Ryan Borczon (BSM ’10) knew from a young age that he wanted a career connected to tennis.

He grew up playing and teaching the racquet sport, and by the time he reached high school, he had his sights set on studying Sport Management (SPMA) at Brock University.

After graduating in 2010, Borczon took on an internship at Tennis Canada and has since worked his way up to managing one of the world’s premier tennis tournaments.

Borczon is among more than two dozen Brock University alumni who work for Tennis Canada and who are involved in the National Bank Open presented by Rogers in Toronto, which this year took place from Aug. 4 to Aug. 12.

As Tournament Manager and Director of Professional and National Events, Borczon oversees player services, including liaising with international sport agents to organize players’ transportation, accommodations and food needs; overseeing the smooth running of the players’ lounge and medical zone; and managing the player gifting programs.

“As one of the largest and most respected tennis tournaments in the world, we always boast strong player fields year after year, and our past champions include the likes of Serena Williams and Roger Federer,” he says. “We want to make sure players feel at home and really enjoy their time in Toronto, so they make Canada an annual stop in their tournament calendar.”

Fourth-year Sport Management student Tyler May was one of several Brock students who volunteered with Tennis Canada for the National Bank Open in Toronto.

While Borczon was busy welcoming players, fellow SPMA grad Hope Blackmore (BSM ’20) engaged them in creative content. As Content and Platform Specialist for Tennis Canada, she is a crucial part of the social media team responsible for showcasing the world’s tennis superstars and the tournament’s corporate partnerships on Tennis Canada and the National Bank Open social media channels.

In addition to planning content ahead of time and working with Canadian and international athletes on tournament media days to create engaging photos, videos and other content, Blackmore often stations herself at behind-the-scenes locations to capture organic moments.

She recalls last year’s tournament when the champion took off his sweatband, signed it and walked over to a child to give it to him.

“He gave the kid a big hug, and the kid was crying from joy,” she says. “We have to be ready to capture moments like this — to be flexible and adapt to what’s happening right in front of us.”

Leading up to the tournament, SPMA grads Daniel Thorpe (BSM ’11) and Amberly Warren (BSM ’14) played a large role in preparing the venue in which the players compete.

As Director of Sobeys Stadium, Thorpe is responsible for the day-to-day operations and maintenance of the venue, renovation projects and facility rentals.

For the National Bank Open in Toronto, he leads a team who oversees the physical site setup — from erecting tents and scaffolding to planning security, cleaning and more.

“This time of year, I get my steps in, that’s for sure,” he says. “Working in events, you put in a lot of hours. It’s definitely not a nine-to-five job.”

Warren is one of two stadium Event Managers who report to Thorpe.

“If you turn the building upside down and shake it, I’m all the things that fall,” she says. “All of our furniture, signage, building keys, things like that.”

Her colleague manages “the things that stick to the building,” such as plumbing and electrical, she says.

Warren enjoys her role with Tennis Canada because it uniquely combines her past job experiences.

“My background in furnishing layouts, and in wayfinding, signage and how people move through a venue, is combined with crowd management and security,” she says. “You don’t always see emergency response mixed in with furniture and signage.”

In addition to employing upwards of 20 Brock alumni, Tennis Canada also regularly recruits Brock students as volunteers, interns and summer students.

“Brock is very welcoming for us to recruit, and they seem to go out of their way to help their students find opportunities,” says Warren.

Fourth-year SPMA student Tyler May was one of many students who volunteered for the tournament this year.  As part of the tournament’s media committee, he says he “learned from the best in the industry.”

“It was also fun watching members of global media companies work behind the scenes and to see all the effort that goes into covering a major event,” he says.

For many of the Brock graduates working at Tennis Canada, they are thankful for the foundational skills the SPMA program provided them and the connections they made with alumni that led to experiential learning opportunities or a job after university.

“The Brock SPMA reputation is real out there,” says Borczon. “Students and grads have a strong work ethic and reputation and are making significant contributions to the world of sport.”