{"id":99259,"date":"2025-02-12T15:20:44","date_gmt":"2025-02-12T20:20:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=99259"},"modified":"2025-02-12T16:42:41","modified_gmt":"2025-02-12T21:42:41","slug":"community-connections-students-score-once-in-a-lifetime-field-experiences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2025\/02\/community-connections-students-score-once-in-a-lifetime-field-experiences\/","title":{"rendered":"COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS: Students score once-in-a-lifetime field experiences"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article is part of a monthly series celebrating Brock\u2019s rich history of community engagement and enduring commitment to the mutual exchange of knowledge and resources within the Niagara community and beyond. To read other stories in the series, visit\u00a0<\/em>The Brock News<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

A unique Brock University course has developed a reputation for giving students front-row access to the world of sport, turning classroom lessons into unforgettable memories.<\/p>\n

From working at international competitions like the Canada Games and the Canadian Football League\u2019s Grey Cup to interacting with industry leaders, the Major Games Field Course offers more than just hands-on learning for Sport Management students.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s those \u2018pinch me\u2019 moments that make it special,\u201d said Laura Cousens, an Associate Professor who has led the course through various major sporting events over the past 15 years. \u201cOur students have been in VIP lounges, met athletes and executives and worked behind the scenes at some of the biggest sporting events in the world. Those moments stick with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The half-credit experiential learning course has placed students in key operational roles at events such as the Pan Am Games, North American Indigenous Games and Ontario Senior and Winter Games.<\/p>\n

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A group of Brock Sport Management students gained hands-on experience at the 2017 North American Indigenous Games in Toronto, taking on roles in event logistics, volunteer co-ordination, athlete services, cultural programming and community engagement.<\/p><\/div>\n

Through these roles, students bridge the gap between classroom learning and industry application by gaining direct experience in event logistics, sponsorship, media relations and athlete services.<\/p>\n

Students take on critical responsibilities that mirror sport management roles such as managing transportation schedules for teams at the Canada Games, overseeing athlete check-ins, co-ordinating VIP hospitality at the North American Indigenous Games or handling media relations at the Commonwealth Games. At the Ontario Senior Games, one student even became the official rule expert for a competitive bridge tournament, de-escalating disputes among serious-minded participants.<\/p>\n

The impact of the course also extends beyond the students themselves. Many of the events they support have deep connections to local communities, creating lasting benefits for athletes, fans and volunteers alike.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur students don\u2019t just show up to work an event and leave,\u201d Cousens said. \u201cThey contribute to something bigger. Whether it\u2019s helping deliver a seamless experience at the Canada Games or ensuring that senior athletes at the Ontario Games have the best competition environment possible, they\u2019re making a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

The course also fosters strong connections between Brock University and key stakeholders in sport.<\/p>\n

Alumni working in the industry frequently step up to mentor students, offering insight into careers in sponsorship, finance and media.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had incredible experiences with alumni hosting us,\u201d Cousens said. \u201cAt one event, our students were surprised with a luxury suite at a Toronto Blue Jays game, where they found themselves side by side with players from the Toronto Raptors. Those types of interactions show them the real-world dynamics of the industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

The course wouldn\u2019t be possible without support from across campus, with Alumni Relations, Brock International and Information Technology Services contributing behind the scenes to ensure students can take part in these immersive learning opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt takes a village,\u201d Cousens said. \u201cSo many people at Brock make this possible, even if they don\u2019t realize the impact they\u2019re having. Without their help, we couldn\u2019t provide these incredible experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A unique Brock University course has developed a reputation for giving students front-row access to the world of sport, turning classroom lessons into unforgettable memories.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":99270,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[36,9794,7484,13793,3319,1],"tags":[13423,5050,5847,84,4753,4811,1153,7488,4984,4977,57],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99259"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99259"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99259\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":100004,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99259\/revisions\/100004"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99270"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}