Two lucky snowboarders in the College of Health Professions reflect on their internships at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.
The 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, provided a venue for many exciting and historic moments. Shaun White became the first snowboarder to win three Olympic golds after a near perfect final run in the halfpipe event; fellow American Chloe Kim became the youngest woman to win an Olympic snowboarding medal at 17-years-old; and Czech snowboarder Ester Ledecka became the first person, man or woman, to win two gold medals at the same Winter Olympics using two different types of equipment when she raced to victory in the super-G in alpine skiing and the parallel giant slalom in snowboarding.
During these historic events, two Marshall University students were also making an impact in South Korea. Kade Sebastian of Huntington and Takuya Endo of Osaka, Japan, interned in PyeongChang as snowboarding instructors. While White, Kim and Ledecka were winning gold, the sports management majors trained snowboarders from all over the world at the YongPyong Resort as part of their three-month-long internship. The partnership between Marshall and YongPyong is the first collaboration of its kind between the resort and an American university, according to Professor Wanyong Choi, former director of the university’s Sport Data Analysis Center.
“Obviously it is an understatement to say it was an amazing opportunity,” Sebastian said. “I mean, we taught snowboarding at one of the resorts that actually hosted Olympic events. We were very busy — when we weren’t teaching we were studying because we were still taking classes. During the rare times we had time off I mostly caught up on my sleep and just relaxed.”
That doesn’t mean there wasn’t any fun to be had. Sebastian said he and Endo did get to see some Olympic events, though sadly the tickets to the more popular events were too pricey for them.
“Still, considering that most people don’t get the opportunity to see any Olympic events, we definitely weren’t complaining,” Sebastian said.
The Olympics made an amazing backdrop for their internship, but Endo said the lessons learned from working in an international resort coupled with meeting people from all over the world were the most rewarding experiences he brought back from South Korea. The junior said he plans to run his own sports marketing business one day, and contacts obtained from a prestigious internship like this one are invaluable.
And like Sebastian, Endo loved the job itself as well. He said he was able to work with many athletes, and even with all the fun and exploration of South Korea, his most exciting moments were working with his students and watching them improving their snowboarding skills.
“One of my students was from South Korea, and he took me to Seoul, the nation’s capital, and showed me a good time,” Endo said. “The opportunities to broaden my international mindset were so many that I honestly didn’t even have to leave my dorm. I shared a room with three guys from Scotland, France and the United States. Every day was fun and valuable since we could share our cultures.”
An internship like this can be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Prime internships are rare enough, but ones during an international sporting event that takes place once every four years are the rarest. Neither Sebastian nor Endo have lost sight of that fact. Both said they will be forever grateful to Marshall for the opportunity.
“Marshall is my hometown school,” Sebastian said. “Being able to go overseas and be an ambassador not only for the United States, but also the Thundering Herd, was an experience I will always treasure.”
Endo was equally complimentary of the university.
“Marshall not only gave me the chance to live and study in another country, but then afforded me the opportunity to live and study in yet another country,” Endo explained.
Dr. Michael Prewitt, dean of the College of Health Professions, who also traveled to PyeongChang, said the experience will shape the students’ careers forever. He said having insight into the cultural differences within the world of sport management will open many doors.
Doors Sebastian said he can’t wait to walk through. At only 19-years-old, he still has a few years left at Marshall, but he said that’s what makes this experience even more special.
“To have this opportunity so early is amazing,” Sebastian said. “I know I’ll be lucky to do something on this level again while at Marshall, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if the college provides more opportunities while I’m here. I know I’ll be more prepared for my career thanks to this. I mean seriously, I’m going to be able to say I interned at the Olympics on my resume. That’s going to look good.”
Months removed from their Winter Olympics experience, both students are now back in the full swing of things as a new fall semester is underway at Marshall. It may lack the excitement of studying and teaching snowboarding at an international resort, but both seemed pretty content to slow things down a bit.
But, as the heat of summer begins to fade and the cool temperatures of fall and winter start to slowly make their way to West Virginia, neither have to wait too much longer to enjoy a break on the slopes.
Shane Arrington is a freelance writer living in South Point, Ohio.
Photos (from second top):
Endo (left) and Sebastian (right) earned six college credits with this internship and were able to complete their other spring semester courses online.
The internship, which began in December, allowed the students to attend a few Olympic events and connect with people from around the world.
Dr. Michael Prewitt, dean of College of Health Professions.