Stretching in at Gymnastics WA

Hello PR people,


Introductions

First of all my name is Kim, I’ll start off by admitted I'm pretty wrapped that I'm finally starting up my blog, it means I survived the first week or two of my Internship! And yes I actually was that scared of the idea of starting this last phase of university learning. I say that because after all this time learning about PR, what it is and how to use it, I was scared that the way I applied my knowledge wouldn’t be of much value to a real organisation.


I’m finding myself pretty fortunate in landing a spot at Gymnastics WA, the main reason for this being it’s an organisation based around sport, something I’m pretty passionate about.


The Office

The state Gymnastics Centre is located in Loftus Sports and Recreation Centre, not too far from home which is wicked. In the office there are about 10-15 people working to keep the Government funded organisation running. Each person has control of an area working in conjunction with a few others in their section, these being; Operations Section, Services and Development and Gymsports Section.


My Role

As Gymnastics WA doesn’t have a PR department as such I am working under the Gymsports Section which manage the events and state teams. My role fits in here as I’m helping with the PR for a new event, an awesome opportunity but daunting too! The people I’m leaning on the most are the Gymsports Manager and the Executive Director. As this is a first time event designed to target outside the gymnastics community, both my mentors are in uncharted waters, so as a PR student I bring valuable knowledge to the situation.


So Far

So far my role has been to write the sponsorship package for this new event, a task I thought would be far beyond my capability, however I’m pretty proud of the document that’s coming together.


Issues

The things I’m finding hard so far pretty much concern the change in work environments, sitting at a desk for 7-8 hours a day is not ideal. The other challenge I’m finding is getting contact time with my mentors to discuss my concerns, theres 10 other people so competing for their time is a task. However I’m being forced to talk to other staff members and borrow their knowledge as well as trust my gut, which I suppose is part of the whole process of becoming a PR Professional.