Assistant Clubhouse Attendant
Tanner
Experience Information
Employer: The Great Lakes Loons
Job Title: Assistant Clubhouse Attendant
Major: Sport Management
Received Credit: Yes
Paid: Yes
Abroad: No
Description of the Organization
This internship was at a High-A baseball affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers located in Midland Michigan. Full time staff members would be around 30 people. Then in season including food vendors, parking, grounds crew and jobs of that nature would be over 100 people.
Description of the Tasks/Projects Completed
I managed and took care of the visiting baseball teams when they would come in for a six game homestand as well as assisted with anything the home team needed. A usual day for me would be arriving around 11:30am. I would get the clean laundry out of the bins in my clubhouse and hang the players jersey and pants on a rack for them to grab when they walked in. I hung the coaches clothes in their lockers and made sure their shoes were cleaned. I would get coffee started and restock the water cooler with bottled water. I would finish drying towels for both clubhouses and get those folded throughout the day. I would then make sure all 6 water coolers in the dugouts were filled with ice and cold water for the game and that they had cups with them. Most teams would start to arrive by 1:30-2:00pm and I would assist with setting up their lunches when it arrived then clean it up before game time. I was in charge of keeping my clubhouse clean and organized by taking out the trash and making sure it was presentable. During the game I would wash and fold towels again so they were ready postgame. After the game was done I would have already setup their postgame meal when it was delivered during the game but would wait for all players to leave and head back to the hotel so I could begin cleaning up the postgame food, taking out the trash, organizing the clubhouse and getting all dirty laundry to the main clubhouse attendant to get started washed for the next day.
Skills/Knowledge Gained Through The Experience
I definitely got to see sides of baseball and I think a lot of pro sports that many don't get to see. Working directly with players you get to see how it is handled from a business side as well as the athletic side. I got to talk to coaches and players on a regular basis about routines, workouts and the life that goes into it. I would also work with the front office on handling packages that were coming in or needed shipped out. I made sure coaches and players were taken care of with tickets for family for the game. These things helped me see how everyone front tickets, to promotions to field management works together to make sure the event goes on smoothly. I want to coach later in life so being able to connect with players and coaches daily on a personal level was really nice for me.
Favorite Part of the Experience
My favorite part was just being able to talk to players and coaches everyday as well as watch how they coach, practice and handle themselves at this level of professional baseball.
How the Experience Influenced Future Career Goals
I think being around baseball at this level really has made me want to pursue a college baseball coaching position or a job within a major league organization working with player development.
Internship Format
In Person