CSC 360 April 2023: The Life

CSC 360 April 2023: The Life

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This story is part of our 360 package for April 2023, to view more stories, click here.

The Life

Compiled by Barb Kowal – College Sports Communicators, Director of External Affairs & Professional Development

Social media trends we like and don't like it. Plus, what the madness of March means to us, taking care of our well-being, our every day go-to people, rating our humor, physical or digital calendars, sunrises or sunsets, and more.

"The Life" is a series surveying College Sports Communicators members for their thoughts on topics and issues in the athletic communications industry, plus personal insights into not-so-serious issues, too.

Featuring:
 
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Antonio Arredondo
George Fox
Director of
Sports Information		 Alexandra "Al" Campion
Illinois
Assistant Director of 
Social Media		 Travis Chell
King
Assistant AD for Athletic
Communications & External Affairs 		 Ally Salzwedel
Menlo
Director of Sports
Marketing & Communication 

One of our emerging young professionals, Antonio Arredondo is in his second year as Director of Sports Information at his alma mater, NCAA Division III George Fox University in Newburg, Oregon. Arredondo served as a SID student assistant for the Bruins, serving as an announcer, a writer, and working in production. He was hired as assistant SID right after graduation in the spring of 2022 and was elevated to SID in November of 2022.
 
In July of 2022, Alexandra “Al” Campion joined the Fighting Illini staff as the assistant director of social media. She is social media lead for Illinois football, women’s gymnastics and baseball, and helps oversees the student staff. Campion previously served as University of Wisconsin-Green Bay’s marketing and recruitment coordinator. A 2016 graduate of Northland College, Al competed on the soccer team as a defender and goalkeeper.
 
A member of the CSC’s NCAA Division II Cabinet, Travis Chell is in his 10th year at King University, located in Bristol, Tennessee, seving as Assistant AD for Communications and External Affairs. He is a prior president of the Sports Information Directors for Conference Carolinas and is a member of the Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) for softball. He previously was a University of Memphis athletic communications assistant. Chell is a graduate of Lakeland College (WI) where he was a member of the baseball team and also worked in the sports information office for three and a half years.
 
Another former student-athlete, Ally Salzwedel was an All-Conference women’s soccer forward at Menlo College, a NAIA institution in Atherton, California. She was named SID in July of 2022 after spending the previous six months as an assistant sports information director at her alma mater.

What’s one social media/digital trend that you are a fan of?
 
Arredondo: My fun fact is that I have a TikTok account with over 440k followers, so I think that medium has some huge untapped potential for a lot of team accounts. (If you want to check me out, you can find a video of the time I went on the Ellen DeGeneres show. Just look up "Antonio Arredondo balloon Ellen … I promise it will make sense!). But I like the shorter style of videos that showcases how fun our athletes are outside of the sports they play!
 
Campion: I know mic'd up videos certainly aren't new, but I love using them to showcase athletes' personalities. We so often listen in on the coaches, but putting a microphone on a student-athlete gives a really unique look into the program and can turn into a great recruiting tool for the staff.

Chell: One thing that is neat is the engagement between the fans and athletes on social media. For teams being able to show an inside look at their programs to fans and potential student-athletes is a plus as well.

Salzwedel: Hype videos! The athletes love them and I enjoy the process of seeing the athletes in their own habitat and being who they are. 
 
One that you are not a fan of?

Arredondo: I hate it when teams try to go viral by putting down their opponent in a mean-spirited way. Not everyone can get the same rep as the Wendy's Twitter account, and it makes it a lot more awkward when you lose to the same team in a different sport. I prefer to let our record do the talking.
 
Campion: Calling this a trend may be a stretch, but I hate the uptick in the way fans, media, and others demean student-athletes as if they don't read the comments, or as if they don't have feelings. I'm not just talking criticism — I mean attacks on their personal lives or their character. And the retort of "well then stay off social media" isn't an excuse to be indecent. It needs to stop, and I think schools need to play a bigger role in protecting their athletes.

Chell: The everyone expects a graphic or video for everything. It seems the business has trended more that way and a lot of the other things that used to be more important are getting left behind.

Salzwedel: Not super picky to be honest. I respect schools trying to stick out and differentiate their social media styles depending on their audiences and their goals on the different platforms. 
 
Who’s the most important person you talk to every day?
 
Arredondo: My team in the sports information office makes me excited to go to work every single day. The three of us — me, Jenéa Walters, and Haley Downey — get stuff done, but also make life so much easier. There was a four month stretch this winter where it was just me in the office, and I think I now appreciate the relationships you make at work that much more. Being together is just so much more fulfilling.
 
Campion: Whew, that's tough! I'd have to say my Tosa Inu (Japanese Mastiff), Adam. Great listener, never talks back, will always cuddle after a hard day. Nothing beats it! 
 
Chell: My parents. It’s not quite every day, but at least weekly.
 
Salzwedel: My twin sister Morgan. We are roommates and are both grinding in the sports industry so we connect on a lot of different things in our jobs. We are each other's biggest supporters! 
 
Not everyone works with basketball teams or with basketball tournaments, so … What does March Madness mean to you and for you? What’s YOUR own definition of “March Madness?”

Arredondo: My definition of March Madness is exactly face value: it's the NCAA Basketball Tournament. My favorite day of the year is the opening day of March Madness. Every day for the past five years, I either take the day off of work (or when I was in school, be “sick” for class), sit down with my friends, and watch my bracket be destroyed one game at a time. March Madness shows the competition, passion, and love for the sport that drew me to college athletics in the first place. I love college sports because of the passion that each school — players, students, alumni — has for the game.

Campion: Men's basketball actually IS one of my sport assignments, but if I had to pick another meaning for March Madness, it'd be the crossover between winter sports ending and spring sports starting. Nothing could've prepared me for that!
 
Chell: March is always exciting for me to follow postseason basketball and hockey in all three divisions as much as I can to see how they play out. Along with season’s ending, it’s always exciting that baseball and softball are in full swing getting into the thick of conference play.
 
Salzwedel: March Madness is the opportunity to watch the most elite college basketball in the nation! I enjoy stepping back from the game ops table and watching these matchups. In these games, it is anyone's victory to take so I can genuinely enjoy the game. Being a part of the background and actually hosting a conference tournament ourselves this past season, I respect the players, coaching staff, operations staff, and support staff of these facilities because there is so much more planning and effort that goes on during these huge tournaments and they are becoming more and more impressive! 

What’s one trick or technique you use to promote well-being and make yourself feel good at work?

Arredondo: Because I work so many weekends, I always take Thursdays off and turn off my email notifications. Having one day completely away from the madness lets me refresh and prepare for the upcoming weekend. It also doesn't hurt to come into work with a smile, even when a day has been rough. 
 
Campion: I know a lot of people scoff at meditation and mindfulness, but it's really something that has come in handy for me. Even a minute of deep breathing at my desk can set me back on course to finish out the day.
 
Chell: It starts with a workout every morning, to set the tone, and get me ready for each day. I also think not taking yourself too seriously helps, too. It’s important to be able to have laugh at yourself and joke around with colleagues.

Salzwedel: I enjoy exercising at least once a day. I have become so heavily involved with my role at Menlo and have fully dove into the job. I tend to have a hard time stepping away and checking off of work so exercising allows me to do that and be in the moment. Living an active lifestyle definitely comes from being a student-athlete myself, so it is in my routine to do some type of exercise. 
 
How funny would you say you are on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the funniest)? 

Arredondo: My brother would say I'm a 9. My fiancé would probably say a 7. I think I'm a 12.
 
Campion: Oof, I'd say a solid 5. Every once in a while, I'll get a good joke in, but for the most part, people laugh because they're cringing. Definitely not considering a career in stand up anytime soon!

Chell: I would say a 10 or 11, but my colleagues would probably say 6 or 7.

Salzwedel: I have to go with a 10... I love to laugh!
 
Favorite work pick-me-up snacks ...

Arredondo: Nothing makes me feel better after a long day at work than Welch's Fruit Snacks. They are banned in my house because I always eat them all in a day.
 
Campion: My current go-to is a granola bar... lame, I know, but it gets the job done!
 
Chell: Mountain Dew is always a go-to on long days, and anything with chocolate or caramel.
 
Salzwedel: We have coffee machines everywhere so usually a coffee and a banana with peanut butter is my go-to! 

This or that: fire pit or fireplace?

Arredondo: One of my best friends in high school had a fire pit where we would spend hours on Saturday nights hanging out. My fireplace growing up had a bird infestation for a year, so, easy choice!

Campion: Pit! Being outdoors is something I really enjoy in my free time, even if it's just my backyard.
 
Chell: Fire pit
 
Salzwedel: Fire pit

This or that: Digital calendar or physical calendar?

Arredondo: My digital calendar reminds me when I'm about to be late for a meeting, so it definitely wins that battle.

Campion: Both. I need all the reminders that I can get!
 
Chell: Probably digital, but I like to use both.
 
Salzwedel: I have both... I need to know what is going on at all times! 

Would you rather watch the sunrise or watch the sunset?
 
Arredondo: Sunrise. At my childhood home in Canby, Oregon, if you position yourself right, you can see the sun rise over Mount Hood each morning. It’s one of the most beautiful sights out there.
 
Campion: 100% the sunset! If I'm watching the sunrise, it better be because I'm up early to catch a flight for vacation. Any other reason is unacceptable – haha!
 
Chell: Sunset, next to a fire pit, making s’mores.
 
Salzwedel: Sunset 100%!