By: Gabrielle Nordstrom
Edited By: Kylie Augis
Imagine moving across the country for your dream sports job the same year that team makes the finals. This is exactly what happened to Caylee Allard, and now she is living the dream.
Allard knew her career goal was working in the NHL, as she grew up with a passion for hockey. However, getting there was not the simplest route. She started off in community college working in the medical field for a few years. As she was working in the medical field, she was producing podcasts, twitter content and freelance writing. Until one day she caught the eye of an employee from Bleacher Report.
This worker private messaged Allard saying how he liked her content and thought she would be good for the open role with Bleacher Report’s Open Ice. Knowing her dream was to work within the sports industry, she applied for the position. She worked with Bleacher Report for six months before she got the opportunity of a lifetime.
An employee from the Vegas Golden Knights noticed her and messaged her on Twitter. He asked her to apply for the Digital Content Coordinator position as he enjoyed her work. Hearing this was an exciting moment for her as she slowly started to see the possibility of her dreams coming true. A long interview process later, Allard got the job and moved across the country to fulfill her dreams.
Achieving her dream career meant long hours, no days off and constant traveling. Some of her days can be as long as 15 hours. But this is all worth it for her. She covers morning skates/practices, attends meetings, creates a schedule for content production and other behind the scene tasks.
As anyone would expect, there are amazing things about this job. According to Allard the best part of her job is simply getting paid to watch hockey, traveling and interacting with NHL players on a daily basis. In her position, she is more of a friend or a coworker to the NHL players than she is a digital content coordinator. Since she gets to travel with the team to every game, Allard gets to experience all the arenas and all the different hockey towns, which she says is a “surreal experience”. Another favorite thing about her job is the people that she gets to meet. Besides the NHL players, she gets to meet reporters, insiders, etc., which she really enjoys.
“Never give up and don’t let people tell you that you can’t.”
That is Allard’s biggest piece of advice. Allard had to pave her own path to her job. She did not major in sports, she worked day in and day out to get where she is today. Her determination drove her to be as successful as she is now. Everyone knows it is hard to be a woman in the sports industry, but that should never stop one from achieving their dreams.
Hard work and passion for what you are doing can get you anywhere, Allard is the perfect example for that.
All Photos Courtesy of Caylee Allard