By Edson Barrantes
Collegian Staff Writer

Lindsey Bench thought her days of dancing were behind her. Then she got a job with the only professional baseball team in town.

The Hanford native says she has danced her whole life. A friend asked her about becoming part of the promotions team for the Fresno Grizzlies, and she jumped at the opportunity.

“At the audition I just danced my butt off,� said Bench, one of 20 members of the Grizzlies’ promotion team, many of whom are students from Fresno State.

The Grizzlies have developed a relationship with Bench and local college students like her in an effort to provide job experience for those interested.

Besides the seasonal job opportunities it provides, the Grizzlies organization also offers six internships for students in the Craig School of Business during the season. In the offseason, the organization offers one or two internships to business students. The Grizzlies also have interns from the mass communication and journalism department, as well as others.

Bench, 21, a senior speech pathology major, sums her job up in one word — fun.

“We just make sure everyone is having fun,� she said.

Bench dances on dugouts during the seventh inning stretch and she loves it. The dancers don̢۪t have routines, but they make sure the crowd is pumped up.

However, you don̢۪t have to possess the dance moves Bench does to be able to work for the Grizzlies.

Student Joe Torres works in sales. The job doesn̢۪t only consist of working during the season for the Grizzlies, but also for the Fresno Falcons and Fresno Fuego. It is a year-round job.

Torres heard about the gig in an unusual place.

“I found it on craigslist.com,� Torres said.

Torres loves his job and the opportunity to meet so many people involved in sales. The perks of his job include watching all the games for free, but for Torres it was also meeting professional soccer player Landon Donovan.

Whether looking for a part-time job or an internship, Fresno State students like Torres and Bench are realizing the potential of having a professional baseball team in town.

“They work so well with my school schedule,� said Bench, who will graduate in December. “They are so flexible, if you have homework and stuff, they understand school is important.�

Andrew Stuebner, the vice president of tickets for the Grizzlies, said the organization loves the energy provided by its student workers.

“We rely on our interns to become active, productive members of our staff for the time they are with us,� Stuebner said. “We do everything we can to provide them with the tools to be successful.�