College Sports Information Directors of America

Related Content
CoSIDA.com/ThankYourSID

---

This feature is part of our series of profiles showcasing members throughout the CoSIDA membership during the celebration of CoSIDA Membership Recognition Week for 2018. See more features at CoSIDA.com/ThankYourSID.


Meredith Rieder – Duke University Associate Sports Information Director
by Lindy Brown, Duke University Senior Associate Sports Information Director
 

Meredith Rieder joined the Blue Devil communications staff in August of 2008 and holds the title of Associate Director of Sports Information. She is the primary contact for men’s lacrosse, men’s soccer and wrestling. Prior to moving to the mid-south, Rieder started her SID career in the upper New York state where she served at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and Colgate University.

Rieder is a former accomplished NCAA Division III women’s soccer scholar-athlete at Denison. A 2002 cum laude graduate with degrees in with a degree in communication and French, she earned All-America soccer honors as a senior. She led Denison to four consecutive NCAA national championship appearances and was a four-time All-Region selection.

A member of CoSIDA’s Academic All-America® Committee, Rieder also is involved in the Girls On The Run of the Triangle organization, an active character development program for girls third through eighth grade that combines running and physical activity with important life lessons while building self-esteem and leadership skills.

Looking back on your career, what sparked your interest in athletics communication? How did you get your start? 
When I went to college at Denison, I knew I wanted to do something in sports. I was always interested in sports journalism. Then as a student-athlete, my time was very limited and I wanted to get a job on campus, and that worked perfectly with my schedule, for obvious reasons now. I just took it from there. It encompassed everything I enjoyed: writing, stats, all different sports. So, it kind of just snowballed after that. I always knew I would work in sports in some fashion, more in the media industry.  

Who were some of your early influences in the profession? How have they helped shape your career? 
My first student boss at Denison, Jack Hire, was a huge influence to me. He really showed me the ropes and he noticed that I took an interest into it, and just let me have free rein, giving me a lot of responsibilities. Way back when you would do weekly recaps, I would write those every Monday. Gradually, I grew and would handle reporting for all the indoor track meets we would host. By the time I was a senior, I was running the conference tennis championship that we hosted. His willingness to give me those responsibilities and show me all the little things of how to maintain the website and behind-the-scenes duties was really instrumental.

One thing I’ve taken with me everywhere I’ve gone is to stay current and Jack does that to this day; I also take with me is to not let anything bog you down and (get caught up in) how things are always done - make sure you are on the up and up, so to speak, of whatever is the new next thing, technology-wise.

A couple other things I’ve learned from various people: don’t sweat the small stuff. Life is too short to really just bog yourself down! Like over-worrying about the little things, the mistakes you might make, things that are out of your control; in the grand scheme, this is just college athletics. That was a big lesson I learned about four years out - to kind of just take it as it comes. Developing relationships to a lot of people taught me special student-athletes skills.

 

As a former college soccer student-athlete yourself, do you value the relationship-building aspect of our profession more since you went through it first hand? 
Yeah, I’d say it influenced me because I saw firsthand what I enjoyed and experienced as a college athlete. What it’s like and how that itself shapes you forever. And so, what I enjoyed during my four years as a collegiate athlete plays a big role today for me. You know, I can relate to a certain level (not as much nowadays), but I feel a certain kinship with some of them! So I kind of understand what they are going through, and I just want to make their experience the best it can be. I know how important that is, since all those college memories will always last.

What's been some of your most meaningful accomplishments during your career? 
That’s a tough one! I mean it’s hard to say accomplishments. In this profession, not that we don’t accomplish a lot, but there aren’t necessarily benchmarks that we reach all the time. I’d say developing the relationships with student-athletes over the years has been a big accomplishment of mine and it’s meaningful when they come back on campus and I’m able to talk to them. Maybe they don’t always stop by, but it’s nice to catch up and they feel comfortable enough to do that. I’d say another accomplishment is, like what my first mentor boss Jack did, is my ability of staying with the game. Trying to stay on the front end of things as much as I can is a big accomplishment. It’s not just coasting along, but trying to keep things fresh.

What's been the most enjoyable part of your time in athletic communications?
I would say the people, the student-athletes, coaches, other staff members, and just that family atmosphere. We are all here with our end goal of creating a great experience for 18-22 year olds. Being able to experience the highs and lows is something that is truly enjoyable. Being able to develop those relationships and share them with so many great people is important; like going down to a practice and just sitting on a bench or a mat to laugh and talk to student-athletes and have them feel like this isn’t a weird situation, that I am just as much your friend as an authority figure. That’s something I’ve really enjoyed over the years, just being able to get to know all these people.

What’s your advice for someone who is new to the athletics communications field? What skills should they have, and how should they approach the demanding job?
Read. Read anything you want, especially when it comes to sports, but read a lot. Read Sports Illustrated, or all the new websites like The Undefeated, The Athletic, and various other things. I think words go a long way and it’s kind of forgotten.

Also don’t focus on your strengths, but develop a wide repertoire of things you can do because that is one thing that hasn’t changed on this job. We do so many different things. So, you really need to know how to touch on many different areas within the profession, whether it’s graphics or knowing the basics of InDesign and what looks good visually. Just keep playing around, trying and experimenting. I think writing is still paramount, as much as people don’t think that people read, yet I think it’s really important.

 

What are your outside interest/hobbies, and how do you find time for them?
I like to run; running is my “me” time. I also play soccer and that’s probably most of my outside interests. Finding the time can be challenging. Sometimes I sacrifice a little bit of sleep, but I also make it a point to do it. I am very diligent, and I try not to make excuses or I find time to get the work done if it needs to be done. If I need to do something for an extra hour one day just so I can do something elser, I’ll do that even if it’s somewhat annoying. I think you learn over time that there’s more to life than your job. It might take a little while but really, it’s important that you don’t let the job define you. That’s my biggest thing.

Do you have a professional development tip you could provide?
One thing I was told years ago was that in our profession, it’s really easy to sit behind a computer, write big game notes, design a graphic, and do all that, but it is as important to make an effort to go to practice. It will help you immensely in your job. I kind of took that for what it was and ran with it. I noticed instantly how important attending practice is in developing relationships. You’re seen as not just someone who’s around occasionally, but seen as someone who’s around a lot. It really lets you tell the student-athletes’ stories, as well as the coaches’ stories, and it really helps develop relationships with everyone. Coaches and student-athletes are very appreciative when you’re around, because they know you don’t have to be there.

I’d say that’s my biggest piece of advice that I got years ago. You learn so much at practice, little things, like what’s going on in one kid’s life, things about the athletic trainers, the coach’s new system; little things that will help you do your job better. If you’re, in our case, dealing with lots of media and want these questions answered properly, then you can give it (answers) to them. It’s really important just to be around, to be present. That’s my biggest piece of advice for the young people.