The following column was written by Truman State senior Kyle Gross as part of the GLVCSN Extra Credit initiative.
A career in sports is something that many young people desire. One of the most difficult stages for students is not knowing exactly where to start. It can seem as if there are few opportunities for individuals on college campuses to gain experience within your field while still attending school. I, too, found myself believing this when I first enrolled at Truman State.
The GLVC launched the GLVC Sports Network (GLVCSN) in November 2014. It was the first league-wide streaming network in all of NCAA Division II. Shortly after, the conference created the GLVCSN Extra Credit initiative. This program provides students with various opportunities to gain experience working in college sports.
I applied to the GLVC and was given the opportunity to be the GLVCSN Extra Credit Student Ambassador on Truman State’s campus for the past two years. My role was to increase GLVCSN brand awareness, recruit students to assist in productions, promote the GLVCSN, and maintain the GLVCSN’s social media presence on Truman’s campus. Acting as the student ambassador taught me just how important brand awareness and recognition is during the startup of a new network or initiative. I was able to gain valuable experience in production, recruitment, and professional use of social media through this experience.
One of the biggest events of the year for students involved in GLVCSN Extra Credit is the GLVC Basketball Championship Tournament. The conference allows students to get involved with all aspects of the tournament. I knew this was something I wanted to experience my senior year, and the GLVC was able to set me up with the professional work experiences that I felt I needed.
I worked as a print media reporter for the men’s semifinal games Saturday. This gave me a chance to write game recaps, a necessary skill for anyone like myself who is pursuing a career in sports information. On Championship Sunday, I worked with the stat crew and gained more knowledge about what gameday is like for them. After observing for much of the first game, I filled the role of the spotter and was calling out every necessary statistical sequence of the game so that the statistics operator could input the live stats.
The GLVC Basketball Championship Tournament provides students an opportunity to see a new facet of the collegiate sports field. It has helped broaden my knowledge on the various aspects that go into making college athletics work. Every individual that I worked with throughout the event was genuinely interested in helping me gain proper work experience.
I would highly recommend to any student with a desire to work in sports or media to take advantage of the GLVCSN Extra Credit Initiative.