Lighting the Lamp, Filling the Page
Jarred Van Hauter plays the game while writing the book for the Nicholas Sportsplex.
It took Jarred 45 minutes to make it around the rink the first time he wore inline skates. He was four- years-old and wanted to prove to his big brother, Colin, that he was ‘cool.’ The lap was a pivotal experience that not only ignited his passion for hockey but would later influence his college major and set him on a unique career trajectory.
One Sport, Two Paths
Both Jarred and Colin played inline and ice hockey throughout their youth but never for the same team. ‘Colin’s hockey experience was different than mine because we have such an age gap and are motivated differently,’ Jarred said. ‘I’m not a follower in life but I really look up to him, so I mimicked his path and put my own twist to it.’
Colin climbed the hockey ladder and made it to the North American Hockey League where an injury forced his early retirement from the game. He then became an EMT before coaching at the Nicholas Sportsplex where he now serves as its facilities manager. Jarred loved the game but didn’t advance in the same ways as his brother. Rather, he packed his skates after high school and headed to university.
‘Hockey was a big part of my life but did not control my destiny. I really enjoyed storytelling and learning about people, and wanted to find a career that could bridge all these aspects,’ he said. ‘So I decided to become a sports journalist and set my sights on a school where I could earn my degree.’
Education and Aspiration
Ball State University was Jarred’s first choice because its communications and journalism programs were top-ranked and well-funded by alum David Letterman. ‘I was really interested in sports journalism, but it wasn’t a major they offered,’ he
said, ‘so I leveraged the clubs and opportunities within the curriculum to make their degree best serve my needs.’
Jarred served as both a radio show anchor and a radio host in college. He also dabbled in podcasting for three years and television broadcasting for four years. He was deliberate in his course selections and extracurriculars, choosing those that would push him out of his comfort zone. ‘It was challenging at first, but the opportunities were incredible. Ball State’s reputation and partnerships opened the door for me to interview pro athletes and politicians. Every interview was fascinating, and I quickly realized that behind every celebrity or recognizable name was a normal person facing the same struggles as everyone else.’
Jarred returned to work for his brother at the Nicholas Sportsplex over fall and summer breaks throughout college. He was familiar with the facility because it was where he played hockey for the Northwest Chargers his last year of high school. Ball State, however, required that eligible graduates secure an internship between their junior and senior years that would leverage their journalism skills.
Jarred asked the Papanicholas family, who own and operate the Sportsplex and several other thriving companies, if there were any internship opportunities that might align with his schooling.
There were.
Jarred joined the marketing department that overarches the family’s companies and was able to put his sports journalism hat to good use for the summer. He interviewed coaches, penned articles for the Sportsplex’s website, and even secured two entries for the inaugural print of this publication, ’78.
Opportunity Knocks When It’s Ready
After graduation, he returned full-time to the Sportsplex while he pounded the pavement for a position in sports broadcasting. ‘The Chicago journalism market was (and still is) tough, and it was very hard to find opportunities,’ he said. ‘There came a point when I was working days and nights juggling multiple jobs and was burning out. I was just about to accept a position with a marketing company in downtown Chicago when intuition urged me to step back and realize what I had.’
Jarred was already gainfully employed at the Sportsplex and had been offered a full-time schedule, he was able to work alongside his brother, and he could even get on the ice now and then and ‘light the lamp’ (a hockey term for scoring a goal). More importantly he could see how quickly the service offerings were ramping up at the Sportsplex and was privy to the upcoming building expansions. He was in on the ground level and could be a part of something even more extraordinary in a short period of time because, as he correctly stated, ‘the Papanicholas family stops at nothing.’
He chose to stay.
Always a mentor, Colin then cross-trained his little brother to be an effective manager that could effectively align process and purpose to a steadily increasing headcount.
Today Jarred serves as the office manager and event coordinator for the Nicholas Sportsplex, a robust campus that offers 17 acres of indoor and outdoor recreational space in Mount Prospect, Illinois. He hires, trains, and manages the team that tends to the complex’s three regulation ice rinks and two synthetic turf fields. He also provides concierge services to the public, assists with tournaments, oversees all community programs, and serves as a liaison for the ten sports teams that call the Sportsplex their home. And he's still putting his degree to good use.
‘My training in journalism really helps me make uncomfortable situations comfortable when interacting with people. The interviewing skills I learned at Ball State directly parlay into patron relations at the Sportsplex. I have the confidence to reach out and interact with anyone when there’s a challenge to overcome. I know how to ask the correct questions to get to the truth, hone in on needs, and build trust quickly.
I’m the first person anyone sees when they come to our complex, so I must always be knowledgeable, professional, and approachable.’
Jarred plays his part in maintaining the Papanicholas family’s mission to be ‘distinctly different and deliberately personal’ in all that they do. He’s moving the needle to give the ultimate client experience at the Sportsplex. ‘I want to be known around our complex as someone who can be approached with ideas or challenges in person. I want to conduct intro and exit interviews with all our sports teams each year because there is always room to improve. And I want to find additional ways to bring the community into our space so they can experience just how special it is.’
His writing and reporting skills are going to remain fresh as well. ‘I’m looking forward to chronicling all the great action that’s happening at the Sportsplex. From the first time a child enters the ice, to our annual Easter Egg Hunt, to the tournaments that are won, I want to capture and recount the amazing experiences that are occurring at Nicholas Sportsplex. I am excited, humbled, and blessed
that I have landed in a place where all my passions connect.’