Sports writing
I never thought I would like sports reporting until last year, when I wrote a feature about a group of senior boys who had played on the same baseball team since kindergarten. There was something about crafting the story of athletes who were so invested in their game that I fell in love with. In the summer of 2018, I took a job as a sports reporter at The Morning Sun — Southeast Kansas's local newspaper — where I wrote recaps of high school sporting events. Though recaps are important, I believe that the true value of sports reporting lies beyond the game itself; it lies in the athletes — their talents, traditions and battles off the field.
Click the buttons underneath the descriptions below to read my best sports features and recaps.
Sports features
Photo by | Aubrey Bolinger
Surviving the battle
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NOTE: Last year, I covered a varsity soccer player watching his mom’s battle with Stage 2 breast cancer. Rather than writing the typical story of his athletic success, I dug deeper and told the story of a hidden, daily battle he fights off the field. I spoke with him multiple times and treated my interviews as conversations to craft the story.
*Published on Best of Student Newspapers Online (SNO) — Click here to view.
Photo by | Nicole-Marie Konopelko
Ministerios el Jordan
soccer tournament
picking up steam
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NOTE: Every Wednesday night on my way home from tennis practice, I drove by a group of people playing soccer on a field beside a church. My curiosity led me to pitch it as a story idea to my sports editor at The Morning Sun. After he approved it, I attended the event and covered what turned out to be a Hispanic recreational soccer league. The organizer of the event translated some of my interviews from Spanish. Covering this story taught me the value of curiosity and diversity in sports journalism.
Recaps
Photo by | Nicole-Marie Konopelko
Girard 14U rally to
take State Crown
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NOTE: When I covered this game, I kept score and paid close attention to the action, but I also included the audience and player reactions. This addition made a basic recap much more interesting to read.