Students are gaining practical industry experience and professional training through a Brock University course that immerses them in major national and international sporting events.

The experiential learning opportunity is offered through the Sport Management half-credit Major Games Field Course. The course has worked with Canada Games, Pan Am Games, North American Indigenous Games, Ontario Senior and Winter Games, and students have gone on to work at the Commonwealth Games and the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

This year, the course collaborated with the World Rowing Championships that took place in Port Dalhousie from Aug. 18 to 25.

Led by Associate Professor of Sport Management Laura Cousens, this year’s course curriculum involved weekly online sessions throughout July and August in which students learned about planning and facilitating top-tier international sporting events. They also received expert training from professionals with World Rowing and Event 360 in preparation for volunteer roles they would take on during the week-long competition involving thousands of athletes from 63 countries.

During the event, two dozen third- and fourth-year Sport Management students put their new knowledge to the test by rotating through three volunteer roles in media relations, social media and spectator experience (SPEX).

Fourth-year Sport Management student David Mosolanczki started his volunteer shifts shadowing the broadcast team, which was focused on the spectator experience. They distributed video footage, photos and timed racing data to fans live in the grandstands as well as online, both in English and French.

“Learning about the technical aspects of putting on an event like this has been super interesting and beneficial, especially because I’m considering roles working in stadium operations or management,” he said. “It was really cool to watch how SPEX operates and to actually see the product come to life in real time.”

Michaela Rankin, who is also in her fourth year of Brock’s Sport Management program, especially enjoyed the social media role. While she has experience managing social media accounts for the Brock Leaders Citizenship Society, she said she has never experienced anything “this hands-on at a sporting event.”

“Learning about social media in a more professional way and how it can be used to engage fans, not just get followers, has been very beneficial,” she said.

Rankin has also enjoyed interacting with the athletes, fans and other volunteers. Much of her and Mosolanczki’s work with social media has been focused on engaging the spectators. Examples of their work include an Instagram reel that asks fans from several different countries what they call a winter hat and an Instagram reel that requests words the announcers could incorporate into their commentary.

“I’m not the most creative person, and while the social media role has been super interesting, it has been out of my comfort zone,” said Mosolanczki. “I like it though. Learning and growing happens when you’re uncomfortable.”

Students helped prepare for the event preparation by setting up branded signage on the fencing that enclosed the world rowing championships site and also assisted with the opening ceremonies, which took place at Brock.

“It’s been a multitude of different experiences for the students,” said Cousens. “On top of this, there is an expectation to deliver at an incredibly high level. For a world event, everything must be excellent, and our students have certainly delivered.”

Throughout the course, students kept daily records and journaled their experiences using the mobile app SpacesEDU. They could jot down thoughts after learning about a new process, record a voice memo of how they felt after a volunteer shift, or snap photos and videos that illustrated the work they did. At the end of the course, they review their entries and reflect on the skills, knowledge and abilities they developed, the people they interacted with and the challenges they faced.

“An important part of experiential education is reflection,” said Cousens. “It connects students’ immersive experiences to their learning. They come away from the course with insight into their capabilities as well as new attitudes and ways of thinking they can take back to the classroom or into their career.”

Rankin and Mosolanczki agree that the course has helped develop their skills in critical thinking, organization, collaboration, time management and cultural awareness. And for Rankin, it has got her thinking about a potential new career path.

“I was always planning to go to law school to do something with contract law, but having these experiences made me realize that event management is really exciting,” she said. “I really like the fast pace and problem solving.”

Mosolanczki encourages other students to consider Brock’s experiential learning opportunities.

“I can’t recommend these types of courses enough,” he said. “It was an extremely valuable experience that is helping me figure out what I want to do with my career.”