Jenna George, ’26, (Dansville, NY) can always be found around the athletic action. This summer, George took what she has learned at Alfred State in the sport management department with a hands-on internship opportunity at the Ripken Experience in Pigeon Forge, TN.
As a tournament/game day operations intern, George helped coordinate and manage baseball tournaments, assisted with field and facility operations, worked with umpires, coaches, players and tournament staff, handled game-day logistics, served as the public address announcer, operated scoreboards, assisted with statistics, and helped make sure games and events ran smoothly.
Sport Management Professor Brandon Harrison helped George find the opportunity. Harrison connected her with ASC alum Caleb Livingston, ’20, who serves as the Senior Operations Coordinator at the facility.
“Working with Caleb has been a great experience because we have a lot in common beyond our Alfred State connection,” commented George. “We both grew up in small towns close to campus and had similar educational experiences. It has been helpful to work with someone who has gone through a similar program and understands the experiences and opportunities that come with being an ASC student. It also shows how important it is to build connections and relationships while in school.”
George enjoyed the fast-paced sports environment she worked in. “One of my biggest highlights was taking on responsibilities that worked directly to the success of each tournament. I enjoyed working with teams from all over the world, meeting people from various parts of the country, and getting to see everything behind the scenes that goes into running huge youth baseball tournaments.”
At Alfred State, she has been active in athletics, the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, and Sport Business Club. Those experiences along with what she has learned in the classroom helped her succeed in the internship.
“My experience at Alfred State prepared me well and gave me a solid foundation. I was able to apply many of the skills I learned in the classroom to real-time situations throughout the internship.”
George looks to take her Ripken experiences to the start of her professional career.