Heading into the last week

I only went into the office for an hour or two on Thursday, but I was able to wrap up most of what I've been working on. All I needed to do was finalize the HTML coding for the Hall of Fame pages and make some edits to what I had completed before.

The two links that I promised last time:

1. Article for wakeforestsports.com about Julie Griffin:
http://wakeforestsports.cstv.com/genrel/120110aab.html

2. Final Hall of Fame page:
http://wakeforestsports.cstv.com/trads/hof-mainpage.html

Until next time!
Calais

Catching Up

Well it has been a VERY long time since I have updated you on what's been going on in Wake Forest Athletics' Media Relations Department! Unfortunately, before Thanksgiving I had a lot going on, so I was unable to go into the office as much as I would have liked. However, I still got a lot done!

First of all, I finished my second to last article for wakeforestsports.com for the semester. It has yet to be posted because we needed to get an 'action shot' of my subject for the website. However, it should be up by the end of today or at most the end of the week. I promise, especially for my Chi O sisters, that this one will be a pleaser!

Second of all, I have finally completed the HTML coding for the hall of fame induction year biography pages. It was fairly simple because I just had to copy and paste depending on what image and bio I was working on. However, it took a long time to do and was extremely monotonous. Glad that's done with.

Third, and finally for now, I built my first ever web page with HTML coding yesterday! I still need to work on it more today and it is nowhere near perfect. However, I am very proud of it because I have never done any real HTML coding before. Everything up until now has been copying and pasting. But my supervisor gave me some hints on what HTML coding material to use for what I wanted to see on the page and I just went with it! The page is going to be the main Hall of Fame page that links to the individual bio pages that I was talking about before. I'll finish working on it today (hopefully) and will link you all to it, along with my recent article, as soon as it's live!

That's all for now!

Calais

Quick Monday

Today was a quick day in the office for me given how many meetings I have. First, I entered in the newly released track and field schedules into the wakeforestsports.com web management interface. It was pretty simple - just a lot of repeatedly entering in Blacksburg, Va. because there will be a lot of track and field events there in the spring of 2011! Then, I wrote a draft for a press release for the 2011 schedule. That also was pretty straight-forward. I'll be interested to see what kind of adjustments my supervisor makes! Hopefully will have more (and something more interesting) soon!

Calais

Another New Article

Didn't go into the office yesterday and won't be in today. However, I did my interview for my newest article on Wednesday and finished it that evening.

You can see the feature (on wakeforestsports.com) here:
http://wakeforestsports.cstv.com/sports/w-soccer/spec-rel/102810aab.html

Mid-Week Update

It's only Wednesday morning, but it's already been an extremely productive week.

First of all, my most recent article for WakeForestSports.com was posted on Monday. You can find it here: http://wakeforestsports.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/102510aaa.html

Second of all, the completely redesigned and rewritten cheer/dance/mascots page on WakeForestSports.com has gone live as well. As you know, I overhauled the entire design, created all of the graphics and rewrote all of the copy for the site. I also created the questionnaires that yielded the information necessary to create a full roster page. I have yet to get individual pictures of each athlete to put on their individual roster page, but otherwise the website is complete. You can find it here: http://wakeforestsports.cstv.com/sports/c-cheer/wake-c-cheer-body.html

Now, I am working on two new stories for the website. Hint, they both have to do with women's soccer. I am interviewing for one today and the other interview is being done via email (perhaps that could be considered another hint). They both should be pretty interesting! Also, I am working on redesigning the Wake Forest Traditions page. It is currently extremely bland with only one picture and very bland links to the new page. Already I have redesigned the front page with a header graphic and snazzy new buttons to link to the other pages. I also rewrote the copy and chose several new pictures for the front page. I started working on a graphic for the new Wake Forest fight song page as well. Hopefully, by the end of today, I will have even more!

Until next time,
Calais

Updates

Yesterday was a very productive day for me in media relations. My supervisor built the new cheer/dance page over the weekend so it was really great to see what it actually looks like! I'm pretty proud of how the graphics turned out especially since that as my first time ever creating a graphic from scratch. I also really like the copy. My supervisor changed it a bit so some of my style has been washed out with more generic, straight-forward writing. That's something I am used to at this point though.

I spent most of my time in the office building the photo galleries that will be featured on the cheer/dance pages. Something that always annoyed me while I was on the team was how outdated all of the photos were on the website. We chose some new pictures for the website itself, but having photo galleries that can easily be updated after any event that the cheer/dance teams appear it will definitely help in keeping the page current. I think that cheer/dance alumni and current members will appreciate that change to the old page.

I'm sure that there will be more for me to do with the website in the future, but I'm happy that it's slowing down so I can focus more on my writing. I'm finally going to interview some people for my next feature for wakeforestsports.com tomorrow. I actually need to draw up questions for that so I should probably go!

More updates soon,
Calais

Week Round-Up

I was unable to go into the office on Tuesday because of midterms. However, on Wednesday I was able to help the media relations team with the basketball media day. It was held in the practice gym and there were only a handful of reporters there to interview the team. My job was to help another intern interview players for the magazines that media relations distributes on game days. The interviews had set questions about each players' basketball journey, so they were very easy to do. It was definitely intimidating though - those are some TALL young men!

On Thursday, I went into the office for a few hours to finish up my graphics for the new cheer and dance website. I finished the header graphic and I'm really excited about it! It looks very modern, exciting and relevant to cheer and dance. I also built the buttons that we'll need to link the other pages (rosters, photo galleries, etc.) to the main page.

Once I finished working on the graphics, I spent some time writing a brief history of the demon deacon mascot for the new mascot page. It was fairly easy to do because I was able to use past stories written for wakeforestsports.com that documented the history. The challenge however was figuring out what really needed to be in the copy. I didn't want it to be ridiculously long because then people wouldn't read it. However, I also didn't want to cut out key actors in the history of the demon deacon. I think I found a pretty good balance though! You can be the judge when the website goes up in coming weeks.

Now, I need to get to work on my next feature for the website. Hint: It's about baseball, but with a twist. Let's just say that, in terms of research, I have my work cut out for me.

Will update soon!
Calais

Tying Loose Ends & Learning Some PhotoShop

Today was a very productive day for me in my internship. I finally got an official copy of the roster for the cheer and dance teams so I could complete my new and improved roster for wakeforestsports.com. I believe I explained earlier on that I have been asked to redesign and rewrite the cheer/dance page for the website. The first step was updating the roster with the most recent list of athletes. I had initially just asked the teams to fill out a questionnaire that asked them about where they're from, their cheer/dance experience, etc., but then I realized that not everyone had filled one out. I didn't want to publish the roster without having everyone on there, so I was waiting for the official roster from the head coach. He sent it to me over the weekend, so today I was able to make sure I had everyone included.

Once I finished the roster, I wrote a quick staff bio for the website, then started working on the actual new cheer/dance page. I am not too keen on web design, but I am avid in-class doodler. So coming up with a layout and general look for the new front page was not too difficult for me. I had already come up with a plan for the page so today I started working on the header graphic. I used to use Photoshop all the time, but ever since I got my Mac five years ago, I have not needed anything more than iPhoto to edit my photographs. For some reason I am pretty good at figuring out computer stuff as I go though, so working with Photoshop has not been too difficult yet.

That was pretty much all I worked on today. I need to start researching my next feature story, but given that I have a feature to write for the Old Gold and Black by Sunday, I am hoping to start that one next week.

I'll keep you updated!
Calais

Catching up.

Once again, I have failed to keep my blog updated.

A lot has been going on lately though! I have finished my third feature for wakeforestsports.com and it's going up on the website tomorrow. It was about a sophomore golfer named Evan Beck who is from Virginia Beach, Va. The article touches on things from Virginia golf to how Beck's season has gone so far. It isn't the most thrilling article in the world, but it's a lot shorter than the last one and has a few random, fun stats and historical facts thrown in.

The major project that I am working on right now is revitalizing the cheerleading/dance/mascot website. It's actually kind of interesting to do given that I was on the dance team and remember what qualms I had with the site when I was a part of it. My supervisor has given me a lot of freedom with the project, so I've been able to completely design and write everything for the page.

The first step was redesigning. I had to come up with a new format for how I wanted the content to be shown and the pages to be set up and linked together. Once I figured that out, I went through the office server and found as many recent pictures of the teams as possible for the new photo gallery that we're going to have on the site. Then, I drafted a questionnaire that I distributed to the cheer and dance teams for their members to fill out. Once they were filled out, I typed up all of the information and created the brand new roster for the web page. Before, the only information given about each member of the teams was basic like their hometown and their major. Now, each athlete will have their own individual page that lists their cheer/dance experience, career goals, etc.

I'm really excited to see how the web page turns out. I'm waiting now for an official roster from the coach so that I can make sure everyone is included and that all names are spelled correctly. Once, that's done, we just have design all of the graphics for the page and then we can get the ball rolling!

I won't be going into the office any more this week because I want to attend a PR workshop that interferes with my internship schedule. However, I'll be back next week with lots of more info on the website and some updates on my next feature topic.

Until next time,
Calais

An Aside

I have always found sports commentary in broadcast journalism to be extremely frustrating. At the beginning of a game, Quarterback A is the knight in shining armor who has yet to tarnish the golden image of his team. Then, by halftime, Quarterback B has risen from the ashes like a phoenix and proven that Quarterback A is all style and no passion. But at the end of the game, when Quarterback A’s team wins, Quarterback B just didn’t bring enough to the table to outshine Quarterback A’s Hail Mary’s and trick plays. Quarterback B has lived out the rise and fall of his career in one game. Quarterback A is still infallible… except for the hour in the middle of the game when the announcers decided that they would take a hiatus from the bandwagon.

As an avid sports fan and lover of broadcast journalism, I find the fickle banter of analysts and color commentators to be irritating because the men in suits fail to hold players accountable in the long run. I know they can’t necessarily help it, as they have to address every play at a time and match their verbiage to the flow of the game. However, if I hear one more time that a certain wide receiver “IS BACK!!!!” because of a great touchdown that came five minutes after one of the most embarrassing fumbles of his career, I’m going to start sending hate mail.

Another Week in Review

I can't believe that I failed to blog this week! Life has been very busy though.

I did a lot of different things this week in media relations. I worked a lot on writing bio updates for the baseball and track pages on wakeforestsports.com. That was pretty challenging because it required that I familiarize myself with the terminology of sports that I had never really had to write about before.

I also finally finished my second article for wakeforestsports.com, which can be found at the below link. I'm not as proud of this article for some reason. I struggled to figure out how to put all of the information that the subject had given me into an interesting format. I also found it difficult to stylize the article because I was so focused on getting the information into it. It turned out alright though! I'm still waiting for my next assignment, but I'm pretty sure this one will be someone involved in golf. Luckily, I am more familiar with golf than javelin and baseball.

Until next time,
Calais

Week in Review

On Tuesday I didn't go into the office because I went to see John Grisham participate in a panel at Wait Chapel.

On Wednesday I started writing the updates for the women's track team bios for the website. They ended up taking a VERY long time, as we have a very talented group of athletes! However, I was able to finish all of the women by Thursday. I also interviewed my subject for my next feature for the website on Wednesday. He (there's a hint!) was incredibly nice and so easy to talk to. Still haven't quite figured out my angle for the piece yet, but I'm sure something will come to mind once I transcribe his quotes. On Thursday I spent the entire time finishing up those track bios and then I did not go in today.

Wake is playing football at Stanford tomorrow night so be sure to tune in and cheer on our demon deacons!

Until next week,
Calais

Short, but Sweet

Today, I was only in the media relations office for an hour. One of the people in the department is having me work on writing bios for the new members of the track and field team. It's pretty easy to do because the athletes filled out questionnaires similar to those that I used to write the staff/administrator bios earlier on in the semester. This format is different though; the athlete bios aren't really in complete sentences.

Once I finished working on those, I was done for the day. I am going to start updating the old team members' bios with stats and information from last year as soon as we get an updated roster from the coach.

Yesterday I took some time to come up with some questions for the subject of my next feature for wakeforestsports.com. He's a pretty interesting guy so it wasn't too difficult to do.

Until next time,
Calais

Wake vs. Duke

So as I mentioned before, I had the opportunity to assist the media relations department in their game day operations for the Wake vs. Duke game this weekend.

I first arrived at the stadium at approximately 9:45 a.m. and headed up to the press box on the 6th floor of Deacon Tower at BB&T Field. I'm not quite sure why my supervisors had me get there that early because in all honesty, I just sat there killing time and watching ESPN Game Day until kick-off. Once it got closer to game time, I went up on the camera deck on the top of Deacon Tower to watch the pre-game show and the special fly-over that they had. I then sprinted back down to the press box to help one of the media relations people take account of 'participation'. 'Participation' is all of the players that make it onto the field during the game. The hardest part about that was being able to see the numbers on the jerseys from all the way up in the box every time a new player came onto the field. It was a very short task though because, after all of the different teams (offensive, defensive, special teams, kick-off, etc.) make it onto the field once, the players that are participating don't really change.

My next responsibility was to write short play-by-play recaps of all successful touchdown drives. Considering that the game ended up being the 2nd highest scoring game in ACC history (the final score was 54-48), giving short recaps of every touch down as actually a hefty task. I have put my play-by-play below for anyone who is interested in how each of the touchdowns, both by Wake and Duke, were achieved... or if you just want to see my attempt at football writing!

I pretty much did the touchdown recaps for the rest of the game without much else to worry about. I did have to keep tabs on participation just in case new players made it out onto the field, but that was very rare.

Once the game was over, I rushed down to the media room in Bridger Field House to prepare for Jim Grobe's post-game press conference. I had already set up the tripod before the game, so it wasn't too difficult to set up. The only issue was that I had approximately 10-15 minutes to get down to the Field House with the elevators for Deacon Tower being hogged by the rest of the patrons in the tower. I definitely do not recommend trying to sprint through a crowd, with a video camera bag, on a rainy day. Definitely risked some lives (including my own) in pursuit of the media room.

My job during the press conference was just to man the video camera so that media relations could post the footage (and quotes) as soon as possible after the presser's completion. The presser lasted about 15 minutes and Grobe answered the questions with humor, eloquence and thought. I was very impressed with his ability to answer the reporters in a way that suggested both humility and pride.

Once the presser was over, I made my way back up to the press box to hand off the footage I had gotten then finished writing my touchdown recaps. Once I finished doing that, everyone else had attacked the other post-game tasks (like transcribing player interview quotes and crunching stats numbers), so I was able to go home.

Parts of me had missed the tailgating and being a real student at the game, but considering the bad weather (it rained the whole time) and how awesome the experience was, I know that it was all worth it. My time in the press box actually made me realized that football is definitely where I want to be (ideally) if I pursue a career in sports media relations. I just get much more into it than I do any other of the big three sports and I can see myself being passionate about it forever. Though I am definitely going to have to work on abiding by the 'no cheering in the press box' rule. I definitely ran the risk of getting kicked out a few times.

This week, I will be working on writing my next feature story for the website about the VERY exciting individual I mentioned in my last post. I'll keep you updated if anything notable happens when I go into the office tomorrow!

Until then,
Calais


Game Day Play Breakdowns

Within the first three minutes of the first quarter, the Deacons drove into Blue Devil territory with several short passing plays before Ted Stachitas faked the option and ran 23 yards untouched into the end zone.

Duke scored with 7:37 left in the quarter after two short running plays from Desmond Scott and a 12-yard pass to Vernon left the Blue Devils at first and goal on the Deacons’ 8-yard line. A quarterback draw by Brandon Connette brought the Blue Devils to second and goal at the Deacons’ 4-yard line before Connette faked the hand-off, broke a tackle at the two and ran for the touchdown.

Duke brought the score to 14-7 with 3:26 left in the quarter after Sean Renfree went five-for-five for 68 yards, landing Duke on Wake’s 10-yard line. Connette then took over for a play before Renfree returned to the field to throw a 6-yard pass to Cooper Helfet in the end zone for the touchdown.

Wake brought the score to 14-14 at the beginning of the second quarter when Chris Givens picked up the Duke punter’s dropped snap and ran 18 yards uninterrupted into the end zone.

The Deacons embarked on their third successful drive to the end zone after Hunter Haynes tipped off Donovan Varner’s pass at the Deacons’ 17-yard-line and Alex Frye intercepted the pass. Tanner Price continued the drive with a career-high 48-yard pass and subsequent 15-yard pass, both completed by Givens, leaving Wake on Duke’s 13-yard line. Price then faked off to the left, bringing the Deacs to Duke’s 1-yard line, before taking the ball into the end zone on a quarterback sneak.

The Blue Devils tied the game once again at 21-21 after a 23-yard return by Juwan Thompson brought Duke to Wake’s 30 yard line.

Wake Forest brought the score to 28-21 with 7:39 left in the half after Stachitas pitched the ball to Marshall Williams, who threw an 81-yard pass completed by Givens for the touchdown. Williams’ pass was the longest touchdown pass by Wake Forest in BB&T Field history and third longest in Wake Forest football history. This is also the first time that Wake Forest has ever had two passing plays over 80 yards in a season, with the first one being Devon Brown’s 85-yard catch during the fourth quarter of Wake’s winning game against Presbyterian College on Sept. 2.

Wake Forest scored once again on a two-play scoring drive that began when Frye intercepted a pass intended for Kelly at the 44-yard line and drove the ball 28 yards on the return to Duke’s 16-yard line. A pass from Price completed by Williams brought the score to 35-21 with 5:17 left in the half. The 28 points scored in the second quarter tied Wake Forest’s record for number of points scored in one quarter.

Scott completed Duke’s five-play drive into Deacon territory with a 63-yard touchdown, bringing the score to 35-28 with 2:43 left in the first half.

Duke tied the game at 35-35 after a 31-yard pass completed by Scott at the 13-yard line led to a 13-yard touchdown pass from Renfree to Kelly with 41.3 seconds left in the half.
The Deacons made the first touchdown of the second half after Devon Brown’s 43-yard return on Duke’s punt led to a 38-yard touchdown pass from Tanner Price to Marshall Williams. The Deacon holder mishandled the snap for the field goal attempt leaving the score at 41-35 with 8:12 left in the third quarter.

Duke brought the score to 41-38 with 3:13 left in the third quarter with a 6-play, 11-yard drive that ended with a successful 46-yard field goal by Will Snyderwine.
With 13:58 left in the game, the Deacons completed a 10-play, 73-yard drive to the end zone with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Price to Danny Dembry. The touchdown, which brought the score to 48-38, was the first of Dembry’s career.

Duke completed a 14-play drive into Deacon territory with a successful 38-yard field goal by Snyderwine, bringing the score to 48-41 with 8:45 left in the game.
Wake Forest scored its third touchdown of the half at 2:53 after Chris Givens completed a 19-yard pass to bring the Deacons to first and goal. Devon Brown finished the Deacons’ 13-play, 79-yard drive with a 6-yard run into the end zone. The field goal attempt on the play was unsuccessful due to a bad snap, leaving the score at 54-41.

After a 12-yard return on Popham’s kick, Duke scored the last touchdown of the game with a 51-yard touchdown pass from Renfree to Conner Vernon, leaving the score at 54-48. Wake Forest’s eight touchdowns in the game are the most ever scored by the Demon Deacons at BB&T Field. The combined score of the game, 102, beat the combined score record for BB&T Field by 15 points.

Wake Forest’s win over Duke marks the first time ever in University history that the Deacons have scored over 50 points in two consecutive games. It is the first time since 1990 that the Deacons have scored over 50 points twice in the same season. Wake’s win also marks the second highest scoring game in ACC history, the record being Clemson’s win over Wake Forest 86-14 on October 31, 1981 at Clemson.

Wake Forest will return to action on Saturday, Sept. 18 when it travels to Palo Alto, Calif. to take on Stanford. Kick-off is set for 11:15 p.m. EST. The game will be televised by ESPN 2 and can also be heard on the Wake Forest ISP Sports Radio Network.

Quick Internship Update

Finished writing and posting bios today and received my next feature topic for wakeforestsports.com! This next one is going to be so much fun to write, but I'm not going to lie... my subject is going to be VERY intimidating to interview! Not going to spoil the surprise, but just a hint... he has degrees from Yale, Teacher's College at Columbia College and... oh yes, a JD from Columbia as well.

And I just found out some of what I'll be doing at the game this weekend! I'm still sad that I'll be missing out on all the fun at the tailgates, but I'll be assisting in keeping track of which players play, writing touchdown rundowns (overviews) for the website and possibly writing down quotes during the post-game press conference.

It's going to be a whirlwind day, but I'm looking forward to the experience and the challenge.

Until this weekend!

Calais

Published!

Here is the link to my first feature for wakeforestsports.com:
http://wakeforestsports.cstv.com/sports/m-xc/spec-rel/090810aab.html

It is currently the first story to appear on the home page! So excited that I was able to pull through on the assignment and give my supervisor exactly what he wanted. Plus, it doesn't hurt to have a few bylines floating around the internet.

Yesterday and today were mostly spent entering team schedules for the year in excel so that they could be uploaded to the website for people to download to their outlook calendars. Each individual team has a schedule that can be added to an outlook, for those who just want the tennis schedule or the football schedule. Then there is a master schedule that is sorted by date that can be put into outlook as well; this one has every single male and female sport at wake forest's schedule on it. Kind of a neat concept for super-deacon fans!

I also spent some time today going through the online staff directory to see who doesn't have a bio page. For those that don't have one, I created a page with their headshot and title so that once they fill out their bio questionnaire, I can go in and just enter the information.

I'm going back in tomorrow to finish going through the bios. Not sure what else I will be doing, but word on the street is that I'll be doing some writing this weekend during the football game. I'm sad that I'll be missing out on another fun tailgate, but I definitely wanted to work during at least one game this season and this is the one that fit my schedule/prior obligations the best.

If anything exciting happens tomorrow, I'll let you know!

First Major Internship Project

So, as I have stated in my first few entries, one of the main responsibilities that my new internship supervisor wants me to take on is writing feature stories for the Wake Forest Sports website: www.wakeforestsports.com.

Last week, I sat down with my first subject, a WFU cross-country runner who competes internationally in triathlon. I know a lot of people who compete in triathlons, but I never really knew how the sport worked and how people even know where to go to compete, etc. I learned a lot about it throughout my conversation with my subject and am definitely looking forward to seeing how he performs both in his upcoming race this weekend and in the 2012/2016 Olympics if he qualifies.

The point of this blog entry? To tell you how excited I am that I just finished my first draft! For some reason I had writer's block all weekend and just could not formulate a good angle or format for the story. However, I was finally able to sit down and turn his quotes into prose tonight and I am really looking forward to my supervisor's feedback tomorrow.

I don't want to spoil the excitement by putting the article up just yet! But once it's up on the website, I'll provide the link.

Until then,
Calais

Internship Day 2

Yesterday was another pretty exciting day at my internship in WFU's athletic department. As I said the other day, I wrote about 10 bios for some of the Wake athletic staff that were to be put on the website. When I arrived at the office yesterday, my supervisor gave me a few corrections for the bios then taught me how to upload all of the bios to the website.

Wake's athletic department website is run through Netitor, a web manager that already seems to be easier to use and more efficient than the one that I was using at Turner. (I will never forget the day that the Turner press site manager was down because it was also the day that TWO really important press releases needed to be posted). Anyway, that is neither here nor there. Netitor is extremely simple to use and was also very fast.

First, I uploaded all of the headshots of the individuals whose bios I was creating. Then, with each picture I filled out an information page that included a large block of space for the bio I had written. Once I finished doing all of these, I had to get the links to these bio pages attached to the individuals' names on the staff directory page. This is where the fun began!

My supervisor taught me how to do some basic HTML coding that would allow me to create the aforementioned link for each of the staff bios. I had never done any HTML coding before, but it reminded me a lot of the basic computer programming that we were taught in elementary and middle school. Once I did a few, I got the hang of what needed to be done for each of the staff members so that the correct link would be attached to their name on the staff directory page. I'm really glad I got to learn some basic HTML coding and I hope I get to use it some more. I know that will be practical in the future.

I am not going in for my internship today because the media relations team is over at BB&T field getting set up for the football game against Presbyterian tomorrow. I will be going in tomorrow though to interview a cross-country runner who has been participating and dominating in many international triathlons. I'm excited to get started on writing features for the website; writing feature stories is probably one of my favorite things to do. I'm nervous though because I'm not sure the angle that I should take for this story. Hopefully it will come to me during my interview with this guy!

Until next time,
Calais

Fall Internship: Day 1

For the fall semester, I am going to be interning in the Media Relations division of the WFU Athletic Department. Although I use this blog to talk about an assortment of things, I am going to try to gear it toward all that I am doing and learning throughout this internship.

Today was actually my first day in media relations and I really enjoyed it! My role throughout the semester will mostly be to write feature stories and bios for the website, but I'll also be assisting the Media Relations team at games and may have the chance to photograph some games.

The time that I spent in the Miller Center today was focused on writing bios. My supervisor sent me about 10 or 11 questionnaires that had been filled out by administrative staff members at Bridger Field House. I then went through each questionnaire and reorganized the information into a short, but interesting biography about the individual. Each of the blurbs that I wrote will appear with a photograph of the individual on the Wake Forest sports website: wakeforestsports.com.

I also talked to my supervisor today about the first feature story that I'll be writing for the site. It will be focused on a cross-country runner (who happens to be from the UK - awesome) who competes in triathlons internationally. The central purpose of the story will be to talk about the most recent triathlon that he competed in, which was in Spain.

I am so excited for all that this internship has in store for me. It definitely will not be has high-octane as working for the Knicks or even as the time that I spent at Turner Sports. However, it will allow me to delve deeper into my love for Wake Forest and overall college athletics. I will also be given several more real opportunities to show what I can do and perfect my skills as a writer and as a 'media relations'-er.

Can't wait to keep you informed!
Until next time,
Calais

Goodbye sweet prose

One of the hardest things for me to do is to edit out any sentences from my writing that I find to be utterly beautiful. That sounds really cocky, but anyone who loves to write knows what I mean. For some reason, the words just clicked together without being overblown or unncessary. The only problem with them is that, after other edits, they become irrelevant to the theme of the work. Here are a few lines that I just had to delete out of something I'm working on that I didn't want to let disappear into oblivion:

"But then it happened. I found myself sauntering around the city without having to consult a Tube map. I started saying ‘cheers’ to those who held doors for me and chose tea with milk over coffee when my afternoon slump kicked in. My skin took on an aristocratic pallor that I never would have welcomed in the States and I developed a taste for hearty foods and the weight of a thick, dark beer. And these were only the physical reactions to my time in old Blighty."

If I could go back in time...

...I would tone down the intensity of my previous oil spill freak-out post.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still very upset by it. However, someone in the media has finally stepped out of the echo chamber and looked at the oil spill with a less biased, more practical eye.

See here:
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2007202,00.html

Thoughts?

A Peek Into My Mind

I wrote this a few weeks ago for an advertising agency application. The prompt was "What is your favorite advertisement and why?" There was no question in my mind what I would write about. In fact, if I remember correctly, I was shaking with excitement as I put the emotions and thoughts that I experience while watching this ad onto paper. I know it seems silly, but this ad has probably affected me more than any movie I've ever seen....

My favorite advertisement is the Nike Courage commercial that aired during the 2008 Olympics. Beyond the fact that it was set to one of my favorite songs, "All These Things That I've Done" by the Killers, the commercial captures all of my focus, all of my emotions and all of my interests. I often find myself looking for the ad on YouTube, two years after it initially aired, because unlike most commercials, it reaches beyond 'advertising' by employing some of the subtlest methods of persuasion like catharsis and ethos to create a true desire within the consumer to pursue Nike's product.

The commercial begins with the motivational statement "Everything you need is already inside," thus priming the viewer to feel a rush of possibility and capability as the commercial runs. Then there is a logical progression of images and video clips of objects and people ranging from a blossoming flower and Usain Bolt’s notorious golden shoes to neurons firing in the synapses of an unknown brain and footballer Cristiano Rinaldo taking an apparently preparatory breath. The commercial picks up its pace by showing actions shots of athletic legends winning and losing, children learning to walk, and traffic buzzing on a dark highway – all images that draw the viewer in, begging for their attention by tapping into nostalgia and still the concept of ‘endless possibility’.

The turning point of the commercial, the peak that is most obvious to me because it sends chills up my spine and draws tears to my eyes is the series of images that essentially tells the success story of Lance Armstrong, from weak and dying in a hospital bed, to the slow recovery, to the last leg of one of his many victorious Tour de France appearances. This alone invokes every persuasive strategy that I have ever known and defines the genius of the commercial. They do not use the Nike symbol or a Nike product to engage the viewer. Instead of telling people what to feel and want, the commercial shows them.

The ad continues after the Lance Armstrong bit with a crescendo in the music and acceleration in the pace of the images. Each of the images is different, showing the greatest of victories, the most hollow of defeats, the most sacred of moments in sports history and some beautiful photographs of nature. The entire commercial culminates to a rather diminutive man running on a track to the exact tempo of the music as the words “JUST DO IT” appear in the same fashion that the quotation at the beginning of the commercial appeared. At this point in my viewing experience, I am typically gasping for breath and feel as though I’ve been whipped through a whirlwind of emotion, memory, compassion and ambition. Even now, having just watched this commercial to refresh my memory of why I adore it so much, I feel as though I am Michael Jordon caressing my trophy, I am Lance Armstrong rising like a phoenix from the ashen depths of cancer, I am the young woman barely making it across the finish line. In my mind, that is the beauty of the world of advertising that I long to be a part of. A commercial does not need to be a crafty ploy to grab the desires of the audience. Advertisements have the power and the resources to inspire people, to invoke a feeling of belonging and a desire to be better while also convincing the consumer that the product at hand may just be what they need to fulfill their wildest dreams.

Ring the Alarm: Don't Boycott BP

Hey friends. I realize that I posted something less than 24 hours ago, but that last little diddy only touched on 3 of my 4 favorite topics: food, fashion and sports. The fourth? Well you must not read my blog very often if you don't know what it is.

POLITIC ME.

So I heard a radio DJ mention an upcoming topic on his show as I was pulling into my garage after my afternoon commute. His prompt was "are you boycotting BP because of the oil spill?" At first I was like HELL YEA I AM because it's cool to hate BP and not want to have anything to do with them right now, right? But then I realized that, beyond the fact that I have driven out of the way to find a BP many times in the past five years because I love neon green and yellow, boycotting BP really doesn't make much sense. Sure, we want this company to flounder because, as I detailed two posts ago, BP is predominantly responsible for what is now known as the worst natural disaster in North American history. However, before you start pumping your Lincoln's into Shell and Chevron, let me just point out a few things that may change your approach to hating BP.

1. BP is undergoing some wicked crazy scrutiny right now by everyone from the U.S. government to people who stalk sea turtles during egg-laying season. There is a lot of pressure on the company to not only look at their past and admit their mistakes, but also to prevent anything similar to the current oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico from ever happening again. Considering the number of states, species and industries that the oil spill is affecting, there is no chance that BP will be coddled or overlooked by the government or the people of North America any time soon. Now, after the last time you got in trouble with your mommy, you were probably really careful around her for a while after. Sure, you went about your business of being annoying and childish, but you really paid attention to the thing or things that had gotten you in trouble. So, perhaps BP will start overlooking their internal company policies, maybe they won't have the most up-to-date computers in every office. What they will have however is an unstoppable drive to be the cleanest, safest and most honest oil group in the world. So who would you rather have drilling on your coast line? An oil company that has yet to make a mistake, something that is natural to anything that is man-made? Or an oil company that has made the ultimate mistake, is facing the hefty consequences, and will forever be scarred by the memory of the current disaster in the gulf? I vote the latter.

2. As you know from reading the news or seeing the commercials on television, BP has already launched their claims process for those who have been affected by the oil spill. Eventually BP will have shoveled billions of dollars back into the economy of the states that are on the Gulf and will make up for the havoc it has wreaked on hundreds of local, national and international industries. Now, the last thing that we want to see happen is BP run out of money and no longer be able to pay people the amount of money that they deserve for the problems the oil slick has caused. Sure, the oil execs and countless other individuals who work for BP could shell out some money as soon as it looks like the company is running low, but that would only thicken the red tape and delay the process further because no one will want to give their own money to the oil spill 'victims' - that could be mistaken for taking blame. So where should the money come from? Us. Keep buying gas from BP. Keep pumping money into its treasury. Because you know that the United States government would not let it seep into the pockets of BP executives in unwarranted quantities and the people in the Gulf need you to help BP make amends. I know it's a twisted way of looking at it, but if BP doesn't get money from its consumers, then...well... money doesn't grow in the core of the earth.

3. Speaking of giving your money to BP, do you really want to see this company that provides hundreds of thousands of jobs to people all over the world each year fail? Is it really fair to condemn a company that made a horrible mistake to complete destruction? Sure, what happened is abominable and whomever is responsible for the oversight and bureaucracy that led to the problems with Deepwater Horizon should be exiled from the oil industry. However, BP is more than just one faulty oil rig. It is an international economic turnstile. It is a key resource for every human being, from a soccer mom who drives a mini van to a steel factory worker in Michigan (if there are any left). Reducing demand for something that has already been drilled from the earth and refined into a usable material would be even more wasteful than the oil spill has already been. So help BP help itself. We really are in this whole thing together. Even if it's more fun to point fingers at the men in the expensive suits.

Weekend Thoughts

As yet another weekend in Hotlanta comes to an end, a few thoughts from my heat stroked brain to round-up June and set the tone for July.

1. Baseball games are underrated. I agree with those of you who cannot bear to sit through a televised MLB game or the college world series simply because it just DRAGS. However, try your hand at actually attending a game - even a local minor league game! The combination of easy-to-understand competition and frequent short lulls makes for a great summer outing. Your attention span does not need to be lengthy, there is plenty of food and beer to make you happy and, if the game is at night, it's the best way to make the most of the summer heat without sweating your face off.

2. Speaking of sweating your face off... watching the World Cup in an extremely large group of people is the way to go. Yes, even if the game you intend to watch is at 2 pm on a sunny day in the South... even if you get to the venue where you intend to watch the game 4 hours before the game even starts... and even if said venue is actually an open tent with 100+ too many people surrounding you. Sure, it hurt to watch the U.S. team embark on their journey back toward oblivion for the next four years. However, spending time with complete strangers who are equally, if not significantly more enthusiastic about soccer and/or America than I am made the loss that much more bearable. Plus, Germany trounced England today... consider my wounds licked.

3. Speaking of licking... Atlanta has some of the best food I have ever tasted. Be it goat cheese and mushroom agnalotta from JCT Kitchen or eggs, a biscuit and grits from The Flying Biscuit, my weekend's cuisine was absolutely worth the extra $ and calorie in-take.

4. Speaking of calorie in-take... yeaaa number four has nothing to do with calories. Well it could actually, if you're feeling intellectually ambitious. All I can say is, "well-played Tory Burch. Well played."
These 'Nelson studded open-toe wedge sandals' are perfect in every way. They're Tory Burch, so you know they're well-made. However, they aren't emblazoned with Tory's ensignia to the point of being obnoxious. From afar or to the uneducated passer-by, those studs look like stylish gold discs. Yet, you still get the street-cred from your fashion savvy frenemies when they take note of the fact that your delicious new wedges (which also come in black... talk about practical) are DEE-SIGN-UH.

5. Four just seemed like a weird number to end on. Have a great week!

OIL. From my heart to yours...

So once again, I am compelled to unleash my wrath on an unsuspecting aspect of society. Except this time it probably is suspecting and is definitely more important than Miley Cyrus. SryMilez.

OIL. Three letters that hold the key to wealth. Three letters that inspire trade. Three letters that essentially molded the future of the world when it was discovered that it could be developed into a fuel cheaper than whale oil in the late 19th century.

Oil has catalyzed industries. It has been romanticized in movies and has fed trust funds throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. It has started wars. It has ended them. And now, at quite possibly the worst time in contemporary history that it could possibly happen given the state of international affairs, global trust, environmental health and the world's economy (though there is never actually a good time for such a travesty to occur), the greed, the corner-cutting and the oversight of a multi-billion dollar industry is symbolically bleeding into the one character in human history that has remained constant.

Since man awoke from the garden of life, be it by a Creator's provocation or by a natural evolution of species, our truest friend, the one that has stuck by us, challenged us, scared us, never truly failed us, has been this world itself. Like any good friend this world has allowed us to capitalize on her resources. We have used her many components to network our way through the barriers that had minimalized the possibilities of past centuries. We have discovered elements, we have developed technology, we have learned how to manipulate the environment to further ourselves into new realms of possibility. We have taken much of what our friend has given us without even a second glance. Why? Because she is our friend! Of course she wants to share her mountains so we can break into them and sell their fruits for dreams. Of course she wants us to poke and prod her forests and valleys and streams until we understand her every motion, her every intention. And of course she wants us to drill into the depth of her heart and withdraw the liquid of modern life, the substance that fuels innovation, development and even the most mundane of our daily affairs.

A good friend would not stop you from doing those things. She may warn you that it hurts or is unfair in the subtlest, most discrete ways. She may even reach out and grab you by the neck and beg, beg that you leave her alone. Yet, she would never stop you. So who will stop us? Do we heed her warnings? Do we realize that, like Thomas Friedman warns us, that even a 1% chance that the constant berating and tugging and polluting of our environment could destroy our dear friend, the world, is enough of a chance to act on? Do we watch the blackened tears seer through her cresting waves and dye the feathers of her innocent children and realize that it's a sign? That it's a cry for help? Or do we allow history to continue to repeat itself like any other ignored catastrophe that has failed to be eradicated throughout history like prejudice, tyranny or genocide?

There is no difference between this oil spill and inequality or injustice or mass murder. In fact, this oil spill, or any oil spill, IS inequality, IS injustice and IS mass murder. We have failed to place our world on a pedestal like we do profit, the American dream and technology. We have failed to protect our world through omission; we have ignored her right to be healthy by forgoing extra procedures or reinforcements that could at least distance her from the wretched ambition that plagues her surfaces. We have blindly murdered her lively and her senseless, from the tiniest particles of water that come together to fill our oceans to the largest of creatures that have beached themselves because they just cannot bear the taste of crude anymore. From the young people in classrooms who fail to read about the negative effects of coastal drilling in the newspaper or their textbooks to the lawmakers who refuse journalists access to the death-laden crime scene of their affair with the oil industry... From myself, someone who was completely unaware of how oil rigs in our bodies of water could destroy so much in so little time, to the highest suit in any company that signs off on a new rig without all procedures being followed, all possibilities for security, cleanliness and leak prevention being explored... We are all at fault.

Now as I stand down from my soap box I will have you know that I am the number one advocate of severing our dependence on the Middle East for oil. They have no business having even the smallest bit of control over something that is so integral to daily Western life. Yet, as I witness that black sheet of ruin seep eastward toward the Florida coastline where it will surely be sucked into the Everglades and dragged over to the other side of Florida to the beaches upon which I flourished as a child, I cannot sit silent. I am a victim of my own ignorance, but at least I have realized this while I am still young and motivated enough to take a stand.

Please... Tame her... Somebody??

Every once in a while, a little something happens that compels me to unleash my spoken wrath onto anyone willing to read it... Tonight, it's Miley.

SEE here the music video for her new single "Can't Be Tamed"

The biggest problem that I have with this music video is not even the fact that she is SEVENTEEN years old and appears multiple times throughout the video either straddling a faux bird's nest, pushing away potential molesters or making her best 'satisfaction' face while bedecked in little more than a studded bodice or dark feathers/makeup. No... not even the biggest qualm I have with this artistic excuse for child pornography. And no... it isn't even the fact that I could already visualize the 6th graders who would want to emulate Cyrus' actions and appearance for Halloween 2010. It was the fact that she is the second person in the past week to come out with a music video that is blatantly copied off of the moves, sound and persona of Lady Gaga.

Now, I am all about trends. I wear bejeweled headbands when they're socially acceptable, I tuck my shirts in and belt my high waisted shorts. And yes... I wore butterfly clips. However, art should not be about who can make the best version of what has already been innovated. Lady Gaga either started her own pop/rock/disco revolution or reinvigorated the irony of Queen, the thrill of Madonna and the sexuality of Marilyn Monroe. Yet, no one can say that what she is doing now has obviously been done before, most specifically recently.

Last week Christina Aguilera released the music video for her new single, which looks almost exactly like Lady Gaga's video for Bad Romance. And now Miley Cyrus comes out with a video of people wearing cages on their heads and hitting awkwardly avant-garde poses to eclectic techno rocker beats and she expects us to take her seriously? Sure, the song is your own (no really... keep it Miley... it's yours). However, if you don't listen to Jay Z (which she said she didn't in an interview earlier in the year), then you sure as hell don't know who Fosse is nor do you have any concept of talent, artistry or modernity.

Whoa. I'm sorry. This suddenly got accusatory. Obviously, I am biased against Miley. So, to end this in a constructive way... a few words of wisdom for the train wreck that my children (or niece at least) will follow on Perez Hilton when they're in college...

1. Don't mention your DNA in your songs. You came from the one-hit-wonder who coined the phrase 'achey-breaky heart'. That is not something to brag about.
2. If you got a license at your last birthday and you're going to be a legal adult in you're next birthday, you should not be touching yourself in front of a video camera that will record your inappropriate sexual movements to be broadcasted around the world.
3. Shouldn't you have learned to stop dancing on poles by now?
4. Rihanna called. She wants her costume designer back. Oh... and her faux hawk too.
5. Coordinated thriller-like dance moves in eerie dark outfits in pyramid formations? Michael Jackson is turning in his grave.

Yea... sorry... got biased again. I guess I just can't be tamed.

If I were a color scheme...

So everyone says that college is where you 'find yourself' or studying abroad is how you 'find yourself' or lord almighty you cannot love UNTIL you've 'found yourself'. Well, I can't say that I'll ever find myself, probably because, knowing me, I'm most likely hiding in some unknown abyss in Africa stalking wild cats and begging them to hang out with me. What I can say though is that, over time, we come across things that warm the cockles of our heart, that just click and feel right. Warning, this is as deep as this posting gets...

What makes it feel like there are fireworks in my lungs? Ballerina pink + gold + cream + brown. I am telling you, these colors rock my world, send me to the moon, put a smile on my face, and every other cliché expressing extreme, unwavering delight.

Unfortunately for you, I am too lazy to take a picture on my camera, so my MacBook camera will have to do. Above are some of my oldest and newest additions to my favorite color scheme. We have the "J Lo Wayfarers" as my sister so kindly labelled my RayBan's from the Spring 2009 (I think...). They have a brown faded lens and lightly speckled tortoise shell frame... though it isn't a frame, I just don't know the technical term for the tentacle things that go over your ears. Then, we have the classic J.Crew gold chain necklace from the Fall/Winter 2009. Then we have the long ballerina pink beads from Instant Vintage, in Bath, England. Then, my newest purchase, a toned-down Blair Waldorf meets the Roaring 20's headband with a taupe satin overlay on a metal band and gold and silver jewels, beads and sequins on the flower-shaped panel-of-glory off to the side. Where did this gem come from? None other than TARGET. I don't have any cream to represent here, but I have a favorite top from Anne Taylor Loft that I tend to over-wear simply because it is perfect in every way. It's lovely, especially with these fantastic adornments. Trust me.

As of right now, these are my favorite accessories.... well other than two others that I would just feel guilty bragging about on the internets. Lessons to learn? Or should I say, things that we have found about life?

1. Ballerina pink + gold + cream + browns = perfection.

2. Mixing and matching from seasons and stores = perfection.

3. Me blogging about something other than London = something to get used to.

Society's Hypocrisy as Reflected in Sports

I'm thinking of a more appropriate title for this blog now that I have returned to America, but while my heart remains in London, so will the header of my blog. In the mean time, enjoy my first short paper that I wrote for my COM 370: Sport, Media & Society class. The topic: steroids in baseball.

As the dust settles from one of the more controversial decades in American history, the stench of groundbreaking cultural scandals like the continued revelations of steroid use in baseball continues to linger in the air. When Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell unleashed his 409-page report in 2007, the star-studded world of baseball was violently stripped of its glamour, mystique and professionalism. The likes of Barry Bonds, Miguel Tejada, Andy Pettitte, and most controversially Roger Clemens, were suddenly tarred and feathered on the national stage as their careers became subjects of ridicule and disrespect. Even men like Eric Gagne who had achieved some of the highest accolades in baseball were suddenly labeled as cheaters, if not traitors, by fans and enemies alike. Yet, despite the fact that the illegal use of steroids has been tied to many of the men who have defined modern baseball, I hesitate to believe that steroid use has really “sullied the game,” as former president and former owner of the Texas Rangers, George W. Bush, claimed after the release of the Mitchell Report (ESPN.go.com).

From the most fair-weather fans to Bud Selig himself, no one can deny that there was and basically still is a steroid era in baseball that has involved “the use of steroids and amphetamines” among many Major and Minor League baseball players (Schmidt). However, the fact that steroid use has been so predominant almost reflects the technologically enhanced nature of twenty-first century Western culture. In my opinion, the use of performance-enhancers, drugs or not, has become the norm across the board in society, whether it is a small dose of Ritalin for the easily distracted kindergartener or a less environment-friendly, but more consumer-oriented transatlantic jumbo jet. Unnatural enhancement has become the baseline for how one should judge the talent and expertise of everything and everyone, including the contemporary athlete. Surely it can be argued that the honor and integrity of society, or more specifically in baseball, rely on the praise of the naturally developed perfect player and condemnation of the medically enhanced mammoth on the mound. Yet, isn’t the general theme of those confessions made by Mark McGwire and other steroid-users perfectly reflective of the ambitious, capitalist principles that are found in the very foundations of our country?

Considering the nature of the times, I find the controversy over steroid-use to be mundane and useless. To act surprised that the seemingly superhuman athletes we have watched break records opted to capitalize on the resources at hand is absurd; when you are paid to do something that you are good at and find a way to do it better, to be able to deny yourself the opportunity to be more successful is in complete opposition to the ideals that the American spirit inspires. On top of this argument, we would be fools to assert that steroids are the sole reason why Roger Clemens is known as one of the greatest pitchers of all time and the recently out-ed Mark McGwire broke the home run record in 1998. Arguing that these players’ use of illegal substances is completely responsible for these achievements trivializes the records and legacies of baseball’s most renowned gems like Babe Ruth, who set the home run record in 1927 with 60 home runs in a season, and Roger Maris who hit 61 home runs in 1961 (Foxnews.com).

I do not necessarily believe that those players who have admitted to or been accused of steroid-use should be eligible for the Hall of Fame because, unlike those who have been honored by the organization, they broke a league rule and deceived their fans, coaches and teammates in doing so. In contrast however I do not believe that the media or society should condemn these players’ abilities and skills as athletes or question the integrity of the game of baseball as a whole. Surely news outlets should cover steroid use and allow those, like Mark McGwire, who want to reinvent their public image or pour their hearts out on national television continue to embarrass themselves and their teams by dancing around the fact that they did something illegal. Yet, it is essential for us to recognize that in a society that is tainted with plastic surgery and technology, doing something illegal in the baseball world is not necessarily equivalent to doing something morally wrong in the real world.

Many have tried to forget or ignore that some of the most prominent names in modern baseball have been accused of using and abusing performance-enhancing drugs. However, it seems as though every month there is a new player and a new legacy that reveal themselves to be flawed, reminding us that the ‘steroid era’ may take just as long to end as it did to become the most condemned period in the history of one of America’s greatest pastimes. So for the sake of our own sanity, the viability of the MLB and the legacies of baseball heroes past, perhaps we should consider the steroid era to be more of a phase that is reflective of an overarching superficial society rather than an overall athletic depression. Steroids or not, genius has been witnessed and amazing has occurred on diamonds across the country and around the world in the past two decades. We should recognize that performance-enhancing drugs have been a factor, but we must never assert that it has been a sole determinant.

Works Cited

"Mark McGwire's Steroid Use Tarnishes Home Run Record - Sports Medicine /Orthopedics - FOXNews.com." Breaking News | Latest News | Current News -FOXNews.com. 12 Jan. 2010. Web. 16 Jan. 2010. .

"Mitchell report: Baseball slow to react to players' steroid use - MLB - ESPN." ESPN:The Worldwide Leader In Sports. 14 Dec. 2007. Web. 16 Jan. 2010. .

Schmidt, Michael S. "Sports of The Times - Regarding Steroids, Baseball Should Keep Talking About the Past - NYTimes.com." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 11 Apr. 2009. Web. 16 Jan. 2010. .