Super Bowl InternshipBy: Kevin Hansen

Iowa State UniversityDepartment of Horticulture, SeniorFebruary, 2013

Application Process

Toro 2013 Super Bowl Sports Turf Training Program Application form from Toro Resume 500 word essay Reference letter

Press Releases

Amazed by the amount of press interest

4 T.V. station interviews 6 newspaper interviews Developed great interview skills

Super Bowl XLVII

Held in New Orleans, Louisiana 7 days in New Orleans All expenses were covered by the

Toro Company The crew consisted of 25 people

Daily Tasks

• Dragging was an everyday task

• We had a bristle drag and a metal drag

• One day we dragged the entire field by hand 3 times

Daily Tasks

• Many tasks were not turf related

• Must be flexible in this industry

• We did a lot of stage moving and press day set up

Daily Tasks

• Many of my tasks were helping out more experienced workers

• Here I am keeping the paint hose out of the fresh paint

• Sometimes you don’t always get the most glamorous job

Daily Tasks

• This was my favorite part of the experience

• We spent a whole day repainting all the logos

• Each logo was painted by using boarders so paint didn’t drift

• Boarders also help to keep straight edges

Logos

More logos – This one professionally air brushed.

End zone logos

Practice Fields

• There were two practice fields we had to maintain

• One at a local college , Tulane University, and the other at the Saints practice facility

• A lot of our time was spent preparing these fields for practice

• This picture is at Tulane University’s synthetic baseball field where we put a football field in the out field

Game Day

• It was overwhelming with amount of activity going on leading up to game day and on game day

• We were on the sideline and got to watch up close and personal

• It was an amazing feeling seeing so many people enjoy what we worked so hard to be perfect for game day

Working with legends

• I got to spend a lot of time with George Toma

• He has worked every Super Bowl

• He is one of the Founders of STMA

• Truly amazing getting to meet someone with his background; known to be the Father of the Super Bowl

The Crew

• I had the opportunity to work with turf managers from all over the world, as well as all of the other professionals that work with the Super Bowl to bring the game to millions of football fans across the country

• All sorts of MLB and NFL superintendents

• It was one of the best networking opportunities ever

Pictures of Super Bowl XLVII

More painting…

Logo progression

Conclusion

• You make your own future

• I never thought I would be chosen for this opportunity, but I’m glad I applied

• Networking is key in this field

• Set goals and strive to achieve them

That water was really cold!