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CSCommunicators.com/CelebrateCSC
This feature is part of our series of profiles showcasing members throughout the CSC membership during the celebration of College Sports Communicators Membership Appreciation Week for 2022-23. See more features at CSCommunicators.com/CelebrateCSC.
Cody Dalton – Catawba Valley Community College, Sports Information Director/Public Information Officer/Head Esports Coach
by Mike Robles – California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA), Director of Communications
CSC Membership Recognition Committee member
At Catawba Valley Community College, a two-year school in Hickory, NC,
Cody Dalton holds three titles – he is the NJCAA school’s public information officer, sports information director and … Esports coach. In July 2019, Dalton was tabbed to lead the new Red Hawk Esports program, which has seen immediate success. The Red Hawks Esports program has 14 NJCAAE All-Academic selections and 13 NJCAAE playoff qualifiers, won an NJCAAE Brand video contest in the summer of 2022 and was featured on two regional television networks.
Dalton has been involved in CSC’s Two-Year Sports Information Directors of America group (2YSIDA) as he handles media relations coverage for all of CVCC’s sports teams (baseball, softball, men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, bass fishing, cross-country and Esports).
He came to CVCC five years ago after a decade-plus involvement in journalism, writing and reporting for numerous news outlets in North Carolina and Virginia. He arrived at the school after serving as sports editor for The Observer News Enterprise newspaper in Newton, NC.
Handling public address duties at a NJCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship game.
Your career began on the media side of the business, writing for several newspapers. What led you to turn your attention to a career in athletics communications and how did that extensive media experience prepare you for your current roles?
CD: I have always looked for an avenue where I could provide a living for myself, but also be involved in athletics. They are truly my lifelong passion. I love writing and photography so being a sportswriter and editor at a local newspaper was an easy fit for me. However, the financial demand in the newspaper business made it difficult to remain there. I looked into avenues where I could continue pursuing my passion with my communications degree, but also provide a life for myself (and my future family).
Sports information works very similar in that way, and I am thankful that Catawba Valley Community College, our President Dr. Garrett Hinshaw and our athletic director Nick Schroeder opened a door for me five-and-a-half years ago to pursue that passion as a sports information director. Having already been in the newspaper business before has helped provide me with a different lens to look through in knowing how to help better serve our media partners — whether it be through stories, press releases, statistics, photos, etc.
Small school SIDs often carry several responsibilities. In your case, you are the athletic communications director at Catawba Valley Community College, also serve as the school’s public information officer (PIO) - and you also hold responsibility as your athletic department’s Esports coach. How do you approach and prioritize your various duties … and do you ever sleep?
CD: It’s a juggling act for sure at times with many long days. I honestly try to structure my day into the thirds — the first part of the day focuses on PIO duties, the middle section on SID duties and the final part of the day on coaching duties. However, there are still times where my work day doesn’t go according to plan, but being versatile is a skill set I’ve perfected the longer I’ve worn these multiple hats.
I would say the biggest thing as well is finding time to give yourself personally. Go see a movie, take a small trip or even stay home and cook a nice meal. It’s okay to be a little selfish sometimes even when you try to lead a selfless life of service to the students and coaches you serve and to the duties you perform.
Dalton with his Catawba Valley Community College Esports team.
Where were you when the world came to a COVID-19 halt in March 2020? What were those first few weeks like while facing unprecedented circumstances which have changed live as we know?
CD: Ironically, I was attending the ACC Men’s Basketball Championship in person for the first time in Greensboro, North Carolina when I got the news about COVID. The week prior I had just been promoted to serve as not only sports information director, but public information officer at our college as well. It was a difficult time because everything was shutting down so quickly. I was at our final baseball game when we were told the season was being stopped due to the pandemic. Our softball program was in its inaugural season and didn’t even get a chance to finish competing.
There were a lot of emotions – fear, sadness and anger. Once I started processing those emotions, I went into action. I have always led my life with a servant’s heart, and my attention immediately went into figuring out ways to support our student athletes and community. In the days the followed, we honored our graduating student athletes by highlighting them daily on our social media channels. In my new PIO role, I spotlighted our alumni who were on the front lines battling the pandemic. Those were some of the most challenging times of my life, but it gave me a greater appreciation for the stresses and long days that come from being an SID.
What lessons from the pandemic do you carry forward?
CD: Sometimes in this profession it feels like your days blend together and the year goes by so quickly. The pandemic truly slowed that down, and it gave me time to process what I was doing and re-evaluate where I was. I looked back at the previous three years as SID and the way I was handling all aspects of our sports information – from press releases to social media to everything on game day. Having all of that time gave me the chance to restructure a little bit of what I was doing on the athletic communications end and also prepare myself for a much different environment heading back into our world during the pandemic and eventually post-pandemic. Being back at our athletic events as we came out of the shutdown were scary times, but also invigorating to be back. Absence made the heart grow fonder.
Dalton shooting photos as newspaper sports editor at Carolina Panthers game.
As you look at your career and where you have been so far, what three pieces of advice would you pass along to someone looking to follow a similar path as you?
CD: It took me a very long time to get a job in the sports communications profession so I would say the first piece of advice I would give is to try to get your foot in the door through an internship or assistantship to gain experience. This is something I wished I’d had the chance to do earlier in my career, but unfortunately was unable to.
Secondly, make as many contacts as you can. Don’t be afraid to send an email, make a phone call or have an in-person conversation with someone in the profession – no matter what college or university that person works for. Be persistent. You never know where any of those avenues will lead.
Learn to manage your professional and personal time. It is extremely easy to get burned out and feel overworked. Some of us spend a year in this profession, while others spend their lifetime. At the end of the day, do not let your job consume you. Spend as much time with your relatives and friends as you do your work family.
And, just as importantly, what advice do you wish someone told you before you started?
CD: I wished I would have pursued the sports information avenue in college instead of general communications, but the experiences I had through that, which included covering a Super Bowl and interviewing players and coaches in the NFL, NBA, MLB and NASCAR, have shaped who I am today and given me deep professional and personal experiences.