Olympic intern finds experience unparalleled
by Karen Saladyga
edited By Doug Fisher

Throughout my freshman year, I struggled with choosing a major. How was I expected to decide my fate at just 18 years old? All I ever wanted was to work for a hockey team.

When I transferred to the University of South Carolina as a sophomore, I found I could use a public relations major to work in sports information. And so the start of preparing for my career began.

When it came time to find an internship, my first choice was with the United States Olympic Committee in Colorado Springs, Colo. Although I was born four years after the 1980 "Miracle on Ice," my parents instilled in me at a young age the lesson of the team’s hard work and dedication. I cannot think of a sports organization that represents those ideals better than the USOC.

Twenty to 25 interns work for the USOC and the various sports' national governing bodies each semester, but only the media and public relations division offers six-month internships.

The USOC receives about 500 applications from students nationwide for its summer semester. I was thrilled when I was one of two offered the six-month internship. I would stay at the Olympic Training Center, eat in the dining hall and work out in the weight room.

What other internship allows you to live, eat and hang out with Olympic athletes daily?

I needed to stay a full-time student, but J-School internships allow only three credit hours. Scared I might have to turn down the position, I turned to my academic adviser, assistant professor Tom Klipstine, who has given me endless support. As always, he figured out a solution, and the school was more than willing to help make this dream a reality.

I took a three-credit internship, a six-credit independent study and a three-credit independent study for my minor, sport and entertainment management. After taking two classes in the first summer semester, I left Columbia in July not knowing what was in store.

As it turns out, this internship has been one of the most exciting times of my life.

I have a wealth of contacts from the USOC and the 21 national sports governing bodies. The employees and interns who work in Colorado Springs are some of the most extraordinary people I have met, and I will truly miss them when I leave. Many could make much more with other organizations or companies, but they have a real dedication and commitment to the athletes who represent the U.S.

In October, my division held the 2006 U.S. Olympic Team Media Summit, which brought in approximately 350 media and 90 top Olympic Winter Games hopefuls to preview this February’s Torino Games in Italy.

I got to talk with Olympians and Paralympians, from gold medallists Angela Ruggiero in ice hockey and Vonetta Flowers of the bobsled to bronze medallists Timothy Goebel in figure skating and Joey Cheek in long-track speed skating.

I came to Colorado not knowing what to expect. I will leave with improved writing and interviewing skills, experience working with national media, proficiency in online and office programs, and most of all, increased confidence.

By adding my experience at the U.S. Olympic Committee to the knowledge I gained as a J-School student, I finally feel prepared to tackle the public relations industry when I graduate in May.

My final semester this spring will be filled with classes, work, friends and athletic events. But in February, I will be unreachable for 2 1/2 weeks. My face will be glued to the television watching the coverage from Torino, something I am extremely proud to have been a part of.