I have written 2 articles.
Attended a number of classes.
Read endless amounts of sports stories in various formats.
Heard from some experts in the field of sports writing.
I still have no idea what I am doing.
Considering I have to get an "A" on every single remaining class before I graduate to save my GPA from the land of "2's" this was quite an ambitious undertaking (I just did not know that yet).
I like sports. I like to watch them. I like to play them. I even like to talk about them.
And now I know I do not like to write about them. Not because I don't like sports but because I do not feel in any way qualified to do so.
How naive of me to think that just because I liked to watch the occasional sporting event and that I grew up playing sports and in a family of fairly athletic people that I could just start writing about sports like I knew what the heck I was talking about!
It's one thing to report on a couple of games. After the game is over the teams give you all their stats and the "why does this game matter" info. Then you just report the scores, get a few comments from the players and coaches and put it all into context and you are done!
However this week when I sat down to write my first sports column everything I thought I knew about sports and my ability to write about it came crumbling down around me!
A column is your opinion on a topic. But you have to actually know a thing or two about the topic to even get out the first sentence!
Most likely this will be a topic that many people will be very passionate about or else it would not be a good opinion topic to begin with. So your audience will be highly educated on this topic and ready to shred you if you get one little thing wrong or sound like you don't know what you are talking about!
If a person is to have a passionate stance on something - especially sports - they really must know a heck of a lot more than "Well that seemed like a good game, I'm glad Carolina won."
Duh!
So what now? Do I beg someone in the class to help me? Do I throw my self at the mercy of the Prof? Should I start milling around the sports department at work (heck I do work at a newspaper after all)?
All of those things will mean I have to admit that I was shortsighted and arrogant in my ability to pass this class. :( boo that sounds - kinda - not - fun! Besides the guys in the sports department might think I am stalking them and my Prof and classmates I'm sure have better things to do than a remedial class in sports history.
If this were a client of mine I would say:
OK - get it together Mr. Advertiser!
What is it that you actually need to get done!?
What do you know now?
What do you need to know to be successful?
How do we do that?
(and then the always potent questions)
"what will happen if you fail? what is it worth to you to succeed?"
And - BAM - we have our answers and a plan on how to get there!
So let's apply my brilliant marketing and sales strategies to my current situation...
Here are my answers to my own questions:
Q: What is it that you actually need to get done!?
A: Uh, pass this class and not sound like an idiot in
all my assignments!
Q: What do you know now?
A: SportsCenter comes on at 11pm so if you miss it earlier
b/c you can't get the kids to bed you are not screwed
(thank god)!
Q: What do you need to know to be successful?
A: Historical knowledge of all sports and the ability to
use that to write something interesting and compelling
about current sporting events.
Q: How do we do that?
A: I don't know - you tell me - you're the marketing
expert (Wow I always get mad at that answer, but now
understand the meaning so much more than I did before)!
(and then the always potent questions)
Q: What will happen if you fail and What is it worth to you
to succeed?"
A: Get out of my office and don't come back!
Gee now I know why people hate sales reps.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Saturday, November 15, 2008
I LOVE Fall
The leaves in the fall are something that I look forward to every year.
They are always so beautiful and amazing.
I never get tired of them and I never get disapointed year after year.
Each season brings a more glorious array of colors than the last.
They are always so beautiful and amazing.
I never get tired of them and I never get disapointed year after year.
Each season brings a more glorious array of colors than the last.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
topics
Sports topics:
NFL Draft - the 1st round QB's Matt Stafford going to detroit)and Mark Sanchez AND the follys of Andre Smith and what will happen b/c of them
New Stadiums and their expectations/ costs
the new costs of going to see pro baseball and football with the fam
cowboys v giants game
Athletes pay
coaches pay
NCAA recruiting rules
Mik Vick - what should he do after jail
injuries
runners injuries (my foot)
being a former athlete
after college b-ball - (Lindy's profile)
not everyone goes pro
Buddy - (tennis profile)
MY Life Topics:
my career aspirations- what is that really- do you have to have those?
school sucks! i am so sick of going to college
volunteer work - i get in ruts with philanthrophy - why can i not just be happy doing small things?
my husband - are we friends? will this last forever - really?
best friends are hard to find - and even harder to be
family is a complicated love affair
mothers of mothers are a gift from god
holidays rock - and so do furlogh days
facebook and twitter - i cant keep up
budgets- does anyone really stay on those? how!
i want to have more kids
why i am now happy living where i live.
erich needs a new job!
soccer coach - sure no problem - i got time
Baby showers - how many - what do you do - what is expected
thank you notes - still necessary - really?!
parenting styles are funny
crap - i broke my foot
spring cleaning
dislexia/disgraphia
when your child has issues at school it feels like hell
NFL Draft - the 1st round QB's Matt Stafford going to detroit)and Mark Sanchez AND the follys of Andre Smith and what will happen b/c of them
New Stadiums and their expectations/ costs
the new costs of going to see pro baseball and football with the fam
cowboys v giants game
Athletes pay
coaches pay
NCAA recruiting rules
Mik Vick - what should he do after jail
injuries
runners injuries (my foot)
being a former athlete
after college b-ball - (Lindy's profile)
not everyone goes pro
Buddy - (tennis profile)
MY Life Topics:
my career aspirations- what is that really- do you have to have those?
school sucks! i am so sick of going to college
volunteer work - i get in ruts with philanthrophy - why can i not just be happy doing small things?
my husband - are we friends? will this last forever - really?
best friends are hard to find - and even harder to be
family is a complicated love affair
mothers of mothers are a gift from god
holidays rock - and so do furlogh days
facebook and twitter - i cant keep up
budgets- does anyone really stay on those? how!
i want to have more kids
why i am now happy living where i live.
erich needs a new job!
soccer coach - sure no problem - i got time
Baby showers - how many - what do you do - what is expected
thank you notes - still necessary - really?!
parenting styles are funny
crap - i broke my foot
spring cleaning
dislexia/disgraphia
when your child has issues at school it feels like hell
slacker
so I realize that this blog has been a bit haphazard so far and i think it's actually telling because it kinda reflects my life, my brain - pretty much the way i live, work, play.......
I am not really sure if the Blog is accomplishing what it needs to do in my life or in my class really - but i will assume that so far - it has done ok for what it needed to do for my class. In my life i don't believe i have yet learned how to harness the power and opportunity the art of blogging can provide to a person. I see so many people taking advantage of it in so many different ways - but for me I kinda feel like i have not given it a fair chance or dedicated enough time to its existance just yet for it to have impacted me and or my life the way that i had hoped.
Dedication, focus, desire, accountability - those are probably some of the things i need to consider and utilize when it comes to making this blog do and accomplish what i would like for it to do.
I have so many ideas of topics and drafts of topics that i have begun - but not much that i have actually published. I don't know if it is an insecurity thing or just ADD - but from this point forward i am committing to myself that i will post something - of quality - every week at a minimum.
if any of you have any tips or suggestions as to how i can be better at utilizing this blog please feel free to let me know your thoughts!
I am not really sure if the Blog is accomplishing what it needs to do in my life or in my class really - but i will assume that so far - it has done ok for what it needed to do for my class. In my life i don't believe i have yet learned how to harness the power and opportunity the art of blogging can provide to a person. I see so many people taking advantage of it in so many different ways - but for me I kinda feel like i have not given it a fair chance or dedicated enough time to its existance just yet for it to have impacted me and or my life the way that i had hoped.
Dedication, focus, desire, accountability - those are probably some of the things i need to consider and utilize when it comes to making this blog do and accomplish what i would like for it to do.
I have so many ideas of topics and drafts of topics that i have begun - but not much that i have actually published. I don't know if it is an insecurity thing or just ADD - but from this point forward i am committing to myself that i will post something - of quality - every week at a minimum.
if any of you have any tips or suggestions as to how i can be better at utilizing this blog please feel free to let me know your thoughts!
Election Project - Video The Vote!
Today, November 4th 2008, is an historic day no matter the outcome.
In order to ensure the moment is one of untarnished history and not questioned for its authenticity many organizations are out in full force all over the country working to protect the sancity of the vote and ensure every American has an equal opportunity to cast their ballot for their respective candidate.
Video the Vote is just one of the many organizations dedicated to working for this goal. According to their website www.videothevote.org they do this through a "national network of citizen journalists, independent filmmakers, and media professionals working together to document voter suppression and disenfranchisement".
As a member of a Digital Journalism class at Old Dominion University I chose to participate in Video the Vote for an election project. Our professor assigned this topic to us not only because I believe she feels passionately about protecting the vote and our political process as a whole, but also because she wanted to push us and our ability to think differently about the use of non-traditional types of media tools such as video and blogging.
It is important that we, as hopeful future members of the media, be able to utilize all types of media to report on an event and be able to tell a story. And not just be able to use them - but to also know how to converge them onto one platform - or to take the same information, event, topic and purpose it for different platforms such as print and online, using video, photos, words and sounds to tell a story in a way that was never possible before.
So often Blogs are personal and written in a casual and informal way. What many budding journalists need to learn and be aware of is the fact that the future of media is one that will require them to produce their content in a format that will be very similar to this social activity they know and love so much. That familiarity could potentially run the risk of their craft and their socializing tactics cross-pollinating one another. I guess what remains to be seen is weather or not that actually matters or if it is just the overall direction communications and media as a whole are going. Just as the market bears innovation and creates change based on society's wants and needs so will the course go for media and it's style, format and level of formality.
In order to ensure the moment is one of untarnished history and not questioned for its authenticity many organizations are out in full force all over the country working to protect the sancity of the vote and ensure every American has an equal opportunity to cast their ballot for their respective candidate.
Video the Vote is just one of the many organizations dedicated to working for this goal. According to their website www.videothevote.org they do this through a "national network of citizen journalists, independent filmmakers, and media professionals working together to document voter suppression and disenfranchisement".
As a member of a Digital Journalism class at Old Dominion University I chose to participate in Video the Vote for an election project. Our professor assigned this topic to us not only because I believe she feels passionately about protecting the vote and our political process as a whole, but also because she wanted to push us and our ability to think differently about the use of non-traditional types of media tools such as video and blogging.
It is important that we, as hopeful future members of the media, be able to utilize all types of media to report on an event and be able to tell a story. And not just be able to use them - but to also know how to converge them onto one platform - or to take the same information, event, topic and purpose it for different platforms such as print and online, using video, photos, words and sounds to tell a story in a way that was never possible before.
So often Blogs are personal and written in a casual and informal way. What many budding journalists need to learn and be aware of is the fact that the future of media is one that will require them to produce their content in a format that will be very similar to this social activity they know and love so much. That familiarity could potentially run the risk of their craft and their socializing tactics cross-pollinating one another. I guess what remains to be seen is weather or not that actually matters or if it is just the overall direction communications and media as a whole are going. Just as the market bears innovation and creates change based on society's wants and needs so will the course go for media and it's style, format and level of formality.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Old Dominion Women's Soccer Game #3
Norfolk - The Old Dominion Women's Soccer team defeated Virginia Commenwealth University on Sunday 3-0. This continued to hold their winning record for home games stable with only one goal scored at home all season (8-0-1).
More importantly is the fact that the Lady Monarchs win, along with the William & Mary loss to Christopher Newport University on the same day, has now pushed the women to the number one spot in the conference with a 6-1-1 record for the season.
The day way cold and brisk so while the teams may have been warmed up and ready for a fast-paced game, the fans were hoping for a break from the wind and were bundled up and huddled down for the show.
At the end of the day both the Monarch fans and players left the stadium warm from the pride of winning.
More importantly is the fact that the Lady Monarchs win, along with the William & Mary loss to Christopher Newport University on the same day, has now pushed the women to the number one spot in the conference with a 6-1-1 record for the season.
The day way cold and brisk so while the teams may have been warmed up and ready for a fast-paced game, the fans were hoping for a break from the wind and were bundled up and huddled down for the show.
At the end of the day both the Monarch fans and players left the stadium warm from the pride of winning.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Old Dominion Women's Soccer Game #2
Norfolk - The Old Dominion Women's Soccer team defeated Virginia Commenwealth University on Sunday 3-0. This continued to hold their winning record for home games stable with only one goal scored at home all season (8-0-1).
More importantly is the fact that the Lady Monarchs win, along with the William & Mary loss to Christopher Newport University on the same day, has now pushed the women to the number one spot in the conference with a 6-1-1 record for the season.
The day way cold and brisk so while the teams may have been warmed up and ready for a fast-paced game, the fans were hoping for a break from the wind and were bundled up and huddled down for the show.
At the end of the day both the Monarch fans and players left the stadium warm from the pride of winning.
More importantly is the fact that the Lady Monarchs win, along with the William & Mary loss to Christopher Newport University on the same day, has now pushed the women to the number one spot in the conference with a 6-1-1 record for the season.
The day way cold and brisk so while the teams may have been warmed up and ready for a fast-paced game, the fans were hoping for a break from the wind and were bundled up and huddled down for the show.
At the end of the day both the Monarch fans and players left the stadium warm from the pride of winning.
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