LAST WEEK

Monday: 9-12
Tuesday: 1-5
Wednesday: 8-6 CPL Meeting

17 subtotal hours..........416 hours

This is my last blog entry for my internship with the Fayetteville SwampDogs. It is unbelievable how much you can learn within 16 weeks of being around an organization. Since the SwampDogs we in their off season, I got to see and participate in the behind the scene functions of the business of the SwampDogs. To make a positive out of a negative, it was good to witness these events during the economic times that we are now living in. The SwampDogs will survive these rough times because they took the initiative to go out there and keep fighting and not sit down and wait for some financial reward to be brought into their hands. Like all teams that make a profit in sports during these times, corporate sponsors had to leave their commitment due to the economy. Its tough, but eventually like all recessions the economy will revive at some point. I was given so many tasks and I appreciate how the SwampDogs' staff pushed me to everything out of me while I was there. The SwampDogs are a great team to work for and they take pride in what they do and how they do it. I appreciate the opportunity to work for a team of this nature and will take this hands on experience into the real world.

Week #15

Monday: 8-12
Tuesday: 1-6
Wednesday: 8-2
Thursday: 1-6
Friday: 8-11
Saturday: 8-1

28 subtotal hours.....399/400 total hours

As my internship comes to an end, there are still a lot of tasks, decisions that need to be made before the season starts May 27th. Players are being set up with host families, front office members are still going on sales meetings, these are examples of what is going on right now. Last week, I went to the South River EMC customer appreciation trade show at the Crown Convention Center. We set up a table with other vendors to help promote and get our mascot out to a family event. I was the mascot during the event. On Saturday, Little League opening day happened. This was an extremely important time for us to promote kids camp and get families to know that our opening day was not too far away. Before we attended the ceremonies, we made an appearance at Fayetteville Beautiful. This was an event to clean up trash around Fayetteville and clean the city up. I went to College Lakes and Pine Forest Opening Days and passed around kids camp flyers, schedules to the parents of the little leaguers. The head coach/owner, Darrell, spoke to the kids on the field and gave them advice on the game of baseball. It was a successful week by getting out their in the community to show that we care and we are a service to the city. This week is pretty much the same probably busier. The Dogwood Festival is coming up this weekend and we are going to have a table set up there and hopefully it will be successful as last week was with opening day.

Week #14

Monday: 8-12
Tuesday: 12-6
Wednesday: 8-2
Thursday: 12-6
Friday: 8-1

27 subtotal hours...371/400 total hours

Last week, my main objective was Little League Opening Day Ceremonies which will begin Saturday of this week. Opening day is a big day for the SwampDogs to promote kids camp, get teams for "Field of Dreams", and just to advertise our opening day which is May 27th. I contacted local rec centers to get the exact times to when their ceremonies start. Majority of the little leagues begin around 8-10. Other summer interns are coming to help us out to go to different locations around the Fayetteville area. Things that will be passed out at opening day will be Kids Camp flyers, a few giveaways, and mascot appearances. Another objective that I have now is to get the newsletter together to be sent on constant contact. The newsletter is called SwampNotes. I also sold 700 dollars worth of season tickets. My first season ticket sell of the year. I went on sponsorship meetings as well.

Week #13

Monday:2-6
Tuesday: 1-5
Wednesday: 8-1
Thursday:1-5
Friday:8-1
Saturday:8-1

27 subtotal hours...344/400 total hours

As the end of the internship approaches, there is still a lot to be done. There have been a lot of appearances scheduled for April. The main event coming up is the Dogwood festival which will last April 25 and the 26th. It's a big day to go out in the Fayetteville community and promote the SwampDogs' upcoming season. On Saturday, I worked the Cape Fear Valley Health System Easter Egg Hunt that was held here at the SwampDogs' stadium. It was an event for all the hospital workers to bring their families out for a day of fun. We brought our mascot out to help promote the season. I wore the mascot costume and it was quite interesting to adjust to. I had a lot of fun doing it though. Other tasks that I had were getting high school all star baseball game things together, run to the post office, make group outing calls, and plenty of other odd and end jobs.

Week 12

Monday: 8-12, 2-5
Tuesday: 1-6
Wednesday: 8-2
Thursday: off
Friday: conference 8-5
Saturday: conference 9-2

32 subtotal hours...317/400 total hours

This week before I left to the sport management conference in DC, I worked on our weekly newsletter on constantcontact.com Constant contact is a marketing and a promotional for businesses to have to send out weekly newsletter to potential customers, in our case customers at the ball park/fans. The newsletter reaches over a thousand people and businesses. Blasts e-mail keep people up to date on what the SwampDogs have been working on over the week and what is on the agenda. People are aware of the SwampDogs moves throughout the week and where we will be on the weekends and other events. I'm also waiting on some of the head coaches and Ad's to send back their player nomination form for the high school all-star game. This has been a hassle because I need the feedback and sent follow up e-mails, but the coaches/Ads do not realize that I need the forms back to make up the teams. We are trying to get every team that we have targeted to participate in this annual all-star showcase game. The sport management conference was very interesting and interactive. It is called SEME and offers many opportunities to network with people working in the sports industry. I spoke with the former VP of AOL, the founder of TeamWork Online, Washington Nationals execs, Georgetown execs, US Soccer Foundation execs, and many more hard working people in the sports industry. This conference was a success and I had a great time and gained a tremendous amount of information from attending SEME.

Week #11

Monday: 8-12, 2-5
Tuesday: 1-6
Wednesday: 8-2
Thursday:12-5
Friday: 8-2

29 subtotal hours.....285/400 total hours

This week was real busy for the staff in the office. The owner's dad is in town from California making sure things are getting done in Fayetteville and the other team he owns in Wilmington. There were tons of meetings and appointments that the front office members of the SwampDogs had. I went to a meeting that was quite interesting at Paradise Acres and Taylor's Catering. Paradise Acres is a huge fantasyland for kids out in the country ouside of Fayetteville. We are trying to get Taylor's Catering to be the caterers for post game meals after home games. There menu would also be available in the concession stand during the home games. More fence signs and program ads have been sold as the season approaches. I'm working on our blast e-mail program called constact contact and updating the e-mail list and newsletter. I called day cares for our day care night and scout leaders for scout night. I have been calling businesses and telling them about our group packages. Coaches that I contacted for the high school senior showcase aren't responding to the player nomination form as much as I would like to. I answered a lot of telephone calls and walked people around the ball park who wanted to see it. The promotional schedule is almost complete for every home game.

Week #10

Monday: 8-12, 2-5
Tuesday: 1-5
Wednesday:9-4
Thursday: 1-6
Friday: 8-3

32 subtotal hours......256 hours/400 total hours


Each week gets busier and busier as the season approaches. My main duty now is the High School All Star Game. There are other minor details that I will do, but the All-Star game is beginning to be something that I will be in charge of setting up. I sent e-mails to all of the head coaches and athletic directors of the two conferences around Cumberland County. Since the name of the All-Star Game is the 2009 Snadhills Senior Showcase it will bring other people from different counties around the area to the ball park. The two forms I sent were a player nomination form and a letter from Darrell about the game. If everything goes right, the game could be good exposure for the SwampDogs and the stadium here. I will start to make phone calls to businesses and ask who handles group outings for their employees. I called many people around the area to gather information for the game. We still need to find a sponsor for the game. Also, I need to call and get in touch with little leagues coaches for our "Field of Dreams" promotoin. That is when the little league team will come out and get discounts at the game and meet the players and run out with the players for the national anthem. I moved clubhouse furniture so we accomodate the college baseball teams that were going to play at the stadium but the games were cancelled due to inclement weather. I was going to help with game day opearations at the field. Other than that, things are going good around here just a lot happening as the season approaches.

Week #9

Monday: 8-5
Tuesday: 8-3
Wednesday: 9-12
Thursday: 8-11
Friday: 8-1

27 subtotal hours....224 total hours/400 total hours

At the middle of the semester, the SwampDogs season is coming up quickly. Tasks have to get done quickly to move on to the next one as time runs out before the season starts. I went to more sponsorship meetings. I have noticed that during these economic times the sales people of the SwampDogs have to negotiate advertising prices with sponsors. Every business is affected from these troubled times it seems like which makes the office atmosphere seem a little down, but it gets picked back up and there is a lot of confidence flowing throughout the office. We could drop our heads and whine, but the point is to keep your head up and look forward and not worry about the past. My main objective now is to promote the High School All Star game coming up on June 14th. I need to find a 5,000 dollar title sponsor for the game so that will be difficult and find a place to have a luncheon and guest speaker. I need to find the point of contact for each high school baseball coach and athletic director to help nominate players for the game. A lot of more discussion needs to be placed on this topic. To be continued...

Week #8

Monday: 8-12, 2-5
Tuesday: off
Wednesday: 8-2
Thursday: 8-12
Friday: 8-2, 7-9
Saturday: 9-12

27 subtotal hours.....197/400

This week we released more players that are playing for the SwampDogs this summer. Some of the players that were released this week are from Illinois, Mount Olive, Muskingum, and Austin Peay. I did the bios for these players and put them on the website. I learned how to add more stuff on the website from the administrator. I called more civic groups, but it seems like they are not there when I call because I leave a message for every group that I have called. I helped decorate a trifold board that was used to advertise the SwampDogs at the FireAntz game. I went to the FireAntz game and there was a booth set up for the the SwampDogs at the game. At the booth, we had kids camp material on the table and a raffle for a Family Four Pack of tickets to a game this summer. People signed up as they passed by the booth to win these tickets. Its a good way to promote the SwampDogs by attending the FireAntz game because it lets the SwampDogs show that they are part of the community and that summer is on the way and the season is about to start. Potentially, sponsors could be at the FireAntz game and might want to promote through us during our season. So its a win-win situation if we have a booth setup at the FireAntz game. On last Friday, I read to 4th and 5th graders at Long Hill Elementary School for a couple of hours for Read Across America day. Before I read the book, I told the kids what I did and told them to come out to games this summer.

Week #7

Monday: 8-12:30
Tuesday: 8-10
Wednesday: 8-2:30
Thursday: 8-10
Friday: 8-1

20 subtotal hours..................169/400 total hours

Week 7 was about the same as the previous week. I made more phone calls to civic groups and organizations. We are posting more press releases of the players that have signed with the SwampDogs. People want our mascot to appear at their events. Most of the events are for little kids, but it is a good way to get the SwampDogs logo out in the community as the season approaches. I didn't attend any meetings last week, but more businesses are starting to recognize that some sort of advertising through us will help them in the long run. There is still alot to do from what I have observed in the office.

Week #6

Monday: 8-12:30
Tuesday: 8-10:30
Wednesday: 8-4
Thursday: 8-11
Friday: 9-12
Saturday: 9-12

26 subtotal hours.........149/400 total hours


This week I experienced something that I have never experienced before. I spoke to 200 eigth graders at a middle school on their career day. One of their career counselors called the office and wanted a SwampDogs playerto come speak. But since Swampdogs players do not arrive until the end of May, I was the person to speak. I spoke for about 10-12 minutes about what I do for the SwampDogs and what I would like to be later on in my life. It was a good group of kids to speak to. At the office, I was trying to contact more civic organizations about our speaking opportunities. I also contacted little league coaches around the area so we could figure out how to distribute our fundraising cards to the little league teams. I was in Texas for baseball at the end of the week, but while I had free time I had the chance to knock out some things to do. I had to search the internet for direct mail postcards that we could send out to almost all of the households in certain zip codes of Cumberland County. Direct mail could help the people in Cumberland County know that the summer is on the way and the SwampDogs season is upon them. I administrated the website and added players and their bios from their school's website. I had to call some of the players who haven't turned in their medical info that we need before the season starts.

Week #5

Week 5 Hours:
Monday:8-12:30
Tuesday:8-11:30
Wednesday:8-3
Thursday:12-6
Friday:8-2
Saturday:3-7

30 subtotal hours..........123/400 total hours


This week I learned a lot of new skills in the workplace. I attended more meetings of potential long-term partners. This week more businesses decided to advertise with the SwampDogs, even though negotiations were involved but it is better than nothing. I called more civic groups and organizations around Fayetteville because the front office wanted to make themselves available to speak at their monthly meetings to pick up more businesses in Cumberland County. These civic groups and organizations were Downtown Allliance, Fayetteville Professional and Business League, Massey Hill Lions Club, and the Kiwanis club of Fayetteville. I left e-mails and voice messages for each group and they have not contacted me back. Grays Creek Middle School called for a guest speaker to speak at their career day. I am making my first guest speaking appearance Wednesday of this week. I am speaking to 200 eighth graders so I might be nervous but it will be ok I think. I am still promoting the Kids Camp and the High School All-Star Game. Another task I am doing is trying to find out the Little League coaches contact information because the SwampDogs have fundraising cards that they want the little leaguers to sell to make a profit. The fundraising card has many discounts on it for concessions and souveniors at the SwampDogs games. I personally don't like fundraising cards but I guess we will see if it works to make a profit. The card is valued at 65 dollars and the card is being sold for 25 dollars.

Week #4

Monday: 8-12:30
Tuesday:12:30-5
Wednesday:8-2
Thursday:8-10
Friday:8-2

23 subtotal hours.......91/400 total hours

This week went by pretty quickly. I went around Fayetteville a lot to meetings and I guess thats how the time went by. Businesses are starting to ocme around and sign contracts with the team because it is better to advertise through these tough economic times. Some businesses are conservative and do not want to advertise because they might be scared of losing too much money. My main goals this week were to contact leaders of civic groups/organizations of Fayetteville such as Downtown Alliance, Kiwanis Club of Fayetteville, etc...The reason for contacting these clubs were to ask them that the guys in the front office of the SwampDogs are more than happy to speak at one our their meetings to help promote the baseball club and what opportunities are in store for businesses. I made more flyers for kids camp and the high school senior showcase. Another one of my activities this week was to find a large scale map of Fayetteville so when fans come to the stadium they mark where they are coming from in Fayetteville or right outside of the county to see what areas we are hitting hard and what areas that we need to promote more.

Week #3

Hours:
Monday: 8-2
Tuesday: off
Wednesday: 8-2
Thursday: 8-10
Friday: 8-2

subtotal 20 hours........68/400 total hours

Week #3 was a pretty busy week for me. As each week passes by, more and more different tasks keep popping up. I'm in charge of getting promotional material together for the 2009 Cumberland County High School Showcase game and the 2009 Fayetteville SwampDogs Kids Camp. I made flyers for the events and sent out e-mails to prospective campers and players for the showcase game. I was on Microsoft Excel a lot making tons of data bases for medical info for the players, the camp, the showcase, and other excel spreadsheets. Like the past two weeks, I met more business owners at meetings to sell sponsorships. I'm learning how to market and promote better when going to businesses to build partnerships. The SwampDogs are looking for long term sponsorships so they can grow through out Fayetteville. Also, I browsed the internet to find promotional door hangers that can be used in the summer when there are games. I had to contact the SID's at the schools who failed to send me there head shots for the online roster on our website. I called the secretary at Cumberland County schools athletic office to ask when the next athletic director's meeting is so the owner of the SwampDogs can talk to the athletic directors about the high school showcase game. I believe there is a ton more ahead of me and I'm learning so many different things each and every day at the workplace.

Week #2

Hours:
Monday: 8-2
Tuesday:1-5
Wednesday: 8-2
Thursday:1-5
Friday:8-2

Subtotal 26 hours....50/400 total hours

This week went a whole lot more smoothly then my first week. My main duties this week were to find out when the little league opening day ceremonies were. I had to find this out because we would like for our mascot to go out and make an appearance and be part of the opening day ceremonies and promote the SwampDogs more in the community before the season starts. I called every rec center around Cumberland County and found out that every opening day is April 18th. So since every little league opening day is the same date, we have to pick the sites where we think will be the most traffic on that specific day. I learned how to do appearances as well. This means that when a company or group wants our mascot or a representative to come out to their event we add the event to the appearance book and write who, what, when, where, etc... and get the contact information from the person hosting the event. I attended many sponsorships meetings this week. I attended meetings with Cape Fear Barbeque, Century 21, Monster energy drink, and NWR. It is a good experience to sit down at these meetings and listen to the marketing and advertising lingo. I actually came up with a creative idea for a promotion for Century 21. The idea is that if a SwampDogs player steals home a fan will receive $21,000 towards a new home and the promotion would be called "The Steal of the Century". So i felt like i contributed more this week and gave out my ideas instead of holding back.

Week # 1

Week #1
Tentative hours as of right now:
Monday, Wednesday: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Tuesday and Thursday: 1 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Friday: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Saturday: varies
24 subtotal hours out of 400 total hours 24/400

This was my first week working for the Fayetteville SwampDogs. The Fayetteville SwampDogs are part of the Coastal Plain League which is a competitive collegiate summer baseball league. The team consists of players from all over the nation from different colleges/universities. It’s amazing how much you can learn week. I had many new tasks that I have never accomplished before. I thought this week would be like trying to get my bearings and relax and know where everything is, but, I was wrong of course. As soon as I walked in the SwampDogs office at J.P. Riddle Stadium, I had my work laid out for me and everything was “go , go, go”. I didn’t even know everybody’s names when I started my first task (there are only four people in the office). So far, there has been three other guys that I work with. Darrell is the owner/director of baseball operations of the SwampDogs. Mark is the general manager and my boss, Jeremy, is the assistant general manager/internship coordinator. Since it’s the off season, there tasks are to sell sponsorships to local businesses in Cumberland County. They have a marketing kit that they hand out to the business owners to show them the menu of what is offered. My tasks this week included the following:

Contact the Sport Information Directors at the schools/universities where the players are from and receive headshots of the players for our website: www.goswampdogs.com
Make Excel spreadsheets for the players and their contact information (e-mail address, phone numbers) and the other one was schedules of the college teams playing in the area with 2009 SwampDog players.
Field maintenance work (put up signs knocked down by wind)
Answer phone calls
Went to meetings concerning selling future sponsorships
Write press releases

Tasks for the upcoming week are putting together the annual Kids Camp. I will have to make a spreadsheet of the kids that attended the camp last year and send out a blast e-mail to the parents to announce that the sign-ups for the camps our coming soon. Darrell’s father, Lou, is the part owner of the SwampDogs and he is coming into town this week so I have to step my game up and be on task.