UCCS Sport Management 2012 Graduate Taryn Duncan Talks About Her London 2012 Olympic Experience

1.      Tell us about your assignment with the USOC at the London Olympic Games ?  

My assignment with USOC in London is a volunteer at Team USA House. USA House is located in central London and is the business-hospitality center ("safe haven") for Team USA: donors, sponsors, athletes, NGBs, USOC, etc. I will be carrying out Special Events and Business Center operations. When I lived in England during the fall of 2011 there was a lot of Olympic hype which I had been familiar with while going to school in Colorado Springs. I looked on the London LOCOG website in November for job opportunities and applied for this volunteer position. In February 2012, I received an email from Sheryle Miller of USOC to see if I was still interested. Sheryle had received my name from Dave Ogrean, CEO of USA Hockey who is also a member of the USOC Board of Directors. I had gotten to know Dave over the previous summer while working at Country Club of Colorado. Oddly enough, he had also been the founder of the Sports Corp, where I completed my SPTM 3960 internship. I am working at USA House from July 23 to August 12. I am staying at a family friend's house in London, about a thirty minute walk through Hyde Park to USA House.

2.      You previously worked a semester for Everton Football club in Liverpool as part of the Sport Management Internship Program, did you enjoy that experience ?

Working for Everton was completely life-changing. I had never lived more than an hour's drive away from home (although I had been to Europe before) so it was a very big step for me to take. I loved that feeling of being uncomfortable in a new city: having to figure out the culture, currency, bus and train routes to get around. The staff and team at Everton were extremely welcoming to me. I was able to spend time in all aspects of the Commercial Department including media and communications, public relations, partnerships, corporate sales and marketing.  I also spent time at the training facility where they house the First Team and Youth teams. I had never been exposed to a professional team before so I took in as much as I could.

3.       Did you have much of a chance to visit London when you lived in Liverpool last fall ?

I had visited London twice while I lived in Liverpool. I have a pretty good sense of direction so I remember much of the city and how to get around!

4.       Are there any favorite Olympic athletes that you would like to meet?

I hope to meet LeBron James, only because he is such a huge celebrity. And I hope to see Missy Franklin since she's a Coloradan. Plus, my mom is encouraging me to meet Ryan Lochte in the hopes of securing him a seat at our next Thanksgiving dinner.

5.   Future plans after the Olympics ?

I hope my career takes me either into Major League Soccer or Major League Baseball where I want to be the first female GM. However, Kim Ng is on her way to beating me there. She's twice my age, so I have a bit more that I need to experience. I hope to retire out of the MLB.