This is the next profile Q and A in a series entitled
Communicators Outside the Lines: Better Yourself, Better Your Community produced by the CoSIDA Goodwill & Wellness Committee. Read past profiles at
CoSIDA.com/CommunicatorsOTL.
HAVE IDEAS OR MEMBERS TO NOMINATE FOR THIS SERIES?
If you have any ideas for this series, which will revolve around CoSIDA member volunteerism and health and wellness, please contact Goodwill and Wellness Committee chair
Chris Mitchell, Washington University in St. Louis Assistant AD for Communications, at (618) 560-9280 or
mitchell@wustl.edu.
Q&A with Justin Jarrett
Sports Information Director / Director of Marketing, South Carolina Beaufort
by Tommy Chasanoff, Sports Information Director, University of the Cumberlands
CoSIDA Goodwill and Wellness Committee Member
Justin Jarrett took a less traditional path to becoming an SID when he joined the athletics department at USCB in November 2011 after a career as a sports reporter and sports editor at The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette. Even less traditional, he's balanced two jobs when he took on the responsibility for a period of time as SID for the Sun Belt Conference. Jarrett expands on how he manages his work-life balance with his many projects, which includes his recent interest in running.
Q. What made you want to pursue a career as an SID and what has been your path to get where you are?
JARRETT: I took a less traditional path to becoming an SID. I was a sports writer and editor at daily newspapers for almost a decade, but I was looking for a change at the same time USCB was looking to hire its first full-time SID, and it was a perfect fit. I had been covering the Sand Sharks since they started athletics and already knew everyone in the department. There was virtually no learning curve for me because I was already doing a lot of the same work. The only major thing I had to learn was StatCrew and DakStats, but I had enough experience scoring games that I was a quick study, and I had a great resource in Michael MacEachern, who was the SID at SCAD at the time and was a huge help.
Q. What is your favorite sports moment since being at USCB?
JARRETT: There have been so many, but the 2012 NAIA World Series baseball team will always be special. That was my first season as the SID, and that team made me fall in love with the idea of doing the things I loved about sports journalism while also being part of the team, so to speak. We hosted the Opening Round that year and had some amazing wins over Faulkner and Union (Tenn.) before beating St. Thomas twice to go to Idaho. The trip to Lewiston was incredible, and I look forward to getting back out there one day soon.
Q. A few years ago you took on additional responsibilities as the SID for the Sun Conference. How did you balance the two jobs?
JARRETT: It wasn’t easy, but I’ve always prided myself on being good at time management. I was fortunate to be able to put together a group of associate SIDs from other schools within the conference who helped carry the load. I absolutely couldn’t have done it without Donnie Smith at Southeastern, Taylor Hodge at Ave Maria, and Kevin Devrient at Keiser. Donnie, in particular, became my right-hand man and was always there to pick up the slack when I was in the weeds.
Q. You have become a very active runner in recent years, what has been your motivation and goals? How do you keep up with it during the hectic sports year?
JARRETT: I was more surprised than anyone when I became a runner. I never enjoyed running growing up and only did it when required to by a coach. But I became uncomfortable with my weight and physical fitness, and I’ve never liked exercise for the sake of exercise. I decided to try the Couch To 5K app and set my mind to trying to run a 5K. That was my only goal. I’m very competitive, though, and quickly found myself pushing to beat PRs every time I ran, whether it was for time or distance. I fell in love with running and have run several 5Ks and 10Ks as well as one half marathon. I was determined not to run the half until I could break the 2-hour mark, and I’m happy to say I finished the Palmetto Bluff Half Marathon in 1:56. There are times of the year when my mileage really slips off because I’m so busy, but I’m usually able to get my kids to school and get in a run before work. It helps when you work in athletics, where it’s acceptable to show up in running clothes and you have a shower in the building.
Q. You just started a new venture, can you tell us a little about it and what made you pursue it?
JARRETT: Before I came to USCB, I was a sports writer and sports editor at The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette newspapers here in the Hilton Head area. Since I left that role in 2011, I’ve seen local sports coverage become a victim of the decline of the newspaper industry, which has been a frustration for me as a sports fan as well as an SID trying to get our news out to the community. After considering it for years, I took the plunge this summer and launched
LowcoSports.com, a website devoted to covering local sports news in the South Carolina Lowcountry. Using my previous contacts in the local sports community and my experience with social media and marketing, I’ve been able to grow the audience quickly and really gain some momentum. I honestly didn’t expect many people to notice until high school football season, but it took off a lot quicker than expected and has been very well-received. It also gives me a great outlet to get USCB athletics news in front of local sports fans who maybe weren’t aware of all the success our student-athletes and teams are enjoying.
Q. With a new school year just beginning what are your goals both professionally and outside of work?
JARRETT: My professional goal for this year is to continue to build the Sand Shark athletics brand and the LowcoSports brand within the community, which really go hand-in-hand. USCB is still in its infancy as a four-year institution and an athletics program, and with a constant influx of new people to the Hilton Head area, it’s a constant challenge to get our name out there. One of my primary focuses at USCB is external marketing and branding, so I’m in charge of overseeing our mascot, Finnegan, which is a great asset for building our brand in the community, as well as our licensing program. Outside of work, I want to continue coaching my son’s soccer and baseball teams and being as active as possible in my kids’ lives. I also hope to run another half marathon and possibly start training for a full marathon.
Q. What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten on work-life balance and what made it so helpful? In turn, what advice could you give?
JARRETT: I don’t know that I can recall a specific piece of advice, but I’m fortunate that my wife keeps me in check when it comes to work-life balance. I have a tendency to be a bit of a workaholic, but she will make me step away and do something else. We are Disney World fanatics and have annual passes to the water parks, so she’s constantly looking for holes in my busy schedule when we can get away. I’m also fortunate to have bosses – AD Quin Monahan and assistant AD Genia Montford – who truly believe that family comes first and are very understanding when it comes to work-life balance. I’m especially busy now with the new venture, so I have to constantly remind myself to take time, whether it’s to play the Wii with my son for a few minutes, read a book to my daughter, or take the kids for a swim. I get a lot of work done after the kids are in bed, which might not be ideal for everyone, but it’s a great way to create more time for when they’re awake.
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