Kyle Hixenbaugh
Kyle Hixenbaugh: Game day assistant for Ohio University Baseball
Background: Graduated from Logan High School and Ohio University with a degree in sports management. Interned with the Cincinnati Cyclones hockey team in 2013 with a concentration in ticket sales. Started at Ohio University baseball as a student manager in 2014 in game day management for the baseball team and has stayed on past graduation.
What's turnover like in college sports? "Turnover is huge because there are a limited amount of salaried positions in baseball in comparison to the amount of people that are applying to these jobs. Many coaches and other positions involved in the game day management use schools like OU as a stepping stone to further develop their careers."
What do you like most about your job? "I love baseball, being around baseball to me is huge and I love being around the stadium after each win when the crowd is buzzing. It makes me feel like I'm apart of the team."
What do you dislike about your job? "The early morning wake ups sometimes can make things a little tough, especially on the weekends. But in the end if you want something or if you want to better your position, you have to make sacrifices."
What are any tips you'd have for students looking to break into sports? "Get involved early, and often. Any opportunity that comes by can be the one that gets your foot into the door at a company down the road, or it adds people to your network. You never know where the industry will take you, so don't let any opportunity go to waste."
Zach Dixon: Youth wrestling and football coach in Lancaster,Ohio. Also involved in the YMCA as part time volunteer.
Background: Graduated Lancaster high school in 2009, became an EMT in 2011 and donated his spare time to coaching the area's youth in the sports he loves. I interviewed Zach because although I am aiming to work for a professional sports organization, down the road I plan on coaching track and cross country. My time spent running was very important to me and I want to give back and help today's youth any way I can.
Why did you decide to donate so much of your spare time to youth athletics? "I was very close to changing my major to sports management while I attended Ohio University, but I felt like healthcare was more of my calling. Growing up, I wrestled and played football for the youth programs in town and that really helped keep me focused on school and sports. So many kids in today's world fall into bad habits without proper guidance and I believe good youth sports programs help keep these kids' minds on track. I wanted to give back and provide these kids with any information I could on the sports that I played, and there's no better way to do that than to be a coach."
What do you like most about your job? "Just seeing these kids develop into great athletes, and great people. I know I haven't been doing it for very long but I have seen some of my athletes go on to other levels of sport and become all-conference or make travelling teams. One day, a few of these kids I have helped may go on to do something great, and if there's anything I can do to help their development it makes me feel awesome."
What do you dislike most? "Travelling can be rough sometimes, especially if the weather doesn't cooperate. Coordinating tournaments and games for these youth programs can involve a lot of travelling, especially in this area of the state. But the games are always worth the drive."
Would you like to move up in the coaching ranks eventually? "I think if I ever had the opportunity I would love to get involved with high school wrestling or football but with my work schedule I don't believe that is a reality. But if the circumstances changed that would be a dream come true. Being a great coach to children or young adults can really do so much for their development into being adults."
What would you say to someone who wants to coach in youth programs or other teams? "Be ready to donate a lot of your free time. Being paid is nice, but at the end of the day, if you love the sport, the payment doesn't matter as much as the satisfaction of being involved with the sports that you love."
Background: Graduated from Logan High School and Ohio University with a degree in sports management. Interned with the Cincinnati Cyclones hockey team in 2013 with a concentration in ticket sales. Started at Ohio University baseball as a student manager in 2014 in game day management for the baseball team and has stayed on past graduation.
What's turnover like in college sports? "Turnover is huge because there are a limited amount of salaried positions in baseball in comparison to the amount of people that are applying to these jobs. Many coaches and other positions involved in the game day management use schools like OU as a stepping stone to further develop their careers."
What do you like most about your job? "I love baseball, being around baseball to me is huge and I love being around the stadium after each win when the crowd is buzzing. It makes me feel like I'm apart of the team."
What do you dislike about your job? "The early morning wake ups sometimes can make things a little tough, especially on the weekends. But in the end if you want something or if you want to better your position, you have to make sacrifices."
What are any tips you'd have for students looking to break into sports? "Get involved early, and often. Any opportunity that comes by can be the one that gets your foot into the door at a company down the road, or it adds people to your network. You never know where the industry will take you, so don't let any opportunity go to waste."
Zach Dixon: Youth wrestling and football coach in Lancaster,Ohio. Also involved in the YMCA as part time volunteer.
Background: Graduated Lancaster high school in 2009, became an EMT in 2011 and donated his spare time to coaching the area's youth in the sports he loves. I interviewed Zach because although I am aiming to work for a professional sports organization, down the road I plan on coaching track and cross country. My time spent running was very important to me and I want to give back and help today's youth any way I can.
Why did you decide to donate so much of your spare time to youth athletics? "I was very close to changing my major to sports management while I attended Ohio University, but I felt like healthcare was more of my calling. Growing up, I wrestled and played football for the youth programs in town and that really helped keep me focused on school and sports. So many kids in today's world fall into bad habits without proper guidance and I believe good youth sports programs help keep these kids' minds on track. I wanted to give back and provide these kids with any information I could on the sports that I played, and there's no better way to do that than to be a coach."
What do you like most about your job? "Just seeing these kids develop into great athletes, and great people. I know I haven't been doing it for very long but I have seen some of my athletes go on to other levels of sport and become all-conference or make travelling teams. One day, a few of these kids I have helped may go on to do something great, and if there's anything I can do to help their development it makes me feel awesome."
What do you dislike most? "Travelling can be rough sometimes, especially if the weather doesn't cooperate. Coordinating tournaments and games for these youth programs can involve a lot of travelling, especially in this area of the state. But the games are always worth the drive."
Would you like to move up in the coaching ranks eventually? "I think if I ever had the opportunity I would love to get involved with high school wrestling or football but with my work schedule I don't believe that is a reality. But if the circumstances changed that would be a dream come true. Being a great coach to children or young adults can really do so much for their development into being adults."
What would you say to someone who wants to coach in youth programs or other teams? "Be ready to donate a lot of your free time. Being paid is nice, but at the end of the day, if you love the sport, the payment doesn't matter as much as the satisfaction of being involved with the sports that you love."