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A quick thread about writing about my favorite sports, running and track and field.
I hope athletes competing in those sports appreciate when writers and knowledgeable about the sport, history, training approaches, etc.
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I hope athletes competing in those sports appreciate when writers and knowledgeable about the sport, history, training approaches, etc.
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Yesterday I had the opportunity to interview one of our @GNACsports athletes who has trained through the pandemic with aspirations of competing at next year’s Olympic Trials.
The first topic of conversation was this Zoom background, a 2008-era shot of Hayward Field.
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The first topic of conversation was this Zoom background, a 2008-era shot of Hayward Field.
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My interview subject immediately chimed in that it was time to change my background. I pushed back that, no, that shot will always be Hayward to me.
That started five minutes of conversation about memories and meet experiences at Hayward…before the interview ever began.
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That started five minutes of conversation about memories and meet experiences at Hayward…before the interview ever began.
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From there, the interview touched on everything from racing against elite athletes to the 2014 IAAF World Juniors meet to training regimens and mental and training techniques. We ran the gamut in conversation.
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We even touched on how difficult the 800 meters is as a race. I hated when I had too run it in high school as a distance guy. Come to find out, he initially hated it too.
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I think that, especially with a sport like track and field, it is important to show as a writer/journalist that you are knowledgeable about the sport. It is so niche that, I believe, athletes appreciate the pros that “get it.”
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The same can be said of writing about other sports but it is especially true of those sports that not in the mainstream.
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I will never be considered up in the top echelon of track and field writers but I hope that this personal connection will help provide context to a great story about an individual that could, and in my mind likely will, represent the U.S. on the big stage soon.
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Track and field is so overlooked in U.S. circles, yet there are so many great stories. I look forward to presenting another one next week.
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