Column: Being a Sports Reporter Isn’t Scary

I started working with The Phoenix around spring break of my first-year at Loyola. My first ever  story was a feature on then second-year softball player Haley Wallace, who had received Atlantic 10 conference accolades for her standout performance on the field. 

I remember the interview like it was yesterday.

Sitting at my desk in Mertz Hall room 422, I read my questions over-and-over again wondering if I’d actually be able to do this. I was so scared I couldn’t sit still, and it’s obvious in the voice memo I still have saved in my phone. 

I’ve grown a lot, personally and professionally, since my first interviews as a young Phoenix reporter. I’ve learned the skills of interviewing athletes and coaches and how to get the answers to questions I need to build my story.

The most important skill I learned was how to take risks. To take risks in interviews and ask questions the interviewee might not want to answer. To take risks by trying out game recaps instead of features. And most importantly, to take risks to put myself in the best position for my career. 

I applied to be the deputy sports editor in April 2023 after having only three stories published while working on my fourth. 

Taking this risk was one of the scariest things I remember doing. I wasn’t sure I was qualified to be in this position. I had no idea how to edit, what Associated Press style even was and if I could even help lead a section. 

Then I did it. 

I worked alongside current editor-in-chief Griffin Krueger who, through a plethora of disagreements, taught me what I know and helped shape me into the editor I am today. I picked up the women’s volleyball beat at the end of the season, covering their run through the A10 conference tournament and along the way significantly improved my writing and sports knowledge. 

Was I scared? Absolutely. But I would regret it if I never did it. 

After current Deputy Sports Editor Alexander Sciarra went abroad last spring, the women’s basketball beat was available. I’d never considered covering games to be my strong point, even now, but I took another risk and took over the beat. 

Covering women’s basketball last season was one of the greatest opportunities this job has given me. I formed connections with team members and even head coach Allison Guth.

I got to travel to Henrico, VA to cover Loyola at the A10 women’s basketball conference championship in early March. My family had asked me if I was scared, going into a new environment to do my job. 

At first, the answer was yes. Anxiety reverberated through me as I stepped off the plane in Richmond — partially due to my flight being delayed about four hours, but mainly because I’d never done anything like this before. 

But I had done this before. I told myself, this is just another game you’re covering for the same team you’ve been following for months now, only on a bigger platform. You can do this.

And I did. I sat courtside and watched the Ramblers defeat Fordham University, taking home the first postseason basketball win for Loyola since joining the A10. I ate food in the press room with reporters from all over the country and chatted about the job I so desperately want after graduation.

I sat in on the post game press conference with Guth and then graduate guards Sam Galanopoulos and Alyssa Fisher, who were genuinely excited to see me there, giving the women’s team the time of day. 

As I get closer to graduation — over a year from now, but still something I think about — I constantly wonder if I could make it in the sports industry outside the world of Loyola. 

Dreams are scary sometimes. Wanting something so bad without knowing if it will actually happen and risking everything just to get that one thing. It’s not easy, but I’m not going to say it’s not worth it. 

Every time I’ve been scared while doing this job, I ask myself why? Why does my stomach start to hurt before a post game press conference? Why can I feel my heart rate speed up as I get a call from a Sports Information Director before an interview is about to start? 

These are all normal feelings to have. It’s difficult to push them away, trust me. But it shouldn’t be the reason you don’t do something you’re passionate about. 

I’m asked quite frequently if I’m scared while doing my job as a sports reporter. The answer now is no, it’s not scary. Over time, I’ve gotten used to the drill of this job and what to do and not do. I’ve made important connections with people across the sports industry who’ve said they’d be happy to see me thrive with them after graduation.

The Phoenix has set me up for success. Without this job, I wouldn’t have the skills to flourish in pursuing my dreams. To all who have helped me along the way — my dad, my family, my roommates and every single staff member on The Phoenix — I couldn’t thank you enough for the constant support. It means the world to me and I hope one day I can make you all proud.