Georgia Dome Site Visit

Also on Thursday, we visited the Georgia Dome, where the Atlanta Falcons and also the newly created Georgia State football teams play their home games. This was a very exciting visit because we learned a lot of how the Georgia Dome is run. First, we learned that the astroturf on the field is always there and almost never lifted. The staff uses a water soluble paint to paint the field differently for both GSU and Atlanta Falcons football.

We toured all of the stadium as well. We saw where the offensive and defensive coordinators of each teams sat, along with the replay booth where all controversial plays are reviewed. We also so the "Super Suites," which is where people sit to have a comfortable view of the game for a very expensive price. Next we went down to see the locker room, which was really neat because we got to see the actual lockers of some of the star players, including Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, and Julio Jones.

Finally, we got to step onto the field. This was an awesome experience because we got to see what it was like to walk around on an actual professional football field. I also happened to expertly place a few field goals right down the center of the pipes, but that's neither here nor there.

Georgia Tech CRC Site Vistit

Last Thursday our class visited the Georgia Tech CRC. This is where all types of gym athletics take place. The activities that take place at the CRC are endless. There is a huge weight room complete with free weights, treadmills, bench areas, and weight machines. There is also an area with 5 racquetball courts if that is what you and a friend want to do. Along with this, there is an area upstairs with 6 full sized basketball courts.  There is also room for badminton and volleyball as well. On the side, there is an area where you can play 3v3 roller hockey or 3v3 soccer.

Downstairs, there is a full Olympic style pool where competitions are held and well as a section for high diving. For relaxed swimmers, there is another pool where you can swim laps, sit in a hot tub, swim for fun, or go down a waterslide. There are also several rooms for all kinds of exercise classes. One of the coolest things was that there was an area where you could rock climb or bolder if that's something that you enjoy doing.

Turner Field Site Visit Summary

Last week we took a tour of Turner Field. We explored all aspects of the stadium and the visit was very interesting and also quite enjoyable. We learned of the inner workings behind Turner Field, which is much more than we see by just attending a Braves' Game. My favorite part of the visit was exploring the facilities that athletes actually used. Being an athlete myself, it was very exciting to see the quality of the facilities that professional athletes actually use. I found the locker room to be my favorite part. It just looked so comfortable. There were three leather couches, training tables, and several flat screen tv's. The training room also looked tremendous.

I am very interested in the possibility of completing an internship for the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field. I don't know if I would like to work in sales, marketing, or maintenance, but the no matter what it would be very exciting to work with a professional sports organization.

Guest Speaker - Vic Mitchell

Vic Mitchell is the women's basketball coach for the Shorter University Lady Hawks.  Along with coaching, Mitchell also serves as the SR Associate Athletic Director for Shorter University. Coach Mitchell had much to tell about his road to the sports world and how he got to where he is today.

One of the most important things that Mitchell seemed to emphasize for much the class was the importance of volunteer work. Volunteer work is a great way to get your name out there for future employers and it's also a great way to gain experience in the field that you prefer. Grad Assistant-ships are also a great thing. They further your education, pay for your education, give you work experience, and give you many contacts for when you graduate.

Volunteer work and Graduate Assistant-Ships are a great way to get your foot in the door and get your name out there. If you want to be a head coach of a team, becoming an assistant coach first is vital. Being an assistant coach allows you to experience how a team is run and also allows you to make mistakes without being blamed for them.

Guest Speaker - Bill Popp

Bill Popp is the athletic director of Reinhardt University. Today he spoke to us about all sorts of aspects of the sports administration world, including how he became a part of it and what he does now.

Basically, Popp graduated from Kennessaw State and went right into an assistant coaching job at Oglethorpe University for their baseball team. Shortly after that, the head coach for Oglethorpe's baseball team left and Popp was selected as the new head baseball coach. He coached at Oglethorpe for about 12 years and also coached during every summer in Cobb County. This Cobb County coaching ended up helping Popp greatly in terms of recruitment, and also helped him get the head coaching job at Reinhardt.

Popp came to Reinhardt as a head baseball coach and athletic director and was only recently asked to be a full time athletic director.

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This is my Blog for PED 350 Sports Administration.

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Sports Studies Major