Thank You is Simply Not Enough
Wow. Where do I start? The beginning, of course, but there’s so much to digest. So much to reflect on and appreciate. It was the summer of 2018 and I was in Columbia, SC. This was my second summer with the Fireflies, a Minor League Baseball team. I did some serious job hunting one day and came across an athletic communications position at Wingate University on CoSIDA. I applied. I got a response from Ryan Brown on May 22, 2018 and he told me to apply for a broadcasting position that was also available at the school. That first athletic communications position I applied for was ultimately filled by my friend Katelyn DeVane!
I had never heard of Wingate before this application process. I googled the school and was intrigued by the location — just outside Charlotte. Now, how did this school jump on my radar? ESPN3. I wouldn’t have been drawn to Wingate if it weren’t for the ESPN3 component listed in the job description. Wingate was the first Division II school to launch ESPN3 broadcasts led by Ryan Brown. This caught my eye. At some point in July of 2018, Ryan offered me the broadcast & video services part-time intern position and I accepted. I am forever thankful that he gave me the opportunity to come to Wingate and discover things about myself I never would’ve imagined otherwise. Most importantly though, this opportunity gave me the chance to showcase the success of others.
My last day with the Columbia Fireflies was August 13, 2018. The squad won in walk-off fashion and I scampered down from the press box to the field level for a postgame interview. Some of the players snuck up behind me while I did the interview and dumped a large bucket of water on me. Instead of giving the player the water bath, it was my turn since it was my last day. I formed that type of bond with these players and hoped to do the same with student-athletes at Wingate.
A few days later, I got in my 2002 Toyota Corolla and drove to Wingate for the first time. I found myself on several backroads not really sure where this was going to take me. It kind of felt like I was in the middle of nowhere. I pulled into the parking lot and was immediately given a tour of the Athletic Department. Additionally, Ryan Brown showed me the beautiful McGee Center. I was blown away. I saw my desk area and was stunned by the two computer screens I was going to have at my disposal. I never had a set up like this at any of my prior three stops since entering the real world in 2016.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — YEAR 1 — — — — — — — — — — — —
My first house was probably 300 yards from Cuddy Arena, where the volleyball and basketball teams play. You had to go past the tennis courts and on the other side of the street. That’s it. A short walk. The house was old, but the first time I walked in it wasn’t too bad. Fortunately, I had one of the rooms with air conditioning. I lived on the second floor, and across the hall from me was Pol Domenech, who is now the head cross country coach at Wingate. The journey began.
My first ESPN3 broadcast was on August 28, 2018. It was a pair of volleyball matches. I hadn’t announced volleyball before and was nervous leading up to this day. Luckily, Katelyn DeVane, who I shared an office with, was well-versed in the sport. In the weeks leading up to this day, I asked her several questions about the sport. What is a hitting percentage? What is a roll shot? What is an overpass? She was kind enough to help.
I remember my first football broadcast on ESPN3. Wingate hosted Johnson C. Smith on August 30, 2018. I was so excited. I was also anxious. I taped an on-camera open with my broadcast partner, Cornel Cheron, several times because I kept messing up or felt like the recording wasn’t good enough. I felt pressure to perform at the highest level.
I was the kid who went to a prestigious broadcasting school, Syracuse University, & felt I had to live up to high standards. I felt pressure to not make mistakes. This was my first consistent chance to do TV games. I only did radio in college and at my prior stops in Minnesota, Vermont, & South Carolina. Still, I was hard on myself.
One of my biggest struggles was getting a feel for the equipment. I assisted with the set up and break down of our ESPN3 production. Ryan Brown ran the show and it was impressive to watch. Two students, Phil Harris and Kyle Brodt, were also a huge part of setting up equipment my first year and it was cool how diligent they were with everything.
I helped roll out power cords, XLR cables, fiber cords, and SDI cords. I remember constantly forgetting what got plugged in where and which place something went. I felt like an idiot. This lowered my confidence sometimes on the air. Months into the job, I remember several times I would stand around the equipment not knowing where to begin. I was afraid to ask because I already had asked so many times and felt like I should know how to do this by now. When we switched locations (football to baseball), my brain couldn’t quickly adapt to the slight adjustments of how things were set up and arranged in the press box or at a camera location. It took a long time to grasp. I didn’t give up.
I was fortunate to work a ton of games my first year at Wingate. I covered many sports and worked with students. Donny Chiarel was the first student I encountered. We met in Columbia, SC when I worked for the Fireflies baseball team. I took him along with me to conduct interviews, offer him advice, and eventually we jumped on the air for the first time together on January 19, 2019. It was a women’s basketball game against Tusculum. Our chemistry on the air took off because of our friendship off the air. We also created fun video segments too such as “This or That” where we would walk around campus and ask student-athletes to decide on a debatable topic.
I was also fortunate to meet Stefan Caray who was an incredible spotter for the football games my first year. He provided me with things such as how many yards were gained or lost on a play instantly. One of the biggest areas I tried to instill in students was confidence because that is what I lacked in college. I had the motivation and passion, but always questioned my talent.
One of the first memorable games I witnessed was our volleyball team winning the Southeast Regional Championship over USC Aiken on November 17, 2018. At this point, Wingate was 144–6 at home since 2009 (stat courtesy of Hugh Patton)! After this match, my voice was nearly gone because I called six matches the previous two days. By the way, the same day of the championship match, earlier in the afternoon, I called a basketball game and then watched our football team collect an upset win at #10 West Georgia in the playoffs on a live stream video that had poor quality.
There were days where I kept trying to think of ways to be creative and do more. I thought of certain video ideas, but kept some to myself mostly because I wasn’t sure if they would be good enough to share. Slowly, I got over this little fear. Finding a way to trust yourself and your new ideas is crucial.
Anyways, the end of the spring semester was a grind. We spent several days at Furman for the SAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments. It was an incredible experience. I had my first taste of the WUSPYS award show and it was a grind building up to it. I was prepared to complete any task by any means necessary. I embraced the late nights. I was in charge of finding highlights from different sports for some of the team and individual awards. Ryan Brown, Katelyn DeVane and I logged some long hours. I began to understand how much time Ryan put into this place leading the video department.
On the night of the WUSPYS, I presented an award on stage and was pretty nervous. All the student-athletes, coaches, and administrators were watching. Why should I be intimidated? I had interviewed many of them throughout the year. Still, I went into a cocoon and stuttered my words. I don’t imagine anyone realized this, except me.
I didn’t plan to return to Wingate for a second year, but after striking out on a few job opportunities, I came back. I’m thankful I did. More awesome memories were about to be made. I continued my part-time intern role.
Ryan Brown called me into his office one day in August of 2019 and told me he was moving on from Wingate. I was shocked. What is going to happen now? Luckily, we brought in Trae Harrell who had tons of experience with the ESPN3 production. It was a great move. Trae went to Wingate for his undergrad. I was excited to work with him.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — YEAR 2— — — — — — — — — — —
This second year is where I expanded my role, which was mostly done voluntarily. I wanted to try new things and do as much as possible. I was so eager to grow. All interviews fell on my shoulders now. I couldn’t leave any team out, despite the amount of work I’d have to shoulder in order to do so. I cherished the grind.
I implemented a weekly digital segment called the “Wingate in 90” where myself and Wessli-Ann Hardee (now Singleton), or sometimes Donny would run through the list of events each week in athletics on camera. It was prerecorded and went up on social media platforms. I wrote out bullet points on a piece of paper and taped it right below the camera. While editing these, I incorporated b-roll to correspond with the sports.
With this, I set a standard. It had to be done each week. That’s what I felt internally, at least. No matter the circumstance, I had to film and edit this every week or else I felt like I was a slacker. Many weeks I loved making these videos and enjoyed the adrenaline rush of getting them done in a timely manner. As weeks went on, the schedule of events on campus ramped up and I had other responsibilities. A couple times, I didn’t think I would have time to make these. Was it okay if I missed one week? I never once asked myself that question in the moment. I just put my head down and went to work. I also got tremendous support from those around me in the office, which was great.
I didn’t want to half-heartedly produce the Wingate in 90. I could’ve eliminated b-roll, but that never crossed my mind because I thought the overall video wouldn’t look as good. In the end, I gave it my best effort, but little did I realize my best effort would sometimes drain me mentally. I didn’t have as much time to prepare for my play-by-play duties on occasion. I was critical of myself after games realizing that I wasn’t as good as I know I can be. However, after looking back, I came to the conclusion that all of this was okay. I was tapping into different areas of the industry. I grew to appreciate the challenge of something different. I didn’t need to be harsh on myself for not being as prepared for a broadcast because I was trying to tackle another assignment. It was hard to recognize this in the moment.
In the fall of 2019, I had the chance to create a Senior Day volleyball reflection video. Our Director of Marketing, Courtney Callahan, came up with the idea that the parents of each senior write letters to their daughters and then read them out loud on camera. So, I recorded the seniors reading the letters for the first time and captured the raw emotion. It was a powerful video. I discovered video editing was also an interest of mine.
I absolutely loved preparing for broadcasts. With this being my second year, I had great relationships with our coaches, but also the other coaches in our conference, the SAC. It was important to offer perspective on both teams and we prioritized phone calls with coaches prior to broadcasts.
November of 2019 was a crazy month. It was an emotional roller coaster. It started the week of the 11th when I was asked if I could do a mid-major college basketball tournament in the Bahamas. I jumped at the opportunity. I called my boss, Hugh Patton, and told him this was something that would help with my career and I was going to pursue it. However, once I spoke to other athletic administrators, I realized I could’ve gone about it a better way. I should’ve asked as opposed to tell or suggest that I go do this tournament in the Bahamas.
I would’ve 100% not even considered this if I was a full-time employee at Wingate. Since this was my second year as a part-time employee, I was trying to look out for myself and jump at an opportunity that could potentially benefit my career. This wouldn’t have been a tough situation, but it was because that particular weekend I was going to be gone, there were several events on campus at Wingate, including a home playoff football game.
To preface, I am someone who values relationships with people. At this time, I felt like my reputation at Wingate dropped. In the week leading up to my departure to the Bahamas, more people found out I was not going to be on campus. Every time I walked by someone in the office I felt as if his or her thoughts were ‘wow Sam is really ditching a big weekend here on campus, where is his loyalty?’ I believe this was all in my head and I don’t believe this was actually what people were thinking. If people did think that, I respect their opinion.
This moment exposed something. I was looking to move on from my role here and find something more stable. Yes, that is normal for a part-time employee, but understand my next point. Do not get caught up in trying to figure out the future before figuring out the present. I realized I shouldn’t lose sight of the present moment and what I could accomplish. There was more work to be done at Wingate. I have a great opportunity to make an impact here. I still lacked some confidence on the air as a broadcaster, hesitant to bring out my personality at times. I gotta go to work, as Jay Bilas says. This may have been the best thing that happened to me because it made me refocus and make the most of Wingate for however much longer I am here for.
I was scheduled to depart for the Bahamas on November 21, 2019. Between November 15–20th, I worked Wingate soccer matches, a volleyball match, and two basketball games. First, I had to lock in and prepare for the SAC men’s and women’s soccer tournament in Matthews, NC. That was a challenge, but a good one as it tested my ability to block out the future and focus on the present moment. There turned out to be some incredible moments, including Soren Nygaard’s delightful goal thanks to a brilliant ball sent into the box by Owen Marshall.
On November 18th or 19th, I remember sitting in my car in the parking lot on campus next to Cuddy Arena. I was in deep thought. Should I call the director for the Bahamas tournament and say I made a mistake and need to remain on campus for events at Wingate? I still felt bad I was going to let people down at Wingate. I pulled up the tournament director’s number in my phone, ready to make the call, but I didn’t. I stopped. I couldn’t do it. In that moment, I decided to live with my initial decision. I am going to go to the Bahamas.
I got back from the Bahamas and had a great time. Very thankful for the experience. However, I wanted to push on and not talk too much about it once I arrived back at Wingate. Still feeling bad about the way I made the decision, I was prepared to do my absolute best at the upcoming volleyball regional tournament inside the cozy confines of Cuddy Arena. I put together my game boards, sorted out some statistics, and spoke to coaches. Seven matches in three days. Let’s do this.
On the day before the tournament, a light bulb went off and a creative hype video idea popped into my head. I created a quick script for four volleyball players to read one line each in a different part of the arena. Julian Irigoyen and Elliot Zirwas, students at Wingate during this time, filmed the video, and pieced it together.
The tournament happened and unfortunately Wingate’s 54-match home court winning streak came to an end in the regional semifinals. I was devastated for the players, staff, and coaches. It was incredible hard to conduct the press conference after the match.
On the bright side, both Wingate soccer teams produced incredible seasons that fall. The men’s team advanced to the national quarterfinals and the women’s team made the Sweet 16. There was a small window to produce a video previewing both teams in the NCAA Tournament. I scrambled together a schedule for interviews with student-athletes and head coaches. I locked in and somehow pieced together the videos and incorporated b-roll as well.
As the calendar flipped to 2020, it was back to the grind. Crossover season began. In January, I created season preview videos for the spring sports.
Another unique idea popped into my head. I decided to try and make a hype video with the women’s lacrosse team from scratch. I came up with the script and outlined where each scene would take place. Trae Harrell helped film the different scenes and I edited the video. I was excited when the team was pumped to see the video. It was a moment like this where I realized I had an interest in creative content in addition to play-by-play.
At this point, I finally started to gain some confidence in myself as a broadcaster. As I mentioned before, I never have lacked passion and determination, but I have always struggled with confidence. My confidence is low most of the time when I try new things because I care too much about how people will judge those new things. Now, I was turning a corner from feeling this way.
Alright, let’s jump to March 2020. This is where everything turned upside down. Trae Harrell and I were getting prepared for a women’s lacrosse game between the Bulldogs and Lewis Flyers on March 10. Little did we know this would be the last time we move the ESPN3 production trailer and roll out the fiber cords among other things. We all know what happened next. COVID-19 shut everything down.
It was so devastating for everyone across the world on many levels, and to be surrounded by the student-athletes, coaches, and administrators at Wingate University during all this was tough. Trae and I produced several videos remotely which included season recaps and a special senior salute. Hugh, Trae, myself, and our student workers also did a virtual WUSPYS show.
During the summer, I didn’t know what to do. I was on the job hunt in May, but due to COVID-19, jobs in sports were not available. No sports were happening so no one was hiring. Wingate notified me that my part-time intern position I held the last two years would transition to a graduate assistant role. My monthly stipend got reduced, but I was given a chance to pursue a master’s degree in sports management (paid for by the school). As much as I dreaded going back to school, albeit virtual learning this time, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — YEAR 3 — — — — — — — — — — — — —
When I returned to Wingate in July 2020, my living situation changed per my request, and luckily remained free. I wanted a fresh start. I moved off campus to a place that was once a motel and now is the home to several Wingate graduate students. See the picture below. It’s about a 10 minute drive from campus.
School and work were very easy to balance in the fall with sports being delayed due to COVID-19. Like many others, my social life was extremely limited due to the pandemic. Thankfully we have technology to connect with each other during these times. Without my support system, this journey would’ve been even tougher. You know who you are.
With my work being fairly light at Wingate due to no fall sports, I had to find a way to be productive. I had my online classes for the master’s program I enrolled in, but that wasn’t enough. I started a podcast called “Behind A Bulldog” and the goal was to hear about the journeys of current/former student-athletes and coaches at Wingate.
One that stood out was Kalen Clark, a football student-athlete, who helped organize a peaceful protest on campus. Clark got help from Marcus Kirkland, the Director of Diversity and Inclusion and Associate Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Wingate. My conversation with Kalen was informative as he explained many things including what it was like growing up with a white mother and a black father. I also had a great conversation with Sierra Street, a lacrosse student-athlete, about her experience growing up. There were a lot of good conversations.
I also helped Josh Tiller and Julie Diaz with a cross country documentary. One of my favorite parts was filming a day-in-the-life with one of the runners, Tai Smith and his housemates. It was a productive fall semester.
When the calendar flipped to 2021, the schedule got crazy. The combination of fall and spring sports on the horizon at the same time, plus the back half of winter sports season made for a grind. We embraced the grind, though, as best we could.
There were many busy days. I didn’t have time to do as much research as I would’ve liked to before announcing games. I still managed to get as much info as I could on the game boards. I wasn’t able to speak to both coaches all the time before a game. At the Division II level, the conversations with coaches are essential because unlike Division I or professional teams, there isn’t as much information on the Internet. Anyways, I had to find ways to make the most of these broadcasts. How can I get better in a certain area? What should I work on while I feel like I do not have enough new information to provide? One of those ways was bring the energy and excitement more. Get rid of any nerves.
At lacrosse games, I began to build my confidence with certain unique phrases. I referred to the turf field as a ‘carpet’. I referred to the left and right of the goal as the ‘side door’.
For context, the lacrosse press box at Wingate is one open space and there are roughly 7–8 people working the game in there.
During my first couple years, I was pretty nervous when it came to announcing in front of those people and would never think to utilize new phrases. I hadn’t gotten comfortable with my surroundings yet and the people were not used to my funny/energetic style. As a result, I stumbled my words and did not feel confident sometimes with what I was saying. I was thinking about how people would react if I made a mistake or said something out of the ordinary, which already set me back and lowered my confidence. However, in year three at Wingate, I developed a bunch of confidence in showcasing my personality in that lacrosse press box.
One of the coolest moments I experienced at Wingate occurred on February 18, 2021. Our men’s basketball team defeated Anderson thanks to Kendrick Tucker’s buzzer beater. Prior to the shot, I hit record on my phone to capture myself and Donny’s reaction to a possible game winner. And we got just that. I used the phrase “Turn Me Up Tuck” on the call and all the players, even followers of social media took notice. I checked my phone and saw quote tweets with “Turn Me Up Tuck” and Kendrick even used it in his caption for an Instagram post. It was a moment I will never forget. As a broadcaster, this is what it is all about. During a time where I experienced doubt and uncertainty, I am forever thankful for a moment like this to remind myself that I have a chance to succeed in this industry. The “Turn Me Up Tuck” game will live forever.
Even with moments like this, there were times where I didn’t know how we made it through the spring of 2021. Trae Harrell and I would be seen constantly around campus lugging video equipment from one place to the next. Let me take this moment to shout out Trae for his incredible determination in getting all the events on a live video stream.
March of 2021 was the craziest month of all. Most of the time this spring, due to COVID-19, I called these games solo or with my friend Donny Chiarel.
I am not sure I would have made it through without the help of Donny on these broadcasts. His upbeat personality uplifted me in times of doubt and frustration when I felt like I was not prepared enough for games. We would just go on the air and have fun. Additionally, I’d like to thank the women’s lacrosse staff (Abby Wiley, Amanda Frank, and Delaney Schappert) for their frequent random check-ins in our athletic communications office. During moments when I was exhausted, they uplifted me. Our volleyball assistant coach, Lauren Tekavic, did the same thing. I made a couple day-in-the-life TikTok videos to try and be creative, add humor during moments of the grind.
March 23, 2021 was one of the toughest days. I grabbed audio clips from two lacrosse games from the weekend and added them to Josh Tiller’s exceptional hype video recaps. Then, I went to help Trae set up the equipment for a pair of softball games. We barely squeezed in enough time for food before the doubleheader. I did not feel prepared for these softball games because I had been prepping for WNIT basketball games the last couple days. In these moments, I trusted what I already knew and realized there was a decent amount of knowledge stored in that brain already.
Once we finished rolling out cables at softball, I found a window of time to scurry down to the dugout and speak with Gary Hines, Wingate’s volunteer assistant coach. We had a brief convo about his coaching career and I remember he shared with me a player from years past who reminded him of a pitcher on Wingate. This was last-minute information I needed to be able to add some intriguing information to the broadcast. Once the softball games finished, we packed up the equipment. Trae broke down what was in the press box and I rushed out to the outfield and began to roll up cables.
We brought everything to Cuddy Arena for a volleyball match later that evening on March 23, 2021. Once we got back to the office with the equipment, I tossed my backpack next to my desk and sat down. I was exhausted, leaning on the desk, face down, and speechless. I might sound like I am over-exaggerating or being too dramatic, but this is exactly what I did. And I didn’t know how I was going to bring myself to announce this volleyball match tonight.
If it were not for Shelton Collier, Wingate’s head volleyball coach, sending me an email with loads of interesting information on the team and matchup, I would have not been prepared to deliver an insightful broadcast to the audience. This gave me a spark. I was excited again. This email was not a one-time thing either. Coach Collier has done this multiple times for me in the past.
March 26–27, 2021 was another wild stretch. On March 26, Trae and I went to the football stadium to run an audio cable from the press box to the trailer. The trailer and press box were only about 20–30 yards from each other but obstacles were in the way. This was quite the journey and took some meandering. In order to do this, we had to run the cable through the bathroom ceiling and out the door to the stairwell. The very next day, March 27, the softball, baseball, tennis, and football teams all had games at home. Trae and I set up equipment in the morning at multiple locations. I was the official scorer at the first baseball game in the afternoon and part of the second one before heading to football that evening to do play-by-play.
Due to the pandemic, our games were on YouTube rather than ESPN3. I tried to get creative with ‘game preview’ videos for Twitter. Donny and I handled these. At first, I didn’t know how effective or interesting these would be. We recorded these on an iPhone using a stick mic with a cord that had the proper adapter.
We had a lot of fun with these. There were also times, though, where I just wasn’t locked in and needed to do several takes because I kept messing up. Donny was right there encouraging me.
After reflecting on this, this was a reminder to fight through the small mistakes when doing something prerecorded. Make it feel like it is live similar to play-by-play. There is no redoing anything with that. You get one shot to deliver the moment.
Parents played a big role in keeping me going during the grind. It was April 3, 2021. I was sitting at a picnic table outside of the Starbucks on campus with Trae and Donny. All of a sudden, a father and his two kids walked past us and then retreated back our way and said ‘is that Sam Hyman’? I froze, confused by how someone who I didn’t recognize, recognized me.
This was Brendan Grove’s father who made the trip down from Cheshire, CT. He mentioned how he and his family love listening to me announce the lacrosse games especially with the fun lingo I use on the broadcast. With Donny and Trae witnessing this convo, I really tried not to make a big deal of this in the moment. Scott, Brendan’s father, said his other kids would say some of the lacrosse terms I used around their house. It was a moment I will never forget because it shows how much of an impact a broadcaster can have on people from afar.
This wasn’t the only interaction I had with parents at Wingate. I met Quentin Mellett. His son McCann was on the baseball team during my three years at Wingate. His kindness and gratitude towards us at Wingate athletics was unmatched. Kathleen Biase, the mother of Megan who is on the lacrosse team sent me a nice email about my skills as a broadcaster. Additionally, all of the Wingate baseball parents I interacted with during the College World Series were incredibly kind and appreciative of what we do as an athletic communications department. This all kept me going during times of uncertainty and near burnout.
The last couple of months for me at Wingate produced some memorable moments. Our men’s lacrosse team won its first ever NCAA Tournament game on May 16, 2021 against UIndy. I was fortunate enough to announce that game in Hickory, NC at Lenoir-Rhyne. Danny Riley scored the game-winning goal with less than 10 seconds left. It was unreal. Also, the baseball team made an incredible run to the College World Series in Cary, NC.
The squad ran through the region tournament unbeaten. I will never forget the postgame interview I did with Coach Gregory on Sunday, May 30, 2021. He got emotional towards the end of the interview and rightfully so because the program just captured its first ever D II Region Title. I spent part of this weekend in Raleigh, NC visiting one of my best friends, Emry Tsitouris, but had to cut the trip short because I couldn’t miss the opportunity to witness history. So, I woke up at 5:40 a.m. on Sunday and drove from Raleigh back to Wingate. Then, I jumped in Trae’s car and rode down to Tigerville, SC for the game which started at 12 p.m. that Sunday afternoon.
Towards the end of May and into June, my workload was fairly light as most of the sports had finished up. Unfortunately, I started to develop pain in my back during this time. Perhaps it is due to stress and anxiety about my career and future? I don’t know what is next. It could also be a product of all the running I have done, nearly 1,300 miles since April 2020. I pushed onward.
Meanwhile, Wingate’s baseball team was preparing for its trip to the Division II World Series in Cary, NC. This began on June 6. The excitement was building.
Trae Harrell and I drove up to Cary the morning of Sunday, June 6 for the team’s first game against Angelo State. The ballpark was gorgeous. There were so many former Bulldog baseball players at this game. I used our handheld microphone, which has a phone adapter, to conduct a few interviews with the alumni. Wingate lost that game and it didn’t really seem like the squad had a shot to win. However, the squad had other ideas.
With this being a double elimination format, our next game was not until Tuesday. We had Monday off so Trae and I ventured out to a nearby mall and met up with a friend of mine from Syracuse, James Hadnot, who was in town covering Angelo State. When Tuesday came around, it was do or die for the Bulldogs. Our hotel was only booked through that day, so if we won, we would extend our stay in Cary, NC. A 3–2 win over Southern New Hampshire extended the season for another day. This was just the beginning.
During the World Series, Trae and I took turns capturing videos and photos. We had limited equipment so most of the time I used my cell phone to capture these videos. I would hold my hands up, stick the camera lens through the netting behind home plate, and record each pitch during a pivotal situation. We sent all of the stuff to Hugh for him to post on social media.
Jeff Gregory’s team went on an improbable run, winning five elimination games in five straight days. It was unreal. So let’s pick this back up after the first win.
David Nash guided the Bulldogs to a win on Wednesday, June 9 over Seton Hill. He lasted nine innings for the first time in his iconic career. The game on June 10 was a rematch against Angelo State. Prior to the 11 a.m. start, Trae and I decided to drive roughly 20 minutes to the team hotel so that we could capture photos and videos of the guys getting on the bus. We woke up around 6:45 a.m. and got to the hotel about 15 minutes before the team departed at 8:15 a.m.
Fast forward to the end of the game, it was tied, 4–4, in the bottom of the ninth and Hunter Dula was at the plate with two outs and the bases loaded. During his at-bat, it started to rain extremely hard. Dula had a 2–2 count when the decision was made to delay the game. Talk about suspense building and then stopped just like that. Not for 30 minutes or an hour, but for 3 and a half hours! Right before play resumed, I sat just outside Wingate’s dugout with Sierra Street who was helping post videos to Instagram. We prepared to capture video of a possible walk-off hit plus gather the dugout’s instant reaction. Dula, taking some warm-up swings, turned to us and said ‘it’s simple, I either get a hit or an out’. He seemed pretty relaxed and went on to drive in the winning run with a base-hit on the first pitch he saw following the delay.
June 11th was also a memorable game — also against Angelo State — for Tommy McCollum. He closed the door on the mound and then I interviewed him after the game which was very emotional. Tommy had been through a lot and deserved this recognition. With an 8–7 victory, the Bulldogs were on to the championship game.
Championship day, June 12, was unforgettable. Trae Harrell, Hugh Patton, and I devised a plan for how we would capture videos during the game. We wanted to get different angles of the action while also incorporating fan and dugout reactions as well. Following an inning we scored in, Hugh airdropped me his videos and Trae brought me his SD card. I used my SD card as well from the camera I was using. While editing one of these videos, if something in the live-game action started to get intense, I handed the camera off to Josh Tiller temporarily so that we wouldn’t miss the angle I had behind home plate. The entire game was an adrenaline rush. Editing the reactions from the final out was so cool to see come together. Our team did a great job. We locked in.
Unfortunately, this particular week was also a battle internally. I experienced extreme back pain on and off. A few times, the pain kept me up in the middle of the night for an hour or so. I would pace around the hotel room, trying to not wake Trae up. I shared a hotel room with him.
We got back to campus around midnight on Saturday, June 12 after the championship game earlier in the day. We waited for the team bus to arrive and some of the student-athletes from other sports were there to greet them. It was so awesome to see the team return to campus with the trophy.
Days after the national championship, I went to the hospital and found out I had a stomach ulcer due to some side effects from medication for my back pain. Luckily, I was able to leave the hospital after two days of great care from the doctors. The healing process began. A week later I felt so much better.
The last few weeks at Wingate consisted of me finishing up my graduate studies. I struggled many times to focus on my final three online classes, but I did my best to embrace the challenge.
— — — — — — — — — — — — Conclusion: Forever #OneDog — — — — — —
I will never forget all of the interviews I did with the student-athletes and coaches throughout my three years at Wingate. It has truly been an honor to get to know so many people with different perspectives. I believe you truly can’t get the realest out of someone unless you care enough to get to know them when the camera isn’t turned on. I tried to do this ever time, by chatting with the coaches and student-athletes before we recorded the conversations.
All of the interviews were summed up by the final one I did with Logan McNeely in Cary, NC following the championship. Towards the end, he took the microphone from me and thanked me for my dedication to the program. The number one thing I want to do wherever I go is make an impact on others. This proved I did that.
As I reflect on my journey, I still think about some things on a regular basis. Am I good enough to succeed in this industry? How much did I grow at Wingate? I think uncertainty brings a level of determination and focus. Because I don’t know how good or bad I am, I want to keep going, keep learning, and try new things. And that’s been my mindset since day one. Never satisfied. I should appreciate the good accomplishments just as much as I should learn from my mistakes. I don’t pat myself on the back enough. A lot of the compliments from people go in one ear and out the other because I believe there is still work to be done. However, along this journey, I have learned it is the little stuff that keeps you going like some of the examples I listed earlier.
When I reflect back, I will always cherish the time I had at Wingate. First, a huge thanks to Ryan Brown for giving me this opportunity at the beginning. I truly appreciate your guidance along the way throughout year one.
I am going to miss walking into the coaches’ offices to say hello. I am going to miss seeing the student-athletes around campus. I am going to miss our student media team. I am going to miss my time with Trae Harrell. Nick Robison and Katelyn DeVane were incredible people to share an office with my first two years and I learned a lot from their work. I will miss frequent visits to Starbucks on campus with Lauren Traufler, who I shared an office with in year three. Through the ups, downs, and everything in between, Wingate taught me a lot about myself as a person. It taught me how to develop confidence and eventually embrace mistakes. It confirmed how important relationships are in this industry. I tried to leave an impact on as many people as I could. Now, we move on. The uncertainty. The beauty of this industry. What is next? Ready. Set. Go!!!!!!!
THANK YOU. Forever and always… #OneDog
