MU | Sports
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Ashlea Nash ’ 15
Hard work turns to joy
H alf her life has been tied to a uniquely American geometry , beige earth and green grass and white lines arrowing away in a distinct vector . So forgive Ashlea Nash ’ 15 if some days she has to pinch herself .
“ Yeah , it ’ s pretty neat when my office is a baseball or softball field ,” she says .
That is not , mind you , simply because Nash grew up playing softball in Gas City , then went on to pitch and play first base for Manchester University for four years . It ’ s also because that unique geometry of the baseball and softball diamond represents something more than past athletic glories . 43 |
It ’ s about the culture of service that has always been integral to Manchester – and whose influence ultimately helped re-direct Nash ’ s career path .
That path led through Williamsport , Pa ., in August , where Nash , who earned degrees in sport management and communication studies at MU , worked in the marketing and communications department for the Little League World Series .
One day she handled the itinerary for the St . Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates , the participants in the Major League Baseball Little League Classic game . Other days she helped out arranging postgame interviews , picking out the players , coaches and managers for each day ’ s media availability .
Every day , she says , she was surrounded by joy .
“ I ’ ve worked a lot of events ,” says Nash , who ’ s also worked with the Indiana Sports Corp . and Vision Event Management in Indianapolis since graduation . “ But this one was probably the coolest I ’ ve gotten to work just because the happiness the kids have at this event is the best thing from an employment standpoint . To see that smile on a kid ’ s face ... they don ’ t really care about winning at that point . They ’ re already at the World Series so the pressure ’ s off . They ’ re just there to enjoy the time and enjoy the ride and the experience .”
For Nash , it reaffirmed the feeling she had last November when she attended a networking mixer and heard Nina Johnson , the director of the Central Region for Little League , talk about youth sports .
“ I knew I was looking for a change in my career path ,” Nash says . “ And with youth sports and events , it seemed almost too perfect for me with what I want to do career path-wise and what my passion is . So I talked with her a little bit about volunteering , and ... I think it just kind of worked in my favor because I had a pretty good volunteer experience .”
Much of that experience traced right back to Manchester , where her major in particular stressed volunteer work to gain experience .
“ Being a sport management major especially , it ’ s working long , hard hours , and sometimes that means doing jobs and doing things I really don ’ t want to do ,” Nash says . “ But one thing that was especially instilled in our minds was volunteering . So working those long hours , getting as much experience as possible , helped me in the long run .
“ Now I work 12- , 13-hour days , and it ’ s not as hard as it once was . And I actually get to work for a company like this and a group like Little League . So it ’ s all paid off .”
By Benjamin Smith
Manchester | 43