Isaac Boatman enjoyed sports growing up because he liked being part of something bigger than himself.
The 2021 Trine University sport management major gets to carry out that passion today as sport engagement and competitions coordinator at Turnstone, a Fort Wayne organization that provides services for people with disabilities.
In his role, Isaac plans and operates sporting events, clinics and tournaments for Turnstone and its clients.
"They pushed me and really pulled me out of my comfort zone when I needed it the most."- Isaac Boatman
“It’s all the behind-the-scenes logistics and planning that lead into running the actual event itself,” he explained. “One day I could be setting up spreadsheets to keep me organized, the next day could be full of meetings and getting everyone involved in the event on the same page, and the following day could be setting up and tearing down the fieldhouse for an event. Then once ‘game day’ is over I’m able to exhale and do it all over again for the next event!”
He said the most rewarding part of his work is seeing the athletes have a great time.
“Being in adaptive sports, these athletes don’t typically have as many opportunities to compete,” he said. “Being a piece of the puzzle in providing that opportunity to them is very fulfilling.”
Molding, pushing and brutal honesty
Isaac chose Trine because of its close-knit atmosphere and the opportunity to build
relationships with faculty. He was initially undecided on a major but instantly gravitated
to sport management.
“I thought if I could combine one of my favorite things in life with work, I would be happy for a very long time,” he said.
His Trine education taught him skills including organization and time management, and he said his professors played a large role in molding him into the professional he is today.
“They pushed me and really pulled me out of my comfort zone when I needed it the most,” he said. “The Sport Management Club trips we took also helped me see what it was like to work in sports and what I needed to improve on in order to be successful.”
He gave a shout out to Brandon Podgorski, associate professor of sport management, for “being the brutally honest figure we needed to wake us up and show us what we have to do in order to make it in the sports world.”
“His words speak more and more truth every day, and I would like to thank him for that,” Isaac said.
