Students studying sport management at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, gain valuable experience by working at different sporting events from the Knoxville Open to the Super Bowl.
The 5th Annual Regal Partners in Sports Scholarship Golf Tournament provides even more benefits to the students. They help run the event while also raising money for scholarships.
This year's event, held June 23 at Gettysvue Country Club, drew 150 golfers, and 10 UT students worked at the event, helping with planning, setup and registration.
The adidas Partners in Sports program is a cooperative venture involving adidas America and UT's sport management program in the Department of Exercise, Sport and Leisure Studies. Through Partners in Sports, students gain "real world" experience in the sports industry.
Proceeds from the golf tournament, which began in 2004, have endowed a fund that awarded more than $10,000 in scholarship money to students participating in the program in 2007-08. The scholarships pay for students' travel to events and meetings and for speakers to visit campus.
"The operative word is 'partners.' This represents a great opportunity for the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences to connect to the community while supporting students who are studying Sport Management," said Bob Rider, dean of the college.
Jim Bemiller, assistant professor and faculty adviser for Partners in Sports, thanked Regal for being the title sponsor and for alumni, friends and corporate sponsors who attended the event.
"We have been at full capacity the last several years because the students do such a great job of hosting the tournament, and everyone has such an enjoyable experience that they mark their calendars and make the tournament part of their schedule," Bemiller said.
Ned Spring, who graduated from UT in 2004, was one of the founders of the tournament as a student.
"We put in a ton of hours to work on the tournament," he said. "Students learn event management. They hold weekly meetings for planning. At the tournament, they can meet potential employers."
The students market the event and find sponsors. Chik-fil-A provided breakfast, and Carrabbas supplied the lunch this year.
Tom and Pam Korn played in the tournament last year and came back this year because they enjoy supporting the program and its students.
"There are so many opportunities in the world of sport, and UT is at the forefront of this field," Tom Korn said.
For more information about Partners in Sports, go to
http://web.utk.edu/~partners/.
