The Intern Experience - Part 1

By: Natalie Dean

The Spearfish Sasquatch is known for hosting players all across the country. However, the team also brings students with various degrees looking to gain experience working in the sports industry through the Sasquatch internship program.

“The best thing about the Sasquatch that I’ve been able to apply everywhere else is that it’s all hands-on deck,” former broadcasting intern Wynn Andrews said. “I was absolutely able to work with video production, marketing, graphics, you name it. Anything we were doing, there were hands extended ready to help each other out.”

Andrews interned during his junior year of college. After graduating from the University of Georgia in 2023, Andrews currently works with the Oklahoma City Thunder as an Inside Sales Representative.

Andrews shares that a big takeaway from his summer internship was the ability to take constructive criticism.

“I would ask people to hold me accountable especially when it came to strengthening my skill in broadcasting,” Andrews said. “I wanted to be the best that I possibly could and I expected people to hold me accountable. Really just being willing to listen to what others had to say and not be upset.”

Andrews appreciated his time in Spearfish and advises all present and future interns to “enjoy it” as the summer flies by, especially when working a summer baseball schedule.

The two-time Sasquatch intern, Sean Massa advises that you are not going to be perfect all the time and to just always be ready to adapt and grow.

“That’s something about Spearfish that is really nice and the organization that Eric ran, he was really good with letting you learn on the spot,” Massa said. “After my first broadcast I went up to him and said I’m sorry, don’t fire me that was horrible. He said its okay you’ll get there. I realized that we aren’t there to be perfect, we are there to learn.”

Massa attends Madonna University in Michigan. He does a variety of play-by-play work for USA Hockey in the Detroit area along with currently working with the Keene SwampBats Baseball team in Keene, New Hampshire.

The Sasquatch helped Massa learn more about the sports industry and working with flexibility and professionalism.

“Working with what you have and making it as professional as you can. You aren’t working with Box or ESPN or NBC but you are trying to make it a product of that with the resources you have,” Massa said. “Last year we really made it our goal to not only make it different for us but really make the standard different for those after us.”

Massa says that he felt comfortable being in South Dakota and continued to grow more accustomed behind the microphone.

He is the only Sasquatch intern to come back for a second year with his first year being the social media intern and coming back as the broadcast intern. He accredits his decision for coming back due to his love of the organization, the people, and the small-town atmosphere.

Intern, Jack Banks originally from Chicago, graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in Statistics.

During his time with the Sasquatch, he was a baseball operations intern during the summer of 2021 and is now working with the New York Yankees as a Quantitative Analysis Associate.

“One thing that excited me the most about it [sasquatch internship] was going out to Spearfish for a whole summer and excited to be in a new place and be around new people,” Banks said. “One of the great things about collegiate summer leagues is all the players, coaches, and interns are all in a similar situation. All trying to stand out, to do the most and better themselves as players, coaches, people, and move themselves forward.”

Banks always wanted to work with a baseball team and one thing he has learned is that “if you want to work in sports, a lot of things you have to do is make connections and have prior work in sports.”

He is grateful for his experience and the people apart of the internship and encourages present players and interns to “make the most of it.” He also wants to encourage interns to try new things.

“The whole point of these internships with summer teams, especially in Spearfish with the Sasquatch, are to try out your interests,” Banks said. “Even if you fail, it’s the perfect place to try new things and just see what you can make of it.”