Truman Students Gain Broadcast Experience at GLVC Tournament
Freshmen Natalie Whipple and Mara Callahan, and juniors Josh Brungardt and Lillie Morisaki, attended the GLVC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament as part of the GLVC Sports Network (GLVCSN) Extra Credit initiative.
The initiative began in 2015 to give students from across the league an opportunity for first-hand experience with sports broadcasting by taking complete control of the coverage for the final quarterfinal game Thursday night and the first game Friday afternoon. Whipple was intrigued by the opportunity to build her resume and gain insight to behind-the-scenes aspects of sports media.
“The Extra Credit initiative just sounded exciting: traveling to St. Charles, staying in a hotel and getting to attend the championship games,” Whipple said. “I’m looking to go into sports marketing, and the experience of being on the media side of things is a great resume-builder, as well as a way to make connections with potential employers.”
Throughout the two games, the students worked with Lindsey Williams, GLVC assistant commissioner for strategic communications, and Jared McFarlane, GLVC assistant director of communications, to learn about the various ways a basketball game is covered by the media in photography, videography, social media, production, broadcasting, print and graphic design.
“I’ve learned a lot from working with Jared over the past few days,” Whipple said. “He’s fun to work with and his experience in the field makes him a great teacher.”
As a junior in college, Brungardt was eager to work with people who were familiar with the rundown of how a career in sports media operates. The initiative was first proposed to him by his advisor and though Brungardt wasn’t entirely aware of what the experience would entail, he jumped on the opportunity for real-world experience.
“I was so nervous I didn’t know what to think,” Brungardt said. “It was terrifying at first, but once I got working with the equipment, it turned into a blast. It was cool to work with people who have experience in the field and who are familiar with the rundown of how sports media works. I’ve done work in radio before and feel like the TV broadcast was similar enough that I was comfortable in my position. There were a couple of times I made a mistake, but that is all part of the learning process.”
Collectively, the students agreed that the opportunity to learn something new was the most exciting aspect of the experience and highlighted the importance of making connections within the industry before graduation.
