While North Shore Navigators players perform on the field with the dream of playing Major League Baseball, there are college students behind the scenes who are pursuing careers in professional sports one day as well.
One Navigators intern who holds that dream is Allie Levine, a 2011 graduate of Peabody High School and a sophomore at the University of Massachusetts where she is studying in the school’s outstanding Sports Management program.
Levine is one of a dozen college students who are part of a team of interns who help run the game day and ballpark operations for the Navigators.
Levine has taken courses at UMass in Introduction to Sports Management and Sociology of Sports and Physical Activity. The hands-on experience of working for the Navigators is a perfect complement to her major. She attained Dean’s List honors in both semesters of her freshman year.
Levine said she helped out the Peabody High Athletic Department as a community service endeavor, but her role with the Navigators is her first official internship.
On game nights she is a coordinator of promotions for the Navigators. “I’m in charge of the on-field promotions – getting all the contestants and making sure all the props for the promotions are ready and I speak on the public address system for all the on-field promotions.”
What is the favorite on-field promotion among Navigators’ fans?
“The slingshot rubber chicken toss in which kids try to catch them with nets is a favorite,” said Levine. “The race-around-the-bases with Chomps the mascot is also popular. Chomps ran in to me once, but that was fine. We do musical chairs, a dizzy bat race, an intern t-shirt give-away and an autographed baseball throw.”
Levine said she is absorbing a vast amount of knowledge about the operations of a baseball team from general manager Bill Terlecky and assistant general manager Tony Iovieno. Lynn resident Ashley Laramie, a graduate of Lynn Classical and Lasell College, has also been very helpful to her.
“We arrive at the park at 1 p.m. and work until the game is over,” said Levine. “I’m learning that there is a lot that goes in to putting on a baseball game. There is a lot going on behind the scenes. This internship is really helping me develop my skills in sports management. Mr. Terlecky is a great guy who has tremendous experience in baseball.”
Levine has received praise from Navigators’ officials for her efforts.
“Allie has been awesome for us this year,” said Iovieno. “She’s handled a lot of promos very well. For a rookie, she’s been absolutely amazing.”
“Allie has done a wonderful job,” said Terlecky. “It’s been great having her around the park. I don’t know how we would have pulled this first year off without her and our other interns. She showed a lot of leadership by grabbing the microphone and taking charge of the on-field promotions and I was really impressed by that and a lot of the other things she’s done. She has shown some initiative and that’s great to see. I hope she’s enjoying herself and I wish her success going on in school and in a sports career.”
Levine has loved sports since her childhood days. She played in the Peabody Basketball Association and volleyball for her youth group. At Peabody High, she earned three varsity letters in track.
“My father [Todd] would take me to a lot of games and as I was growing up the Patriots, Red Sox and Celtics were all winning titles so it was an exciting time to be a Boston sports fan,” said Levine.
Levine said when she found out that you could study Sports Management, she began to look at different colleges and ultimately chose UMass.
“I always thought I’d study Business, but I felt why not combine it with sports, something that I like,” said Levine.
Levine said her parents, Todd and Simone, have become regulars at Navigators’ games.
“They’re coming out to the games and having a great time,” said Levine. “They’ve been supporting me all the way and maybe one day I’ll support them back with sports tickets.”
Though Allie is enjoying her summer in the Navigators organization, she says her true passion is basketball.
“If the Celtics offered me a job I’d take it,” said Levine, who in fact has an informational interview scheduled for later this summer with UMass alumnus Duane Johnson, Celtics director of ticket administration.
Todd Levine said his daughter is benefiting greatly from her work with the Navigators.
“Allie is learning a lot and this experience with the Navigators is helping her advance toward her goal of working in sports for a career,” said Levine, who owns Larry Levine’s Meat Market in Peabody.