Rebecca Lindblad lives March Madness, fosters fever for more college sports





(Photo by Stephen Slade)

 

The University of Connecticut’s Freitas Ice Forum is just that, an ice facility. It does not change over for basketball the way Husky athletics’ out-of-town home base in Hartford, the XL Center, can.

 

But one member of the UConn women’s hockey program, the Forum’s primary tenant, did make a noteworthy switch from one winter sport to the other last month. And she needed 20 days rather than 20 hours to complete the transition from one event to the next.

While the Huskies’ women’s hockey season ended March 2 in a conference quarterfinal sweep by Boston College, senior forward Rebecca Lindblad’s involvement in sports has merely begun. As an intern in the athletic department, she had the honor of joining the event staff when the women’s hoops powerhouse hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament at Gampel Pavilion.

In basketball, UConn always features prominently in national TV coverage, and this year was no different. However, Lindblad’s internship showcased what it is like to work in the sports industry and fueled her passion for her future career even more.

For the March 22 and March 24 games against Buffalo and Towson, respectively, Lindblad worked as the operation liaison, welcoming the opposing teams and assisting with event preparation.

“I fell in love with it and the excitement that sports brings,” Lindblad eagerly recounted in an interview with Pucks and Recreation.

UConn’s two victories propelled it to the Sweet 16 in Albany, N.Y., followed by a Final Four berth in Tampa. Although the Huskies bowed out to Notre Dame, the two victories Lindblad witnessed were significant in her career aspirations.

March Madness is normally a tumultuous time for fans filling out brackets, but Lindblad embraced the frenzied pace behind the scenes. Not unlike Geno Auriemma’s understudies, she took this experience as a grand reward for a season’s worth of seen and unseen preparation.

(Photo by Stephen Slade)

As an event management intern for nine months, she has supervised interns, prepared for and cleared out after events and welcomed visiting teams to the Storrs campus.

Lindblad juggled these responsibilities while working toward a sports management degree and playing hockey, where she was an alternate captain. However, she views these formative experiences as sign posts guiding her in her job search.

“Similar to hockey, my work in event management exposed me to a unique work environment,” she said. “There are so many overlaps between my job and playing hockey. Things like a positive culture, teamwork, collaboration are significant to ensuring good results. We are all working towards something bigger than us.”

While hockey and her event management internship have cultivated Lindblad’s love for sports, one can say that passion was instilled at an early age. Before matriculating at UConn, the Illinois native starred as a dual-sport athlete in high school.

On the ice, she traveled with the Chicago Young Americans in the Elite Hockey League. Interscholastically, she played golf for New Trier High School, capturing all-state honors and a state championship.

“Golf has always been a huge part of my life,” reflected Lindblad. “My dad and brother played, and I still play in the summer. We also watch many of the golf tournaments every year. With the Masters coming up this week, I will be watching some of my favorite golfers, including Jordan Speith, Matt Kuchar and Patrick Reed.”

Naturally, Lindblad prioritized hockey during her four years in Storrs. While her stats were not the most sparkling, her labor on the ice and in the gym has still drawn accolades. One year ago this week, she was one of four UConn student-athletes named an All-American for their commitment to strength and conditioning.

(Photo by Stephen Slade)

As she told the program’s website at the time of the honor, “I came to UConn full of doubt and insecurity. UConn was more than a thousand miles from home but the school, coaches, and my teammates have brought out the best in me both on and off the ice.”

Despite focusing on hockey, Lindblad’s love for all sports did not dissipate. In fact, she collaborated with other student-athletes and developed her interests even more. As an underclassman, she built her foundation for this via the Husky LEADS (Lead, Elevate, and Develop Student-Athletes) program.

“I was paired with a mentor who happened to be the current director of event management,” she told Pucks and Rec. “In fact, working with Danielle Upham was instrumental in helping me get my current role as an event management intern.”

Beyond networking, Lindblad’s two years in LEADS served as another method of personal growth. The two-year program focuses on identifying leadership traits, developing one’s strengths and improving on one’s weaknesses. In the second year, UConn invites athletes to volunteer in their local community and meet other athletes along the way.

Rounding out her experience, Lindblad spent last summer as a Recreation Intern for the Park District of Highland Park in Illinois. While there, she assisted with the planning and execution of various programs and events.

Lindblad’s leadership and interpersonal skills from these experiences will inevitably assist her as she looks beyond her time in Connecticut. However, all of her Husky teams have certainly left an indelible mark on her.

“In the future, I know I want to work in the sports industry,” she said. “I am currently applying to graduate schools in sports administration. Collegiate athletics is something that I am working towards, and hopefully I will be working in the athletics department at a university.”

-          John Morton