With the belief that world-class sporting events make great hands-on classrooms, BW takes on the granddaddy of them all this summer.
Olympic-bound students and faculty, left to right, Tony Dick, Thomas Hall '26, Nate Schweinberg '27, Kaleu Tellas '25 and Dr. Charles Campisi stand in front of a campus display of artifacts from legendary, four-time Olympic Gold Medalist and 1949 BW graduate Harrison Dillard.
The Baldwin Wallace University sport management program, which is known for experiential learning at high-profile sporting events like the Super Bowl, is not taking the summer off and will notch another program first by working the 2024 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad.
Sport management majors Thomas Hall '26 from Amherst, Ohio, and Nate Schweinberg '27 from Gilbert, Arizona, exercise science and French double major Kaleu Tellas '25 from Indianapolis and sport management faculty Charles Campisi and Tony Dick will spend two weeks in Paris as volunteers for Team USA.
After applying and interviewing with the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), all five were chosen and assigned to work at a high-performance training center utilized by U.S. athletes at the Paris Games.
On average, 600 athletes represent Team USA at the Summer Olympics, with about 250 at the Paralympics, all striving to be in peak condition.
Schweinberg, who competes for cross country and track and field at BW, can only imagine what it takes to compete at the Olympic level and says he "could not be more excited" for this "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to support Team USA.
"It will be truly special to see what goes on behind the scenes with such high-caliber athletes," he says. "I can't wait to see how they do."
As a Yellow Jacket track and field thrower, Tellas also has a student-athlete perspective and says he is eager to learn "what makes Olympians some of the greatest athletes in the world — such as their routines, habits and work ethic."
Hall adds, "I am intrigued to learn more about how the United States Olympic Committee helps support and empower our American athletes at the world's highest-level competition. Volunteering in Paris allows my classmates and myself to work in the biggest competition in the world and help support our fellow countrymen."
As Schweinberg told a Phoenix TV station previewing the trip, this will be his first travel abroad and all three students will be new to the City of Lights. The location of the games gives Tellas an opportunity to put his French into practice.
"In the past, I have traveled to Strasbourg and Nice, which are in very different regions of the country and have slightly different cultures. The language sounds different than the French spoken in Paris. I'm excited to hear and learn the differences," he says.
After spending three weeks in 12 different central and eastern European countries last year, Hall anticipates eye-opening landscapes, architecture and culture. "I am looking forward to seeing some landmarks like the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Arc de Triomphe and also trying some French cuisine."
While Paris 2024 marks the first time the Olympics have been on the list of BW sport management experiences, Campisi hopes it won't be the last. "With the summer games coming to Los Angeles in four years, we hope to expand our volunteer participation at L.A. 2028. This is another memorable experience we want for our students."
"BW also has this strong connection to the Olympics with one of our most distinguished alumni earning four Olympic Gold Medals and having his name and likeness around campus, including the Harrison Dillard Track," Dick adds.
Over the past 15 years, BW sport management has expanded the experiential learning that has become a hallmark of the program to include year-round opportunities at elite national and international events, and the Olympics is just one destination this summer.
Other events include the Formula 1 Grand Prix Du Canada in Montreal; NHL Draft in Las Vegas; the St. Jude PGA Championship in Memphis, Tennessee; the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement in Canton, Ohio; and Major League Baseball's Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
The Olympic Games take place from Friday, July 26-Sunday, Aug. 11. The BW group will depart for France on July 23.
Hall shares the sentiments of all five making the trip when he says, "I hope to make memories that will last a lifetime!"
