APSE Conference 2013 Diary
Semi-formal attire? Check. An umbrella? Check. Copies of my résumés? Check. It seemed like I was all set and ready to travel to the Motor City for the 40th annual Associated Press Sports Editors conference June 26 – 29 when all of a sudden, the nerves hit me.
My thoughts began to race: “What if I’m not good enough?” “What if I’m one of the only females there?” “What if I didn’t print out enough copies of my resumes?” “What if my clothing is too formal?” “Not formal enough?” “Crap, I should have paid to make some business cards.” And believe it or not, they didn’t end there.
But I was eventually able to calm myself down by realizing that the Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism must have known what they were doing when they picked me and graduate student Pat Donohue to attend and represent the center and university. We were honored. After all, they did go through a selection process, and with that in mind, I knew I was prepared to dominate Detroit.
And day one of the conference definitely set an appropriate tone for the weekend that was to follow: sports, networking and a cookout. After being greeted by APSE members and given goodie bags filled with free memorabilia, guides to the city and conference programs, we set off to Comerica Park to watch the Tigers take on the Angels. The conference provided attendees with a picnic that offered a buffet of unlimited food from burgers to baked beans. The few students attending the conference flocked together and formed an almost minority among the older editors and reporters.
However, this did not stop the editors from including us students in conversations and events. We got a tour of the press box and began to make ourselves known among other editors. We felt included, which boosted our confidence later that night at the daily APSE hospitality suite. Although approaching groups of well-known sports editors was intimidating at first, they eventually recognized us and knew us on a first name basis.
Day two and three of the conference were much more serious. We attended many different sessions and workshops from recruiting and training the next generation of sports journalists – where the Povich center’s own George Solomon served on the panel along with Sporting News editor-in-chief Garry D. Howard – to ways of incorporating voice and personality via different platforms.
My favorite workshops and sessions seemed to be the favorites of most student attendees. The multimedia storytelling workshop definitely catered to students’ interest because of the online and visual aspect. Headed by CBSSports.com Deputy Managing Editor Tim Stephens, Orlando Sentinel Interactive and Design Manager Todd Steward and New York Times Senior Editor Jim Luttrell, the workshop showcased many multimedia aspects that news organizations should look to incorporate from interactive storytelling like the New York Time’s Snowfall, to funny song parodies about Dwight Howard.
Another favorite was the general session on what journalists have learned from the Manti Te’o scandal. What made it interesting was the inclusion of Tim Burke, who led the investigation of the Te’o story for Deadspin. His inclusion of the “80 percent” quote that led to controversy among other news organizations sparked a lot of debate among editors who thought the quote was unnecessary, as well as Deadspin’s reporting process.
Outside of the workshops and sessions, the Red Smith Award luncheon was an event to remember. Award winner and celebrated sports writer Dan Jenkins gave a speech that epitomized his stylistic writing and dark humor, as we all marveled at his accomplishments and chowed down our three-course meal.
Although there probably was a 1-to-10 student to editor ratio and a 60% chance of rain every day, there is no doubt that we took advantage of every networking opportunity and roamed around the city, making the most of this enriching, memorable experience.
The conference definitely taught me many things, but one thing I would have done differently? Printed out more copies of my résumé.
