Introduction 

The world of sport has been integrated in various ways throughout my life. Whether it was watching or participating, sport found a way to always be around me and contribute to my day-to-day activities. It is fascinating how sport unites us and the infinite reasons why sport is relevant today and will be sticking around for the long haul. How many different ways do you think sport unites us? 

Hello, my name is Jacob Snow. I am a fourth-year Sport Management (SPMA) student at Brock University. I come from a beautiful small town called Carleton Place, Ontario which is located within the Ottawa Valley. I grew up participating in sport such as hockey, paddling, cross country, softball, and track and field. I am also an avid sport fan, particularly with hockey, and I am a massive Vancouver Canucks fan. Recently, I joined the team at the Centre of Sport Capacity (CSC) as the Marketing, Communications, and Event Coordinator intern.  

My nonprofit and commercial sport involvement has included working for organizations such as Carleton Place Minor Hockey Association (C.P.M.H.A.), Professional Womens Hockey League (P.W.H.L.), 5k Foam Fest, Naismith Basketball, National Hockey League (N.H.L.), and Brock University Intramurals. Some of the most integral skills that stem from working from these organizations include: 

• Communication  

• Customer service 

• Event management 

• Leadership 

• Decision-making 

Each experience and skill combined to create a strong portfolio in jumpstarting my professional career in sport. 

Brock experience 

Ever since I was young, my interest in sport has enticed me and was a part of my everyday life. I immersed myself in the sport world so much that I wanted to make a career out of it. This led to me pursuing my Sport Management degree.  All the factors that relate to sport and the individual journeys that the athletes and organizations face were intriguing to me. I used to think I had a good understanding of the sports world, but that did not come until my experience with the Brock University Sport Management program. Courses such as Sport Event Management, Governance in Sport, and Sport and Organizational Behaviour, demonstrated the diverse ways sport can be impacted such as what hard work goes on behind-the-scenes in the sport industry. 

How I came across the CSC 

The Brock University Sport Management program invites its honours students to take part in an internship. This allows students to be placed in full-time work experiences with an organization that relates to their future career path. I believed that this experience would help move my professional career forward. 

While searching for an opportunity, the posting for an internship with Centre for Sport Capacity came up. I was familiar with the Centre, the events, and research that they conducted, and I knew peers with prior experience working with the CSC. They were offering a position in marketing, communications, and events. This met my skillset and was related to the future career path that I wanted to take. 

Following the application, I met with the Centre’s coordinator Grace Nelson and Centre’s director Dr. Julie Stevens. After an extensive interview with plenty of insightful feedback, I was welcomed to the team at CSC. It was an offer I could not turn down, especially after hearing so many amazing things regarding the organization. In addition to seeing their past events and content that they have created, I was excited to be a part of it. 

Most anticipated learning experience 

There are many reasons as to why the upcoming internship experience with CSC is exciting. There are many interesting projects with the CSC that take place during this upcoming term. I am looking forward to making positive changes when working on these projects and trying to create a positive and inclusive environment for sport in the Niagara region. Moreover, these projects and this experience will help me develop more skills for my personal and professional career. The skills that I am excited to learn include: 

• Business Communications 

• Social Media and Website Management 

• Event Planning 

• Marketing and Promotion 

Each of these will be skills I will use throughout the duration of the internship and will help me in my future endeavors. Creating a positive and inclusive environment within the sport community is one of my passions and it is something that I am excited to apply during this internship experience. 

Conclusion 

In brief, I am looking forward to being a part of the Centre for Sport Capacity and working in collaboration with Grace, Dr. Stevens, the support team, our partners, and our members. I am very excited to get started so I can apply my skills and knowledge to the position. The Centre is a highly coveted organization, and they are constantly trying to improve the state of the sport community within the local level of sport. Consequently, if an opportunity to be a part of the Centre arises, students should not hesitate to get involved in any way that they can.