I just finished watching Project Runway with my roommate Ingrid (she’s awesome) and thought it would be a great time to let you know about my experiences as an intern so far. First of all, my name is Liz Podominick and I am the intern for the U.S. Teams Coordinator of U.S. Figure Skating. I was born and raised in Minnesota and went to the University of Minnesota where I participated on the track and basketball team (a little different than figure skating). It still feels surreal that I am here when I get to look out at the mountains and experience the sunny Colorado weather while being a part of the Olympic Movement.
My day starts out with an amazing breakfast compliments of the OTC dining room (where I eat with Olympians) and gets even better as I carpool with fellow intern Meredith to work (Figure Skating is off campus). During the ride, I learn a little Spanish from Meredith, admire the view of Pikes Peak, and analyze outfits of the local high school students walking to class (not sure about the neon). The day goes by in a flurry as I try to keep up with the constant demand of the internship. When I need a break, I make a sign for Meredith or Lauren (intern for synchronized skating) of our favorite skaters (Johnny Weir inspires me). My boss Julie, besides being from Minnesota as well and automatically making her amazing, has been a great mentor. It boggles my mind how she can do it all. Each day is different and I love how it keeps me on my toes! I feel a big sense of accomplishment when I organize the millions (maybe an exaggeration) of forms we receive daily, email or call the athletes, and send out the team leader box with the event information. Sometimes it is the small victories that make my day, like when I was able to spell Armin Mahbanoozadeh’s name correctly without having to check the master list or having a nice chat with Angelita as I steal some of her candy. I am learning so much about the behind-the-scenes of Figure Skating and have only just scratched the surface.
While I love my home state of Minnesota, Colorado is competing for second place. Besides hanging out with the amazing intern class, Colorado Springs is a perfect place for an outdoor lover like me. Climbing the incline (where I beat Tom and Adam) and Pikes Peak (7 hours later), going to a Denver Broncos and Air Force football game, playing wheelchair basketball for the Intern Olympics (go Team 1), hiking around Red Rock and Garden of the Gods, playing the childhood game of kickball in the park, and running Jack Quinn’s run on Tuesdays are just a few activities I have already checked off my to-do list. That is just in the first month! I cannot wait to see what we plan next and I keep adding to my bucket list. The most recent addition is watching the Vikings beat the Packers on Monday!
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