Taking the Classroom to the Ice: KU Sport Management Students Turn KU Club Hockey into “Mini-NHL” Organization
Written by Sam Klein
As our Sport Management program continues to grow, we become more impressed with the initiatives of our KU Sport Management students. This week’s feature will examine the involvement of three of our students in the University of Kansas Hockey Club. Erin Cole, the President and General Manager of the club, has been significantly involved with its growth during her time at KU. Executive board members Sami Krinsky and Carly Rich have also dedicated a large part of their time to club hockey. We are excited to document the experiences of these three Sport Management students.
The University of Kansas Hockey Club is organized similarly to other club sports. A traditional executive board structure is implemented, as required by the University of Kansas. In addition, the student-run organization has taken it upon themselves to push the standard for how the club operates. The group has also incorporated a structure which reflects the format of the National Hockey League (NHL) front office, largely influenced by the Minnesota Wild, Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Washington Capitals. This effort can be partially credited to Cole. Originally from St. Paul, MN, Cole proudly embodies the stereotype of a hockey-loving Minnesotan. She is currently a junior at KU and is pursuing a degree in Sport Management with minors in Business and Law.
Cole said her interest in attending KU was in large part due to the Sport Management program. When she first visited KU, she met with Brent Oja, then a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the program. After their discussion, she was sold on the program and the potential experiences offered. “I always knew growing up that I wanted to do something business related,” Cole said, “I needed to do something that was surrounded and focused on the community, and Sport Management fulfilled that for me. The behind the scenes of sports is thrilling and fast paced and is constantly challenging me, and that is why I wanted to go into Sport Management.” Even though she was convinced the Sport Management program at KU was the perfect fit, Cole mentioned one other thing necessary to fulfill her expectations at KU. “I wanted an opportunity to connect with hockey in some way while I’m here in Kansas,” she said. Unbeknownst to her, the KU Club Hockey team also needed someone to help push them to the next level, and Cole fit that role perfectly.
Krinsky and Rich, both sophomores, are representatives on the “Special Assignments Team” of the club’s executive board. Some of their responsibilities include social media, fundraising, and a donor program which is being developed. “They’ve both been amazing,” Cole said when asked about the work Krinsky and Rich do for the club. The duo has also worked extensively to recruit new volunteers. Since they began their recruiting efforts, Krinsky and Rich have brought in five new volunteers, raising the number of volunteers in the organization to 13.
When Cole first started working with the club, it was just her and one other individual not competing for the team serving on the executive board. Now, as previously stated, that number is up to 13, along with four coaches. These new front office positions include General Manager, Director of Public Relations, Social Media Director, and Director of Design and Merchandise. In addition to those four director positions, there are two other graphic design positions, a community service chair, a social media analyst, game day operations staff and the special assignments team.
Prior to Cole’s involvement in the club, things were much different. Not only was the front office structure much more simplistic, but apparel sales were smaller, student investment in the club was not nearly as high, and the club’s social media following was almost non-existent. One of Cole’s first roles was to take on social media responsibilities. When she took over as a freshman, the Twitter account had around 300 followers and an Instagram account had just been created. By the end of the 2017–18 school year, Erin had increased the team’s Twitter followers to more than 1,000. Since then, Erin has passed on the responsibilities of social media, but their followings continue to grow. In 2019, their Twitter followers have grown to almost 2,300, their Facebook likes just surpassed 1,300, and the Instagram account has more than 800 followers.
Although the KU Hockey Club has made some major strides in terms of development, there is certainly opportunity for more to happen in the near future. One of the organization’s biggest accomplishments was the development and increased awareness of their social media. “It’s been really amazing to see,” Cole said. In addition, the executive board is developing a donor program which could increase funding and opportunities for the team, from ice time and location to merchandise opportunities and more. Cole was particularly excited about a sponsorship packet that the club developed this year that highlights sponsorship benefits and the various levels of sponsorship that can be purchased.
The club’s ultimate long-term goal is to become an NCAA Division I program, but before that happens there are many steps they’ll need to take. Currently, the KU Hockey club is considered Division III in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA). One of the biggest factors distinguishing between a ACHA DIII team and a ACHA DI club hockey team, aside from skill, is funding. Erin is optimistic, though, and believes that the club is headed in the right direction. Last year was what many considered the most successful year in the existence of club hockey at KU. The team was undefeated for the majority of the season and ended up making nationals in Dallas, Texas. While they were down in Dallas, they were able to connect to the Dallas chapter of the KU Alumni Network with the assistance of the KU Alumni Center. Although the team did not end up winning nationals, it was still a huge achievement for the club. “That was incredible and we were able to meet with some of our own alumni and develop our network,” Cole said.
When asked about their overall experiences with the club hockey team, both Krinsky and Rich explained that it has been a great experience. Both of them described their goals for the club as getting more recognition and interaction with students across campus and increasing student attendance at their games. Rich also talked about wanting to elevate the game day experience of their fans and how they are trying to achieve that by live-streaming games and being more active on Twitter to provide updates to fans who are following the game online. Cole described her experience with the club team as “exceptional.” “We have grown from a regular club into a unique student-run organization,” Cole said. “Now we have All-American players, the coach of the year in the 2018–19 season, ranked first nationally, 13 student volunteer staff members, and Club of the Year recognition from the Ambler Rec Center. We just want to continue the upward trend by going (back) to nationals and winning it this year, increasing our community involvement and awareness of the team, and also increasing funds for our ever-evolving team in hopes that this pushes our team into becoming an NCAA Division-1 team.”
It is clear that the KU Hockey Club is headed in the right direction. This, in large part, can be accredited to student involvement in the program, including three KU Sport Management majors. We greatly enjoyed learning about the achievements of our students involved in the club hockey. If you wish to continue to stay in touch with the club hockey team, you can find them @jayhawkhockey on Instagram and Twitter, /jayhawkhockey on Facebook, and on their website, at www.jayhawkhockey.com.
