While Van Adams has found extraordinary success running her sports marketing firm for the last dozen years, shes quick to say shes still a STEM girl at heart. She fostered this love for all things science, technology, engineering and math while growing up outside of Buffalo, and credits it for her ability to multitask and get to the core of the projects she executes in business.And when it comes to projects, there are many. Besides her daily duties at VanAdams Sports Group, shes been the NYC chapter president of Women in Sports & Events (WISE) for the past nine years, helms an organization called Gathering on the Greens that gives professional women the tools to hit the links confidently, and also serves as an adjunct professor at NYU. So what does she do in her limited down time? Just a little light reading of The New England Journal of Medicine to keep her STEM side engaged.A lesson in Thin MintsLooking back now, I can say that I was driven from a young age. I was always involved in any number of things between community, school and church activities. But even as a Girl Scout, I would be the one who would actually look forward to the cookie season. There were prizes for selling a certain amount, and I always strived to win. I wanted to get to the tier for the free Walkman or whatever it was that year, so I would enlist the help of every friend and family member I could. Any aunt or uncle who worked in an office setting, I would ask to go there after school or have them bring the sheets to sell themselves. Hitting a goal makes you really happy when youre young, and I realized early on that you cant do everything yourself. Thats actually a life lesson I still live by today. But by enlisting everyone I knew to assist in selling for me, I guess I was a little entrepreneur before I became an entrepreneur.Swearing off scrubsI went to an engineering high school called Hutchinson Central in Buffalo where I was always good in the sciences, so I think it was just expected that I would become a doctor. But after graduating from Grambling with a pre-med degree, I took a year off for some discovery time to talk with professionals in medicine, who werent only practicing physicians, but were doing research or were in hospital administration. I sought out their opinions and the general theme was that while I may have the brain capacity to do it, I would be better served on the administrative side instead of straight caregiving. So I guess they could see what I couldnt see.But I was always fascinated by athlete recovery and sports psychology, and a light bulb went off that led to my decision to go back to Grambling for a masters in sports administration (although medicine is still a main interest of mine today). I might be one of only a handful of people who routinely reads medical journals as if Im preparing for something, but I am just doing it for fun.Grad school grubGrambling had renowned baseball and football programs, and I learned a lot about discipline working for a variety of the schools teams. Their focus was education first because thats really whats going to carry you through life. There was an emphasis on commitment and finishing what you start. I was inspired by the athletes because my day would start at 5:30 a.m. and go until sundown between my classes, working in the athletic department and also being a professors assistant. But the athletes were on a similar schedule, which gave me some perspective. I joke now that I lived off of red beans and rice with sweet tea the entire time. I needed something quick and portable. I dont recommend anyone do that now, but grab and go was essential at the time.Weather advisoryAfter going to college in Louisiana, I decided warm weather really suited me and began applying to all the teams I could think of in the geographic locales I wanted. But then the Buffalo Bills called with an opening in public/community/athlete relations. Ironic right? Back to the snow. But you have to be receptive to going to places that werent on your radar. We have plans, but it doesnt mean things work out the way we plan them. So I asked some of my contacts who were coaches or had played professionally for their thoughts, and they unequivocally said it was a golden opportunity that I had to take. And I was also from the area, which meant I could save money on rent by living at home. But my focus was, Wait, its so cold up there! And you know what, it wasnt. It was actually a really mild winter that year. And to think I wasnt going to go.Ditching the playbookThe job offers started coming in when I was with the Bills because its true that one thing leads to another. I then spent two years at the USGA in media relations, which also wasnt on my master plan. I could have just thrown out my goal sheet at that point. And then after two years, it led to a job at Sports Illustrated in athlete and team relations and being involved with the Olympic cycles. By then I had made enough contacts to do consulting work on the side and really think about opening my own company.Making good on a dreamI always knew that I wanted to own my own business. Even back when I was going to be a doctor, I wanted to have my own practice. But theres always a question of pulling it off in the beginning. Early on, I worked with companies in a consulting mode by leveraging sports in a marketing capacity or garnering a celebrity athlete to promote a brand. One of the things I didnt think about when I was the middle of it was how natural it came for me and that other people could actually benefit from my expertise.And then athletes started approaching me about assisting with their foundations and needed advice with fundraisers and events. Ive always had a knack for being able to put things together and get things done. While I was doing that, I had every intention of taking a full-time job somewhere in the corporate side of sports. But I ended up becoming so busy that I formed VanAdams Sports Group. That was 12 years ago now, and the rest is history.Always evolvingI assist a lot of athletes going through the transitional phase after they retire from their sport and are looking for whats next. Those conversations take on different aspects -- what they think they would be good at and if theres a marketplace out there for it. A specific example would be Grambling legend Doug Williams, who was involved in a book coming out that chronicled his experience of being the first black quarterback to win a Super Bowl. So it was logical to integrate publicity around the NFL Legends events for the former greats that Ive been running for the past seven years ahead of the Super Bowls. Or someone like Giants MVP Ottis Anderson who is looking to test the waters in fan apparel, so Im working with him on that now.But Ive also branched out to becoming a contributing writer for the NFL Player Engagement website, which focuses more on the lifestyle of former players and also their health and wellness. Besides that, Ive been an adjunct professor for a number of years and I taught a course called Revenue, Pricing and Strategy at NYU this summer.It does take a lot of time management to juggle it all, but everything I do is interrelated, so its pretty seamless and interlocking. Its all pulling from the same side of my brain, if you will. And I believe you have to keep changing with the times. Athlete marketing is great, but then you bump it up to the next level where youre integrating those things in a more meaningful way.Executive courseI noticed in my own professional network that there were a lot of women who wanted to learn how to play golf but didnt quite know how to start. Or they took lessons but when they went to play on their company outings, the lessons didnt serve them well. No one wants to feel inadequate or embarrassed in front of their colleagues and peers. So I just felt women needed a little bit more of a push. The initial Gathering on the Greens event four years ago began as a networking event, but then I formalized it and we now have events all around the country. It teaches women about the game, but its also about professional development by using golf as a tool for business. No matter how many lessons a woman will have from a pro or how many times they go to the driving range or read a golf book, theres no replacement for actually getting out there on the course and doing it.WISE adviceBefore I give advice, I like to understand what the womans endgame is. That usually shapes what Im going to share with her. Because you can give people blanket advice (work hard, be prepared) but giving advice should be customized to that person. What are you really trying to do? Whats your aspiration? And then I weigh in from my experience and background on something that will hopefully benefit her.But I do tell them that they should only ask what they cant easily find on Google. If you have an opportunity to get 10 minutes with someone over coffee, dont waste those minutes with questions that you could easily find out on your own. Ask something that is going to help you. What do you really want to know? Ive had people say, What is it like being a woman in the sports business? But how is that going to help you actually get started? Be considerate of other peoples time and be prepared. And dont say, I want to be just like you because that person is already taken. Its more about what that person does that you find intriguing and then you can have a conversation about that. Cheap Adidas Superstar Online . Once again, DeLaet finished tied for second at a PGA Tour stop on the weekend, this time at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The pride of Weyburn, Sask. Adidas Superstars Sale Cheap . -- Jakob Silfverberg is making himself right at home with the Anaheim Ducks, scoring four goals in his first four games. http://www.superstarcheap.com/ . But the quarterback hopes to stay involved in football after officially calling it quits Tuesday. "Id love to look at those opportunities as they arise," Pierce said in an interview from his Winnipeg eatery. Cheap Adidas Superstar Wholesale . JOHNS, N. Adidas Superstars Clearance Sale . With the first unit struggling of late and Amir Johnson - one of the teams iron men - hobbling on an injured right ankle, Patterson knew he could get the nod in a challenging matchup against one of the leagues up and coming players at his position. WACO, Texas -- Baylor and Texas Southern dont have much in common in the win-loss column, but dig a little deeper and the Bears and Tigers show some striking resemblances.While fourth-ranked Baylor (11-0) is undefeated and Texas Southern (4-8) is fighting to get out of its current seven-game losing streak, they are similar in their ambitious schedules to this point.Those schedules intersect when the Bears and Tigers meet at 7:30 ET on Wednesday night in Waco.Baylor has won four games this season against top-25 opponents, including three versus top-10 foes. But the Bears 34th-ranked strength-of-schedule is seven notches behind Texas Southern at the moment.The Tigers have already played three games against top-25 competition, losing to No. 16 Arizona, No. 11 Louisville and No. 25 Cincinnati. Texas Southern lost those games by an average margin of more than 30 points, but at least the Tigers shouldnt be intimidated by Baylor.It definitely gets you ready to play a team like that with the style of play that Baylor plays, Texas Southern coach Mike Davis said. Its similar to what Cincinnati plays. In our conference, we have a lot of teams that play zone. Thats one of the reasons I like playing Baylor just because of the style of play.Texas Southern and Baylor have a common opponent in Louisville. The Cardinals defeated the Tigers 102-71 on Dec. 10. Baylor trailed Louisville by 22 points before coming back for a 66-63 victory on Nov. 25.Baylor and Texas Southern have one more similarity in that they each packed a bunch of games between final exams and Christmas breeak.dddddddddddd The Bears are playing their fourth game in eight days while the Tigers are playing their fourth in nine days.Baylor is in a stretch of three games versus SWAC opponents, and it has another against an NAIA program in John Brown University. Conversely, Texas Southern battled with Cincinnati, LSU and TCU.Bears coach Scott Drew expects a postseason-like battle on the court.Mike Davis does a great job X-and-O wise, brings in a lot of good talent and theyve had a lot of great wins, especially this time of year, Drew said. The other night its a one-point game with about a minute to go at LSU. Then they played a back-to-back, which is really hard. This is a team that most people think will be in the NCAA Tournament.Texas Southerns two-day gauntlet of playing LSU and TCU was made more difficult by playing both games on the road.I thought we did a great job at LSU, but unfortunately we had to play the next day at TCU, Davis said. We had a bus ride for six hours, getting in a 3:30 in the morning. It was really unfair to TCU because we didnt give them anything from a basketball standpoint.This will also be both teams final tune-up before conference play begins.Baylor opens Big 12 action at Oklahoma on Dec. 30. Texas Southern starts SWAC play at Alcorn State on Jan. 2.Hopefully (the Baylor players) can enjoy family and friends, then on the 26th its on to the grind of the Big 12, Drew said. 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