Goldsworthy opportunity

GREEN BAY, Wisc. — As a high school sophomore in 2022, Ryne Goldsworthy got thrust into the varsity baseball starting lineup because of an injury.

While his first experience on varsity was a whirlwind, Goldsworthy got some invaluable experience that helped him to some strong seasons as the starting first baseman as a junior and senior.

Now he’s getting a different kind of first-time experience in sports and while it’s been a whirlwind, he’s looking to set himself up ahead of the pack to jump start his future.

Goldsworthy has gotten his feet wet by spending the summer as a stadium operations intern for the Green Bay Rockers of the Northwoods League.

“I’ve been loving it over in Green Bay honestly,” Goldsworthy said. “I’m glad that I’m getting this opportunity and I’m definitely soaking it in before it ends.”

Goldsworthy, who just completed his freshman year studying sports administration at Ball State University, was heavily encouraged by his professor, Eric Klosterman, to get sports internships as early as possible to build a strong resume.

Goldsworthy was already familiar with the Northwoods League because of the Kokomo Jackrabbits when he came across the posting for the Rockers internship. He also had interest in the position as he played baseball for Jay County High school from 2022 to ’24.

He got an offer for the internship in January and started in early May.

Goldsworthy’s responsibilities start pregame. When he shows up to Capital Credit Union Park in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin, the Rockers’ home, he and the other stadium operation interns get a list of tasks to make sure the venue is in shape for the game. They can include cleaning the clubhouse, sweeping the seating area for stray trash, restocking concession stands, putting in the pitching rubber and bases and occasionally adding more rubber pellets on the turf field, among other duties.

Once the game starts, the stadium operation interns have a rotating list of stations they could be assigned to help manage how things are going in game. During the recent five-game homestand, Goldsworthy spent his time during the game in the concession stands, where he’d be tasked with keeping them stocked with the proper supplies and running between the main kitchen and the individual stands.

It isn’t all intense work for the Rockers’ staff however. In the downtime between getting the stadium prepared and the gates being open, the interns and some full-time employees have gotten the opportunity to go out on the field to play baseball or kick ball.

“It was insane how fast everybody clicked here,” said Goldsworthy, who also noted the camaraderie between the different departments while recently setting up for a concert as they all helped the stadium operations get the field ready for the stage. “It was crazy how much of a family feeling there was from even the first day.”

One thing that’s stood out to Goldsworthy during his time with the team is the impact the work they do has on fans and in general how positive and strong team and fan relations can be.

“We have tons of full-season ticket owners and there’s some people I see come to every game that aren’t full-season ticket owners and it’s beyond me, but it’s awesome,” Goldsworthy said. “Everyone has a great relationship with the managers and the players get super involved with the fans and that’s what really caught my eye too. … I’m getting the most fan engagement that there is. There’s even some kind of fan involvement every half inning.”

Another reason why Goldsworthy values this position with the Rockers is the variety it provides to his resume and experience. He already works with the video department for the Ball State football team, so the stadium operations internship both shows he’s touched multiple parts of the industry and gives him a clearer idea of how he might want to utilize his sports administration degree in the future.

“The stuff I can do is nothing I ever thought I already knew how to do,” Goldsworthy said. “I didn’t (realize) I knew how to work with fans or with food. I didn’t know how to do a pitch clock or a radar, so it’s nice to come here and learn I have a lot of potential.”

Goldsworthy described the experience as “fast” between trying to get to know the ins and outs of the ballpark in under two weeks, having the four-hour games fly past him while doing his best to give a good experience and the short duration as a part of the Rockers — he leaves Green Bay on July 27 to get back to campus for the football season.

Despite how fast the experience has been, Goldsworthy found this to be a near perfect introduction to the industry as a whole and that it reflected how he got his start on the field as a Patriot as well.

“I started playing my sophomore year and it was kind of a fluke,” he said. “Our starting pitcher … got hurt and that kind of put me on the spot. I had no time to really react to it, except I was playing that day and I’d start that sophomore game until the end of high school.

“A lot of the internships I applied for didn’t hire me because I was so young. … Being in the Northwoods League, we get about 2,500 fans, so I think that it’s great for me to be in this situation because I was thrown in so fast.”

While Goldsworthy doesn’t know exactly what the future will hold, he knows he wants it to be in athletics and that his time with the Rockers affirmed his love of being involved in sports.

“It’s so much fun here,” Goldsworthy said. “What makes it so much fun is seeing all the work fall together, because at the end of the day, my job is to help fans have the best experience possible. …You remember the smiles at the end of the day. I never forget the, ‘Oh, you guys did a great job today. We loved it and we’ll be back tomorrow.’ That’s huge.”