Baseball Coach
Description:
I was a baseball coach for boys 15 and 16 years of age in my community. Me and a friend I played baseball with in high school coached the team together. It was during the summer. We would hold practices nearly every day we did not have a game. We would run drills and work on technique and strategy and try to build the players confidence through good preparation. We had games 2 or 3 times a week. On game days we would show up early and get the field prepared, make the lineup, and make sure the team had a productive warm up; sometimes we would throw batting practice. We had to coordinate game and practice times with all the players and parents. They all need to be on the same page. We had to ensure that each player had a ride to the games we played at other schools. It was important to be there for the players and be enthusiastic about what they were doing in order to build confidence and help them reach their potential. Mainly we held practices and played games in the afternoon for 3-4 hours. It was a great experience.
How I got the idea / found the employment:
Well I love baseball and played it throughout high school. This particular team was looking for a new coach and supporters of the team offered to pay 15 dollars per hour. The high school coach notified us of the opportunity and asked if we would be interested. We both agreed that 15 dollars per hour to be around a game that we loved would be well worth our time, so we accepted. One thing that helped us get the job was being active in the community. Even if it is not baseball, if you are involved and develop skills in athletics or anything else you love then there will always be opportunities to pass on the knowledge you acquire to those who are learning just like you did. It is important to get to know people in the community and opportunities will present themselves.
Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:
A challenge I faced was managing my time. I worked another job in the morning while I did this in the late afternoon. Some days I found it hard to have the energy I needed or to show up on time every day. It helped me to realize that a lot of the kids probably felt the same way and if I wasn’t energetic then they wouldn’t be either. I needed to set an example. I tried my best to be on time and be energetic when I was around the players.
Sometimes it was hard for me to keep my cool when the players were not performing like they could. I needed to remember that I used to be where they were and I didn’t get a hit every time, or make every play. I tried to focus more on making sure that the kids improved and learned from their mistakes. I tried to build confidence rather than tear it down. I think this principle is very applicable in business.
Another challenge that I faced was making sure that all the players and their parents knew the schedule of practices and games. Sometimes it is hard getting 13 players and all their parents on the same page. We made sure we had each player’s phone number and we tried to make a clear announcement when everyone was together at the field. If a player was not there we would delegate and assign one of his teammates to make sure he knew where to be and when.
If I were to do it again, I would make sure that I was always on time to the different events. I would always have a good attitude around the players. I would make sure to push the players to help them reach their potential. It also wouldn’t be a bad idea to make a schedule of practice and game times to print out for each of the players and their parents. This would make coordinating times more efficient.
What I learned:
Coaching a baseball team is much like running a company. You have to manage your players in a way that will build confidence in them and help them perform to the best of their ability. I learned this principle early on. You need to give constructive feedback that will help them improve. Preparation was vital. When my partner and I took the time before practice to discuss the drills and other things we needed to work on our time was used much more efficiently. This opportunity was useful because I got to experience first hand how to manage and motivate others in order to reach a common goal. There were many benefits that resulted from this experience. I learned how to communicate with others more effectively. I learned how to work and cooperate with another person. I learned to appreciate hard work. I was able to see others succeed as a result of our efforts, and I feel that is the ideal job; helping others in some way. I was very glad I had the opportunity to coach the team. I am sure I will remember and apply the principles I learned throughout the rest of my life.
Little League Baseball Umpire
Description:
Working as an umpire I was in charge of officiating little league baseball games for kids ages 8-12. Most games I worked as the Crew Chief and was usually behind the plate rather than out in the field. Calling a game included calling balls and strikes, safe or out, fair or foul, and being able to keep the game under control if a situation arose. No employees worked for me, although technically as the Crew Chief I oversaw the other umpires working with me during each game.
How I got the idea / found the employment:
In 9th grade my friend’s parents were in charge of Staffing the umpiring crew. He was planning on umpiring and told me about it so I asked him if I would be able to umpire as well. I attended the first training meeting and was given a job. My first year I mainly umpired the younger league and then moved up to the older league in the following years. Also I saw advertisements for a different league that I applied to umpire in, but their schedule of games never worked out because I was busy working the games for Highland.
Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:
The biggest challenge for me was when I began umpiring I was someone who didn’t like conflict and would avoid it. This was a problem as each game you are constantly berated and torn apart by the coaches. Another challenge included working a game when the other umpires scheduled to work the game didn’t show up, and having to work the game by myself. That was about it when it came to challenges.
What I learned:
I learned how to deal with conflict, and the aggressive behavior exhibited by coaches. Also I learned that it is important to take the initiative. The games were scheduled Mondays through Fridays with some games on Saturday mornings. Rather than wait for the Umpiring Coordinator to call and schedule my games for the week I found that I could get more games and work more convenient times for me when I called a week or two in advance to schedule it out. I Learned that when those you are working with don’t show up, and don’t take care of finding a replacement it can put those who are depending upon them in a bind and make the job more difficult. Umpiring helped me learn to cope with stress and pressure involved because there was a lot of it throughout games. Umpiring was a good job for me to have, but it was only seasonal. I would recommend other people interested in having this type of a job officiate other sports as well because even though baseball can be year round through super leagues, it is extremely difficult to break into the umpiring ranks for those leagues.
Recreation Assistant 3
Description:
I was a counselor for a summer teen program called TeenSmarts for the city of Henderson, NV. Every week we would take the at risk teens in the group to educational places where they had an opportunity to learn. Some places we went were hiking (where they could learn about survival skills), to the local news station and to the local ARMY base. My responsibility was to coordinate and plan the weekly field trips. I had to contact the places we visited, explain our program to the company, plan the itinerary for the day, and plan for food for the kids if we were going to be gone during lunch.
How I got the idea / found the employment:
I worked with teen summer programs in previous summers for the city of Henderson. Some supervisors and I talked about organizing a more meaningful summer program instead of free babysitting. We saw what areas the teens were lacking in and decided to plan activities that enhance their learning throughout the summer.
Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:
Because the teenagers were at-risk-teens, they had awful behavior. They lacked respect and acted up when we would go places. The hardest part was continuing good relationships with the companies who provided their services to us. Eventually, when I would call to set up appointments with the companies, I would explain the situation of the teenagers with the company so they would have a better understanding of what to expect from the group.
What I learned:
I learned that details are extremely important when planning and carrying out any sort of event. It is important to be consistent in following up and in taking care of every single detail. I learned that you have to prepare all people involved in the situation so they know what to expect and what is to be expected of them.
Sports Camp
Description:
I am currently setting up a soccer camp for teenagers ages 14-18. the camp is a summer day camp tat runs for two weeks and focuses on basic skills as well as developing teamwork and having fun.
How I got the idea / found the employment:
I actually got the idea while I was still in high school but I didn't think about trying it untill bro. Marsh talked about someone he knew holding a boys basketball camp and I thought to myself , why not?
Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:
I still face several challenges but one that stands out is developing the curriculum as well as setting a competitive price. I overcame the curriculum problem by actually taking a survey of soccer coaches in the area and basing it on the feedback they gave me. The pricing was overcome by comparing my competertors and setting a price that is profitible but still cheaper.
What I learned:
I learned how to coordinate and hopefully I will learn how to ruin a successful business, even if I fail, I will know what not to do next time.
Sports Official
Description:
In the city where I lived there were various youth sports leagues to participate in. Children had the option of playing in three or four different soccer leagues, four different baseball leagues, swimming, basketball, football, cheerleading, hockey, and others. With so many leagues going on year round, the need was high for certified officials. Recognizing this, I obtained certifications to officiate in both soccer and baseball. Though I was someone else�s employee with no employees working under me, I had a fulfilling experience in keeping fair play and ensuring safety in these youth sport settings. By making proper rulings based on my best judgment, I accomplished my goals and felt a high degree of freedom and independence in the job. This employment required me to give up several hours on Saturday mornings and afternoons but paid at a rate well above any other hourly job I could have had in high school.
How I got the idea / found the employment:
I grew up playing sports, especially soccer and baseball. As I did so, I observed that most (in fact, nearly all) of the officials in my games were teenagers. As I approached my own teen years, I seized the opportunity to do what so many others had done before me. In my case, I lucked out. My coaches also shared some of the responsibility in finding officials for the leagues in which I played. Using those networks of people, I registered for the necessary classes and took the necessary exams to become certified to officiate those sports.
Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:
The greatest challenge of officiating sports is professionally handling the anger that others direct at you when they disagree with your judgment. On many occasions players, parents, and/or coaches would express their disagreement with one of my rulings and some did so much more aggressively than others. In such situations I learned to maintain my own patience and try to understand their point of view. In most cases, I kept my call stating to the individual what I saw and how I felt my call was in line with the rules of the game. In the rare cases where I reversed or changed my call, I owned up to my mistake and explained clearly to all involved why I felt it was necessary that I change the ruling.
What I learned:
More than anything, this job taught me patience. I learned to respect the judgment of others and be patient with them. I learned how to speak to people despite their attitude or mood. I continued to foster my own love for sports as I now pursue my education toward my own career in sports medicine.