Outstanding in Their Field (Experiences)

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Senior Adelaide Rudkin spent her summer at a ballpark while new graduate Hampton Smith worked at a sports camp. New graduate Eli Breazeale spent his spring semester at a horse-riding facility.

They weren’t taking a study hiatus; these students from the Department of Kinesiology, Recreation, and Sport Studies (KRSS) were doing field experiences required for their majors.

Ashley Hamilton, who directs field education for KRSS, said the field experience program is a win-win-win: Internships and practicums help students develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. On-the-job experience often gives students a leg up when applying for full-time work. At the same time, students provide community partners with valuable extra staffing that’s often unpaid.

Real World Preparation

“We can talk theory all day long, but nothing prepares you for what that will look like in practice,” Hamilton said. While classroom learning tends to focus on planning for what should happen, field experiences teach students that “you always have to be flexible and adaptable. You need to have a Plan A, but also a Plan B, C, and D.”

Rudkin, a sport management major who aspires to work in college sports, interned with Blowfish Baseball, a Coastal Plain League summer collegiate baseball team based in Lexington, S.C. She worked in all aspects of the operation, from ticketing, concessions, and merchandising to field operations and stadium operations.

“No classroom can teach you how to work under pressure with a big crowd, incoming weather, or even a slow-moving game,” she said. “Working 34 home games, I have learned something new every game.”

After interning with a physical therapist and helping with UT Garden’s horticultural therapy camps for youth with neurodevelopmental disorders, Breazeale wanted his third and final field experience to be something completely different.

He chose Shangri-La Therapeutic Academy of Riding (STAR) in Loudon County.

Although he’d grown up around horses, Breazeale was amazed to see how riding could help people with physical disabilities, Down’s syndrome, autism, and other issues.

“I worked with one rider who was completely blind,” he said.

He also had clients in wheelchairs. “Riding mimics that same movement as walking for them, so it makes them feel like they’re walking.”

And once, he watched as a horse carrying a rider simply stopped in its tracks, refusing to move because it sensed a problem.

“Thiry seconds later, the rider had a seizure,” Breazeale said.

From Intern to Employee

For many students, field experiences are pivotal in landing their first jobs.

“What we’re finding from community partners is that experience is trumping grades,” Hamilton said. “Someone with a 3.0 GPA and a resume full of hands-on experience looks much more well-rounded than someone with a 4.0 GPA with no experience.”

Some lucky students—like Smith—have gotten job offers from their community partners.

Smith spent the summer as a camp intern at his high school alma mater, Father Ryan High School in Nashville.

“When my supervisor accepted a new position and stepped away with very little notice, I was suddenly thrust into his role as camps and programs director. Overnight, I went from coordinating day-to-day activities to being the one responsible for making sure the entire operation ran smoothly.”

Smith, who played baseball during high school, was hired as the camps and programs director after his internship concluded.

“I’ve always believed that sports are about more than just competition. They teach discipline, teamwork, resilience, and leadership,” he said. “I plan to expand our offerings year-round, introducing clinics, holiday camps, and seasonal programs that keep kids engaged and active throughout the entire school year.”

‘Fresh Energy and Added Capacity’

KRSS is trying to devise a formula for determining the economic impact of the field experience program on the local economy. They estimate it’s as much as $3.5 million per semester.

Hamilton said the number of community partners varies each semester. In Spring 2025, there were 243 unique sites, some of which took multiple students.

Most students’ field experiences are unpaid. Thus, KRSS students provide community partners with high-caliber “employees” at no cost.

In Fall 2024, about 300 students clocked more than 51,490 hours of service. In Spring 2025, 537 students logged at least 105,230 hours. Over the summer, 228 students spent at least 40,820 hours at field experiences.

UT Medical Center (UTMC) has been a long-standing community partner.

“Field experience students have helped set patient goals, prescribe exercise, monitored vital signs during exercise, documented exercise responses, and participated in patient education,” said Andrew B. Sorey, manager of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation at UTMC.

Students work alongside nurses, respiratory therapists, dieticians, and other health care providers.

“We hope students walk away with a deep understanding of how exercise is used as medicine in our outpatient clinical rehab populations. Equally important, we want them to see the human side of care—building rapport with patients, celebrating their milestones, and seeing firsthand how lifestyle change impacts health outcomes.”

In return, Sorey said, the students bring fresh energy and added capacity to his team.

“Their willingness to engage, learn, and connect with our patients strengthens both our program and our relationship with the academic community. They leave with real world experience, and we benefit from their enthusiasm, perspective, and support.”