Earlier this month, three Muhlenberg athletes – rising seniors Amanda Wong (soccer) and Katy Mitton (basketball) and rising sophomore Ron “Big Ron” Christian (football) – participated in the NCAA Career in Sports Forum in Indianapolis.

The forum was an opportunity for NCAA athletes from all over the country and all three divisions to learn about the job opportunities in intercollegiate athletics. Some 700 athletes applied and only 277 were accepted into the four-day event.

Wong wrote about the experience:

DAY ONE

 The first half of the day was focused on values. Before the forum within our discussion teams, we had to fill out a survey about our own values. Through our values, we were able to identify what style of personality we are.

We were introduced to the DiSC test, which identified if we were Dominance, Influence, Steadiness or Consciousness. Everyone carries all four styles, but usually there is one that is more dominant. Through the DiSC test, we were able to understand what are the other styles strengths and weaknesses along with how to work with them. From this test I was able to understand myself a lot more, and I plan on utilizing this test to my benefit when it comes to working with other people such as my teammates.

The second half of the day, we listened to guest speaker DeNita L. Turner, President and CEO of Image Builders, Inc. She focused on the topic of branding yourself. This includes the importance of branding, how you carry yourself everywhere you go and how you represent yourself on social networking sites. Branding yourself creates your reputation and one slip up can easily lose you a job.

This portion was a wakeup call for most of the athletes, especially when it came to social networking sites. I think the most important advice DeNita said about the websites was  “if you are questioning whether or not you should keep something on your site, take it off.”

DAY TWO

Even though most of the athletes were exhausted from their early flights and long day from the day before, the energy was still high the next morning. Day Two was labelled “Big Picture of Intercollegiate Athletics.”

After our morning activities, we went off to our new set of color teams to experience the longest sitdown session of our lives. This session was focused on the ins and outs of the NCAA and where we can see ourselves based on our interests. 

The session consisted of three rotations, and in each rotation we had different facilitators to learn more about their stories and experiences. This was a good chance for us to have the one-on-one attention from our facilitators to answer our questions and concerns about the different positions in the intercollegiate athletics.

Later that day we had another panel where we were able to find out other alternative careers in sports. There was Greg Pottorff, Attorney at Law; Julie Arnold, Director of NCAA Special Projects; Bruce Wimbish, Director of Marketing and Communications; and Charley Casserly, NFL Network analyst. This was the first time we had a perspective outside of administration and coaching where they gave us the insights about how to become involved with the NCAA in other positions.

They gave great advice about how we should always have a goal, how to build our resumes, how important work ethic is and why we should always take risks. I think my two favorite quotes from Charley Casserly were “the greatest investment you can make is with yourself” and “live cheap.”

After our long day of listening and working with one another, the forum awarded the athletes dinner at the NCAA Hall of Champions. It was like a big funhouse with a basketball court, virtual games and more. We were able to read up on the history of every sport and the NCAA. This was the place for us athletes to be competitive athletes and to act like kids on a playground.

DAY THREE

Day Three was the hump day for most of the athletes. It was the day where we all had to dress business attire rather than business casual like the other days. Our emcee mentioned that today would be the most important day since we would be meeting more people who can help us with our future.

The forum focused on how we build our resumes and our “brand.” In our discussion teams, we were able to have others look at our resumes and receive feedback. The advice helped a lot, and luckily I was able to talk to Jill Redmond, Commissioner of the Atlantic 10 Conference, who gave me advice and even took my resume after I made my corrections. It’s funny how we can run into certain people and not realize they might be important figures in our future.

We also did mock interviews in our color teams to figure our strengths and weaknesses. It was interesting to see what our teammates picked up on about how ourselves.

We concluded the day with a Networking Dinner where the athletes were able to have the opportunity to have a sitdown dinner with two representatives of the NCAA. I am not going to lie, it was a little intimidating, but as the conversations took off, it became a productive night.  I enjoyed listening to many stories and have them answer our questions.

From all the stories I’ve heard, there seems to be a recurring pattern about work ethic and opportunities. If we work hard in anything we hope to achieve, the only person stopping us is ourselves. All doors are open and it is up to us if we take a step in. If it doesn’t work out, then we always have a choice to close the door behind us and walk into a new one.

DAY FOUR

The worst day finally arrived, the last day with very sad goodbyes. The final day was cut short to allow the athletes to catch their flights home. 

After breakfast, the athletes and I had the honor to listen to Ann Gaffigan, Treasurer of the Track & Field Athletes Association and the American record holder in the women’s steeplechase. She shared experiences with different job titles and making an impact on those she worked with. Ann mentioned how her values were tested and the challenges of being a woman in the sports industry.

In addition, we were even luckier for Ann to share her story about when she achieved the American record in the steeplechase. When all hope was lost and she had to fight through the pain, she challenged herself to be number one, and that she did. The whole room was hypnotized by her story, and I am sure every athlete in there was imaging their dreams coming true along with what they had to do to get there. Ann Gaffigan hands down was my favorite speaker during the whole forum, and I’m sure others will say the same. I encourage any athlete to research her story.

This experience will always be one of the highlights of my college athletic career. I could not be more grateful for the support from the Muhlenberg Athletic Department. I am also blessed to have the chance to share this experience with my two respectable Muhlenberg athletes, Katy and Big Ron.

I didn’t know what I was getting into, but I can honestly say I took out a lot more than I expected from those four days. I built friendships I plan on keeping for the rest of my life, I have more respect and interest in intercollegiate athletics after school, and I feel more prepared for what may come during my senior year. More importantly, I was able to reflect, discover, and appreciate who I am as a person.

I highly recommend this experience to anyone who is looking for answers or have any interest in pursuing a job with the NCAA. I will never forget or take this experience for granted. I would do it all over again and not change a thing.