Looking for a department at Trinity that provides proven success? The sports management program, spearheaded by Jacob Tingle, has nurtured prodigies now working with outstanding organizations such as the United States Olympic Committee.

Recent graduate Veronica Oviedo ’13 is currently working at a similar year-long internship with the Olympic Committee in Colorado Springs where she has done work contacting coaches, writing articles, rebranding and executing sponsorship announcements.

Brooke Sanchez, a current senior majoring in ommunications and minoring in sports management, recently returned to campus after a two-and-a-half-month-long summer internship with the Olympic Committee in Colorado Springs, Colo. Sanchez was doing work that was very applicable to her major, such as working with organizations through making presentations, doing press releases and writing newsletters.

“During my internship, I never felt like I was just doing intern work; they tailored my tasks to my interests and made me feel like what I was doing was valuable for the organization,” Sanchez said.

“It has been an incredible experience; just to get to eat next to Olympic athletes in the same dining hall is a huge honor,” Oviedo said.

Growing up around sports, Oviedo knew she had found her niche when she was introduced to the sports management department at Trinity. Prior to working with the Olympic Committee, Oviedo also had a summer internship working with the Spurs, which she got with the help of Tingle. Hoping to eventually go into the marketing department for a sports team such as the Spurs, Oviedo knows she would not have found her true passions if not for Tingle’s guiding advice.

“Dr. Tingle is building the sports management program at Trinity and I feel like nobody is noticing,” Oviedo said, “He has networked with so many large organizations, such as the Spurs, Talons, USOC, Philadelphia Eagles…and is now providing these networks to his students.”

Yet Tingle’s work will not go completely unnoticed, because the sports management program here at Trinity will soon be converted from solely a minor to a full-fledged major.

It is important to note, however, that just because a student studies this subject does not mean that success will come forthright. Connections to professors, networking skills and hard work are the common threads that guide Trinity students down the road to success.

“It is easy for me to write recs and pick up the phone to put my name on the line for someone who has taken several of my classes and done exceedingly good work,” said Tingle. “Professors have connections, and we do those things for students for whatever reason when we believe they can shine.”

The message these success stories relay is: talk to your professors, speak up in class and get networking on so that you too can rub elbows with the gods of sports.