the day at the office and shadowed Sandi as she reviewed information and assignments with two of her five interns. Each intern is assigned various sports to reach out to and encourage attendance to the California State Games as well as the USA Masters Games. Most of the interns come from San Diego State University and Sandi explained that they are extremely helpful while prepping for the games. I then assisted with booking and credit check of the business. I reviewed all receipts form the past month and made sure it matched with the credit card statement that was just received.
At noon, we went to the Town and Country Resort in San Diego to meet with the National Sales Manager, Tom Bisesi, regarding the contract for the upcoming State Games and Masters Games. As we ate lunch Sandi and Tom negotiated prices. It was decided that Tom would send Sandi the updated information once he confirmed with his boss. Tom then took us on a tour of the entire resort to show all the new amenities and upgrades. Pictured below are some of the new additions that help draw visitors to the resort. After this meeting, we went back to the office where I reviewed some of the files from the 2016 California State Games. We then headed into Downtown San Diego to meet with the specialized group planning the 2019 ANOC World Beach Games which will be located in San Diego. This meeting included hand selected individuals that are the leaders of their trade: Vincent Mudd (Chairman of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation), Willie Banks (Olympic Record Holder & Cofounder), Dave Stowe (Vice President of Venue Operations at Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center), Mike Flint (Founder & President of MPA Event Graphics), Debbie Yang & Steve Swibell (Transportation Developers), Kent Hamilton (IT Developer), and Sandi Hill (California State Games Founder & Executive Director). It is safe to say I was in a room full of giants. I listened as they discussed event and venue operations and the potential for added games. ANOC, which stands for Association of National Olympic Committees, is the lead sponsor of the World Beach Games and most of the information passed along to the group was based on a recent meeting Vincent and Willie had with them. There is still much to be determined and developed but it was very exciting to be listening in at the beginning of the planning process. My first day of mentoring was exciting and informative to say the least. To start the day I went to the California State Games offices located in San Diego California. Sandi Hill, my official mentor, was at the airport picking up Hill Carrow. Hill is the CEO and founder of the USA Masters Games which will be hosted in San Diego during the summer of 2017 and 2018. I arrived at the office was given a short tour by Lisa Hauck, the Marketing Manager with the California State Games. I was then able to review some old pamphlets and programs from the State Games to familiarize myself with the operations.
Once Sandi and Hill arrived from the airport the excitement began. Sandi, Hill, Lisa, myself, and one other drove approximately 45 minutes north of San Diego to show Hill the locations for the upcoming USA Masters Games. We went to two different Hotel sites and it was explained that special contracts and rates were being negotiated for participants. We then went to lunch at Pizza Port, a popular restaurant in the San Diego area, which will be hosting one of the sponsorship events. At lunch we were joined by three swimming experts who have been contracted to operate and run the 2017 USA Masters Games swimming elements. At lunch proposals and questions were addressed regarding the swimming meets. I am not familiar with the sport of swimming, but now have a better understanding after listening to these conversations. Once we finished lunch, everyone caravanned to the Carlsbad Community Pool that will be utilized for these events. We met with the Operations Manager of the facility who walked the group around and explained how they have run swim meets in the past. The swim coordinators for the Masters Games asked many questions surrounding competition needs and requirements. Some of these questions centered around touch pad operation, timers, check in/out locations, and locker room facilities. Everyone was happy with the space and started the planning process while walking the location. Sandi confirmed how many volunteers will need to be assigned to that specific location. After the walkthrough, everyone went their separate ways as it was later in the day and some had come down from the L.A. area. I enjoyed learning more about what is involved with swimming competitions. I was able to talk with Hill regarding his extensive amount of sport management experience. He is an invaluable contact to have and it was, to say the least, an amazing first day at my mentorship. Due to the tight schedule, I did not have much time with Sandi but know that I will be able to get more one-on-one time with her as the days progress. |