With joining The Foothill Dragon Press, I had little experience when it came to journalism, even less when it came to being a sports reporter. But I like sports and I play a sport so I didn’t really think it would be that hard.
I had a great plan of going to a Ventura football game with Nelly Figueroa, my sports co-editor, and writing about the atmosphere of a Friday night football game that not a lot of Foothill kids get to experience. It was going to be fun and a good story for The Dragon Press.
If only I had known what not to do as a sports reporter. Here are some of the mistakes I made:
First thing to not do when being a sports reporter: Treat the game as a social outing. I made the mistake of going to the football game with a “hang out” attitude in mind. Instead of watching the game I talked with people, laughed at the middle school kids trying to look “cool” and just had an overall good time. Not good research when you have a story to write.
Second: Come completely unprepared. No camera for pictures. No notebook for notes. If you asked me about the game, the only thing I could tell you is what song the dance team performed to.
Third: Leave the game early. It was the start of the third quarter, and Ventura was ahead by a good twenty points. I was getting cold, hungry and tired. I convinced Nelly that it was a good time to leave and that I got all I needed for my story. The next morning my parents asked me how the game was, I replied with a simple “Good, they won!” My parents only laughed when they showed me the paper and I read how Camarillo had an incredible comeback and beat Ventura.
To be honest, I felt pretty bad. Here I was calling myself a “sports reporter,” and I didn’t even stay for the whole game. Imagine how good of a story I would have had if I stayed and witnessed the incredible comeback Camarillo had.
I learned my lesson of being a sports reporter: you can have fun at games but must remember the priority is what happens on the field, not in the bleachers.
Photo: Inga Dahlsedt holding her press pass. Photo by David Seemiller, The Foothill Dragon Press.
