VW’s Chiles to intern at Super Bowl LVI

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

LIMA — A dozen University of Northwestern Ohio Sport Marketing and Management students, including one from Van Wert, along with two professors, will be putting their education to use on a national stage at the upcoming Super Bowl.

For the three days leading up to Super Bowl LVI, 2019 Van Wert High School graduate Gage Chiles and the other students and professors will be working events surrounding the game as interns in Los Angeles, California. All of the students will be working as volunteers for the Super Bowl Experience which is professional football’s interactive theme park offering interactive games and activities leading up to the big game on Sunday, February 13.

“It’s certainly an opportunity most college students my age won’t ever get to experience so I am extremely thankful for the experience UNOH allows us to have,” Chiles said. “This is just one of many sporting events we get to be involved in. I’m looking forward to a week in the LA sunshine.”

The internships are run through LA Sports & Entertainment Commission and LA Super Bowl Host Committee, the centralized planning groups for Super Bowl LVI. These organizations act as the liaison between the NFL, City of Los Angeles, and the surrounding community and are responsible for helping to plan, organize and support activities and events which will enhance the Super Bowl experience for the city, the state and the southwest region.

Super Bowl Experience is a ticketed event located at the LA Convention Center. The Experience includes youth football clinics, merchandise shops, autograph sessions with NFL players, 40-yard dash and vertical jump virtual game where fans can compete against NFL players on an LED screen, and get photos with the coveted Vince Lombardi trophy. With more than one million visitors expected, the student volunteers are encouraged to act as a Super Bowl Ambassador and be able to answer questions, assist with taking fan photos, and overall, be that friendly and helpful face.

Students are also going to work with On Location Experiences to help with hospitality events outside the stadium on game day. Professors Julia Etzkorn and Phil Gunder are hopeful that students will see all the work that goes into making the Super Bowl not just a game, but an entire fan experience.

“I want them to see what goes into executing a huge event like this, to be able to experience it first-hand and gain experience on a large-scale setting like the Super Bowl,” Professor Etzkorn said. “The best part is that they will be able to make connections here that could help them obtain jobs within the sports industry when they graduate. After taking a year off due to the COVID-19 pandemic last year, this year’s group of students are more excited than ever to experience the Super Bowl in-person.”

The interns will depart on Tuesday, February 8, and will return on Tuesday, February 15. In addition to Chiles, who will graduate in June, two other UNOH students are making the trip – Carlie Hanes of Antwerp and Ryan Wickline of Wapakoneta.