Summer Sports Interns Can Play With Co-Workers

By Christy Flom on June 19, 2015

As internships get into full swing, it can be hard for new and young interns to feel part of the company or organization at which they will be spending their entire summer. Icebreakers are old after the first day and big companies can be especially intimidating when you are the lowly intern.

It can be awkward as an intern at a firm where the mean age of the employees is closer to your father’s than your own age. And then at the end of the day when that one social, yet slightly older employee asks you to go out for drinks and you have to say no because you are still only 20, well that’s when things can really hit an all time low.

Working at a big company is a fantastic opportunity for college students to gain experience in a multitude of fields, but the bottom line is that no one enjoys being at the base of the food chain.

A great way to enjoy your summer internship and to create more personal relationships with coworkers is through casual sports games. From a quick pick-up game after work to an organized all-company competition, sports games after work are the best way to get to know the type of people you are actually working with for the summer, or longer.

There may be some of you who are thinking, why would anyone want to play a sport with the people they are forced to interact with every day, let alone organize this said sport? Well, there are many, many reasons as to why and how summer sports can not only make your work life more enjoyable but also help your professional career along the way.

For starters, bosses notice employees who take initiative. If they see someone engaging with other employees, while still staying on top of their workload, it puts that employee to the front of their mind. If they were to see someone engaging with other employees and on top of that organizing a pick-up game of, for instance, basketball after work then bosses are even more impressed. And everyone wants to be in the good graces of their boss.

As to which sport you should try to organize, it really depends on the size of the company. If it is a small internship program, with say only two to three interns, a game of golf or tennis is probably the best and easiest route to take. These games don’t have to be long, either. For example, you can go and play the short course or just several tennis sets, rather than an entire match.

Image by Elliott Brown (Image from flickr.com)

Starting out small gives everyone a chance to get to know one another outside of the work atmosphere without jumping into a full fledged competition between coworkers.

If there is a much bigger group of interns then there are many more games that are possible. Say you are interning for a giant company where each department has 10 interns. Then each department can create a team with a name unique to their department and compete against the other teams.

I have a friend who played lacrosse in college and in his first job he took the chance of organizing a companywide lacrosse competition. While not everyone knew how to play lacrosse, that was never a requirement or an expectation. The varying skill levels kept the games casual and light-hearted, giving the workers a chance to relax while hanging out and getting in some exercise.

Keeping the games casual is extremely important but this can also be difficult to achieve. I like to believe everyone has a competitive bone in their body and so keeping things calm and remembering that you have to see and work with your teammates and opponents the next day can be a tad difficult in the heat of the moment.

By all means play to the best of your ability. It is always okay to block someone’s shot, serve an ace, and try to win. However, while that block may have been the coolest thing you have accomplished since your days of high school sports, remember to play with respect for your coworkers. Maintaining a level of decency outside of the office makes the games comfortable for everyone participating. These games allow coworkers to learn how to better work together and play off of one another’s strengths and weaknesses.

If contact sports aren’t a likely option, bowling is always a great alternative. My first summer in college my coworkers and I all went bowling together one night. I worked for a fairly large organization with over 50 college students working together all summer. Bowling was something simple yet fun for all of us to participate in for the night. It worked out so well that this summer the organization is talking of making it a weekly event for whoever would like to attend.

No matter what skills you may possess, grab a couple of coworkers and fellow interns and head out to the courts, fields, or courses. Even one pick-up game can lighten any tensions that may be occurring at work, or open new doors for friendships in a new work environment.

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