A Reflection on Class

Since this will be my final blog post for my sports reporting class, I thought it would be appropriate to reflect on everything I’ve learned throughout the semester and what I will take away from the class.

To be honest, when I initially registered to take this class, it was mostly just because it fit with the rest of my schedule nicely. But I also thought it would be a good chance to learn an additional style of writing, to add sports reporting to my repertoire.

At the beginning of the semester, we focused on good writing and reviewed the basics. The first few weeks were spent learning about how to write game stories. Our first guest speakers taught us their own methods of keeping score at a game to prepare us for our first assignment: to write a high school football advance and game story. Though I was nervous about the assignment, I ended up enjoying the process and I’m glad I got the opportunity to learn the entire process.

Class continued as we learned about getting the most out of an interview and how to write feature stories. To practice these skills, we were required to write a profile on a KSU athlete. I wrote my story about softball player Bianca Durant. Later in the semester, I wrote a feature on the KSU men’s rugby club. Because I had to complete these assignments, I feel like I’m better prepared to write profiles and feature stories on athletes and teams.

Our other assignments included conducting a Q&A video interview with a player or coach not affiliated with KSU, composing a narrated photo essay, and presenting to the rest of our class the basics of covering particular beats. I interviewed soccer coach Clayton Schmitt for my video, covered indoor rock climbing for my photo essay, and explained to the class how to cover ice hockey, rowing, and triathlons.

Though this class had more assignments than most of my other classes, I’m glad it did. I feel like I gained a lot of knowledge and new skills from my experiences completing the projects. The guest speakers gave us advice that I know I will remember throughout my career. Even if I don’t pursue sports reporting in my future, I’m thankful that I chose to take this class and will be able to add sports reporting to my résumé.

KSU Club Feature: Men's Rugby

KSU men’s rugby player Ridge Meracle explains that rugby is more than just a game, it’s a brotherhood.

Kennesaw State University’s rugby club was formed in 2005 and has since been regarded as one of the Southeast’s premier clubs. The team grew quickly throughout 2006 and 2007. The following year, they finished the season with a winning record and proceeded to win the Georgia Rugby Union Championship that fall.

The ruggers also placed first in the collegiate bracket of the Battleship Rugby Tournament in Mobile, Ala. and participated in a Sweet 16’s competition. In 2009, KSU finished the season ranked 15^th in the country among Division II collegiate teams.

The club earned a spot in the South Division II playoffs in both 2009 and 2010. Just five years after its establishment, KSU rugby became a Division I program.

“There are teams that have been around for 30 years who haven't completed that,” Meracle said.

In 2011, the team made it to the Division I playoffs. They lost to Florida State in the semifinals of their conference tournament. As the club continues to grow, Meracle said that future goals include winning in the conference and attending national playoffs.

Photo courtesy ksuclubsports.com

The 2013 roster includes many skilled and talented athletes. Inside center Daniel Medina is one of those key players. Meracle describes Medina as a bruising back who loves to run people over.

Sam Stephens is the team’s captain and eight man.

“He is the anchor and the leader of the forwards,” Meracle said. “He has tremendous talent and great knowledge of the game and has been a huge help at teaching newcomers their role in the forwards.”

Spanish transient student Enrique Boente is another key player on the team. Though he has only been a part of the club for one semester so far, he has made his presence known as a staple in Kennesaw’s backline.

Jordan Basone is also a newcomer, but Meracle explained that Basone’s tackling skills make him one of the most feared players in the conference.

Kennesaw recently built an international-grade rugby pitch on campus comparable to some of the nicest fields in the country. During the season, the team practices twice a week for two hours at a time. Though they don’t have games or official practices over school breaks for Thanksgiving and Christmas, players must continue to train in order to avoid injury.

“The demand physically makes it so you can't take an off day,” Meracle said. “You have to be in the gym or you will get hurt.”

Meracle’s attitude when speaking about the sport, however, makes it obvious that the team doesn’t mind spending so much time together. Meracle’s brother played for Ole Miss after he picked up the game as a Marine in Australia. Meracle fell in love and said he was hooked ever since he was invited to play in the final 10 minutes of an Ole Miss game when he was a senior in high school.

“Rugby is a brotherhood that connects people from all over. I can be anywhere in the world and if I run into a rugby player, I know I will have food to eat and a bed to sleep in,” Meracle said. “We all play this crazy game and beat the snot out of each other for 80 minutes, but it's a gentleman’s game and you respect the other team and are brothers off the field.”

College rugby continues to grow in popularity, and is one of the fastest growing sports across college campuses. Meracle explained that KSU has had a relationship with rugby even before the club was formed.

“Most people on campus don't know this, but President Papp is an old rugby player himself. He helped build rugby teams all over the country and has been all over the world for rugby,” Meracle said. “It is really cool knowing that the president of your university is a proud rugger.”

Though rugby remains a club program at Kennesaw and most colleges in the country, Meracle said he hopes it will one day be recognized as a varsity sport.

“There are a few teams like Life University down the road who do get support from the university but it's still nothing like an NCAA sport gets,” Meracle said. “I do think that once rugby is recognized by the NCAA, we will be one of the first schools to become non-club.”

Knox Bardeen: Writer for Bleacher Report

Last Friday (Nov. 1), my sports reporting class had yet another great guest speaker. This time, the speaker was Knox Bardeen.

Bardeen is a reporter for Bleacher Report and Comcast Sports South. He also works in Atlanta sports radio on 790 The Zone and recently co-wrote the book 100 Things Falcons Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die with Ray Glier.

Bardeen didn’t get his career started the traditional way by studying journalism in college. Instead, he was discovered as a fantasy baseball blogger. After about a year of blogging, Bardeen was recruited by an editor at Fanball. After a year at Fanball, he was approached by an editor at AOL’s FanHouse. From there, Bardeen was able to branch out and cover MLB, NFL, college basketball and tennis in addition to fantasy baseball and football. In 2009, he was asked to cover the Atlanta Falcons training camp and has been covering the team from Flowery Branch as CBS Sports’ Rapid Reports Correspondent ever since. His job at CBS Sports eventually landed him a position covering the entire NFC South for Bleacher Report.

Bardeen gave our class many different tips on how to be successful in the business. He told us to be very active on Twitter, to read every day, and to write every day. Bardeen encouraged each of us to take advantage of any opportunities we may have to meet other people in the business. He advised us to learn to identify storylines, to explore internships, and to know how to interview without being star-struck.

Bardeen’s biggest advice, however, was to learn how to do everything. He emphasized the importance of remaining valuable to a company by being able to complete a variety of tasks. As a sports reporter, Bardeen considers his ability to write, report on radio, report on television, operate cameras, and edit footage a great advantage for himself in his career.

I think Bardeen gave our class excellent advice. Journalism is heading in a direction of multiplatform reporting, where writers are expected to juggle multiple responsibilities. Having a wide range of skills will definitely make me more marketable as I look for a job and more valuable to employers throughout my career.

Indoor Rock Climbing

2013 Petit Le Mans

Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga. hosted the 16^th Petit Le Mans, the final race of the American Le Mans Series, this past Saturday, Oct. 19. The Petit Le Mans is an auto endurance race held annually at Road Atlanta since 1998. The race continues until a maximum of 10 hours or 1,000 miles is reached.

On Saturday, early morning rain soaked the Road Atlanta track but the pavement was already in the process of drying once conditions improved and the green flag was waved at 11:30 a.m. There were numerous incidents and retirements throughout the competition, which would help to determine the final results.

Photo courtesy of motorsport.com

This year, Neel Jani, along with his co-drivers Nick Heidfeld and Nico Prost won the ALMS for the Rebellion Racing team after leading 228 of the 394 laps. Rebellion was at the front of the pack for the entire first hour before exiting to the pits for repairs after sideswiping another car.

Jani’s Toyota fought with the Muscle Milk team’s Honda driven by Lucas Luhr, Klaus Graf, and Romain Dumas throughout the race, but was eventually victorious after seemingly endless laps on the 2.5-mile circuit. After a struggle for the lead, Dumas was forced to pull the team’s Honda out of the race due to overheating issues. Rebellion’s win prevented what would be Muscle Milk’s ninth consecutive win.

Jon Finer: Sports Blogger

Jon Finer, sports blogger at ksuowlhowl.com, was the guest speaker for my sports reporting class last Friday (Oct. 11). Finer is a 2012 summa cum laude graduate of Kennesaw State University with a degree in criminal justice.

 

Finer co-created and maintains “the owl howl” and uses it to bring awareness and extra attention to KSU athletics. He said his main goal is to keep people informed. Finer finds his own content, which is mostly based on recruiting. Kennesaw’s official website can’t post certain content due to compliance regulations so he focuses on recruiting information in order to fill a niche. Finer said that he emphasizes speed when it comes to getting new information to the public, and has developed his own formatting system for listing recruiting info.

Finer explained to us the main differences between blogging and journalism. Professional journalists get paid for their writing. They have certain expectations and standards, must write what they are told to write regardless of their interests, and must also complete tasks on strict deadlines. As a blogger, however, Finer does not receive pay for his writing. He chooses his own content and has no official deadlines. He described it as writing what he wants, when he wants.

Finer also gave the class some advice and things to keep in mind while blogging. He emphasized writing respectfully and discreetly, and told us to make sure we say things as nicely as possible when writing something critical or negative about a player or team. Finer also reminded us to focus on spelling and grammar. He really stressed the importance of having respect and pride for our work.

Soccer Coach Q&A

Inerviewing Clayton Schmitt. Clayton is a soccer coach at Emory University, Holy Spirit Preparatory School, and Northside Soccer Academy.

Drew Jubera: Author of 'Must Win'

One thing that I have learned since the beginning of this semester is that sports reporting isn’t just about writing game stories. Sports writers must also be able to write feature stories like profiles and long-form narratives. Last Tuesday (Oct. 8), Drew Jubera was a guest speaker in my advanced media writing class.

Jubera is an award-winning journalist who has written for The New York Times, ESPN, Esquire, and more. He is also the author of Must Win: A Season of Survival for a Town and Its Team. The book tells the story of the Wildcats from Valdosta, Ga., the most often winning high school football team in America.

It was very interesting to hear all about Jubera’s approach and process when writing the story. In the first chapter of his book, Jubera describes one of the key players he focuses on with such detail and color, you almost forget he’s a journalist and mistake him for a poet.

Anyway, I feel like getting a chance to read Jubera’s work will be very helpful if or when I write other player profiles in the future. It will make for a good reference when I need to add some creativity and description.

KSU Player Profile: Bianca Durant

Photo courtesy ksuowls.com

KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State University student balances challenging academics with a strong softball performance.

KSU senior softball player Bianca Durant works hard as a student athlete. Recently accepted into the school’s nursing program, Durant gives it her all on the field and in the classroom.

Durant was born and raised in Douglasville, Ga. where she is part of a large family. She is the daughter of Jonathan and Donna Durant who also parent her three sisters (Taylor, Jasmine, Monique) and three brothers (Michael, Anthony, Jonathan Jr.).

“I love my family. We always have a lot of fun together,” Durant said. “I think I have the best moments when I’m with them.”

Durant started playing softball at an early age when her father enrolled her and two of her sisters.

“My dad put my oldest sister Jasmine in [softball] and she wasn’t very good, so he ended up putting me and my little sister who’s a year younger than me in it,” Durant said. “We both started playing when I was six and she was five, and that’s how I started. We did slowpitch all the way up until we were 12 years old and then we switched to fastpitch.”

Durant attended Chapel Hill High School in Douglasville where she lettered in softball all four years. While at Chapel Hill, she received various awards and honors. She was named to the Georgia Dugout Club All-Star Team and was a First Team All-Star honoree. When Durant was a senior, she helped her Chapel Hill team to place third in the state. Over her summer breaks from school, she played for club softball teams. Durant played with Georgia Impact for one summer and Georgia Elite for three.

“High school is kind of a joke because the teams aren’t really that good, so you go and try out for summer teams and you try to get the big names,” Durant said. “I played for the Georgia Elite and I think that’s how Coach Holly or Coach Whitlock saw me, playing for them over the summer.”

Durant signed with the Kennesaw Owls in 2011 and started in 50 of the season’s 55 games as a freshman. Her batting skills cleared the bases for the team. That year, Durant was one of just five players to have five or more multiple-RBI games. She has remained a key player on the Owls’ starting lineup in the years since.

Assistant coach Tory Acheson frequently works with Durant on her hitting and says her greatest attribute is her skillful ability to swing the bat.

“I think Bianca’s a very talented hitter,” Acheson said. “I think that she’s one of those players that has a lot of gifts when it comes to swinging the bat and doing a really good job of helping our team offensively.”

Durant is in her first year of Kennesaw State University’s nursing school and says her proudest moment was when she was accepted into the program.

“That was a big moment for me because I was pretty nervous about that for three years,” Durant said.

She explained that gaining acceptance into the nursing program is a difficult and competitive process.

“You take all the required classes and you really need to have the best grades out of the people around you,” Durant said. “I got A’s in my chemistry and anatomy classes and I think that’s what made them choose me.”

Juggling the responsibilities of sports and studies can be difficult for any student athlete, but is especially challenging for those with demanding majors like nursing. KSU softball head coach Wes Holly Jr. regularly works with Durant to keep her time and efforts balanced.

“The thing is, they are student athletes so they’ve got to put the student before the athlete and the higher you go up, depending on your major, that can become a little more difficult. She’s one of them that took that role,” Holly said. “She has to really have a lot of time management and she has to sacrifice several things so that she can try to pursue a softball career because nursing does take away a lot.”

Durant said that after completing the nursing program, she will start her career wherever she can but hopes to one day become a surgical nurse.

Harrison vs. North Cobb Football Game Story

KENNESAW, Ga. – North Cobb’s Latrell Gibbs caught four interceptions and scored three touchdowns when the Warriors defeated the Harrison Hoyas 46-14 Friday night.

At 7:30 p.m. North Cobb kicked off to Harrison at Cobleigh Stadium. The Hoyas wore the number seven on their helmets to commemorate Paul Oliver, a former player who died in Marietta on Tuesday.

Gibbs caught his first interception in the first four minutes of the game, followed closely by a touchdown from Cameron Albright after he recovered a loose ball.

With four minutes left in the first quarter, J’vonte Herrod powered through defenders and sprinted 64 yards for the Warriors’ second score.

The second quarter began with an additional score for North Cobb. Just over two minutes in, wide receiver Torrance McGee secured six more points for the Warriors.

Gibbs nabbed two more interceptions in the first half, running the second to the end zone to give North Cobb a strong lead of 32-0.

Harrison quarterback Lorenzo Nunez searched for open receivers all night, but the defense proved too much. Gibbs caught yet another interception in the third quarter.

Jonathan Fisher finally put the Hoyas on the board with 46-7 in the fourth. Nunez was relieved by Ben Brock who pushed the team up the field for Winston Boykin to make the final touchdown of the game.

Harrison (3-2, 2-1) finished with a total of 177 rushing yards, less than North Cobb (3-1, 2-1) had at the half. Friday’s game is the Hoyas’ first Region 4AAAAAA loss.

“We talked about all week we couldn’t make mistakes, we couldn’t give up the big play,” Harrison coach Matt Dickmann said, “We did both of those and that’s what’s going to happen against a good team like that.”

Harrison’s next game will be against South Cobb on Oct. 18 after the team returns from a bye week.

Harrison vs. North Cobb Football Advance

KENNESAW, Ga. – Harrison Hoyas to face North Cobb Warriors at Harrison High School on Friday, Sept. 27^th at 7:30 p.m.

The Hoyas remain undefeated in Region 4AAAAAA after a 24-9 victory against Pebblebrook at Falcon Stadium last week when running back Michael Ryan recovered a loose ball and rushed 74 yards for a touchdown.

The Hoyas are now led by head coach Matt Dickmann after former coach Marty Galbraith resigned in 2012 following allegations of inappropriate conduct.

“It’s good to be 2-0 in the region but we’ve got a lot of work to do,” Dickmann said.

So far in the 2013 season, Harrison has won against Woodstock, Campbell, and Pebblebrook, but lost against Alpharetta. Their most challenging regular season opponents will be North Cobb, McEachern, and Marietta.

Dickmann said that the Hoyas’ strategy against North Cobb will be to keep possession of the ball. “We’re going to try and win offensively, to keep their offense off the field as much as possible,” Dickmann said.

In addition to Ryan, senior Joey Connors will be a key player to watch in Friday’s game. Last week, Connors made a 39-yard sprint for the end zone, scoring a touchdown for Harrison.

Harrison (3-1, 2-0) ranks 2817 in the nation and 108 in Georgia, while North Cobb (2-1, 1-0) ranks 769 in the nation and 35 in the state. Harrison lost to North Cobb in 2012 with a final score of 14-48. The Hoyas also lost to the Warriors in 2011, but won in 2010.

North Cobb beat Kennesaw Mountain 55-13 in last week’s Civil War Classic, the first football game to be played in Kennesaw State University’s Fifth Third Bank Stadium.

“They’re a good team,” Dickmann said, “they’re on top of the mountain right now.”

The Hoyas and Warriors will face off Friday night at Harrison with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Paul Newberry: AP Sports Writer

Paul Newberry, sports writer for the Associated Press, spoke to our class last Friday, September 13. Newberry provided us with helpful insight into the field, as well as entertainment from his playful sense of humor.

Newberry is a Georgia native. He majored in journalism at Georgia State University where he worked for the school’s newspaper and radio station. Before graduating, Newberry became part of the Associated Press, working as an office assistant or “copy boy.” He worked his way up in the company, serving as a temp before finally being promoted to a sports writer.

Newberry has worked for AP ever since, and has had many great opportunities consequently. He has travelled the world covering the Winter and Summer Olympics, including Michael Phelps’ big victory in Beijing. Newberry has also covered the Super Bowl, World Series, Stanley Cup Finals, Final Four, and the Daytona 500 just to name a few. He is definitely a seasoned veteran of the sports writing community.

I am very grateful for the chance to hear about all of Newberry’s experiences. He gave us honest advice about the career of a sports reporter: the good, the bad, and the ugly. His perspective has contributed greatly to my understanding of the field.

Heyward is back

Atlanta Braves’ Jason Heyward will return to the field Friday after having his mouth bands and braces removed on Monday.

Photo courtesy Sports Illustrated

On Aug. 21, Heyward was hit in the face by a 90 mph fastball that fractured his jaw in two places. The outfielder underwent surgery soon after in which two metal plates were attached to his jaw. Braves general manager Frank Wren said the metal plates will remain permanently. Heyward was able to maintain his weight despite dietary restrictions and has been cleared to start eating more solid foods.

Less than three weeks after his injury, Heyward is scheduled to participate in batting practice in Atlanta on Friday. Since his restrictive mouth bands and braces have been removed, Heyward will wear a mouth guard during on-field activities.

Heyward stated publicly that he hopes to return in time for the postseason. Wren said he thinks everybody’s goal is for Heyward to return in October, and they will continue to watch his progress for now.

Heyward will be the latest of many key players to return to the field after being on the disabled list. Other players include Dodgers’ Zack Greinke, Yankees’ Curtis Granderson, and Oakland Athletics’ Coco Crisp. The Braves have suffered since Heyward’s absence and are expected to improve once he rejoins the team.

John Bednarowski: Sports Editor for the Marietta Daily Journal

This past Friday (August 30), another great speaker joined our sports reporting class. John Bednarowski, sports editor for the Marietta Daily Journal, provided us with priceless advice about sports reporting. He showed us a great way to keep detailed statistics while watching a game and gave each of us recommendations for story angles and interview questions to use in our player/coach profile assignments.

Bednarowski is originally from Ohio, but attended school at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He began as a history and political science major, but quickly knew it was not for him. He started writing a column about UAB baseball and eventually became the sports editor for the school’s paper, “The Kaleidoscope”.

Bednarowski taught us the two things that will inevitably make us better writers: to keep writing and to read everything we can. He listed numerous writers whose work he reads whenever he can and encouraged us to do the same. Those include Kent Babb of The Washington Post, Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman, Tommy Deas of The Tuscaloosa News, and many other talented journalists.

Bednarowski allowed us a glimpse into the MDJ newsroom when he answered questions about how he orchestrated things. Bednarwoski doesn’t spend much time on the field anymore, but he has three writers on his personal staff, around seven on staff for the MDJ and partner papers, and 14 correspondents. If a Friday night game is in Cobb or Cherokee county, or if a Cobb or Cherokee team is playing in the metro-Atlanta area, someone from Bednarowski’s team will be there. The deadline for writers is at 11:15pm, an easy feat by some of his writers who can turnaround a story in as little as 14 minutes.

In conclusion, Bednarowski’s visit was extremely helpful and entertaining as well. Using his advice will undoubtedly make me a more accurate and efficient reporter.

Al Barba: KSU's Director of Athletics Communications

Al Barba is the Sports Information Officer/Director of Athletic Communications at Kennesaw State University. Last Friday (August 23), he was a guest speaker for my sports reporting class.

Barba told us about his personal life and how he entered the world of sports reporting and athletics communication. His education (journalism major at Pepperdine) and work history (includes 5 years of public relations work for the 49ers) qualify him as an excellent adviser when it comes to sports reporting.

Al Barba, courtesy ksuowls.com

After introducing himself and summarizing his career experiences so far, Barba explained to us what exactly sports information officers do. He described to us the many ways that officers handle publicity for departments of athletics and sports teams. As part of his job, Barba also handles website maintenance, develops communication strategies for athletics, and assists the media with press releases, game notes, record and fact books, and interviews with student-athletes, coaches and administration.

Barba gave our class numerous tips and recommendations to help prepare us for the assignments we will have to complete throughout the semester. He taught us how to do our homework before covering high school football in order to get the most out of our time on the scene. Barba also provided the class with ideas for KSU athletes and coaches that we could feature for our profile assignment.

Overall, I am very grateful that Mr. Barba was able to speak to our class. His experience in the field of sports reporting has provided him with a vast knowledge of what to do and how to do it when it comes to covering a game or writing features on athletes. I know that his advice will be very helpful not only throughout this semester but my future career as well.

Braves' Heyward takes a jaw-breaking pitch to the face, undergoes surgery

Atlanta Braves' right fielder Jason Heyward suffered a devastating injury Wednesday when a 90 mph fastball struck him in the face. 

 

After taking the pitch to the right side of his face, Heyward remained on the ground for several minutes while he was tended to by Braves trainer Jeff Porter. Heyward reportedly never lost consciousness and eventually left the field on his own. He was evaluated by doctors at the field before being transported to a Manhattan-area hospital.

 

After medical examination, X-rays revealed Heyward's jaw to be fractured in two places. He had surgery in Atlanta today in which doctors placed two metal plates over each fracture.

 

Though it's possible that the incident will put Heyward out for the remainder of the season, it is estimated that it will take him a minimum of 4 weeks to get back on the field.

 

Heyward's jaw fracture is the second major injury occurring at Citi Field in recent weeks. The other happened when Tim Hudson fell victim to an ankle fracture while covering first base.

 

Heyward's injury adds him to a list of six other Braves who have suffered serious injuries within the current season. His absence is expected to have a very negative impact on the team's overall performance.