Story by Becky Trader ’23, an English and communication studies major from Seaford, Delaware.
This summer, I was an intern at the Kansas City Chefs Training Camp. My experience was greater than I could ever have imagined thanks to my amazing team of other interns. Read also : Friday’s games: High school football players prepare with summer pass camp. From the early morning to our only day where we were drenched in rain, they helped me keep my spirits up and make camp an amazing experience for the fans.
From my sophomore year, I knew I wanted to work in the sport. At Furman, I work on the women’s basketball team as a student manager. During the pandemic, I went from just making movies during practices and home games to being the main manager after our previous one graduated. It was through that experience that I learned that I wanted to work in the sport and be in the sport for the rest of my life.
Working with the Chiefs brought me one step closer to my ultimate goal of working full-time for an NFL team in the operations, marketing, or fan experience departments.
As an intern, I worked with the Chiefs Event Staff to run the day-to-day operations of the camp. My daily tasks ranged from working the kids’ area, driving accessibility or family golf carts, checking into the VIP and family tents, signing people up for the Chiefs Kingdom kids club, and being the camp runner during the day.
My favorite day in the kids zone had to be the times I ended up doing the exercise with the kids. If a kid didn’t have anyone to run with, I would sometimes “competite” with them to make sure they had fun and won.
As a salesman for Chiefs Kingdom Kids, my job was to convince parents to sign up their kids for the free kids’ club that the Chiefs offer fans up to 12 years old. Over a period of five hours, I enrolled 100 children in the Kid’s Club.
The day I went camp runner, I walked over 13 miles! I was exhausted the next day, but none of my companions wanted anything in the heat.
We also had fun while we were in Kansas City. We visited Arrowhead Stadium and our guide taught us about Lamar Hunt and how he helped form the AFL, or the modern AFC in the NFL. We were able to visit one of the suites, see the team’s locker room on game day, walk through the tunnel, take fieldside photos, see the area where coach Andy Reid and select players chat with the media after the game, and check out the new museum. of the team where the two Lombardi trophies are.
That same day, we were also treated to tickets to the Royals game, where three of my teammates were in the hot dog race. They had post game fireworks that night and it was one of the best fireworks shows I have ever seen!
I have so many people to thank for my experience, but a special thanks to Kansas City Chiefs for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to work in their field.
Coming back to Furman, I saw a change in me. The fan experience and what we do for the fans is not as simple as it used to be in my mind. Watching the Chiefs on television, I find myself rooting for them, even though I’ve been a Seattle fan my whole life. After putting blood, sweat and tears on the training ground, I want to see them succeed.
Next summer, I hope to have a seasonal internship with an NFL team, so I have a year to learn, grow, and find my place in the sports world. For now, I’m more than happy to sit back, wash the player loops, and enjoy the ride.
