This was very convenient for me, due to the fact that the conference office is a couple minutes’ drive from Wofford. Most people have no idea that the Southern Conference headquarters are located in Spartanburg and so close to Wofford. But, it’s understandable since the office is hidden in a defunct mill building. However, these building will soon become business offices for Spartanburg Regional Medical Center, which all the members of the SoCon are excited about since they will be getting new neighbors and enhanced security. Not to mention a cafeteria that will include a coffee bar!
A lot of people asked me how I got this internship, and I say, “It was actually quite easy. I emailed Commissioner John Iamarino and told him a little about myself and asked if by any chance they could squeeze me in over there for a month.” He replied by saying “absolutely.” It just goes to show that sometimes, you ask and you shall receive.
I have really enjoyed my time here at the SoCon and getting to see the behind-the-scenes of what makes our conference possible. I have gotten to sit in on a couple of meetings regarding championships and all the minute details that have to be taken into consideration and have to be cleared. These are things that I definitely overlook as an athlete. I also got to sit in on a few coaches’ meetings to discuss the past season, things that will be changing for the upcoming season, scheduling and the championship. It is really interesting to see coaches interacting outside of the competitive realm that they usually encounter with each other. It is also interesting to see who speaks up and will be the decisive decision maker for the group of coaches.
I have done a number of research projects for the commissioner, ranging from team RPI data, to calculating the distance between schools for women’s lacrosse teams should the conference add that sport, to conducting a survey of the members in order to obtain data on a variety of topics at each institution.
One simple Excel spreadsheet that I created dealt with how many male and female athletes the SoCon services, and how much scholarship money is distributed to these athletes. It was really interesting because I got to see the breakdown of the scholarships that go into each athletic team at each institution. It gave me some insight for a lot of questions I had regarding how scholarships are dispersed between members on a team and throughout the athletic department at each school.
My favorite part of working at the SoCon has probably been helping with research preparations for conference’s 100th anniversary, coming up in 2020-21. I have learned a lot about the greats of the Southern Conference and the groundbreaking things that the conference has encountered over time. Most people know that Clint Dempsey went to Furman and is a stellar player for the USA Men’s National Team. Steph Curry is another that the SoCon is surely proud to have had representing the conference, but I also learned about athletes that I had no idea were in the Southern Conference. Arnold Palmer attended Wake Forest University, and during Palmer’s time at Wake Forest, he was a medalist at the Southern Conference Championship in 1948-49.
But I think the most interesting fact that I learned is that this conference was the first one to introduce the 3-point line into collegiate basketball. Ronnie Carr, who attended Western Carolina, made the first 3-pointer in NCAA history. I think that is absolutely incredible for the conference to be able to say that, “Yes, we were the first to apply the 3-point line,” something that has turned into such a significant factor and that has changed the face of basketball forever. And I think that is pretty awesome!
This internship has taught me a lot, not only about the conference, but myself. I am so privileged to have had the opportunity to intern with this great and hard-working group of people for a month.