Many Simpson College students have been doing sports internships with sports teams from Des Moines. These teams include the Iowa Chops, Des Moines Menace and the Iowa Cubs. They choose them for many different reasons.

“I did an internship for the Des Moines Menace last summer,” junior Sarah Lockwood said. “I want to do sports marketing because it is exciting.”

Lockwood found out she wanted to be in sports marketing when she was studying in London.

“I saw soccer fans in London supporting their team,” Lockwood said. “The fans’ passion really got me interested. Now I want to be in sports marketing.”

Lockwood’s internship included a lot of marketing for the Menace during the summer.

“I planned events where fans could meet the players,” Lockwood said. “I also set up the field, coordinated all the volunteers and took flyers to Kum and Go gas stations.”

Another student who had an internship with the Des Moines Menace is junior Corey Miller.

“I did an internship with the Menace in the summer of 2007,” Miller said. “It actually started in May Term, and they asked if I wanted to stick on at the end.”

Miller did many of the same things that Lockwood did.

“I did game day set up and tear down,” Miller said. “I also did everyday stuff like put information into the computer.”

One thing that Miller really helped with was setting up soccer camps for kids.

“I was also a camp coordinator,” Miller said. “I took care of registration, equipment and finding coaches.”

Miller worked under the Director of Operations, who is his sister.

“I did this internship so I can go into coaching,” Miller said. “I now have finished my on- and off-campus internships.”

Another Simpson student who had an internship with a team in Des Moines is sophomore John Hupp.

“Last May Term I had an interview for an internship with the Iowa Cubs,” Hupp said. “When I got a response, I went in for my interview.”

Hupp got the internship and got to work in a few different departments. The main department he worked in was with the field crew.

“I had to come in early on game days and do minor repairs to the field,” Hupp said. “I had to put out bases and chalk the lines.”

Hupp had to be precise in everything he did for the field.

“Everything had to be precise and on the money,” Hupp said. “The batter’s boxes had to be the exact size down to the inch. You can’t screw up a professional field.”

Hupp also had many responsibilities he had to do after the game.

“We waited until after the game to do the major repairs,” Hupp said. “We had to make repairs to the plate and mound first since they are the most important.”

Hupp’s job didn’t end there.

“We also had to rake and drag the infield,” Hupp said. “Lastly we would do whatever we could with the bullpens. Those were hard to fix though.”

Simpson’s proximity to Des Moines is an advantage for students interested in taking advantage of internships during the school year. Those who worked for teams over the summer said they worked with students who attended schools across the state.