Writing Sample ( Internship Summer 2010)

For a month of my internship, my main project was working with a senior VP on the public relations efforts for the Battle of Chicago, a sporting event between two of the worlds top ranked Team Handball teams, Germany and Poland. It was a fast, fun, and exciting month of media relations, writing media materials, and working with a team of elite athletic professionals. This clip is a sports media alert I wrote detailing the arrival of the athletes from Europe.

***SPORTS MEDIA ALERT***

GERMAN, POLISH TEAM HANDBALL ATHLETES ARRIVE IN CHICAGO

World-ranked teams train daily July 13-16 for epic showdown July 17

WHAT:             Polish and German Team Handball teams arrive in Chicago to prepare for an unprecedented event, Battle of Chicago (www.battleofchicago.com), Saturday, July 17—the first time the internationally renowned teams compete on American soil.  The days leading up to the matchup, hosted by USA Team Handball, the athletes will be training midday to prepare for the main event this weekend.

In 2007, Germany (now ranked #5 in the world) beat Poland (currently #4) 29-24 to win the International Handball Federation World Championship in Cologne, Germany.  Poland avenged the loss when they beat Germany at the 2010 European Championships in January in Vienna, Austria.  Poland features World Player of the Year Slawomir Szmal; and Germany is led by team captain Pascal Hens, a 6-foot-7 scoring machine who sports a bleached mohawk.

USA Men’s Team Handball athletes, who are striving to secure a spot in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games for the first time since 1996, will be practicing this week too. They will face off with the 2010 U.S. National Champions’ Los Angeles Team Handball Club prior to the Battle of Chicago matchup.

When:             Tuesday, July 13 – Friday, July 16, 2010

8:15 – 9:45 a.m.            USA

10 – 11:30 a.m.             Germany
11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.              Poland

2:45 – 4:15 p.m.            USA

Where:             UIC Pavilion, 1150 W. Harrison Street, Chicago

Visuals:             German, Polish and USA Men’s National team handball athletes practicing on court, one-on-one interviews with players, and team handball officials from across the United States

ON-SITE

CONTACT:            Lauren Harrington, USA Team Handball

                        (219) 798-3933 (mobile)

About USA Team Handball (USATH)
USA Team Handball, a 501-c-3 corporation currently headquartered in Salt Lake City, was certified by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) on April 30, 2008. The federation's board of directors is chaired by President Dieter Esch. Its jurisdiction includes development of grassroots programs, preparation of national teams and day-to-day oversight of the sport of team handball throughout the United States. Visit the federation at www.usateamhandball.org.