Grace DiCarlo

Dr. Flynn

SPM 298-3

12 November 2022

Volunteering #2

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On Saturday, November 12th I was able to volunteer for the Tampa Bay Lightning’s

annual 5K run, through the Vinik Sports Group. My report time was 6:15 am and I was there

until about 9:30 am working the event. Holly Mercier, Manager of Community Relations &

Social Impact for the Tampa Bay Lightning, was in charge and managed us. She helped us with

any questions we had about the event and on the day of putting us in our designated areas to help

direct the runners and cheer them on. I was able to contact the Vinik Sports Group about this

event through one of Dr. Flynn’s emails, which gave me the opportunity to have this volunteer

experience.

Growing up in New Jersey, I always rooted for the Devils and the Islanders (my Dad is an

Islander fan) but was never a big hockey fan. Since moving to Tampa for college I have started to

love hockey and the fans in the Tampa Bay area. I have to admit that when I watched the

Lightning in the semi-finals last year against the Rangers I couldn’t help but notice that the fans

in the arena were not as rowdy as fans from the northeast. But after going to my first Lightning

game I came to realize that the fans are rowdy they’re just in the upper sections of the arena. This

is something Matt Corey, marketing vice president for the Tampa Bay Lightning pointed out

when I met him. When I saw this and heard it from Mr. Corey I immediately started thinking of

ways to change the atmosphere in the arena in the lower sections. This made me love the
company of the Tampa Bay Lightning because of their willingness to understand their problems

and always try to work on them. I would love to have an internship with Lightning one day and

even possibly work for such a great organization. The 5K further amplified the organization’s

greatness by giving back to the community and it helped me answer what I want to do.

Today I also answered the question of who am I. I’ve never been a morning person and

having to get up at 5:30 am for this event was a challenge, but it started to show me the

discipline of getting up early and doing something to help benefit my future. I was partnered

with Tucker Fogle for this event which was great because we talked about the Sport Management

program at the University of Tampa and he gave me advice on how to navigate my next few

years here. This is one of the best connections I have made so far with an upperclassman in the

sport management department. We both cheered on the runners and helped direct them on the

course for a few hours. Overall I learned that I am a great leader and teammate through this

event.

The final question I answered today was about what’s out there. When I first became a

sports management major my immediate thought was to be in the front office and specifically

become a general manager. This is still a goal of mine, but I have learned a lot through this class

about different areas of sports that I would be happy to do. I have always been passionate about

giving back to the community and helping others who need it. Working with community

relations and social impact today helped me realize the greatness I can do within this segment of

sport and possibly do two things I have passionate about at the same time. Overall, this event

was great for connections and answering the Big 3.