By Jess Sanborn
I will never forget watching Michael Phelps win his 18th career gold medal and 22nd overall during the 2012 Olympic Games and being completely awestruck by such an achievement. Since that moment, I have always dreamed of attending an Olympic Games to experience those outstanding sport performances firsthand. Thanks to my study abroad experience, in which I learned all about the business of sports in London, I got a step closer to fulfilling my Olympic dream. Even though Michael Phelps was not there sprinting down the lap pool, I was still standing in the spot where he became the most decorated Olympian and I could imagine just what it was like.
We were at Olympic Park to (believe it or not) watch an England Rugby game. Ask anyone in my group, we were all hesitant heading into the game. We questioned the rules and regulations (Why do they lift one player up to catch a ball? How can they not wear any padding?). We headed into the game with a mindset of leaving 10 minutes early to beat the crowd. Ten minutes into the game, one of my classmate’s made an epic one-handed catch when the rugby ball came our way. We were all captivated and we all ended up LOVING the rugby game. In fact, we became so fascinated by the stadium environment and the fans around us that everyone wanted to stay until the very end.
I promise we did learn while attending awesome sporting events (we also went to England vs Czech Republic at Wembley Stadium and Man City vs Fulham at the pristine Craven Cottage). During our week-long class, I learned just as much, if not more, than in a regular 10-week course. Throughout our trip, we spoke with 32 professionals in various aspects of the sports industry. Our first company visit was at Pinsent Masons, a full-service international law firm with a powerful sector in sports law. After visiting 12 other businesses we concluded at Hill+Knowlton, a global public relations and integrated communications agency. With 32 outstanding speakers, who were all willing to connect with us afterwards and answer numerous questions, I gained tremendous insight on many different aspects the business of sports, as well as advice that translates into any other business. My top takeaway was from James Worrall, founder and CEO of Leaders. He worked with us to decipher the top upcoming trends that are shaping today’s business and emphasized the importance of building and maintaining relationships, stating, “those with the best networks have the most success.”
While I could go on and on about the different memories from this trip, the one that truly sticks out is the strong connection our group had. Maybe it was because of our entertaining and packed schedule’ or maybe it was because of our two great leaders: Andy Clark and Karen Burgard. Still whatever the reason, our group dynamic was irreplaceable. My favorite memory from the entire trip was dinner on the last night (and no it was not at my beloved 24-hour diner VQ that was attached to our hotel). This nice restaurant overlooked the river with the sun setting, and we sat on the patio just returning from the Man City vs. Fulham football match. I remember looking around and seeing everyone just talking, laughing and having a good time. In that moment I knew that I had made some long-lasting friendships on this trip.
Don’t just take my word for it though! Hear from my classmates about their favorite memory from the trip.
“One night we all went to a pub playing live music and sang along to “Valerie”. It was honestly such an epic moment” – Caterina Parola
“Going to the horse races at Kempton Park, and sitting in the Jockey Club. Their hospitality was amazing, and I will never forget it.” – Asala Musa
“My favorite memory was the lasting connections that I made personally and professionally. Professionally we were able to get our foot in the door to some of the world’s largest organizations. Personally, I walked away with a new family who will always have my back.” – Kevin O’Brien
Originally published on The Sojournal.