One of the best parts of writing for The Bona Venture is the people that you get to meet as a part of your job. Whether an assignment requires interviews with random students on campus or a formal meeting with Sr. Margaret Carney, O.S.F., the university’s president, writing for the BV is sure to lead to some interesting encounters with some remarkable people.
As the sports assignment editor, I have interviewed some of the most well-known figures on campus. Following basketball games, because of my position with the paper, I had access to the coaches’ press conferences. Because of this, I met men’s basketball coach Mark Schmidt and women’s basketball coach Jim Crowley. Being in the same room as both of these men was more than a little intimidating. I had been on the editorial staff at the paper for less than a week, but suddenly I was interacting with quasi-celebrities.
Press conferences can be difficult to navigate. Often, each reporter has only one opportunity to ask a question, and to write a story that will capture a reader’s interest, each question must be carefully crafted to get the best possible answer from a coach. Poor questions lead to poor answers, which lead to poor stories.
Because press conferences can be so difficult to handle, I was thrilled when, after the women’s team played a string of road games, I was granted the opportunity to meet with coach Crowley one-on-on to discuss the team’s play. Finally, I would have more than one chance to ask a question. I was shaking when I entered his office, but after conversing with the coach for a few minutes, I realized that for a man who possess a great deal of power, he was remarkably normal.
When most Bonaventure students think of the BV, they think of the finished product they see on the newsstand; I think of the work that went into each article and the people I was fortunate enough to meet while writing each piece.
kibbeei@bonaventure.edu
