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Students in Lincoln Trail College’s Sport Management program took advantage of trips to Chicago and St. Louis to meet with and learn from employees in the Blackhawks and Cardinals organizations.
LTC students combined with students from the University of Illinois’ Recreation, Sport, and Tourism program to attend a symposium by the United Center and the Chicago Blackhawks. Students met with a number of employees in the organization, including the team’s Executive Vice President, Jay Blunk.
“First of all, we would like to thank the Blackhawks for their generosity and allowing our Sport Management students to get a close look at what their future could potentially look like,” says LTC Sport Management Instructor Tyler Browning. “Listening to several Blackhawks employees talk about their journeys, as well as current events in the sport industry, is an invaluable asset to our students. Mr. Blunk has done some amazing things in his time with the Chicago Blackhawks, and the organization continues to reach out and support the community. Lincoln Trail College is thrilled to be a part of that community.”
Students also traveled to Busch Stadium in St. Louis. LTC collaborates with the Cardinals so students can meet with team employees. The panel talked with the students about how they got started in the sport industry and gave students advice on getting started in the industry. Students also heard about the value of internships and how they can find the best internships.
“We’re grateful to have a relationship with Lincoln Trail College, and we hope that it will continue to grow,” says St. Louis Cardinals Program Coordinator of Community Relations Tim Woodrome. “The students that visited us at Busch Stadium the last two years have shown a great passion and interest in the business side of sports. We have really enjoyed getting to know the students and admire how intentionally the staff invests in them. Hopefully we’ll have the pleasure of hosting a group again soon.”
Browning says he places a high value on experiential learning with his students, so trips like this are very important. The trips give students the chance to not only learn from people working in the sport industry, it also gives LTC students the opportunity to build relationships with them through networking.
“These are the opportunities we take pride in presenting to our students, and they are able to experience venues that many other schools do not have the opportunity to experience,” says Browning.
He says that these opportunities give students a chance to build contacts that could help open doors for them when they are looking for internships and jobs.
