Sports and Recreation Management Club Makes Trip to Portland

by Scott Lettre, member of the Sports and Recreation Management Club
edited by Abbie Tumbleson

The manager of the Portland Sea Dogs was thrown out during the game Saturday afternoon at Hadlock Field, located in Portland, Maine, with the Sports and Recreation Management Club in attendance.

Fans enjoying the game. (Photo by: Scott Lettre)

The game was tied at one until the bottom of the seventh inning when Portland scored a run. They added two more runs at the bottom of the eighth to make the final score 4-1. The game did not go without conflict. Throughout the game, some questionable calls and wild pitches brought temper out on both sides, which prompted Portland’s Manager Arnie Beyeler to be ejected.

“I think it was a bit unnecessary for the Sea Dogs coach to go out to the umpire…the scene was entertaining though,” said Jennifer Cotnoir, Senator of the Sports and Recreation Management Club.

After a trip of almost three hours, the club arrived at the game. Portland is the Class AA Affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. The special promotion at the game was “Bark in the Park.” People brought their dog to the park as part of a fundraiser for Planet Dog Foundation. Before the game started, employees of the team led the dogs and the owners around the warning track of the field. After, they had a special bleacher section for them.

Professor Keith Detjen, the Sports and Recreation Management Club Advisor, said, “Hadlock Field is a refreshing alternative to what Major League Baseball has come to stand for: over commercialization, big money corporate sponsorship deals, and Personal Seat Licenses. It’s good to know that there are places left in America that you can watch America’s pastime without having to take out a small loan.”

The club decided to go to a baseball game because most of the things they have done this year have been volunteering and industry events. They wanted to do something fun as a group for the last event.

Parade for the dogs in attendance. (Photo by: Scott Lettre)

“The trip in all brought the club closer together even though some are graduating. It was a very fun and exciting way to spend a Saturday afternoon and it helped that it was so gorgeous out,” said Mary Holland, Vice President of the Sports and Recreation Management Club.

Detjen said, “For the club, it was a great way to end a successful year. We participated in many events that provided crucial networking and educational opportunities about the sports and recreation industry. From a faculty member’s view point, it is uplifting to know that there are some students that care about and take ownership of their education, and get involved not because they have to, but because they want to.”

The Sports and Recreation Management Club hopes to continue the volunteering and panels that were put over the course of the year. There have also been talks about having a panel come to campus to help with students in a more personal setting at some point in the fall.