Hilary Bowen
The Rainer LAX Cup was finally here and my stress level couldn't have been any higher. All of the long hours in the office making phone calls and emails to coaches, drafting and organizing event details, had finally boiled down to this weekend. Overall I was not too nervous about the event being a success; we had met all of our deadlines and goals. The thing that I was most nervous and anxious about, was getting to spend all day with Hilary Bowmen, four-time NCAA DI lacrosse champion & U.S Team Member; and Regan Bosch, former goalie all-star at Duke. Mind you, these two ladies are celebrities in the lacrosse world and I got to spend all day with them!
Hilary and Regan weren’t at all what I had expected in my mind. Though I was socially awkward at first, they were both very sociable and made me feel comfortable. They were only three years older than I was and much like me, they both have a deep rooted passion for lacrosse. We all hit it off really well and I learned a lot about college athletics and coaching (they both coach at USC now). In fact they have convinced me to try and land a coaching position once I finish my degree. The sport is expanding at a very rapid pace and the demand for coaches is substantial. I am hoping the odds are in my favor when it comes time for job hunting.
Hilary and Regan weren’t at all what I had expected in my mind. Though I was socially awkward at first, they were both very sociable and made me feel comfortable. They were only three years older than I was and much like me, they both have a deep rooted passion for lacrosse. We all hit it off really well and I learned a lot about college athletics and coaching (they both coach at USC now). In fact they have convinced me to try and land a coaching position once I finish my degree. The sport is expanding at a very rapid pace and the demand for coaches is substantial. I am hoping the odds are in my favor when it comes time for job hunting.
Saturday had rolled around and we were at the fields bright and early. My advisor was in overdrive directing and yelling at people where to put stuff and set up things. She looked like she had at least two Redbulls (overly stressed). Luckily for her, we had both met earlier in the week and I was able to eliminate some of her stress by checking in the volunteers and direct the vendors. Set up was probably the most important part of the day and once that was over with, everything ran off a master timer. The coaches already had their schedules, the U19 players were assigned their VIP coach, and it was smooth sailing until the event was over at 5:00pm.
As I sat with Emily at the check in table watching the teams play, she had told me that everything was looking great and coaches/parents/players were all very pleased with the way the tournament was going. She then told me, she prayed and hoped no one got injured. Apparently, one of the staff members who were in charge of finding an EMT for on site did not follow through with their duties. So if someone were to get severely injured, we could be in deep s*it. Luckily no one got hurt other than a couple of scrapes and bruises. Something I have learned from this, what could have been a terrible disaster, is not everyone can be as reliable as you would like them to be. In a business setting I will be working with multiple people on any given assignment and often times a lot of people don’t do their part. It is important to do follow ups and set deadlines, that way as the director you can check the work and progress to ensure it is done correctly.
All in all, the entire event was a huge success and will certainly be held again next year. There were only a couple of things that would have been done differently. By having gained experience in helping create an entirely new event from scratch, it will make planning other events more efficient.
As I sat with Emily at the check in table watching the teams play, she had told me that everything was looking great and coaches/parents/players were all very pleased with the way the tournament was going. She then told me, she prayed and hoped no one got injured. Apparently, one of the staff members who were in charge of finding an EMT for on site did not follow through with their duties. So if someone were to get severely injured, we could be in deep s*it. Luckily no one got hurt other than a couple of scrapes and bruises. Something I have learned from this, what could have been a terrible disaster, is not everyone can be as reliable as you would like them to be. In a business setting I will be working with multiple people on any given assignment and often times a lot of people don’t do their part. It is important to do follow ups and set deadlines, that way as the director you can check the work and progress to ensure it is done correctly.
All in all, the entire event was a huge success and will certainly be held again next year. There were only a couple of things that would have been done differently. By having gained experience in helping create an entirely new event from scratch, it will make planning other events more efficient.
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