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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 2021. See more features at CoSIDA.com/ThankYourSID.
Rachel Vogel – Hofstra University, Director of Creative Content
by Rob Knox – UNC Greensboro, Associate AD for Strategic Communications
Rachel Vogel arrived at Hofstra in October 2018 as Assistant Director of Athletic Communications. She was promoted to Director of Creative Content in September 2021. In this role, she is the primary media contact for the women's soccer, women's basketball, and softball teams, and oversees the Hofstra Pride digital content. Vogel also is a member of the CoSIDA Professional Development and Education Committee. Previously, Vogel spent three years at the University of New Haven where she was the primary media contact for nine sports and also focused her work on creating a visual brand for the athletic department, feature and highlight video packages, and social content. While at SUNY Maritime as an assistant SID in 2017, Vogel was one of the first NCAA Inclusion CoSIDA Convention Grant recipients.
Rachel Vogel, her husband, Casey Schermick, a former SID, and their dog, Georgia. The photo was taken on a vacation to the Poconos.
What’s the best part of being an athletics communicator and why?
RV: The best part of my job is helping student-athletes preserve the memories of what many call the best four years of your life. Unfortunately, sometimes our work as athletic communicators go unnoticed, but I know that when student-athletes are able to show their family now, their future children, and their children’s children their accomplishments as a student-athlete someday, that will be very rewarding.
What’s a key professional development tip that’s worked for you during your career that you’d be willing to share?
RV: Be the most well-rounded and versatile individual that you can be. You don’t have to be an expert in every single thing you do - be an expert in some things - but I have found that the more knowledge and experience you have in many different areas, the more valuable you are to your organization, and the less you have to rely on others.
You also never know how certain skills will help you in the long run. Another tip that I would give is to pay attention to detail because it really shows when you do. Always do things the right way even if it isn’t the easy way.
Current Hofstra women’s basketball senior forward Caria Reynolds and Rachel Vogel at Hofstra’s arena, the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex.
Who are some of the people who have helped you along the way during your career journey?
RV: I could go on forever here. There are just so many people. I have had an incredible experience at every school I spent time working at. BJ Spigelmyer (Sports Information Director at DeSales University) introduced me to the field and showed me how much fun it can be working in college athletics. Dan Ruede (New Haven Associate Director of Athletics for Strategic Communications and a current CoSIDA Executive Board member) was the first person to take a real chance on me. Dan gave me the opportunity to not just learn, but to master every skill possible in the athletic communications world. When I worked at SUNY Maritime, Sean Engel (currently the Alverno College Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information and Compliance) helped me grow my confidence to entirely new levels.
Now at Hofstra, my current supervisor Stephen Gorchov, Associate Director of Athletics for Athletic Communications, has trusted me and given me the opportunity to become a leader in so many areas. The one person who resonates most, however, is my husband, Casey Schermick, who also spent several years working in the athletic communications field (before becoming an assistant golf professional in Staten Island, NY). We have been on this career journey together since our freshman year in college - exactly 10 years ago at this point. I could seriously go on forever about all of the ways he has helped me along the way, big and small, and I legitimately would not be this far along in my career without him.
What’s one idea that you’ve found useful as our profession has evolved from when you started?
RV: I think that it is important to stay ahead of the curve in this field. And, you can do that by leaning on others and learning.
Things are changing every day. I am not that far removed from college, and things are entirely different from when I was a softball student-athlete at DeSales University. Then, social media was just becoming a big thing. Facebook and Twitter were just used to share game recaps and maybe a couple live score updates. No one really made graphics, we didn’t have an athletic department Instagram account at the time, and live video streaming was only expected for a couple of sports. Now, we are expected to do all of those things on a daily basis or even at the same time, for most sports, and more! And, with these expectations comes the fact that these things sometimes change every day. There are so many more resources out there now that help you stay ahead of the curve; articles, YouTube videos, and even learning directly from your peers.
While working at the University of New Haven, Rachel Vogel holds the NCAA Division II Volleyball East Region Championship trophy, which the New Haven volleyball team won en route to advancing to the NCAA national championship round.
What is your proudest achievement or achievements that have taken place during your career?
RV: The times I have been part of hosting an NCAA event. At New Haven, we hosted two Division II East Region Championships in baseball and volleyball in 2018. At Hofstra, we hosted a 2019 NCAA Tournament women’s soccer first round game. You put in so many long hours, early mornings and late nights, and you do so many things that go above and beyond of what you normally do. In the end, knowing you put on a world-class experience for others who have reached the pinnacle of their sport is something to be proud of. Hosting events like these is truly an all-hands-on-deck team effort, and that is something I really love to be a part of.
Rachel Vogel and her husband, Casey Schermick, a former athletic communications director, at the 2018 CoSIDA Convention in National Harbor, Maryland.