Through our Students' Eyes - II

Prospective sport management professionals from The University of Alabama had an opportunity to interact with the nation’s sport managers during a graduate-level, interim travel course at the United States Olympic Committee headquarters. Thanks to these students – Aminda Jakob, Collett Cogliano and Valyncia Johnson — for documenting their learning adventures.

Day Two - Aminda Jakob
 
Day two began as our first "real" day--full of educational sessions. We started off with breakfast in the dining hall, and let me tell you, I could get used to having an omelet made for me every morning. It almost makes me miss college dining halls.
 
Our first educational session was called "USOC 101," and we learned about everything from the history of the modern Olympics to the LA 2028 Games to branding and marketing to funding. Our second educational session was about development and fundraising, which was of particular interest, because my group had been assigned to do a project related to the topic over the course of the week.
 
After lunch, we traveled to the US Anti-Doping Association. We heard from their former and current CEOS, their Chief Science Officer, communications, athlete education staff, and human resources. It was really interesting to hear from every level of the organization, but it was especially cool because our professor, Dr. Wright, is on the board of USADA. He talks about it all the time, so it was great to get to go and see the offices and hear from them about what they are doing.
 
After USADA, we went to the Garden of the Gods, a park known for red rock formations and a view of Pike's Peak. I'm from Florida, so I am not used to mountains! They were beautiful, and we took lots and lots of pictures.
 
One of the highlights of Monday for me was the chance to meet up with a friend who lives in Colorado Springs and who used to work for the USOC. It was so cool to chat with her, and a great way to end the day.