Finals are on this week at Ferris State University, which means that winter break is right around the corner. Most students spend the next three weeks taking a break from school and work and spending time with family and friends. That's not the case for some students in Professional Tennis Management, though.

A group from PTM is select for a mini-internship in sunny Florida right as winter gets started in Michigan. I am lucky enough to be one of those students.

Five of us are leaving on Dec. 22 to start a 10-day internship at Saddlebrook Resort in Tampa, Fla., where players such as James Blake, Mardy Fish, John Isner and the Bryan Brothers have trained.  We will be working under tennis director Howard Moore, who was trained by Australia's former Davis Cup coach Harry Hopman.  He is a P-1 certified professional from the United States Professional Tennis Association and earned a B.A. in Hotel Management from Florida International University. Saddlebrook has 45 courts that include all Grand Slam surfaces--grass, red clay and hard courts. Saddlebrook is home to adult and junior programs as well as a tennis academy and prep school.

The internship includes both on-court and off-court time. As business students, it is important to learn both aspects of the job. We have to be professionals in both tennis and management, hence the name of the degree (B.S. Business in Professional Tennis Management). We'll run courts and lessons at the facility and take part in managing daily activities around the tennis facility.

Stay tuned for more coverage of this PTM internship.