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 2021. See more features at CoSIDA.com/ThankYourSID.
Troy Sayles – Elon University, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications
by Brandon Jones – CoSIDA Intern
Troy Sayles is in his 10th year at Elon University in Elon, North Carolia, the private Division I institution located between Greensboro to the west and the Durham/Chapel Hill area to the east. He is the primary media relations contact for men‘s soccer, men's & women's cross country, softball and women's track & field and assists with other of the Phoenix’s 17 varsity sports. Prior to his time at Elon, he worked in athletic communications as an undergraduate student assistant and graduate assistant at his alma mater, NCAA Division II Angelo State, located in San Angelo in West Texas.
During an Elon men’s basketball photo and promo shoot, Troy Sayles could be found at many different angles as he served as one of the chief photographers.
When you left Angelo State and your native state of Texas, what was the transition like moving out East and going from a GA position at a D-II school to an athletic communications assistant position at a D-I school?
TS: There were some anxieties with the transition as I had hardly left the state of Texas up to that point in my life, so moving to a new state and time zone definitely took some adjustment from a personal standpoint. Being 15-plus hours away from your family is never easy, but knew that I would always have their love and support even from afar.
In terms of going from a GA position at the D-II school to a job at the D-I level, I felt like my time at Angelo State helped me prepare for the transition. And, Elon and Angelo State are of similar size in terms of enrollment.
When Elon men's soccer upset #24 Clemson in the 2013 NCAA Tournament, what was your experience like as the primary contact for the team during that time?
TS: Honestly, that moment helped give me confidence that I could work at this level (Division I) and handle the moments. The soccer head coach at the time, Darren Powell, was a big supporter of me when I first arrived at Elon, despite me having very limited knowledge about the sport of soccer. Coach Powell, his staff and the student-athletes helped me feel so welcomed around the program. When they accomplished that feat, I was so proud of them. The moment was also huge for the program and our university as that match was the highest-attended opening round match in the NCAA Tournament that year as we had over 3,000 fans in attendance, despite being a mid-major school. After that moment, we had to jump on a plane to fly out to UCLA, to face the No. 1 team in the country at the time. So overall, it was a whirlwind experience, but one I was glad to have been a part of.
What are some of your favorite hobbies outside of work?
TS: My absolute favorite hobby that I like to do outside of work (and even as a part of my job), is taking photos. I’ve always taken photos in some sort of fashion during my career, but my passion in it really picked up about three years ago to the point I made an investment and bought a personal DSLR camera. Since then, I’ve also started a photography Instagram account (IG:
@tlsphotog) and
have a page on the photo sharing site Flickr to showcase my photography and share my photos with others. Right now, I have almost 34,000 photos on Flickr!
One of Troy Sayles’ passions is photography, inside and outside of work. He has set up Instagram and Flickr accounts to display his work. Here is one of his favorites from his Flickr account where he has posted nearly 34,000 photos since 2018.
While exercising or driving do you prefer music or podcasts? What are your favorites?
TS: I like to listen to music when on a run or during a workout, but my running playlist is all over the place when it comes to any particular genre or artist. I also liked to listen to the
SVP and Russillo podcast when they were on ESPN.
What advice do you have for young professionals looking to enter the sports information industry?
TS: Be patient and do not get discouraged if the right job immediately comes along. Also, be willing to learn something you have never done before, whether it’s learning a sport you are not familiar with or learning another skill set that has become common and important in our profession today (i.e. graphic design, photography, video editing). I would also encourage young professionals to network as much as you can as connections are an important part in trying to advance your career.
What is one key professional development skill(s) for aspiring SIDs and why would you make that choice? Is it prioritizing tasks, managing student/intern staffs, handling overlapping seasons, or something else?
TS: All the above. I think SIDs in today’s world of collegiate athletics need to be more versatile than they were even five years ago. The climate and demand of this profession continues to evolve so if you’re an aspiring SID, my biggest advice is to take advantage of any professional development sessions that might be offered at your current school, your job, YouTube and through CoSIDA.