SLIPPERY ROCK— Summer interns are doing more than learning the job with the Slippery Rock Sliders' professional baseball team.

They're doing the job.

The Frontier League expansion team has only one full-time employee in its front office — general manager Steve Tahsler. The franchise is otherwise being operated by eight full-time and eight part-time college students serving internships.

"There's nothing else like this in professional sports, as far as we know,"Tahsler said. "One of the reasons the league opted for Slippery Rock University as a site is the interest the university had in supplementing the team with its nationally-recognized sports marketing program.

"These students have far exceeded the expectations we had for them. It's been an incredible venture working with these young people."

From stadium operations to ticket sellers, accountants to video production, broadcaster to team mascot, the Sliders have become an extension of the university.

Twelve of the 16 interns are either SRUgraduates or students. Two others are from Grove City College with one each from York College and Tennessee-Martin University.

Emily Yocum attends Tennessee-Martin, but is from Prosperity (Pa.), near the home of the Frontier League's Washington Wild Things.

"I looked at the Wild Things' web page hoping for an internship and they were full," Yocum said. "But they indicated the Sliders were still seeking interns, so I gave them a call."

Yocum works in marketing for the Sliders and has done promotional flyers, booked nights for special groups, etc.

"I'm helping to run the team,"she said. "Had I gone somewhere else, I wouldn't have gotten this kind of experience. It's invaluable."

The Frontier League's other expansion team, the Southern Illinois Miners, have six employees with previous experience opening at least three ballparks each.

The Sliders put together their staff through interviewing prospective interns, speaking in classes at SRU and Grove City, and working with The Rock's sports marketing department and Grove City College's career services department.

"Our people started 10 days before our first game,"Tahsler said. "They received a two-week crash course and began doing their jobs."

Phil Dillon is a sports marketing major at York College, located near Harrisburg. He works in ticketing for the team.

"I sell tickets, take orders and fill orders at will call, seat people in the stands, whatever is needed done,"Dillon said. "It's been a hands-on experience.

"This job has strengthened my desire to work for a sports team. Working on a baseball field has been living a dream for me."

Besides their specific duties at Critchfield Park, the interns join forces to empty trash cans after home games, entertain fans with between-inning activities and put the tarp on the field after games or during inclement weather.

Every intern participates in the process of putting the tarp on the infield.

"We've gotten pretty fast at it,"SRUpublic relations major Amie Homa said. "When the weather turns bad, we're all out here."

Homa works in public relations for the Sliders.

"I've always been interested in sports promotion," she said. "It's a lot of work, it's fast-paced and keeps you on your toes. But it's rewarding to see the fans having fun at the games. I love the atmosphere."

Also one of the interns on the field with a microphone, Homa enjoys that side of the job as well.

"I was student government president my senior year and had to make speeches before the faculty and incoming freshmen, so the microphone doesn't make me nervous at all," she said.

Grove City College accounting major Jeremiah Brown also works in that capacity with the Sliders. He deals with the franchise's cash management, revenue, ticket sales and transactions.

"I didn't know what to expect when I took this on, but I love it,"Brown said. "Learning how to do accounting for a start-up business is so helpful to me.

"Working with a sports team is something I never thought about doing. Now it's something I'm considering long-term."

Fellow GCCstudent Brad Liermann works in stadium operations for the Sliders, handling everything from beer sales to accommodating large groups in the left field pavilion.

Liermann is an international business and spanish major.

"As a kid growing up, I always wanted to play or work for a sports team,"he said. "This is my opportunity to do that. Whatever's going on in this ballpark, I'm a part of it.

"After experiencing this, ifI come across a full-time employment opportunity in a professional sport, I'll jump aty it."

The interns work long hours on home game nights. Some arrive at 9 a.m. and don't leave until 11 p.m. or midnight. When the team is on the road, interns work rotating shifts to keep the office fully staffed.

Ashley Clark just graduated from SRUas a communications major and works in that capacity for the Sliders.

Her publications class made flyers for the team, along with its promotional poster and pocket schedules.

"We've become like a team off the field," Clark said. "I've learned every aspect of what's going on here. I'm learning about other fields.

"It's been very worthwhile. No doubt, this baseball team has broadened my horizons."

Here are the college interns working for the Frontier League expansionist Slippery Rock Sliders this season:<b>Full-time</b>• Phil Dillon, York College — ticketing• Jeremiah Brown, Grove City College — accounting• Emily Yocum, Tennessee-Martin — marketing• Amie Homa, Slippery Rock — public relations• Ashley Clark, Slippery Rock — communications• Brad Liermann, Grove City College — stadium operations• David Keppel, Slippery Rock — webmaster/photographer• Nate Collins, Slippery Rock — video production<b>Part-time</b>• Christina Gillespie, Slippery Rock — merchandising• Wes Briggs, Slippery Rock — media relations/press box• Hiro Kosugi, Slippery Rock — stadium operations• Yuzo Itami, Slippery Rock — merchandising• Randy Boczkowski, Slippery Rock — stadium operations• Josh Stover, Slippery Rock — stadium operations• Mike Mallory, Slippery Rock — broadcaster• Nathan Geisler, Slippery Rock — mascot