Best. Internship. Ever.

I've always felt a bit sorry for interns who go to the Olympics.  Not only do they not get paid, they front a lot of their own money for air fare and hotel accommodations just to be here.  And while a stint at the Olympics is an impressive entry on anyone's resume, in many cases an intern's actual experience may amount to no more than sitting in a control room for 20 straight days logging tape.  

Such was not the case for Diana Martin, our intern on the NBC Sportsdesk.  A student at Syracuse and a member of her school's varsity ski team, Diana had never worked in TV before.  But what she lacked in television production experience she made up for in unbridled enthusiasm.  She also benefitted from being placed in the mountain bureau where the workload was more forgiving than other locations.  It was the perfect combination for what could only be described as the perfect internship.

Within a few short days of her arrival, Diana had gone ziplining through Whistler's forests for a story, written a script for a Today Show correspondent's live shot, and researched and pitched a feature which received a greenlight for production (all unheard of for an intern).

But her biggest thrill came when she met her idol, Bode Miller.  One of our reporters was assigned to do a one-on-one interview with the cantankerous skier, and Diana decided to tag along on the shoot. Most interns would have been happy enough just to be in a room an Olympic athlete, but Diana was determined to actually MEET this one. So after the reporter did the obligatory Q and A with Bode, and as the shoot was wrapping up, Diana saw her chance.  In a room quiet enough to hear a pin drop, she perked up, lunged forward and thrust her hand in Bode's face.  "HI!  I'M DIANA!" she shouted at him.  She proceeded to joke around with the medallist, and even got him to admit that he wants to one day go to college.   I wasn't there, but the veteran crew told me it was one of the boldest moves they had ever seen an intern make.  They also said Diana got more out of Bode Miller in one unexpected introduction than any reporter had gotten the entire fortnight.

Go get 'em, Diana.  Thanks for all your help.  And may all your future internships be as groovy as this one :)