The Intern Experience - Part 2

By Natalie Dean

Interns do a variety of work during game day and behind the scenes to make sure the game day experience is both positive and fun for players and fans alike. One key takeaway for 2021 on-field host intern Bayleigh Hubbard learned was the hours may not be the most traditional 9 to 5 but the people you work with make the time worth it.

“It was definitely a wakeup call working with the Sasquatch,” Hubbard said. “Hours are going to be crazy but your coworkers and the people make it better. You truly work as a team and you guys are there to uplift each other and produce this show. Not only for the fans but also for the team.”

Hubbard, who graduated from Black Hills State University, currently does events operations and ballpark operations for the San Diego Padres. The Sasquatch internship had been her first sports internship in college and helped her develop skills like public speaking and broadcasting. She is grateful for being able to try new things and it helped her grow her passion for working in sports.

“Working in sports is such a special thing because we get the chance to love what we do. Some people don’t get the luxury of absolutely loving what they do,” Hubbard said. “In some situations, take a step back and actually look at what you are doing. Put the camera down for a second, stop for a second and look at the fans and look at the game. Just think you’re apart of that, you made that happen.”

2021 Merchandising intern, Paxton Goodman enjoyed how great the Sasquatch community was and learned the importance of community which is big component of her current job as the event manager at the Nampa Civic Center, in Nampa, Idaho.

“The community was my favorite. The same people are at every game and you grow relationships with them. Especially since players were living with them so they had that connection,” Goodman said. “It has been a really good part to know for my current job because we are very community oriented here at the civic center with the same companies coming to do their conferences and the same touring concerts coming through.”

Goodman has learned how important making connections and marketing can be. She advices interns and players to build connections with others in the community and to never miss an opportunity.

“If you have a connection, go introduce yourself to that person and say hey you might know this person. Connecting the connections is huge and knowing when the right time to use them,” Goodman said. “Take those opportunities to familiarize yourself with the community but also have them know you because they will come to you and be kind to them.”

Fellow 2021 intern, Will Treadaway was the social media/graphic design intern for the Sasquatch team. The Sasquatch was what Treadaway called his first big internship that was away from home.

“Interning at school or other places I was restricted with what I could do and was given a lot of smaller projects,” Treadaway said. “When I got to the Sasquatch, Eric gave me the freedom to run the social media how I saw fit and make the designs how I saw them fit. I thought that was really important and helped me learn how to manage everything.”

Treadaway currently works with the Washington Nationals and has noticed how having experience working in baseball, starting with a minor organization, has prepared him for working with a major league team.

“I’m working for a major league organization now and we are still doing a lot of the same things that the Sasquatch do like promotional giveaways and theme nights,” Treadaway said. “Knowing how those things work has really helped me in making the jump from a small organization to a bigger one.”

Treadaway, who is from North Carolina, saw interning with the Sasquatch, being able to live somewhere else and have a host family take him in for a summer as a “once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Treadaway knew he wanted to work in sports and though “being an intern isn’t always glamourous” the hard work pays off. He wants interns to know that working in collegiate baseball will help you grow and will teach you many different skills that can be used for a variety of jobs, especially in the sports industry.

Boise State 2022 graduate Taylor Clements was the on-field-host intern for the summer of 2021. Working with the Sasquatch made her realize how much she wanted to work in sports after college.

“That was when I realized that I really wanted to work in sports because I saw the grind and just wanted to be a part of something that I could see my work be put out and see what my work was doing,” Clements said.

Once completing her time with the Sasquatch, she decided to stick with sports and got an internship with the ECHL hockey team in downtown Boise. Clements is now the Guest Experience Coordination for the Houston, Texans.

Clements, originally from California, had never been in South Dakota before and enjoyed meeting new people.

“When I came home from Spearfish, I told my roommates and my friends that it was the best summer of my life,” Clements said. “It was like a family. We were all around the same age and it was truly something so special.”

Clements was taught that no day is the same and there is always something different each day you work. She wants to share with everyone to “get more internships under your belt” because more experience helps you become a better candidate for jobs and helps you learn and grow.