In the Q&A below, two recent CoSIDA Scholarship recipients -
Jim Rodriguez and
Andrew Middleman, both Baldwin-Wallace College (Berea, Ohio) graduates, reflect on receiving the Fred Nuesch-Dave Wohlhueter Undergraduate Scholarship and what it meant to them to be selected. They also offer a perspective on their start as athletic communications professionals.
Rodriguez and Middleman both offer great tips for young professionals, particularly those who are looking to break into our profession.
Middleman is in his first year as communications assistant for the Discover Orange Bowl after serving an internship with the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) last year. He graduated from Baldwin-Wallace in 2009. Rodriguez is a senior at B-W, working his fourth year in the sports information office. He also has interned with the Mid-American Conference (MAC). A sport management and business administration major, Rodriguez plans to pursue a Master’s degree and a career in college athletics following graduation this spring.
Nominations for the 2010-11 CoSIDA Scholarship program are underway. CoSIDA offers undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships to deserving students who are working in athletic media relations/sports information offices and who are intent on pursuing a career in intercollegiate athletic communications. In addition, one media relations/sports information office annually receives a $10,000 grant to establish a graduate assistantship (guidelines apply). Please refer to the link above for more information on the scholarships, the nomination forms and 2010-11 deadlines (in April and May for these grants).
Q&A with Jim Rodriguez & Andrew Middleman
On being chosen as CoSIDA Fred Nuesch-Dave Wohlhueter Undergraduate Scholarship recipients ...
JR: It was a real honor for me to learn that I had been selected as a recipient of the 2010-11 CoSIDA undergraduate scholarship during the summer before my senior year at Baldwin-Wallace College. I remember being a little surprised to see a New York phone number I didn’t recognize appear on my cell phone, but it ended up being (Senior Associate Athletics Director for Communications and CoSIDA Scholarship Committee member) Mark Fratto at St. John’s on the other line to deliver the good news.
AM: I came into the office one morning in mid-June with a phone call already on hold from [Old Dominion University SID and Scholarship Committee Chair] Carol Hudson with the news. When he told me, I remember saying something like, “I’ve been waiting for your phone call for a few weeks.” It was really exciting because I knew [Baldwin-Wallace College SID Kevin] Ruple would take me to the CoSIDA convention, which was in Tampa. It was 2008.
JR: I was proud to be recognized at the annual CoSIDA Convention in San Francisco and grateful to have the opportunity to represent B-W. Personally, being the second B-W student to win the award meant the most to me because you are someone who I learned a lot from as an underclassman, and to be able to follow that example was special.
AM: I definitely felt proud of myself to be selected because I felt confident that I had a strong résumé to support my candidacy, but of course didn’t know how all the other applicants shaped out. At the same time, I wasn’t so much proud of winning as I was to carry on the tradition that Kevin (Ruple) started, with teaching and molding his student assistants to be solid SIDs. I had – and still have -- a certain feeling of camaraderie, to be one of the 20-something odd former B-W guys that are currently in the media relations field.
JR: Yeah, I mean the first time I met some of “Rupe’s” former guys at CoSIDA, there was an immediate connection and it was easy to relate to them because they were once in my shoes as an undergraduate at B-W. It was great to hear some of their stories about the office and working events with Kevin during their time at B-W and how some things have changed, but others haven’t.
AM: When I started at B-W, I had aspirations of becoming a play-by-play or color commentator on radio or television, so I started working at the campus radio station, WBWC. My freshman year I got to call a few football and basketball games on the air. Then came the summer, and I thought I should contact Ruple because I thought working in the sports information office would help me along that career path. Then, as my sophomore year ended and I decided to spend the summer at school and continue to work in the sports information office, I really started to think seriously about media relations as a career.
JR: I knew I wanted to be involved in athletics, but I just wasn’t sure how. I was fortunate to be able to jump in and start working in the sports information department with Kevin as a freshman. After my first two years went by, I began to take more interest in learning about becoming an SID. He gave me the platform to learn and the opportunities to succeed. I was able to work on different projects in the office, experience the game management process of all of B-W’s varsity sports and eventually take more of a leadership role as a student assistant during the past two years. For example, last year hosting both the NCAA Division III Cross Country and Outdoor Track & Field Championships, I worked directly with [former B-W assistant SID and current Case Western Reserve SID] Nick [Minerd] on the B-W championship websites from creating event recap pages, to posting photography, video interviews, results and features.
AM: As much as the scholarship money helped, just being able to list that on my résumé proved to be invaluable. When I went to the convention in Tampa, Kevin introduced me to Steve Shutt, who is currently at Wake Forest. He was telling me how he hired about five or six former B-W guys who worked under Ruple, including Gary Petit, who is at Wake Forest as well. I kept in touch with Steve over the course of my senior year at B-W, and he was the one who called Brian Morrison at the Atlantic Coast Conference to recommend that he interview me for the ACC’s media relations internship. About six weeks later I moved to Greensboro, N.C. and began a year-long internship at the ACC. So the scholarship led to the convention, which led to me meeting Steve, which led to the ACC.
Having been able to see how a major intercollegiate athletic conference operates on a day-to-day basis and take part in high-profile events like the Dr Pepper ACC Championship Game and men’s basketball tournament really secured in my heart that I want to pursue a career in intercollegiate athletics. When this opportunity with the Orange Bowl Committee presented itself, I knew it was because of the relationship that the Discover Orange Bowl and ACC have, as well as the work that I did there. Everything over the last two or three years paid off because I felt like working for a Bowl Championship Series game was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
JR: I had an outstanding experience at the 2010 convention in San Francisco. Learning more about the field, the CoSIDA organization and meeting professionals in the industry was an invaluable experience. I enjoyed traveling to California for the first time and having the opportunity to attend some great speakers and workshops. I especially liked meeting and interacting with some of the former B-W student assistants who are now successful media relations professionals like Shamus McKnight at Nebraska, Frank Kay at Raycom Sports, Thomas Dick at Texas and Jamie Hall at Youngstown State.
I was able to build on my experiences at Baldwin-Wallace and at the convention with an internship over the summer at the Mid-American Conference office working with Ken Mather and his staff in the media relations department. When I earned the scholarship, it really confirmed my desire to pursue sports information as a career. Not only did it make me realize that I can achieve and become successful in the athletic communications field, but it also has given me an added confidence as a leader both in the classroom and in the SID office. This year during the busy fall sports season at B-W, I had the confidence and knowledge to be able to step in and take an expanded role in the office during the search period for a new Assistant SID. While it wasn’t easy at times, I know that having that experience as a student will be beneficial to me in the future.
AM: I think that is more of a testament to the type of “shop” Kevin runs, when a student can take over and fill in as, more or less, a full-time assistant, and run events on his or her own. Having that scholarship to my name is important to me, just like it is, I’m sure, to you. But I think it says a little more about Kevin and Baldwin-Wallace than it does us as individuals.
JR: I especially appreciate the special opportunity I have at a place like B-W and those who made it possible. In addition to Rupes I have been fortunate enough to work with some other great individuals, including some former student assistants who were not as interested in sports information as a career, as well the three full-time assistants I’ve been able to work with in Jeff Miller, Nick Minerd and [current Thomas More SID] Cory Blackson.
AM: Working with the other SIDs in the Ohio Athletic Conference has been pretty special, too. I would be hard-pressed to find another conference – Division I, II, III, NAIA, it doesn’t matter – that can boast the type of camaraderie and teamwork the SIDs in the OAC have built over the years. Actually, at the convention in 2008, Ruple was inducted into the Hall of Fame and Danny May from Marietta was recognized because he, one of his students and their on-campus graphic artist designed the new CoSIDA logo. The OAC racked up three awards at a single convention, so there ya go.
JR: I couldn’t agree more. I’m really grateful that earning this scholarship has helped with some of my educational expenses and I think it’s pretty great that CoSIDA recognizes the role that student assistants play in nearly all media relations offices around the country.
JR: Here are a couple of my tips for students looking to get involved in athletic communications:
1. Volunteer.
No matter what area of sports you are looking to get into, supplementing the classroom knowledge with practical experience is vital. It probably won’t be paid, but just gaining experience in different areas, meeting people and finding out what you like and don’t like will be worth it in the future.
2. Read
It might sound obvious, but reading really helps your skills as a writer. Reading the sports section of the
Cleveland Plain Dealer was something I did every morning before school growing up because I wanted to be like my dad. But really, I think reading those columns and game recaps and looking at the box scores and statistics is what initially sparked my interest in sports media. Today, I try to read a variety of online sports websites and still take the time to look at the traditional papers like the
Plains Dealer and
USA Today to get a range of different views and stories and even some ideas to incorporate into my own writing.
3. Take a writing/speaking class
Most everyone has to take an introductory college writing or public speaking class, but if you can take an advanced class in creative writing or even a class on professional presentations, give it a shot. It might be some work and some of the assignments may take you out of your comfort zone at times, but you will see the benefits, especially in other classes. One of the best classes I took at B-W was business communications because it challenged me to critically look at my own writing and presentation skills and all of the assignments had practical real-world applications.
AM: To add to that, here are mine:
1. Make mistakes
Obviously, don’t try to make mistakes, but certainly don’t be afraid to make them. I would estimate that 80 percent of what I learned about media relations and/or media operations at events I learned because I made a mistake. There were a ton of times when I made a mistake, learned from it, then actually learned about something else, almost by accident. A lot of good can come from a mistake, so embrace them. One of my sayings I’ve heard a million times is, “When you start being perfect, let me know so you can pick my lottery numbers.”
2. Be efficient
Find a way you like to do things, anything really…it could be organizing credentials, drafting a press release, etc., but find a comfort zone in which you like to do it, then find a better way. Time always matters in this business, so when you can complete a particular task better than you did before and in less time, that always helps.
3. Build a relationship
Having a mentor in the field is a huge plus. Find someone you can look up to both professionally and personally and forge a relationship with that person. Get to know that person, his/her background, career path, family, etc. Ninety-nine percent of the world looks inward in conversation, meaning they hear what the other person is saying, but really thinking about what they’re going to say next. Build a relationship with someone by listening to, rather than hearing, someone.
The landscape of intercollegiate athletics as a business is an enormous spider web of connections between professionals. That relationship will help you grow, both from a professional standpoint and, more importantly, on a personal level.
4. Please yourself
Media relations folks have a ton on constituency groups as their stakeholders: student-athletes, coaches, additional support staff, parents, athletic directors, media etc. It’s impossible to do your job and please everyone. Of course, some of those groups take precedence over others and you have to prioritize, but the only person you need to please 100 percent of the time is yourself [and probably your AD, too]. Do the job the right way so that when you go home in the evening you can feel satisfied within yourself about the work you put in because rarely, if ever, will all those stakeholders be pleased with you at the same time.