Photos by Ralph Freso
While Grand Canyon University celebrates its 75th anniversary, the Sports and Entertainment Business Club is relishing a special distinction.
For the third time in the club’s 10-year history, a female is leading the way.
“We've been on this GCU campus for 10 years, and we've been able to make our mark all over campus and all over the state of Phoenix,” club President Shelby Link said Monday night at the organization's annual tailgate at the Riverbed.
It is one of a slew of Welcome Week events, and the club is one of several spotlighted during the week. The Modern Boardgamers Guild will be featured at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Riverbed, and the big Club and Community Fair is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at the Canyon Activity Center.
“It's been really incredible to watch our club grow and become what it is today. And now being a female, being able to do this, I never thought I'd be in this position my freshman year. But now coming into this, I'm excited that I can show that anybody can do this job.
“I'm just excited to represent our club as the best that I can.”
To alleviate her academic load entering her senior year, Link took two classes this summer. She also served as an intern for the Mesa-based Utah Royals FC of the Women’s Premier Soccer League, performing stadium operations, from setting up the goal nets to handling public address announcer duties.
“It was hot but fun,” Link said. “I never worked in soccer before.”
She also delved into her duties at State Farm Stadium, where she worked the Copa America soccer matches.
The electric atmosphere at the Copa matches fortified Link’s interest in landing a full-time job in stadium operations. She worked the last two Super Bowls at State Farm and Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, as well as the NCAA men’s Final Four tournament at State Farm in April.
“I love stadium operations,” said Link, a native of Cottonwood, Arizona. “I love the behind the scenes of everything. I love creating those memories and working in a stadium. I just get this feeling when I walk into a stadium of the potential, the excitement and the memories that can be made there. And so anything along those lines is what I'm looking forward to.”
Link wants to work in stadium operations, similar to GCU alumnus Andrew Hudgins, manager of stadium development and operations at Allegiant Stadium for the Las Vegas Raiders.
Link and Hudgins each served as spring training interns for the Oakland Athletics, and Hudgins worked for the A’s in the Bay Area before joining the Raiders.
“What he’s doing is incredible,” Link said. “It’s so cool to see someone come from our club and succeed like that.
“There's so many more success stories that we barely hit the rim on, and we're hoping to really spotlight our alumni this year. It's pretty incredible what we're able to do and what students from GCU are able to be capable of after they graduate.”
Besides her academic load and working part time at the Biltmore Golf Course, Link finds time to polish her duties as Sports and Entertainment Business Club president.
“We're a community that brings people together who are like-minded, have the same goals and aspirations, and we want to make sure that they succeed,” Link said. “It's been incredible. That's why I have been in this club for the last four years, and I want to make sure this club is set up for success.”
Link has the strong support of Joe Missurelli, the club's chief marketing officer.
“It's great for the club,” Missurelli said. “And it just shows that although our club is primarily men, it's open to women and men. Shelby, obviously, empowers that. She does a ton behind the scenes that most people don't know. She's a great president, especially during the summer. She's put in the work.”
Missurelli also took steps toward preparing himself for a sports marketing career following his expected graduation in the spring. During the summer mornings, he interned for TEAM LAMMI, a sports marketing agency that connected Milwaukee area professional athletes (including former Green Bay Packers standout receiver Donald Driver) with companies that view it as a fit, as well as host foundation events.
“These athletes want to do more than just the sport itself,” said Missurelli, a Milwaukee-area native.
In the afternoon and evening hours, Missurelli served as an intern for the second consecutive summer in the Milwaukee Brewers’ ticket office. Missurelli said his experience working in the GCU Arena ticket office helped him land an internship with the Brewers, where he also dabbled in marketing and sponsorships.
“You've got to be adjustable and be open all the new opportunities,” said Missurelli, who is majoring in business administration.
Eliza Smith, a sports entertainment management major, sees the benefits of working as a sports coordinator and recreation assistant for the second consecutive summer for her hometown Idaho Falls (Idaho) Parks and Recreation Department.
“I want to work in community relations in professional sports,” said Smith, who played ice hockey in high school. “So being able to connect those community aspects, especially where I'm from, is really cool. Hopefully I can do it on a bigger level someday.”
GCU senior writer Mark Gonzales can be reached at [email protected]
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