Scarcelli, center with white shirt and black tie, poses with several other interns at the Altoona Curve.
Gino Scarcelli ’18
Marketing Management
Summer 2018 internship, Altoona Curve
I've always loved sports. I played them until I graduated from high school. Now that I'm studying marketing management, I am interested in the business side of sports. My internship at the Altoona Curve was a great fit for me.
I typically worked in the front office making sales calls and assisting the staff with tasks that varied from day to day. I also assisted with marketing, which included sending out pocket schedules and posters to the local community.
On game days, it wasn't abnormal to work 15 hour days. I started the day working in the office, then I would help set up a few hours before the game started. I would stand at the top gate, hand out programs and talk to fans, making sure they were having a good experience. I also assisted with pre-game performances, which included first pitches, “Field of Dreams” teams, and parades. During each game, I helped with all of the on-field activities that took place throughout the night. It was busy, but a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it.
All of the interns working at the Curve were given the opportunity to create our own “theme night.” We were responsible for all of the marketing, promotions, and sponsorships for it. We decided on an old-time baseball theme for our night, which included old-time music, old-time on-field games, and a vintage looking scoreboard. We were able to bring an old-time baseball team to the game. They set up a table on the concourse and showed off their old-time baseball gear to the fans. Overall, the night was a great success.
My intern supervisor took me on some player appearances in the community, so I was able to meet some of the players. What I really enjoyed the most, though, was getting to know the fans. By the end of the season, many of them knew me by name and would come up to talk to me. I thought it was awesome that I was doing my job well enough that people took a liking to me.
I want to continue to work in sports in the future, and my internship with the Curve gave me the experience I need for future jobs in the sports field. I gained great sales skills from making sales calls. I learned not to be discouraged by 'no.' Ninety percent of the time in sales, you’re going to be told no, and my internship prepared me for how to handle that. I refined my people and public speaking skills through being in and around crowds during the games, and my time management skills also greatly improved, because during the games we had a tight window to complete all of our tasks.
I’m very excited because I’ve had two interviews for a sales position with the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team, with a third interview scheduled for the coming weeks. I know that the Curve absolutely prepared me for the job should I be offered the position.
I’m from Pittsburgh, so I would love to eventually work in sales or marketing for the Pirates, the Steelers, or the Penguins. That’d be a dream come true for me.
An internship offers real-world opportunity and experience you wouldn't have otherwise. I believe you need that work experience if you want a full-time job, so I encourage other students to look into and think seriously about doing an internship.
To learn more about internships, please contact Tom Shaffer, academic internship coordinator, at [email protected] or 814-949-5789.
