This is my second semester with WVU News and I cannot be more excited! I auditioned for main anchor and landed the roll. I worked with an awesome team and had an all around great experience. This semester I auditioned for sports. I decided to take on sports to have a full year of reporting and a different experience at the same time. 

Sports reporting is a whole different world from news reporting. It is much more fast-paced and energetic. When I was practicing my script for auditions, I found myself reading it too newsy. I watched YouTube video after YouTube video of different sports anchors. This really helped me! I listened to their voices and watched their expressions. 

It’s time for auditions and my nerves were through the roof! Because I had already been through this process once, I was a little more relaxed. I think this helped me read to my best ability during my audition.

The following Monday we met at the Waterfront to take group photos and headshots, and find out our positions for the semester. I was ecstatic when I opened up the pamphlet to see my name under ESPNU Reporter/Anchor!

Now it’s time to work. For the first newscast I covered National Signing Day, which was held on Wednesday February 7th. This is a huge day for high school seniors. They get to pen to paper and commit to their new home for the next 4 years.

Although, it wasn’t as exciting as years past because the NCAA held an early signing period in late December where we picked up most of our 2018 recruiting class. On Wednesday, we picked up two brothers from Eastern Arizona Community College. 

Creative stand-ups are one of my favorite parts about reporting in general. Ryan Decker and I went to the Mountaineer field to shoot my stand-up. It was so cold that morning and the entire field was dusted with snow. It was different seeing the stadium empty and snow covered, but in just 8 months it will be filled with 60,000 fans again! 

Show time came around and I couldn’t wait be back on set. My package was picked for show so I got to anchor my own work, which was really exciting! Overall, I thought the show was great! Everyone did such a great job for our first show and we really worked together as a team.

I’m ready to take on the rest of this semester with everyone and see how much we grow as individual reports and a team, but I hope it doesn’t go by too fast!