As we kick off CoSIDA Membership Recognition Week (Nov. 7-14), CoSIDA second vice-president
Rob Knox 
wrote an inspiring blog post on CoSIDA Connect, which we are sharing here.
Knox serves as the associate director of athletics media relations at Towson University. He also oversees the 2017 CoSIDA convention programming committee and the work of that committee in developing sessions and panels for the annual convention which takes place this June at the Marriott World Center in Orlando (June 11-14). In his role as a CoSIDA officer, he also is the organization's liaison to Black College Sports Information Director's Association (BCSIDA) and to the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA).
by Rob Knox, Towson University Associate Director of Athletics Media Relations
CoSIDA 2nd Vice President
| WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT BEING AN ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS PROFESSIONAL |
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"Having the opportunity to connect with such amazing student-athletes and help enhance their experience is so rewarding. It is so rewarding to see these student-athletes come in as young adults, and seeing them transform through the years and graduate as men and women four years later. When a student returns to campus after graduating, there is nothing better than having the opportunity to catch up, and see how much they have accomplished as productive members of our society."
- Division I athletic communicator in the America East Conference
"I believe never losing sight of our primary responsibility - the student-athletes - is the most important part of an athletic communicator's role. We are here to be advocates for them, to tell their stories and celebrate their accomplishments in the classroom, on the playing field and in life in general. The best part of our job is the relationships we build with these young adults. I cherish the opportunity to mentor them and be a positive role model as they step out into the real world."
- NAIA athletics communicator
"Being a part of any student-athlete's story is an accomplishment. Meaningful falls incredibly short in describing how that feels. I am so blessed they trust me enough to share in this experience with them. How we live our lives in public and private matters. We can get so caught up in trying remain a professional distance away from the programs we cover but we have to remind ourselves that the teams are comprised of young people still trying to figure out life."
- Division I athletic communicator in the Ohio Valley Conference
"This profession has given me an opportunity to travel extensively, interact with people around the world, and learn something new every day. My advice to younger members in the profession is not to lose the personal touch. A quick email can never replace the kind gesture of making a phone call or writing a personal note."
- Division I athletic communicator in the Colonial Athletic Association
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It's finally here.
I feel like the Pointer Sisters as "I am so excited and I just can't hide it."
By now, you should have seen the promos for CoSIDA Membership Recognition Week, which is set to begin Monday, Nov. 7 and last through Sunday, Nov. 13.
During this time, there's lots of wonderful things planned such as running special features and photos of CoSIDA members all week on our
CoSIDA.com,
@CoSIDAnews and Instagram platforms.
In addition, a series of letters in support of CoSIDA members have been mailed to ADs and conference commissioners, and there will be acknowledgment of athletic communications on national, regional and local cable sports TV broadcasts. There's also a social media campaign around the hashtag #thankyourSID.
The purpose and goals of the weeklong acknowledgement is a demonstration of appreciation for athletic communication and sports information directors, to showcase their efforts and accomplishments, and to bring positive recognition to them and to their work in promoting student-athletes and their institutions/conferences.
While we prefer to stay anonymous and out of the spotlight, this week is dedicated to everybody behind the scenes. It's important that others recognize the outstanding job that everybody does in our hectic and fun profession. We all need a little love from time to time.
So take a bow and allow your colleagues, co-workers, and student-athletes to salute you for a job well done. I've witnessed athletic departments scramble without the presence of an athletic communicator. Clearly, we are valuable in many ways.
The concept started with a mention by Will Roleson on a CoSIDA Board Call last October, continued with an initial phone call between myself and Will while I was sitting in a Richmond, Virginia hotel room, and gained steam with a dedicated committee during numerous conference calls throughout the last nine months.
Being part of this fantastic committee that includes Sam Atkinson (Gallaudet University, Board member); Jeff Bernstein (NYU); Chevonne Mansfield (American Athletic Conference, former Board member); Chris Masters (Big Ten Conference, former Board member); CoSIDA staffers Doug Vance (Executive Director), Barb Kowal (Director of External Affairs), Laurie Bollig (Director of Membership Engagement) and Roleson while working on recognition activities for our membership has inspired me. Being part of something for a great cause for our membership for the first time means a lot.
Not that I have ever relied on others to determine my levels of satisfaction, but being able to interview some of my fabulous colleagues and write feature stories on them, I found myself recently with lots of additional energy.
This is the best profession in the world. It can be draining at times with the volume of work, rapidly evolving technology challenging us, and demanding coaches. Those minor inconveniences pale in comparison to the wonderful opportunity we have to be the voices of record for our athletic departments when milestones, monumental upsets, magical moments, and significant accomplishments occur.
It's also fun to be able to email, call, and text a colleague with a joke, an inspiring word, listening ear, and/or a hearty hello. Furthermore, it's personally rewarding to have input into your department's overall athletic strategic plan, values, mission and purpose. We also make lifelong friends and have an impact on our student-athletes we serve no matter where we work.
So here's my big thank you to everybody in our membership for all the terrific work, long hours you spend in the office, in hotels, in press boxes, and on buses, and most of all being excellent ambassadors for our student-athletes. Enjoy the week and allow yourself to be recognized for a moment.
To the right, read some of the sample comments I received from four of the six awesome athletic communicators I was blessed to chat with over the last three weeks. Their stories will be shared throughout the week on CoSIDA.com.