Newscast #2 - Kierstin Lindkvist - Spring 2021

I am incredibly proud of my first sports block for WVU News and the package I put together this week. After producing some WVU Women’s Basketball for ESPN+, I knew I wanted to do a story on Kysre Gondrezick. Unfortunately, earlier in the season, her father, Grant Gondrezick, passed away and she played against Texas at home two days later. I was working for ESPN+ during that game and was moved by her drive and passion for the game. I thought to myself: there has to be a story here. And there was! Her hard work and tenacity earned her a spot on the Naismith Midseason Team, which placed her in the top 30 players in the country.

I went to the senior night game to get b-roll. Lucky for me, she was awarded her 1000 point ball, her senior awards, and her family was in town for the game. It was a great send-off game to be a part of.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, all of my interviews were conducted on Zoom. I ensured they were well-lit and well-framed, so that I made both Kysre and Coach Mike Carey as good as possible, especially given the context of my story. During my interviews, I wanted to make sure that both Kysre and Coach Carey were comfortable with me, so I could then ask the “difficult” questions. Kysre was very candid talking about her grieving process, and I got some very good quotes. I worked with Professor Dahlia to perfect my script because I wanted to honor her efforts and create a great tribute for her and her dad.

In addition to my package, I got to anchor Eden’s package for the news taping and did my first sports block. At first, I was a little nervous about anchoring both segments; as soon as I got the final script, I got to work adding in where I wanted to add emphasis and practicing in the mirror. Heading into my next story, I learned what it takes to get those raw emotional interviews and how to do a proper tribute. Yes, we are highlighting an athlete’s accomplishments, but we are also talking about the death of a parent who was very active in his daughter’s athletic career. 

Grant Gondrezick was a professional basketball player and pushed his daughter to the best of her abilities on and off the court. He spent the off-season training with her, so she could be in contention for some of these national and regional collegiate awards. It is important to her to honor his legacy, and I am happy I can share her story on WVU News.