Sophomore Sarah Gardner’s job really starts when people begin to leave the Carrier Dome.

“After the game is when our job really starts. We’re in the press conference,” said Gardner, a sport management major, who works in public relations for the Syracuse University Athletics Department.

During the press conferences, Gardner is responsible for taking quotes for cuse.com and aiding reporters, sitting alongside the players and coaches.

As a self-described Type A personality, Gardner enjoys the quick pace of her job with the athletic department.

“There’s rarely a moment when we’re all just sitting around because athletics, especially college athletics, is always a hands-on job,” Gardner said. “It never really sleeps.”

Last autumn, Sue Edson made a visit to Gardner’s sport management class. She talked about an opportunity to volunteer with the department at the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, and Gardner decided to pursue it. Gardner worked with the athletic department as the university hosted the Men’s Elite Eight and Sweet 16 in the Carrier Dome.

After the weekend was over, Edson, the Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director and Chief Communications Officer for SU Athletics department, offered Gardner the chance to continue her work.

“She saw that I liked public relations, and I did it pretty well. She thought I’d want to do it year-round,” Gardner said.

She now works in public relations at Manley Field House for men’s soccer and women’s lacrosse, and she works in the Carrier Dome during football games.

At Manley Field House, Gardner takes care of everything from updating rosters to distributing credentials. Every day at the Carrier Dome is a little different.

Upwards of two hours before the game starts, Gardner and her coworkers are in charge of preparing the statistics, the rosters and any gameday notes the media may need.

This summer, Gardner hopes to use the skills she’s learning to get an internship with one of the sports team in her home state of Massachusetts. She specifically has her eye on the New England Patriots and the Boston Red Sox.

“It’s an incredible way to perfect what I want to do,” Gardner said. “I don’t ever like to start small. I like to go big or go home. This is really what I want to do.”

Published on September 23, 2015 at 12:01 am

Contact Katie: kazilcos@syr.edu