Dear Alicia and Ryan

This internship was not our first time meeting and definitely won't be our last. I've known both of you  since my early teens and haven't been truly able to appreciate our relationship.

You both have moved from my coaches, to my employers, to my mentors to my friends. I know the both of you well enough to understand that sappy letters are not your thing- so I'll keep it short.

I have learned more from the both of you on how to handle difficult clients, coworkers, employees, and bosses. I've also learned how to appreciate clients, coworkers, employees, and bosses. The days that I also assumed would be the longest and worst always seemed to turn in to the best days with inside jokes, memorable moments, and laughter. 

I have picked up on how to be a great manager and an even better leader because of you two along with how to enjoy the little things and the occasional long lunch.

Thank you,
Alison

Then and Now

The thing about my internship is that it's been going on a lot longer than just five months. I've been working for the cit for about three years now, and this internship is only just a small window to the time I've served for the City of Tempe.
However, at the start of this internship I was handed several new and very important responsibilities in order to keep my job but use it as an internship. My boss had to pull a few strings within our company in order for me to meet my requirements to pull this off as an internship for the school to accept it. In the end, I was given some pretty brutal grunt work and office work. 
A lot of it was physical. Lifting, refilling, storing, dragging, repairing,  and finding equipment, gas, boxes, boats, kayaks, stand up paddle boards, and coolers filled to the brim with ice has been my life for the last five months. It's been pretty rough. I've definitely gotten some serious muscle mass due to this job. Luckily the internship started in the winter so the outside work wasn't that bad until recently. When the heat starts to pick up, work seems to drag on outside and becomes harder just because the sun seems to make everything heavier.

The office work I was suppose to pick up started out well, but soon got difficult because I wasn't in the office often enough to be consistent with my work. Projects that were supposed to last a day or two turned in to a few weeks. In the beginning I was supposed to work a lot with filing rack fees, registration dues, and making sure everyone was properly registered with classes and events before they occurred. In the end, I worked mostly with making sure people renewed their storage fees, emailed out participants with event information, cleaned up the office and help maintain the online website and social media pages.

I think it was a good semester. There was definitely a few long weekends because a special event was going on on the lake that I needed to work or the event needed to be set up. But in the end I learned more than I ever could have imagined just by working close with my bosses and working close with participants and other board committees that put on special events that happened on the lake. Experience is definitely the best tool for me. Learning first hand helps me understand what I'm doing wrong vs. what is right.

Resume Writing- Career Service 2

For my second Career Service Write-up I chose to attend a resume writing session that the career service had put on at the Tempe Campus.

The reason why I decided to go to this was because I was down about the lack of interest I got from people when I was applying to summer internships (see previous post). I felt like my resume was underwhelming and that's why employers showed no interest in my for their positions. So I attended the resume writing session with high hopes.

The class was short and pretty much to the point. They had a lot of helpers, ensuring that everyone got attention and were able to see each resume. I worked with a grad student named Quin on my resume. He said that I had a lot of really good work experience and the fact that I had been committed to all the jobs I have held (working there for 6+ months) shows a lot to future employers. Quin also pointed out that the level of responsibility I have had at those jobs is also very impressive and will get someone's attention eventually.

He did notice one glaring issue though. In my resume I used very mundane wording. A lot of "very," "exciting," "hardworking," and "smart," - generalized words. Quin gave me a sheet of paper with a list of replacement words that are more descriptive and aggressive than the words I had chosen to use.
I found this extremely helpful and he didn't make me feel bad about the original resume- just that it could be better.

I feel like that style of teaching is always best and encouraging. We rewrote my resume there during the session and it did seem more descriptive then the original. Hopefully now I can start getting more attention when applying to jobs after I graduate.  I think I'll also go to classes that ASU offers on interviewing and professional conversation...so that if I do get an interview, I know what to say. 

Driving the City Car

Driving the city truck is so much fun.

I can go over all the side walks, take short cuts through parks, not have to worry about the gas tank, or where I parked it. The only down side to driving a city vehicle is that you're not allowed to touch your phone- period.

You're not allowed to look at it while you're driving (obviously), but you're not allowed to check it at stop lights or call and keep it on speaker- nothing.

I understand it, because obviously if you get in a wreck using a city vehicle because you were being a negligent driver then you are in some serious trouble and will probably be fired. But, today, I was driving and my phone literally would not stop vibrating for ten minutes because I was receiving so many text messages.

The group chat was not that exciting and once I was able to check it, I kind of got annoyed with it, BUT- the suspense of not knowing what was going on while I was driving was unbearable.

Internships

So, even though the job I currently have counts as an internship for school...it's been my job for the last two and a half years, I've just been getting more responsibilities as the semesters have come and gone which is why my job was accepted as my internship.

I started out as an assistant coach, to head coach, to boating assistant, to border line assistant boating coordinator (been learning skills/doing heavy shadowing during work). For two years, I've worked at the lake. For 8 years, I've participated in programs and classes on the lake (I started rowing for Tempe Town Lake when I was 12). So you can imagine how trapped I feel sometimes.

Don't get me wrong, I love my job. I love the people I work with. I love the opportunities they give me and the memories I've made with them and the memories that I have yet to make with them. But I'm getting tired of Tempe. Most of my friends went to out of state colleges, or at least ones that allowed them to be more then an hour and a half from home. I've seen countless people come and go from the lake and yet I remain.

I applied to a couple internships that I posted about earlier, and did not get any of them. One did call me back, but I soon found out that it was not what I originally thought it was and I had to turn it down. I guess I'm just upset that I'm still waiting for my turn to leave. Now that I didn't get an internship over the summer that would allow me to leave for a couple months during the off season I have to wait a little longer until I graduate.

I graduate in December, and my parents want me to go straight in to my Masters but I don't think I will. I'd rather wait a semester and see if I can apply to a university in another state. My boyfriend graduates next May, and I plan on seeing where he ends up before I make any head strong decisions. If we both get jobs that we are very passionate about we have already agreed that we will go our separate ways... but in the mean time we'll see if either of us gets a job and if one of us a job than the other will follow.

I don't want to do my masters because then i'm stuck here for another year and a half and have the possibility of having my boyfriend, yet another person, leave the lake before me...and that just upsets me.

Strengths and Weaknesses

The department I work with is small. There is only three of us (Ryan, Alicia, and myself) so I feel like there isn't much weakness in our department because the three of us communicate so well and get along.

 Ryan and Alicia are in charge of other employees too. We have a decent sized coaching staff on hand that help run the programs and classes that are put on in our facility. I believe that our biggest strength in our department is the pyramid of authority that we have. There is definite structure, and everyone has someone to look up to in a time of need.

 The coaching staff does the bulk of the grunt work. We coach, teach, handle the equipment and make sure everything is tidy after a session. If something goes wrong or we need assistance we look to Ryan, who handles both facility and office duties. He creates the work schedule and makes sure that everything is covered. If something goes wrong during a class, he would be the one to call. If Ryan needs help with creating a class, ordering new equipment, or scheduling with a large event, he would go to Alicia. Alicia is in charge of everything under the sun on Tempe Town Lake and when she needs help, she usually asks for everyone's input (coaching staff & Ryan) and ideas before she asks her boss. There is a strong line of open communication, and I think that makes our department strong. Everyone is happy working there because they know that if there is an issue they can tell someone about it and be heard - not over looked.

If I were to be in charge of my own department I would try very hard to carry that line of communication over with me. I feel like having an effective line of communication leads to employees feeling safe, understood, and heard. Being a good leader or boss is making sure you give each employee a division of your time so that they feel important. Alicia and Ryan do that, and I would like to do that too. We're not so much coworkers as we are friends. We go to each others parties, celebrate birthdays, hang out and get drinks together- we're all very familiar with one another and it makes the working environment easy, relaxed and friendly.

If I had to start doing something new if I was in charge of a department, I might try to have just a little bit larger of a coaching staff. Maybe hire on people for the specific purpose of having them to do our not-so-consistent programs and one-day classes. I feel like sometimes small one-day classes are planned and then forgotten about until the last moment because they're so small and out of the ordinary that staff is left to the last minute and usually falls on me or one of the other key staff members...It's never anything hard, and only usually takes two hours to do, but the spontaneous act of having to work kind of throws off a day.

Sportsmanship

One thing that I like about working for the City of Tempe and coaching high school athletes is the fact that everything has to be done together.

The lake wouldn't be able to function, if only one person was in charge of everything. The Team wouldn't be able to work if there was no coach, and the boats wouldn't be able to move if everyone did not agree to work together. 

It's a lot of teamwork, delegating, and sportsmanship. Even if you don't like someone you're working with, or rowing with, you have to get along with them for the sake of the "big picture." It's definitely one of those life lessons where the point that the world does not start and end with you, is very evident.

I like working in that type of environment. Things go more smoothly when there are multiple people working together, instead of one person trying to do it all.

Our Contribution to Society

I asked my supervisors which one our department relates most to between urban governance and public service and they both said public service. And when I looked up the actual definition online (and refreshed myself on the MANY public service classes I have taken), I felt kind of silly for being so oblivious to the full definition of Public Service and not knowing the answer myself.

Public service is something that a local government puts on to the people living in its jurisdiction.  So, I 100% do public service...because that is literally my job.

As the recreation department on Tempe Town Lake, we run the facility and classes that the city provides and puts on for the people in the City of Tempe. The only thing that the people really have to pay for is the equipment usage, the City of Tempe pays for everything else. Coaching, facility prices, maintenance, and new equipment if needed. We put on a service that allows people to come out to Tempe Town Lake and participate in classes, or programs that deal with Kayaking, Stand up Paddling, or Rowing. I coach all of these subjects and also help with maintenance.

****I DON'T ACTUALLY HATE THE PUBLIC**** I just think this is funny

I like working in Public Service. Interacting with people, teaching them new things and letting them experience how much fun it is to be out on the water is really enjoyable to me. You develop relationships and get to know a whole range of people from all walks of life.

I Lost My Internship

April fools around my office is a pretty important day.  There are only three of us in the office (Alicia, Ryan, and myself) and we tend to get on each others cases pretty well on April 1st. We all enjoy a good laugh so things can get pretty entertaining.

This morning we all started out with the basic "I quit," statement which got a good chuckle. The person that's willing to take it farthest, "wins." After that each of us had our separate prank.

Alicia's was pretty elaborate. She put speakers in mine and Ryan's desk drawer, and when we were least expecting it she blasted sirens are full volume. Ryan and I both jumped pretty high and it got our heart rates pumping.

Ryan's wasn't too bad, but was definitely the funniest (and probably the meanest).  Ryan said he was going out to lunch and that he would get Alicia and I something. When he came back with his food, and none for us Alicia and I weren't really surprised. However, he went in to his office and pulled out two sack lunches and threw them at us. Inside the "lunch" bags was a slice of stale bread, old cheese, and a rotten orange. Neither of us ate it.

Mine was pretty basic, and happened in the later part of the day so I knew that I had to make it as believable as possible. Before I left on my daily work errands (getting gas, water, ice) I was very verbal when it came to my "headache," and how if I stood up to fast, my vision would call all fuzzy. So I went on my errands and about 30 minutes in to them, I called Alicia and sounded all panicked and sad. I told her I crashed the city care into a light poll because my vision went out and my head hurt so badly. The car was wrecked and they needed to come down to the scene ASAP.

Needless to say, neither of them were entertained.

But I thought it was hilarious.

The Difference Between Team and Family

The interesting thing about rowing is that you can't really get out of it. This sport is very people oriented, and your team really does turn in to your family.

One of the things I've noticed when coaching the kids is that I no longer really look at the team as my family. Back when I was still a rower myself, I saw everyone as my brothers and sisters or weird uncles and aunts but now that I'm in charge of a team I see them as more of a team and less as family. Don't get me wrong, the kids I coach are absolutely amazing each in their own way and I wish I could take credit for the people they are and the people they will become, but I am just their coach...and I have to act as such.

I try my best to be the person they need me to be, but sometimes its hard. Each athlete needs something else...I more specialized coach, a friend to talk to, a tutor, an opinion, a kick in the butt, or a smack in the back of the head (metaphorically speaking, of course). I'm just one person in charge of 21, and I can't be the person that each kid needs every day. I think I started to look at the kids as a team and less of a family as the job started to progress.

When I rowed it was easy for me to relate and just be good friends or family oriented. I didn't really have to worry about what I was saying or who I was friends with and who I didn't like. It was just...my social life, and that's it. Now its my job and people look up to me. I can't be friends with the kids, I can't prioritize one athlete over the other, I can't hug them or hang out with them after practice. There is a definite line between coach and friend, and I cannot cross it. All of the kids are awesome and its like "heck yeah! let's get lunch and talk about that Biology test you just totally Aced." or  "No one wants to see that movie with you? Here, hold on, let me get ready and I'll meet you there." They are all just so great, and smart, and funny and theyre so young... they have their whole lives ahead of them.

I guess I'm just glad I can be apart of their lives, even if its a short time. Even if I can't be their friend, at least I can be there coach and help them out with the few things that I am able to do.

Leadership is my Internship

As you know, hopefully, that part of my internship is coaching. I coach kids between the ages of 13 and 18 years old, from all different high schools in the state of Arizona. We practice every day between 4 and 6pm on Tempe Town Lake. I've been coaching now for almost three years, and started out as the assistant coach and then worked my way up to head coach. Part of my job is be a leader to these kids. To give them the confidence that they are capable of racing and participating at their fullest potential. I have to plan, organize, register, call, pay, and most importantly communicate with everyone and everything regarding the team. Whether it be with the parents or the hotel we're staying at for a race, I am the one in charge or ensuring that I am their leader and that I am doing everything in my power to give them the best experience possible.

Being a leader to these kids is important. If not me, then who? The assistant coaches I work with are great and they all have their own knowledge and skills that they bring to the table, but they are all either full time students (with majors that do not work with recreation), full time employees, or just flat out don't have the time to contribute anything once practice is over. All of the planning happens after practice- and that is why I am the leader/head coach of the team. I'm in charge of everything, and I can't do all of it between 4 and 6pm on a week day.

The leadership position to a group of high schoolers is important. You would not believe how much they take out of every word you say, or how you behave and handle situations. They pick up on your personality, your traits, your characteristics and they start to either portray those in their own way or just pick them up as their own. The way I handle things, say things, work with people always has to be the best way possible in case one of the kids is watching. If they see me do something wrong or unjust then they might lose faith in me or start to pick up on that and do it themselves- which is something I don't want.

In another aspect of my internship, leadership also plays a roll because I am often working individually with myself to get things done. When I think leadership, I think responsibility. When I am given a task and have to complete it with or without the help of other, I am responsible for getting it done. Usually when I do work with groups I am the source of leadership, and even when I have to work by myself, I am still (in my head haha) pushing myself to get it done because other people are counting on me.

Regatta Central

This past week we had the first large event that I actively participated in on Tempe Town Lake.

It was hard work, but in the end we managed to do it. I wrote a post about this a very weeks ago, but Desert Sprints- the name of the event- was executed last Saturday. We spent a week putting it up and a day taking it down. Alicia, Ryan, and an entire team of members worked for months to ensure everything from bathrooms and security to parking spots for all the teams were taken care of.  The week leading up to the race, I spent nearly a total of 30 hours helping Alicia and Ryan putting in the race course and bringing out supplies from storage for the race.

The amount of people that volunteered for the event was amazing. Both setting up the course, and to help with the racing the day of. There was a group of 7 to 10 people including my self and my bosses that helped put in the race course, and then the day of racing we had to have almost 140 volunteers to make sure everything went smoothly that day.

Volunteers were needed for parking, registration, gear sales, clean up, safety both on and off the water, at the finish line, at the start line, and individuals needed to be in Stake Boats- which are stationary floating boats where people sit and hold on to the racing shells at the beginning of races so the boats don't float off before the start of the race. Alicia worked closely with one specific woman within the City of Tempe that helps wrangle volunteers together for events like this. I would not want to have her job. Getting 140 volunteers or more for events larger than ours would be so difficult and tedious because you never know who's going to show up and who isn't.

The setting up was long, but just tedious. The day of was a little chaotic, because there were so many people. And the day after was just plain over kill. It is difficult to take something down in a day that took four days to put up.

But Alicia got it done. I wasn't much help the last day because I got a sinus infection after working all day on Saturday but Alicia...man that lady can move when she wants to get something done. She is definitely someone I model myself after. I don't know how she does it.

Alicia - My Boss

I chose to interview my boss, Alicia Jerger, for the post about interviewing a supervisor.

Alicia was born and raised here in Tempe and actively participated in programs and recreational sports that the City of Tempe offered while she was growing up. She played Basketball growing up and, since she was such a large/tall girl, she was quite good and tried to be recruited on to a collegiate basketball team when she graduated high school.

While traveling at an out of state game, the women's rowing coach for San Diego State University saw her playing and started to actively recruit Alicia to become a rower for SDSU. Because of the coaches interest in her, and the promises of being a great rower, Alicia decided to accept the offer and join the Women's Rowing team for SDSU. At SDSU she received her bachelors in Women's Studies because she wanted to become a lawyer, and her minor in Outdoor Recreation.

While at SDSU she worked in the marina where she helped coach junior rowing teams, maintain the facilities and drive large motor boats in and out of the bay for safety reasons. She worked there for 3 years while receiving her bachelors and minor. After having a very fulfilling athletic career at SDSU she moved back to Arizona and was planning on starting her law degree here at ASU. But, during her transition she knew she had to have a job during college, so she applied to the City of Tempe's recreation department on Tempe Town Lake. She knew it would be a good job for her because she had experience, and knew the area well. At the time- it was only temporary.

Under the supervision of Okie O'Connor, Alicia became the Boating Coordinator assistant. Her job was to participate with participants in the programs, help people out with directions, online issues, and registration. She maintained the boathouse of all equipment, got gas, took the trash out, was Head Coach of the junior rowing team, handled money that was due from people participating with events, programs, and classes. She made sure this money was handled properly and given to the city. She also helped set up large events, take them down, and organize other events that were going to take place on Tempe Town Lake.

Alicia worked as Boating Coordinator Assistant for 5 years, until she moved to a higher position in the Special Events department in the City of Tempe. In Special events she helped coordinate with companies such as Iron Man, various marathons, concerts, and awareness organizations (Breast Cancer, disabilities, wounded soldier).

She worked for Special Events for three years, during that three years she received her masters in Parks and Recreation Management with a certificate in Special Events Management. Leaving behind her plans of becoming a lawyer.

In April of 2013, Okie O'Connor passed away leaving the position of Boating Coordinator on Tempe Town Lake opened and without a replacement.  The job was not left open for long because Alicia took it upon herself to step up and take over until a permanent replacement was found. That permanent replacement ended up to be her. Since then, Alicia has been Boating Coordinator of Tempe Town Lake and her new responsibilities now require her to do large things like budgeting for the programs being put on through her facilities, working with teams like Dragon Boats, rowing, and SUPs to help organize races for them on the lake, she maintains the programs and creates the schedule of classes, new classes that are offered, and decides if a class needs to go. She also hires new staff or decides when to let someone go. She directly interacts with the City of Tempe to ensure that all requirements are met and to see if they can add more on or take some things away.

When I asked her what would be in my best interest if I wanted to pursue the same career she has, she said that receiving a masters is basically necessary. And the equivalent of a high school Diploma in the government.  She also said that since I started working in parks and recreation so young, I will have a good resume behind me when I start applying for jobs after college.

When asked about if there were any new trends in the field of parks and recreation, she said that there were. The trends starting to set in are more geared towards social groups that people have kind of ruled out for a long time. Usually popular programs are geared towards kids, teens, and able bodied adults. Now, programs are starting to work with the elderly, and the disabled. Therapy Recreation is no longer meant for private recreation businesses but rather- for everyone.

Sometimes I'm on the News

The job I have for the City of Tempe working with kids and learning the ins and outs of programming, is so much fun to me. I think the only thing that would be more fun than what I'm doing right now, is if I got to plan special events too.

Anyways, short post, but because I work in the recreation department on Tempe Town Lake, I get to promote the programs and classes that we put on. We do this in various ways. We put out fliers, post on facebook, instagram, twitter, and on the bulletin board in the facilities. But sometimes, we get to be on the News!

This morning I had to wake up early to be on channel 3 to be in the background of the news. Channel three was doing  a segment on a Kid's event that is going to happen at Kawanis park this Saturday morning. My job was to be in a kayak in the pond behind them with some other staff members and my boss in order to tell the public that we- The City of Tempe- will also be at the event allowing kids and adults to try out our kayaks and try to get them to join our classes and events that take place through the year.


It was fun! Literally took 10 minutes and then we were done. I like how my boss went about it. Alicia acts like its no big deal- does it all the time. She actually doesn't like being in the media, so when she is she makes me feel like its no big deal and keeps me humble.

But the five year old in me was pretty excited - not gonna lie.

The Struggle of Internships

After I had the visit with the career I went and looked into certain internships that she recommended and made sure to apply to them and look into more to possibly apply too.

The internships I found were mostly ones that were six month periods that eventually lead in to careers. That kind of scared me. The idea of something leading into a career is frightening. Filling out a cover letter and resume is also just as terrifying.

I like to think that I have a decent resume because I've been working since I was 16. I started in a retail store just being an associate, selling clothes and doing shipment. I worked that job until I was a freshmen in college, so at least I showed loyalty from that job. I quit working at the retail job when I started coaching for the City of the Tempe. Technically, I've been working for the city for two and a half years, but have been progressing through the levels of employment during the two and a half years.

When I first got hired by the City of Tempe, I was the assistant coach to the junior rowing team that I currently am head coach of. I worked under another college student named Will who I use to actually row with in high school (so I've known him for a long time). Working as an assistant with that group of kids at the time was pretty rough. The athletes only practiced three times a week, didn't race, and were the definition of recreational- no competition whats so ever.

I picked up another coaching job for a club called Rio Salado. I coached adults for them in the evenings after the juniors practice wrapped up. I didn't particularly enjoy the job. I was out too late and always got home so tired. I worked for Rio Salado for a year and a half along with the City of Tempe, until I quit working for Rio Salado.

I had been promoted to head coach for the City and school was picking up- plus I really didn't like coaching for the club- so I quit Rio Salado and just worked for the City of Tempe for about a month before I started to get anxiety of not doing anything and wanted to pick up another job.

I applied to work at Bass Pro Shops last summer and got hired there working in the Promotions department. I work a lot with events that the store puts on like Kid Summer Camp over the summer, Halloween trick or treating in October, arts and crafts during Thanksgiving and Santa's Wonderland

all during December. Its a lot of fun! Sometimes I give seminars about camping or forest conservation during the events to anyone who will listen. I'm glad I got the job, because in the long run it might be useful in future interviews if no one believes me that I have any outdoor experience!

So, looking back, I guess I do have some serious experience and I should be proud of the work I've done over the years. But applying for internships and jobs- its just scary thinking about "What if?" you know? What if what I've done and the work I'm currently doing isn't enough. Guess we'll all find out.

Career Services -First post

For my fist career post, I will write about the counseling appointment I had in substitution of attending one of the seminars or workshops because none of them had interested with me. I met with a woman for about twenty minutes about the options and possibilities that were out there for people getting a degree in Public Administration.

I told her about my plans to try and get my Masters degree in Public Administration after I graduate in December, and that I didn't necessarily plan to go straight in to a full time job - unless a particularly special one offered itself. She told me getting a Masters in this day in age is not a bad idea and that people in government will think highly of it- its not one of those accomplishments that will go unnoticed in future careers.

Getting passed the idea that I thought I didn't need to be looking at internships or careers right now because of my plans, we moved on to talk about what interested me in a job. I told her I wasn't exactly sure. I knew I wanted to do something that was involved- I never wanted to become locked behind a desk filing policies or filling out budget forms. That part of the job or a job that only entails that would send me of a cliff. I told her I wanted to be outside, which is why I got involved with parks and recreation. I want to lead people through the mountains on tours or show people the joys or white water rafting. I want to be in charge or a workforce that runs the day to day operations of a National Park or- maybe some day in the far off future- be the person within the federal government campaigning to keep those National Parks protected.

I have big dreams, according to the career services. She didn't discourage me though, she told me things like that take time and a lot of work and good luck but they are not impossible - if they were impossible the jobs would not exist.

I was given information about internships involved with National Parks that could lead to careers after I graduate, mostly interpretive summer internships where I would lead tours, help out a little with administration, answer tourists questions, or work in the gift shop/front lobby in places like Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone, or Yosemite. I filled out applications for all of those and am
in high hopes.

But she also gave me one other internship choice that also has the potential to lead to a career after graduation. She gave me a brochure on internships in Washington D.C. that basically allowed you to follow someone working in the position that you would want to go in to. For me it would be the US Forest Service- and that option also interested me quite a bit.

Both options given to me are two things that I truly want to do, and I truly feel like I am at a fork in the road staring down two completely different paths. You know- one involves campfires and living in a cabin for 9 months of the year, and the other involves wearing a dress suit and the struggle of the federal government.

its scary to think that while I feel like I have this decision to make, it could also very well be up to the universe and have nothing to do with what I want. We're all just kind of swinging in between two different lives, not knowing if and when we are going to fall or on to which one.

Fundraising in the Oddest Ways.

I work in the office on Tuesday and Thursdays, and work Monday through Friday coaching the kids at the boat house. Usually on Tuesday and Thursday I get gas for the launches, clean up, respond to emails, pretty basic office-assistant stuff. However, now that the team's season is starting to pick up and races are starting this weekend I am also starting to do more and more work for the athletes during my time in the office on Tuesday and Thursday.

We've been trying to raise money for the team so that the kids can go to more races out of state throughout the season and become more competitive. Last week we started our first fundraiser, which is a letter writing campaign. A letter writing campaign is basically where each person on the team gives several addresses (between 3 & 10) and write letters asking for them to donate to the team. With 21 athletes, are goal for this fundraiser is 3 thousand dollars. With this money we would pay for plane tickets, transportation, race registration fees, gear, and new equipment for the team. Last year we raised $3,700 but also had more people on the team at the time, so we adjusted the amount to fit the size of our current team.

The athletes did a good job of bringing in their letters with the addresses provided, but in order to make the letter look official and ensure that the money is sent back to the team and not the athletes - I have to mail the letters through the city with city envelopes.  Since all athletes turned in roughly 5 or more letters, I had about 100 envelopes to address and mail during my shift on Tuesday. It took forever. Literally my entire shift was writing address and sealing envelopes so that they could be mailed out.

Our online site (https://fundly.com/ttlr-juniors-2015-fundraiser?showsteps=1)  is also opened just in case someone does not want to send a check or cash through the mail. Using and online fundraising website, people now have the ability to donate any amount online whenever they want to. This helped us bring in the most money last year, so we did it again this year because of the positive response it received. Hopefully within the next month letters will start to come back along with the online fundraising website getting some money.

Some of the other fundraising events that we are doing this year is an Ergathon at Tempe Market Place on March 21st. An Ergathon is an event that most of the teams on Tempe Town Lake do in order to raise money for the team. We bring our ergs, which are stationary rowing machines (they are in most gyms), and we set them up on the stage at Tempe Market Place outside Dave and Busters. While half of the team ergs, to show that we are "working," for the money, and the other half is out standing in front of the stage or in the walk ways with signs asking for donations. Usually the Ergathon brings in roughly $800.

If athletes or parents of athletes feel uncomfortable having their kids fill out letters to family or friends or asking strangers for donations, we always offer the kids a buy-out option. A buy-out option is where the athlete can be a sum amount to make up for not participating in the team fundraising. This way, they are still contributing to the teams fundraising, but don't become uncomfortable.

The last part of our fundraiser is a dinner night at Dave and Busters on April 9th. A dinner night is where the team goes to a local restaurant and part of the proceeds from their meals (and other diners, if they bring forward their receipt) will go towards the team. This is not our most profitable fundraiser, but is a great way for the team to come together and get to know each other better.

A life in a Day

          My days vary from hard labor to thumb twiddling. Depending on the breakage that happens to the equipment over the week, dictates how much effort I put in to work. Work today was a bit all over the place.
         I went in to the office during the morning and addressed issues dealt with registration, programs, classes, staffing, and any emails sent to me about the junior team that I coach (mostly from parents). Weirdly enough, responding to everyone's issues with registration, programs, classes, and concerns takes up to and hour or two. You would be amazed at how confused people become when you start doing things online or how badly they want you to hold their hand through everything.
         The parent emails probably take the longest though. Dealing with parents that trust you with their kids are very intimidating. They have concerns, questions, and mostly importantly - things to offer. As adults they have connections and networks that can help with fundraising and transportation when we are traveling to and from out of state races. Assuring that I appeal to them and make them feel welcomed with their offers is hard work, especially since I am so young but in such a high authority with regards to their kids.
          After responding to concerns and questions, I am then in charge of upkeep around the office and facilities. Getting gas for the safety boats that we use and addressing any damage to the equipment takes between 30 minutes to two hours - again, depending on how much damage has accumulated since the last time I came in (every Tuesday & Thursday).
       I'm done with my "office" shift at 1pm and then I get a break for two and half hours before I go back. This time, however, I don't go to the office and instead go straight to the facilities where my team meats Monday through Friday from 4 to 6pm to practice. I coach high school kids ages 13 to 18 on a competitive rowing team on Tempe Town Lake and I would not trade the job for anything in the world. I have 21 athletes, co-ed, and they are all amazing in their own way.
            Coaching requires me to come up with a practice plan, boat line-ups, inform my staff of what will be happening that day during practice, what athletes they will be taking, and what the main goals/accomplishments are for the day. In two hours we have to accomplish a lot, and the flu that went around really struck my team hard so we've had a lot of absences.
            Once practice is over I have to wait around and make sure all of the kids get picked up and then I can leave.

Its kind of a busy day, but its not that bad when you enjoy it.

Don't be Afraid of the Water- You Should Fear the Birds

                   A couple people have left comments about how safe the water is in Tempe Town Lake, so I thought I would take a post and describe some of the on-goings that occur in Tempe Town Lake that keep in clean and maintained.
          

Dead Fish

    To be clear, there is  a department within the City of Tempe that has the job of cleaning, maintaining, and watching over the lake - it is not my department. My job is not to ensure that all of the dead fish are taken out every time one floats up, and it is not my job to ensure that the water conditions are habitable. This job belongs to the Fish & Game department of Tempe (yes, Tempe has a Fish & Game department).  I see these people quite often on a day-to-day basis and they actually check the water conditions more than anything else. One of Tempe's biggest goals is to try and make the Lake sustainable for large fish and ecosystems to thrive in, but that is becoming more and more difficult because of all the events that take place on the lake.

Double-crested Cormormant

                 There are several types of fish that live in the lake, and most of them are warm-water fish so you will see a lot of dead fish in the winters. This is not because of bad water conditions, its simply because the lake isn't deep enough for them to stay warm and they are not equipped to handle the cold weather. There are also a couple types of birds that hang around the lake. I can almost promise you that none of these birds are wanting to be there. We have two Pelicans that were blown in from California or Mexico and have not been able to find their way home, we have a bald eagle that seems to have injured himself and stays around the lake because he cannot make the journey back to where he belongs, a couple Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets that can be seen in the summer, along with few ducks, one lonely lost Seagull,  and bane of my existence -we have a huge population of Double-crested Cormorant. Above is a picture of the Double-crested Cormorant. I want you to look long and hard at the big that makes my life hell on a daily basis.

          As you hopefully know by now, my job is to clean and maintain the facilities. Well the facilities include a dock that rowing shells, kayaks, and our stand up paddle boards launch off of for practice or classes. Well, the dock is apparently a prime place for this Double-crested Cormorant to hang out, and when birds hang out, they poop. And these guys poop a lot. So I have the joy of cleaning up after them every single day, and they just sit on the sea wall and laugh at me. 

               Moving on from the animals, the actual water conditions are not as bad as people think they are. The water color is disgusting and leads people to believe that the water itself is disgusting. While I am not supporting the idea of you to take a leisure swim around the lake, I am saying that if you fell in during Stand up Paddling or if your dog jumps in, you will not die. The water is maintained to ensure that if something bad happens (like you fall in) that you won't get Ring-worm or flesh eating bacteria. You guys need to remember that we are not in a third world country and every body of water has to have regulations that it adheres to. 

Tri-athletes swimming in the lake

               Now, in the situation that you are participating in the Tempe triatholon and you are worried about the water conditions for the swim portions PLEASE DO NOT BE AFRAID. The amount of chemicals they pump in to the lake weeks leading up the large events that involve people getting in to the water is unbelievable.  If it's not winter and you're seeing dead fish, you can go ahead and assume that there is event on its way in the next couple weeks because the chemicals being put in kill, literally, everything in the lake. 

          So, as long as you don't drink the water on purpose or are taking your afternoon 3 mile swim in the lake - you'll be OK if you come in contact with the water. Its a man-made lake/pond that is dammed on either ends. Its not going to look pretty and its going to collect trash but, rest assured that things do not die and you will not die because of the water conditions. However- you might get pooped on from the birds that the Devil created himself. 

The Big Event

           The biggest event that I will be helping with this semester for my internship is the Desert Sprints Regatta.  But before I get to that, let me back track and explain some things so that you reading fully understand what I'm talking about.

Stanford's women's varsity crew

        I will start with the sport of rowing, or crew. The easiest way for me to ensure that you understand that I am NOT talking about Kayaking and I am NOT talking about Dragonboats or canoes is to include a picture.---->

         Rowing, or crew, is considered one of the oldest sports (right up their with wrestling, running, and other track sports). Although, when it first brought in to the world it was a form of slavery and torture. Have you ever seen those old viking movies where they have people with big long sticks under the ship chained to their seats? That's rowing.

Movie depicting slaves rowing in big ship

           Rowing branched from slavery, to torture, to an Olympic sport and absolutely no one knows about it. Well, ok, obviously some people know about it, but people in Arizona don't really understand it. So here's the crash course.

             Rowing is the ultimate team sport. You can have as many  as eight people rowing a boat and as little as one. There are singles, (one person), doubles (two people), pairs (two people,) quads (four people), fours (four people), and eights (eight people). As the boats get bigger, like the fours an eights, the oars that each rower has is only one (like the Stanfords 8 above). As the boats get smaller, each rower has two smaller oars with one in each hand.  It is highly competitive, a huge collegiate sport, and is extremely prestigious with the best teams belonging to Ivy league schools. It is the only sport where every country in the world that participates in the Olympics, participates in the race during the summer Olympics. Personally, if you want to be good at the sport you have to be relatively large (women are preferred to be above 6'0, and men about 6"4) and lean. If you're good at the sport or if someone thinks you can be good at the sport, the sport will become your life, it will absorb you and spit you out as a whole new person in both a metaphorical and real sense. 

            So, back to the internship. I am helping with Desert Sprints Regatta which is a rowing race that the City of Tempe puts on annually on Tempe Town Lake. As a rower myself, being able to help set up and see the race course come to life makes it all the more enjoyable for me and helps me appreciate all the work that goes on in the background to make things like this happen.  Alicia and Ryan, my bosses, have been working on the creation of Desert Sprints since August of 2014. while the only real part I'll be helping with is the set up (because it takes 3 weeks to do), there are hundreds of other things to worry about like bathrooms, security, emergency service, website registration set up, race times and scheduling, placing each boat in the appropriate race, hiring officials, finding volunteers, food vendors, trash pick up and collection, announcers, course set up, finish-line camera/crew, and individuals tents for the teams that are attending. 

            The thought of handling all of that by myself scares me. So watching my bosses actually accomplish it is so inspiring. They have to be unbelievably organized in order to accomplish this race and make it run as smoothly as possible. 

               Desert Sprints is on March 7th and is an all day event. Teams from California, Oregon, Washington, Texas, Colorado, and Utah come to participate and race against each other and local teams. There are junior, master and veteran categories which are all then divided up between the three into the different types of boats that I explained above. With the magnitude of races being offered, racing happens non-stop from 6 am to 6pm that Saturday. The thing I am most concerned about is that I am both coaching the juniors (my team) and expected to be available at the drop of a hat if anything goes wrong and my bosses need me to step in and add extra help. 

              I am very excited, but very scared at the same time. I've been participating in Desert Sprints since I was 13, but I have never held responsibility to ensure that the event is actually executed properly. 

The Boat People

I am interning for City of Tempe Parks and Recreation in the Boating Department. If you think of it like a tree diagram, you have the City of Tempe and below that the Parks and Recreation department and branch of the Parks & Rec. department is the Boating department.

"Why on God's green earth does Tempe have the need for a boating department?" You may be asking yourself. Well, even though most people don't think twice about it, Tempe Town Lake is actually quite large and a very active water-way.  I work there with a woman named Alicia who is Director of the lake, and a man named Ryan who's titled as the Assistant Director of the lake. The three of us manage, maintain, and regulate Tempe Town Lake on a daily basis.

 The City offers a variety of programs for all ages. We have Stand Up Paddling (SUP), kayaking, and rowing classes. From these three main forms of boating, we offer fitness, experienced, intro, and competitive classes for each category.  With this class set up we offer about 12 to 15 classes year round for anyone older than 13.  The length that these programs can be months long or only a few weeks. For example, the junior program I coach is a 6 month long program that meets Monday through Friday starting in January and running until late May, but the SUP program runs for 4 weeks and meets only twice a week.

My bosses Alicia and Ryan collect class payments, maintain storage facilities on the lake (there are two!), apply for grants, manage the annual budget given to them, attend City meetings regarding the lake, and ensure that people who are involved with the programs/classes or are storing a boating in one of our facilities have paid their dues.

Where I stand, with respects to my boss Alicia, is the Assistant To The Assistant.  I am the one with the least amount of authority and responsibility but still pull in a fair amount of work. My main jobs are to maintain the facilities (take our trash, repair equipment, clean, organize), check up on registration and let my bosses know if someone is showing up to a program/class but has not paid yet, email participants about their classes with information (maps, times, and best attire for the class), get gas for our safety boats, work special events that happen on the lake (dragon boat/crew races ect.), and mail and email out individual storage fees to people on a monthly basis.

I've been in this position now for several months and I enjoy it very much. The kids I coach are my favorite part of the job, but working with Alicia and Ryan is just something else. It's one of those situations where you know that the way everything is right now is so great, put together, and fun because of the people you're working with. If I could do it, I would take Alicia and Ryan with me wherever and whenever I move away. They are the two best bosses I will probably ever have in my life.

The Beginning

Hi, my name is Alison Mettler and I am a senior Public Administration & Management in Parks & Recreation major! I graduate in the fall and will probably go straight in to starting my masters for Public Administration here at ASU after I graduate. Hopefully I'll be able to work somewhere in the North West (Montana, Washington, Oregon, Idaho) once I'm done with school and manage a small lake/park. Ultimately my goal is to work somewhere in the National Forest department for the government and continue to help preserve our remaining national parks around the country.

My internship is with the City of Tempe in the boating department on Tempe Town Lake. My job is help with class registration (online computer skills & organization), do the grunt work/maintenance, and sit in on meetings so I can start to learn about government budgeting and what goes in to programming classes/events. I am also being given the responsibility of creating, planning, coaching, and executing a competitive high school rowing team that operates out of the cities boating facilities on Tempe Town Lake.

Three things I hope to get out of my internship are:
1) The knowledge of how much time and effort actually goes in to creating, planning, and executing special events (like Iron Mans, Half Marathons, and races).  Knowing how a city as big as Tempe, that is the host to many programs and special events, handles these things will be very useful for my future. Preparation, patients, delegating, and teamwork will play a very important role I'm sure, and I'm excited to see how it is handled.
2) Networking! Getting my name out there and making connections is definitely something I hope to get out of this experience.
3) Because of my position (which is basically the assistant to the assistant) I will be doing a lot of grunt work. From this, I will definitely be learning how much work goes in to running a facility properly and how much maintenance goes in to ensuring everything is usable for classes and events.