Editor’s note: University of Kentucky student Addy Jacoby was a part of the summer associate staff for the first season in Riveters’ history. After completing her time with the club this summer, Jacoby wrote the following piece to reflect on what she took away from the team’s historic inaugural year.
By Addy Jacoby
Being told that you are a part of an inaugural season is not something you often get to experience in sports. But going into my first summer home from college, the thing I looked forward to the most was being part of the Pittsburgh Riveters’ first year.
During winter, I got the email that that I would be joining the Riveters staff as a summer associate. I was over the moon that I would be firsthand at all the new things happening at Highmark Stadium and be able to help the newest team in Pittsburgh.
One of the best parts about the experience was many of the girls who were a part of the first ever Riveters team were girls that I played against in high school just a year ago. It felt like a full-circle moment to see that talented group of girls create something so special, as well as play at Highmark where the WPIAL Championship games are held for high school soccer around Pittsburgh.
But I was most excited for the younger girls of Pittsburgh to have this team. To know these girls were going to be role models to all different ages of kids across the area was truly special.
It was apparent as soon as the season came that this team captured hearts fast. A truly eye-opening moment was after the first game, seeing all the kids and families on the field surrounding players for autographs and pictures. To know that the upcoming generation has a team to look up to is meaningful to me, because it’s something I wish I had at a younger age.
There were a lot of nerves going into the process of being an intern for the team. No one knew what would be asked of my peers and me, because no one in the staff room had ever experienced something like this. I knew compared to previous interns, there would be more hours asked of us because of the number of games, but what about all the other things? More partnerships have to be made, and more social media content needed to be created.
I quickly realized that everything almost seemed easier because it was the first time and everything was new. Social media ideas were simple because there was no chance of repeats, and story ideas were coming from all sort of directions.
As the season progressed it became more and more clear that all the nerves going into the season were not worth it. Sports change so quickly, and with every game, there is a new story or something to be worked on the next day. I learned how fast-paced a sports environment is, whether its on a game day or a regular day in the office.
The final regular season game is one of the best ways to describe the ups and downs of sports. The Riveters were in a do-or-die situation for playoffs. The team started off by falling behind, knowing their season could come to an end with a loss. Then, in the middle of the game, we hear shocking news out of Buffalo that meant the Riveters had to win or draw, and moments later, we tie the game.
Thoughts of the upcoming week and preparation for playoffs were at the front of my mind, but nothing was official until Gina Proviano scored the game-winning goal to seal the playoff spot. That solidified our spot hosting, and the celebration could only be a short one until it became time to set up for playoffs the next weekend.
The quick turnaround in sports is unlike anything else. One minute, the season is close to an end, and the next you’re setting up to host two rounds of playoff matches. The Riveters taught me, as an intern, that nothing is ever set in stone in this type of workplace, but that’s the fun of working in sports.
