The Definition of "Impact"

im·pact /imˈpakt/

2. have a strong effect on someone or something.

"high interest rates have impacted on retail spending"

synonyms: affect, influence, have an effect on, make an impression on;

At the start of my time attending Ferris State University, I was pulled aside by a professor of mine after a long day at school. Just getting ready to pack up and leave after class, she asked a few others if we would want to apply to work at X Games Minneapolis for their 2017 summer games. Knowing that my main goal was to eventually work at X Games, I said yes and I have not regretted that decision since.

I have now gone back seven times between Aspen and Minneapolis. There were a couple years where I had a guest make an impact on me, however, at the start of these great hikes there was a mentor from the student program who told her story and our goal throughout the event was to make an impact on our guests and create that experience for them. If you choose to read forward, I have broken down my favorite X moments as well as a quick breakdown of each year.

Minneapolis 2017, I joined the Guest Services team. I was a little shy at first, there were a lot of big names who all work for ESPN and I did not feel very confident in what I might be able to offer as a freshman in the program. I used that weekend to meet new faces that soon became some of the most valuable networking connections to date. I also learned that summer that there is nothing to be afraid of, questions are always welcome no matter the situation.

Moving on to Aspen 2018; once that plane landed at ASE Pitkin Airport I felt like I was home. I want to move out west and this kind of made the experience of visiting the west even more thrilling. While working there I joined the Hospitality team this time around. This event was by far one of my top two memories. In brief, I met a gentleman about my age, roughly 22 years old, who had hit an obstacle, similar to the obstacle Val overcame. But this had hit home and I will tell you why.

Going back to the year 2016, it will be six years this April, my cousin passed away after fighting a long battle with cancer and all I wanted to do was see him happy. Before he passed, this cancer spread throughout his whole body making him weak, and took the last of his energy. His name was Taylor, and Taylor had the same drive as my cousin and I was ready to get to know him and make sure he had the time of his life. He told me about how he use to snowboard every weekend when he was younger and now he became an artist and very much into photography. I built this relationship with not only him but the rest of his family and their guests that assisted with anything they needed. With the events coming to a close the last day was upon us. The last morning we were there, my advisor came up to me and said, "anything that happens today... it was what you made possible" she then smiled and walked away. As the team was breaking for dinner I had talked with some of the managers including Val. They brought in a swag bag with everything from pieces from our uniform to apparel and items donated from all of our sponsors and then a bracelet with the word "IMPACT" engraved. His mom and I were both crying and she hugged me and thanked me for making everything possible. This was the moment I learned the value in the word impact. Not because I feel like I had made an impact on his life but that he made an impact on mine. Working 2018 in Aspen also allowed me to make more connections as I was a student in the Life Proof suite, I got to meet two directors in sales and marketing for the company and asked all the questions.

​Minneapolis 2018, I was invited back to work the second year the US Bank Stadium held the summer X Games. It was different from last summer with load in and Event Development training, It was the first year we got to rotate competitions and see more events. This year was a lockdown year. During load in prior to our arrival, there was a bag left near one of the courses so we learned the steps to take if we ever saw a bag left unattended.

Aspen 2019; I love being able to continue to add to the meaning of X Games and our student program. This year I went back for X Games Aspen 2019, continuing to sharpen skills and industry knowledge, this is the first winter I went back and moved towards a leadership role as an alum. My managers were able to count on me to get some things on site done while teaching new students.

Minneapolis 2019 came and went so quicker than any previous event year. I carpooled with some girls from our student team which was exciting, I always enjoy going for road trips and it makes it even easier when it is with people you enjoy hanging out with! So we got to Minneapolis at roughly 12P on the 30th. We explored the opportunities Minneapolis had to offer as a tourist before jumping into our training day. This year was more focused on the importance of being honest while being part of a team. We are surrounded by 30,000 strangers on a daily basis, and I learned how to relate to guests on a different level. ESPN productions are large scale, know the ins and outs, understand the venue you were at and how it works. You don't always have time to teach yourself when you need it the most.

Aspen 2020 was a rewarding year out of the previous events. I say this because this is the last large scale event before we went into lockdown and with this being a global event we weren't sure how it would play out in following years. This was also a year where I went out as a Disney manager. I'll explain that a little further, whereas other years I was on either the guest services team or the hospitality team, I took on a role as a student coordinator and assistant to our student program coordinator. This meant I was not in the sea of students from the six or seven other schools but I was leading a team and filled in for our managers when necessary. My favorite event is always going to be the snowmobile competitions, this was a year where one of our managers had to leave and asked me to take over his team of five. These students were working their first event and even though I was their age, I earned their respect and I got to get to know them. These relationships are exciting to make because we all come from different schools and experiences.

Aspen 2022 arrived and I went back as part of their content team. This is the most recent event we had worked, a global event post Covid as a team. How awesome is that?! The content team was not like previous years, opposite of what I had been use to while working those events. Instead of standing outside working directly with guests and telling them where to go, we had our own desk space and clipped footage. This was a side of event production I did not know about until recently, as it was just added to our student program I was able to learn a couple new platforms that may be helpful in the future such as Tellyo and Slack. Slack was the communication platform we used for any proofing, and to communicate with our television and broadcasting team as well as our sponsorship team and what needed to be posted for clients. Tellyo was used to clip dirty and clean footage. The dirty footage with graphics were clipped by Emma, a colleague of mine. I clipped the clean footage for each athlete and run. It was tricky considering all athletes who hid their bib number, had to be told apart by what they were wearing but you just have to get creative to track each athlete and run.

I Look forward to continuing these connections in the future, the best part ab out this industry is that it is constantly changing and no matter what event you go to and how many times you go, there is always something new to learn. A big thank you to everyone who has made an impact on my experiences and my career thus far.