Fall 2014 newsletter

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LOCK HAVEN UNIVERSITY

SPORT STUDIES ALUMNI NEWSLETTER

Inside This

Issue

Volume

Volume Issue

I III

FALL 2014

Keeping you up to date

on news, happenings,

and events in the LHU

Sport Studies

Department.

We Chat With

LHU Alum

Working in the

Industry

New! Alumni news

section goes in

depth with

former students

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20 14 CONTENTS

Ryan Erdman Talks About Working in Professional Baseball 3

Emma Randall Discusses Coaching USA Wrestling

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Ryan Muller Discusses Working in Professional Sports

Sean Harper Discusses His Time With Philadelphia Union

Brent Kepner Talks about First Season with Atlanta Braves

The First Annual Lally Family Scholarship

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8

11

Sport Administration Students Attend RMU Conference

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12 Alumni News Section 13

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Lock Haven Alum Ryan Erdman talks about his

time with the Pittsburgh Pirates and also reflects

on his career to this point.

1. Hometown: Shamokin, Pennsylvania

2. What year did you graduate from LHU? 2010

3. What made you choose LHU and why did you

choose Sport Administration as your major? I

chose LHU because of their Sport Administration

program. I also enjoyed the campus itself, as well

as the fact it was not too far from home.

4. What role did sports play in your life and your

career path? Sports played a large part in my

career because I wanted to work in a field I am

passionate about.

5. Describe your professional experience

(including internships) and your current role

within your professional organization? I began

my career interning in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for

the Yankees AAA affiliate. My duties were

primarily in the box office, as well as some selling

and in-game tasks. Post-internship, I relocated to

Pittsburgh to do Inside Sales for the Pittsburgh

Pirates – selling Season Tickets and Group Tickets.

I was then promoted to our Group Sales

Department, where my primary focus was on

large group outings and suites. I then moved on

to the Pirates Service and Retention staff, where I

focus on renewing, upgrading, and meeting with

Pirates Season Ticket Holders.

6. What made you get involved with your

current organization? I have always wanted to

work in baseball, and started to gain interest in

sales during my internship. When I saw the

position posted with the Pirates, it was just a

perfect match.

7. What would you say is your favorite part of

your job? My favorite part is getting to interact

with my customers on a game day. I enjoy being

able to visit the hundreds of different account

holders I work with, and getting to know them

and their families and/or clients.

8. What are some negative aspects of your job?

As with most sport positions, long hours and

sometimes needing to work holidays.

9. What advice would you give anyone trying to

make it in the professional sports environment?

Get a feel for what you truly want to do in your

career. “I want to work in sports” is not specific

Ryan Erdman Talks About Working in Professional Baseball

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enough – narrow down what you would like to

see yourself doing day after day.

10. If you could describe working in professional

sports in one word, what would it be? Thrilling!

11. Additional advice: While it is not technically

required, re-locating is something that is

commonplace. It can be difficult finding a

position close to home doing exactly what you

want to be doing. Even after landing your initial

job, continuing to move up is difficult if you limit

yourself to one location. Other than that, narrow

down what you see yourself doing, and go for it!

Lock Haven Alum Emma Randall discusses her

experience coaching with the USA Wrestling team

in Colorado, while also discussing the path she

took to get there.

1. Hometown: Jamestown, Ohio




visited LHU on a recruiting visit for women’s

wrestling. I fell in love with the campus, kind staff

and community, and also the wrestling program.

I have always had a passion for sport, so Sport

Administration was a natural choice for me.

4. What role did sports play in your life and your

career path? Sports played a crucial role in my

life; it taught me lessons, such as: hard work,

dedication, perseverance, and leadership. My

own athletic career created a network of sport

professionals that opened doors I never thought

possible for my internship and eventual career.



coaching at a high level: As an intern for USA

Wrestling, my duties were to help out

administratively, work in during practices with

athletes, as well as other small tasks. Over time,

my role developed into a staff position with the

women’s national wrestling program with more

responsibilities and duties. Currently, I assist in

daily practices at the Olympic Training Center and

travel internationally with all age groups as a

coach for training camps and competitions. I also

Emma Randall Discusses Coaching USA Wrestling

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carry out administrative duties, such as:

communicating with the women’s program,

creating schedules, travel plans, organizing

training camps, and so forth.


current organization: When I was looking for an

internship, I wanted to jump into an organization

I was passionate about. I had wrestled from a

very young age and even though my own career

was ending, I wanted to stay involved in the

sport. USA Wrestling’s National Staff is the

highest level coaching in the sport as they

compete on the Olympic and World stage. I want

to be the best at what I do someday and the best

place to learn the necessary skills was USA

Wrestling.

7. What would you say is your favorite part

about your job? My favorite part of the job is

working with great people. It’s rewarding to help

an athlete accomplish their goals and dreams, but

also to know you’re creating opportunities for the

next generation of women wrestlers that you

yourself never had. I love the international

travel; exploring new environments and meeting

great people as well.

8. What would you say was a negative aspect

about your job? Everything in life has an

opportunity cost; it’s up to you to decide if what

you want is worth the cost. At this point, one

negative aspect would be the lifestyle. The

distance from my friends and family is hard, and

also the feeling of being home is difficult to come

by as I travel every two to three weeks, and work

is nonstop. Another negative aspect would be

the politics involved in an organization such as

USA Wrestling where nearly all decisions go

through committees and sub-committees.

9. What advice would you give anyone trying

to coach at a higher level? Communication

and relationships are huge in the coaching

setting. Not only the ability to convey

thoughts, techniques, and advice to any

athletes, but to show them you really care

about them on and off the playing field. That

relationship cannot be easily faked. You

genuinely need to show the athletes you care

for their well-being and that their needs come

before your own. Once they know you care,

they can be taught anything and will work

their tails off for you.

10. If you could describe working as a female

coach in one word, what would it be?

Meaningful

11. Additional advice: Job opportunities are

available all over the country and the world.

Being willing to move will open opportunities

for you. When I first took my internship in

Colorado, I had less than a month to graduate,

move out of my current home, move home,

find a new apartment in Colorado, and drive

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out west. It was overwhelming with details

that needed to be taken care of, as well as

scary. I would be moving out of my comfort

zone, away from my support system, and into

adulthood. These thoughts can create doubt

in your ability to move and also create

unnecessary fear. When I thought about

change, doubts, and fears, I reminded myself

why I chose this career; I want to coach, I love

wrestling, the Olympic Stage, and so forth.

Just a simple reminder to refocus myself and

be confident helped me to handle the

transition.

Lock Haven Alum, Ryan Muller discusses his

career within professional sports and gives

advice to students who are beginning their job

search.

1. Hometown: Burlington, New Jersey


3. What made you choose LHU and why did

you choose Sport Administration as your

major? I chose to attend LHU because of the

professors. When I visited campus, I recall

being refreshed by hearing professors who

were student-centered. I chose Sport

Administration as a major because I love going

to professional sport venues. I thought to

myself, “How can I go to a professional sport

stadium for work every day?” After a little

research, I discovered more about the Sport

Administration major and the potential career

paths.

4. What role did sports play in your life and

your career path? My parents always

encouraged my brother and I to participate in

sports. From an early age, I found myself

playing sports and enjoying the culture that

comes with being an athlete. As I grew older, I

knew that I was not going to be able to play

forever and I began looking for ways to make

sports part of my professional life.

5. Describe your professional experiences


within your professional organization: I am

currently the Group Sales Executive for the

Michigan International Speedway. I work with

companies throughout the mid-west staging

company outings at the race track during our

various events. I also will work with national

companies on ticket packages designed to get

the company’s clients out to the race track.

From February 2013-August 2014, I worked as

the Box Office Manager for the Delmarva

Shorebirds of the South Atlantic League. The

Shorebirds are the single-A affiliate of the

Baltimore Orioles. From July 2011-February

2013, I worked as the Event Experience

Specialist with Dover International Speedway.

As an Event Experience Specialist, I contacted

Alum Muller Discusses Professional Sports

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race fans regarding tickets for all NASCAR

events. I also interned with the Global

Spectrum facility in the Sun National Bank

Center in Trenton, NJ. I chose to intern with

Global Spectrum because the company has

facilities throughout the world and is owned by

Comcast-Spectacor, which features additional

properties within the sport industry. My time

with Global Spectrum was short, but I was able

to make industry connections that have either

been a resource for me as a sport industry

professional or helped me secure interviews

during my job searches. During my time at

LHU, I was heavily involved with the football

program and served the program in a variety of

roles.


current organization? I chose to get involved

with my current organization because of the

unlimited career opportunities. The Michigan

International Speedway is operated by the

International Speedway Corporation (ISC). ISC

operates eight additional race tracks and a broad

range of other entities within the motorsports

industry.


your job? One of the coolest parts of my job is

being in the Gatorade Victory Lane following

NASCAR races at Michigan International

Speedway. Seeing the excitement on the faces of

the winning race team is truly special.


A challenging aspect of my job is the negative

impression some people have of NASCAR. There

is so much more to the “at-track experience”

than cars completing laps and I work to show

people the many different experiences that await

them at the track.

9. What advice would you give anyone trying

to make it in the professional sports

environment? My advice for anyone trying to

make it in professional sports is to not be afraid

of the unknown. Take on all the challenges that

come from wanting to succeed in an industry

that has no limits.

10. If you could describe working in

professional sports in one word, what would it

be? Exciting!

11. Additional advice: When you begin

searching for either your first full-time job or

looking to move on from your current position,

I believe it is important to know what you want

the end result to be. This could be an income

level, living in a specific region of the country,

or working within a particular part of the sports

industry. Personally, when I began to look for a

new job early in 2014, my goal was to return to

working in motorsports. There are plenty of

ways to learn about job opportunities that exist

within the industry, so do not limit yourself to

one website or job board. The process will be

long. There are many people involved in the

hiring of a candidate. Stay confident in yourself

and remember to always be looking for a new

opportunity as you continue through the

process until you secure your new position.

I also recommend being open-minded about

moving away. If you look at any market from

Philadelphia to Pittsburgh to Scranton to State

College, there are only so many career

opportunities within the sport industry in those

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markets. The world is a big place filled with

terrific opportunities. Give yourself every

chance to take advantage of those

opportunities.

Lock Haven Alum, Sean Harper, discusses his

time with the Philadelphia Union and the

internships he completed prior to his time there.

1. Hometown: Lumberton, New Jersey




chose LHU due to the success of the track team,

and knowing that I wanted to compete

collegiately. I also chose LHU due to the strong

reputation of their Sport Admin program.

Seeing how many graduates went on to work in

vast areas of the sport industry was a huge

factor in me choose LHU, as well.

4. What role did sports play in your life and

your career path? Sports played a huge role in

my life. I have been playing sports since the age

of 5 and participated in a wide range of sports

including soccer, track, basketball, football, and

baseball. My biggest passion was soccer and

track. I played soccer from that time through

high school. I ran track since the age of 10 and

continued to run in college. Growing up and

playing soccer made me fall in love with the

sport, which eventually set me up for my career

path. I knew if I could no longer play the sport, I

would want to at least be around it and give

back to it in some sort of way.



within your professional organization: My

professional experiences that I gained through

volunteer and internship opportunities provided

me with a head-start and proper skill

development to be successful in the sport world.

I completed two internships while I was in school

at Lock Haven. One of these internships

included me working Event Operations with

World Athlete Track Academy. During my time

with World Athlete, I coordinated marketing

ideas and ran event operations for a Track Club

based in New Jersey. I assisted in running youth

and master track meets and was a coach for a

youth track club, as well.

During my second internship, I was a

tournament coordinator for United Sports

Training Center. During my time with United

Sports I ran numerous tournaments, including:

Sean Harper Discusses Time with Philadephia Union

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soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, and basketball. I

was able to experience firsthand all of the

behind-the-scenes work that goes into running a

successful sporting tournament. I got the

opportunity to run nationally recognized

tournaments that attracted teams from all over

the country and Canada, to smaller local

tournaments in Pennsylvania and Maryland.

Currently, I am a Youth Soccer Development

Coordinator for the Philadelphia Union. I

coordinate and run numerous programs, camps,

and tournaments for youth players in the area.

In addition to running these programs, I am also

a Field Manager on game days. I manage all on-

field operations, ranging from field board set-up,

player safety, field seating control, referee

liaison, photo marshals, and ball-kid

coordination.

6. What made you get involved with your current

organization? One of the biggest reasons why I

got involved with my current organization was

the title and duties of the job that was offered to

me. Giving back to the sport that I loved

growing up and seeing kids enjoy soccer is what I

have always wanted to do.

7. What would you say is your favorite part of the

job? I would have to say my favorite part of the

job is actually seeing a program in action. There

is a lot of build-up and planning that goes into

running a successful program and seeing the

final product is one of my favorite parts. I also

enjoy game days. Being down on the field

during a Union game with an electrifying crowd

in the stands is second to none.

8. What are some negative aspects of the job? I

would have to say that one of the negative

aspects is the hours. Working in the sport

industry will at time call for long and extraneous

hours. Working long hours in an office and then

having to work a game during the week can be

rough. I always try to find some down time to

recuperate to give my body a much needed rest

when the time allows.



I would recommend networking with people

that are working in the professional sports

environment. You would be surprised at the

number of links and connections between all of

the professional teams in the Philadelphia area.

There are also thousands of connections from

within the leagues, i.e. NFL, NBA, MLS, MLB, and

NHL. You never know who knows who and

could be of assistance for you down the road.


sports in one word, what would it be?

Electrifying.

11. Additional advice: I would recommend taking

it one day at a time and remaining relaxed. Once

you begin the process of working in a professional

environment, you want to impress everyone and

depending on when you start, you could be

thrown into the midst of everything almost

immediately. Remaining composed I find can get

me through any situation.

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Lock Haven Alum, Brent Kepner, talks about his

new position with the Atlanta Braves and what it

took to get there.

1. Hometown: Montoursville, Pennsylvania




grew up in the area and had heard great things

about the professors and the major itself. The

professors really care about you. Having a

professor reach out to me when I was deciding

between schools really helped seal the deal for

me. It made me feel like I was going to become a

part of a family that would help me grow.

4. What role did sports play in your life and y our

career path? My entire life has revolved around

sports, from participating as a youth to attending

sporting events throughout my career. Going to

baseball games with my father growing up was

one of my favorite memories, and I wanted to be

in a position to help create those memories for

other fans.



within your professional organization? I spent

three summers interning with the Williamsport

Crosscutters (an affiliate of the Philadelphia

Phillies). I spent one summer in Marketing and

two summers in Client Services. Currently, I am a

part of the Atlanta Braves Ticket Sales Office

where I have been since January.


current organization? I have been a Braves fan

all of my life and their front office is one of the

most respected in all of sports. Being involved

with an organization that is thought of as one of

the premier organizations in all of sports can help

set you up well for your future.


your job? Interacting with the fan base. I got

into this field because I love interacting with

clients and being a part of their experience at the

ballpark, along with being at the ballpark

everyday myself. Walking into Turner Field every

day is tough to beat.


It is incredibly time-demanding. During the

summer when most people are enjoying

vacations and time off, you are in the busiest

time of your year. You have to be able to

sacrifice a lot of your time.



Start gaining experience early. Don’t wait until

your school requires an internship. In sports, it is

Alum Kepner Talks About First Season with Atlanta Braves

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sometimes hard to get your foot in the door, but

the more experience you have before you

graduate, the better off you will be.


sports in one word, what would it be?

Rewarding. For all of the hours you put in and all

of the people you deal with, being able to see the

final result and seeing fans enjoying themselves

on such a large scale is a great feeling.

11. Additional advice: If you want to be

successful in sports, you sometimes have to be

willing to move. Lock Haven can only help you so

much. Being 13 hours away from home has really

taught me a lot about myself.

The Lally Family has been instrumental in the

success of the Sport Studies Department at Lock

Haven University, and has decided to give back to

the place that has also done so much for them.

Dr. Richard Lally and Dr. Patricia Lally have

created the first “Lally Family Scholarship,” which

provides funding specifically for a Sport

Administration student. While recognizing the

important role of sport in the lives of students,

and also having three young girls at home, the

Lally’s designated that the scholarship go to a

female student. The first student to receive this

scholarship award is Leah Peppelman (pictured

below). Alumni are encouraged to give back and

help other students achieve their dreams of a

lifelong career in the sport industry, and maybe

even create the possibility of a scholarship for the

other side of the spectrum, a male student.

Thank you to the Lally family for creating this

opportunity for future students in our program.

The First Annual Lally Family Scholarship

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A group of Sport Administration students

represented Lock Haven by recently attending the

annual sports conference at Robert Morris

University. Pictured above is Drew Holland, Charles

Zimmer, Jason Dubler, and Nick Bishop who

attended this conference to gain some valuable

information from sport industry professionals.

During this trip, they got to speak with some of the

Pittsburgh Pirates professional staff to learn more

about what it takes to reach your goals in sport.

Sport Administration Students Attend Annual Conference at Robert Morris University

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ALUMNI NEWS!

‘07 Victoria Tornambe ’07 is currently the Executive Director of the Fayette Area Lion’s Den sports facility, while also serving as a high school softball coach for the past six years. As a high school coach, she loves to see the improvements of her girls each and every year, while also learning a lot from them. Prior to these positions, she achieved her Master’s Degree from California University of Pennsylvania in Sports Management with a focus on Intercollegiate Athletics. At the conclusion of her internship, she was asked to be the Assistant Director of the Middle Creek Area Community Center, which led into her current position at the sports facility.

‘10 Kyle Ayers ’10 is currently a fully-licensed Mortgage Originator at GMH Mortgage Services. Recently, associate Todd Hennessy started his own branch of the company and brought Kyle along as the Client Manager. During his time at LHU, he was a part of the lacrosse team. Kyle would love to offer services to any alumni, family, or friends in Pennsylvania, New Jersey or Delaware and you can achieve his contact info by returning the email from which you received this newsletter.

‘11 Julie Buonaguro ’11 is currently in her third year as the General Manager of a branch of the youth sports organization called i9 Sports in Loudoun County. Prior to this position with i9 Sports, she made the most of her time at LHU by working game-day events in the athletic department, which led into an internship at Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport, Pennsylvania in their athletic department. After the completion of her internship, she worked part-time for i9 Sports before gaining a full-time internship with the York Revolution as a Corporate Sales Assistant. Each of these positions led her to her dream job working with kids.

‘12 Kyle Denlinger ’12 is the newly appointed Athletic Director for the Panama City Beach community in Florida. He is originally from Lancaster, Pennsylvania and is currently enrolled in the Master’s Program at LHU and is set to graduate in May.

To apply to the Master of Science in Sport

Science program and to complete the

admissions process students need only

submit:

Online Application

Official Transcript

Three Letters of Recommendation

Statement of Professional Goals

All inquiries and material can be sent to

Graduate Admissions Lock Haven University 401 N. Fairview St., Lock Haven, PA 17745 [email protected] 570-484-3869

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In an effort to make our Sport Administration programs stronger, we are

looking for your help. We want the hard work of past and present

students to be recognized. If you have any career updates or stories, want

to give back to the program, have job or internship positions, or want to

get involved with the program contact [email protected]

Fall 2014 newsletter

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