This summer, I was given the great opportunity to be a Content Creation Intern at the National Sports Center. As the summer is starting to come to a close, I am finding myself reflecting on all of the fun and exciting moments I was given the opportunity to take part in over the past 3 months. Being an intern at NSC meant that every day looked different. This was scary, energizing and has provided me a full roster of memories and experiences. To help me cope with the anticipation of summer ending, here are my top five summer highlights as an NSC intern.
1. Rocking the cup
Starting from the very first day of the internship, Target USA CUP was on the forefront of everyone’s minds. As a Content Creation Intern, I knew that one of my major tasks would be utilizing photography to showcase the all of the best parts of the tournament. While each day of the tournament was busy in its own right, the day that required the most preparation and collaboration among interns was the much-publicized evening of Opening Ceremonies. The most magical day of the tournament; where thousands of people all pile into the stadium to highlight the convergence of cultures and celebration of soccer. As I stood on the field anticipating the festivities to begin, it dawned on me how truly special this tournament is. The long days of hard work and preparation were suddenly all worth it.
Despite the unpredictable weather, I am extremely grateful I was able to not only experience the parade of teams, but capture the amazement and the beaming smiles of each and every player. Spending time with my fellow interns and being immersed within the crowd is an experience I will never forget.
2. Learning “new” Skills
Although our internships are focused within a specific area, a large part of what makes each day unique is the team-player mentality that overarches our work. Extending past the class of interns, everyone at NSC is more than willing to help each other out. Because of this, I was able to spend a lot of time completing tasks that I did not anticipate at the beginning of my internship. My favorite of these tasks fell within operations—more specifically when our group of marketing interns were tasked with something that required manual labor. Whether it was setting up flags or moving cattle gates, being pushed out of our comfort zone and finding something to laugh about was always a great addition to the day.
To see these skills in action, check out our Tiktok!
@nsc_sports Preparing for Target USA CUP takes a lot of hard work… especially if you’re a marketing intern #usacup2022 #fyp ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys – Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey
3. Celebrating
Each tournament that takes place over the summer (All American Cup, NSC Cup and Target USA CUP) are unique in their own ways, but one constant through each tournament is the excitement that comes from celebration. As I previously mentioned, a large role that I would be taking on as a Content Creation Intern was to utilize photography to showcase all of the best parts of a tournament. While capturing the action is always exciting, my absolute favorite part of each tournament was awards, and being able to capture the unique sense of pride and celebration at each award ceremony. I was always amazed by how gracious and humble the teams were no matter what place they were taking within the tournament.
4. Telling stories
Along with photography, an equally large role that I was able to take on as a Content Creation Intern was finding and telling stories. Luckily for me, each event brought many unique and interesting people, teams and players to campus, each with stories ready to be told. One of our team members assisting with Target USA CUP was former news anchor and expert storyteller Tim McNiff. Back in June, Tim presented our team of marketing interns his advice on storytelling in preparation for the work we would be taking part in during Target USA CUP. One sentiment from Tim that stuck with me is the idea that fun does not equal silly. In this case, Tim was referring to the fact that all of the stories we are given the chance to tell during Target USA CUP, or during any tournament, are going to be fun and exciting. It was a nice reminder to enjoy and appreciate these stories as I am able to tell them. From speaking with Fabian and learning about Lincoln School Costa Rica to sharing the story of Kelly and Nico and how their relationship kicked off. Tim was right— these stories weren’t silly. They were, however, extremely fun to craft and share.
5. TEAM NSC
Aside from the technical (and enjoyable) aspects of the work that goes into being an intern, one key highlight of my summer as an NSC Intern was being part of a team. While working at a sports complex and having the meat and potatoes of your position revolve around capturing the beauty of teamwork, I was able to acquire a true admiration and appreciation towards what it means to be a part of a team by observing teams of all ages execute this so well. Luckily for me, each and every staff member at NSC also radiates an appreciation for teamwork, making Team NSC an exciting and fulfilling team to play for.
More specifically as a highlight from this summer, the team of interns I was able to be a part of solidified my appreciation for teamwork. It is truly special to work with a group who will drop everything to help each other out and do everything to see each other succeed. Thank you to my fellow interns and Team NSC for the summer packed full of highlights.
