How I Would Redesign the Intern Experience
If we keep doing what we’ve always done, we’ll keep graduating clipboard holders, not caches.
The truth?
Internships are broken.
And not just because they’re unpaid or overworked (though that’s part of it).
They’re broken because they lack intentionality, accountability, and purpose.
If I had full control, resources, support, and time. Here’s how I’d redesign the intern experience from the ground up.
1. Start with Purpose, Not Paperwork
Most internships begin with a syllabus and end with a signature.
What’s missing? Vision.
Before interns even arrive, I’d make one thing clear:
“This is a development program. You’re not here to fill gaps. You’re here to grow.”
From day one, we’d outline the internship’s mission:
To build confident coaches
To teach systems thinking
To develop professional skills they can use in the real world
Because when the intern thinks they’re just there to “help,” they’ll act like a helper.
When they know they’re here to become a coach, they’ll grow into that identity.
2. Replace Observation with Integration
Shadowing is fine, for a week.
But after that? It becomes a crutch.
I’d redesign the experience to move quickly from watching to participating:
Week 1–2: Observe and assist, yes but with guided note taking, daily debriefs, and specific prompts (e.g. “Why did we choose that warm-up today?”).
Week 3–5: Assigned warm-ups, cooldowns, small group instruction, and reflective journaling.
Week 6–10: Full session planning and leading, with layered oversight.
Week 11–12: Autonomy with supervision, plus a final presentation of coaching philosophy and program design.
Progression is the key. And reflection is the glue.
3. Feedback Isn’t a Bonus . It’s the Job
In most internships, feedback only comes when something goes wrong or at the very end.
In my redesign, feedback would be built in:
Daily quick hits: 2-minute debriefs after each session
Weekly sit-downs: 15–20 min reflection + Q&A
Midpoint evaluation: formal checkpoint with rubric + goals
Exit interview: focused on readiness, gaps, and next steps
Interns can’t grow if they don’t know. And we can’t just assume they’re “getting it.”
4. Train Them Like You Train Athletes
We have structured blocks for our athletes: warm-up, skill work, lift, recovery.
Interns deserve the same intentionality:
Coach development time blocked into the week
Assigned projects like in-season planning, case studies, or exercise progressions
Microteaching opportunities with peer feedback
Guest speakers or shadow days with AT, PT, sport coaches, etc.
Don’t just have them lift weights or set up cones. Give them mental reps too.
5. Give Them a Portfolio, Not Just a Pat on the Back
By the end of the internship, they shouldn’t just have “experience.”
They should walk away with:
A written coaching philosophy
2–3 sample training programs
A case study reflection (e.g., how they handled a coaching situation)
A professional resume and LinkedIn review
Video clips of them coaching with self-evaluation
Something they can send to a future employer. Something that proves they didn’t just show up. They leveled up.
6. Stop Doing This Alone
Finally: I can’t build this system on my own.
And neither can you.
We need buy-in from:
Athletic departments
University programs
Mentorship-minded coaches
Certification orgs
We can’t keep throwing unpaid, unsupported interns into high-performance environments and expecting them to just “figure it out.”
We owe them structure.
We owe them intention.
We owe them development.
The Bottom Line
Interns shouldn’t feel lucky to be in the room.
They should feel equipped to own it.
We don’t need more “helpers.”
We need leaders in training.
So if I could rebuild the system, I’d do it with one goal:
To turn interns into coaches. On purpose, not by accident.
Let’s stop using them. Let’s start building them.
