Young Skater Article - US Junior Nationals

[adrianchew]

One more of the lesser found or read stories (given the last one I posted generated some interest)...

http://www.oaklandtribune.com/Stories/0,1413,82%257E1726%257E998414,00.html

Lindsay Quon won Juvenile Girls at Central Pacific in October to qualify for US Junior Nationals in Lake Placid.

[chattykathy]

I am so impressed by whomever gets these articles done for these kids. We have 7 Skaters going to Nationals and 8 skaters going to JN's, and we can't get a word in edgewise around U-Michigan Football.

[Blue Line]

chattykathy,
Who do you contact? My first inclination is to believe that the traditional sports section wouldn't have much interest (if it's not on ESPN, it won't be covered), but maybe the local or community news sections may. I would write letters (and encourage other parents in the club to write letters) to individual reporters covering a beat applicable to the story, as well as to editors of specific sections and perhaps even the editor-in-chief of the paper, too. If they provide email addresses, you could email them links to places on the web where people nationally are talking about your skaters, and point out that if there is a national interest in area skaters, there should be local interest, too.
Football season is almost over, isn't it? Capitalize on the lull!

[missmarysgarden]

Even when we have major Elite Regional and National gymnastic competitions, we are lucky to get a few lines -- although the high school gymnastic meets are broadcast on local television (usually very low level competition), and I wouldn't know if there was a Sectional or Regional FS competition in the Twin Cities unless I call a local club!

Do they not get it? I had one local sportscaster tell me that "no one cares about FS and gymnastics - unless it is associated with a high school rivalry."

[gardener]

Probably depends on the size of the town. In my small town our local hotshot (made it to sectionals) got a big write-up in the local paper in the sports section.

Are there "local" papers in the suburban towns outisde your U-Michigan area (I"m guessing you're from Detroit) where your national competitors live who might want to do a story even if the major metro paper dosen't?

[chattykathy]

Thanks for all your suggestions, I am from Ann Arbor and we will have a lull after Thanksgiving and the Ohio State game. The Detroit papers cover DSC pretty well, but we arent really considered a suburb.

I have many emails to write!

[JD]

Finally..somewhere I can be of use....

Marketing an athlete or club is a talent I think, --I didn't know I had talent for it till I got thrust in headlong when our daughter was featured in a CTV Spirit of Skating vignette last year during Canadians...I got asked to write the press memo for our Club---we had Rogers Cable [our community news] call, the local newspaper, the paper of the town she competes for...a paper published and circulated in the opposite side of town (this one was free)...etc

Despite her teensy size, and she hadn't been to sectionals yet, she picked up two business sponsors from the community, and for me, thats really worth something....not b/c we need the money-its the reputation it builds...

If you've ever been involved in politics...its not any different [I come from Canadian campaign politics over 10 yrs]

So, here goes what I learned in politics and am trying to apply now:

1. Get an edge-editors like to hear about grit, perseverence, my hero is....[if the hero visiting or coming to town] or something unusual and interesting- just basic selling it---just like a politician, an athlete is a product [and they all, regardless of ability-have strong points]

2. Put the human story slant on it--not just about the skating achievement, but -depending on security issues-mention where they go to school or what part of town they live in [sometimes Editors get mushy about old schools or where they live]

3. contact your little papers first-once you get them interested, the rest takes off...particularly when you mention to the paid paper that X paper is featuring her next week [competitive natures sometimes come out]

4. Press release- two paragraphs is more than sufficient, unless you are explaining policy.

4. When you write a press release, send it out on a Tuesday afternoon. Plenty of time before the night deadline, and a time you are available for interviews. Wednesdays are almost always slow days-they are mid week and the weekend sports cram is over. After a weekend of hockey, baseball...etc, some reporters get a little bored. Mid-week,everyone is looking for filler. Have a head shot included in the press release-they seem to like it by email. [sometimes the "pretty" factor does the trick]
And always, always, send press releases when there is controversy in the sport-suddenly everyone is interested in everyone's opinion, even if they don't have an opinion....

5. Get to know the sports editor of your local paper. It pays dividends. It can start just by you calling and introducing yourself-saying how much you like X's articles...[and know something about them] sweetly ask who you should direct press releases from the skating club to-and hype it up, i.e. there's one to watch, so pay attention....it usually piques interest enough to let you know who to send to....

6. GEt involved with your local sports council. You'll get to know who is who by always fighting City Hall together...grin

7. As a Club, support your skaters. Feature them prominantly in the arena, get a bulletin board. You never know who's watching. Ours got picked out for an ad in the town she skates in for no other reason than the photographer there for a hockey event saw her promo'd.

Well, that was long winded---grin...hope it helps

[sk8termom]

Thanks JD! I will work hand in hand with ChattyKathy on this and we will see if we can't get some progress. Ann Arbor doesn't realize just what talent they have right there in their city. We will start out with a goal to get something small and work our way up. If we have any questions, we hope you don't mind us asking!

[JD]

ask away....I just hope its helpful....and I don't necessarily know all the answers either, but I'm translating what I've got into the sport ---any help skaters get is worth it!!!

[Blue Line]

chattykathy and sk8termom,

chattykathy mentioned this, so I thought I could clear something up: I heard a speech by the public editor of the Detroit Free Press a while back, and he said that the Freep doesn't cover Washtenaw County, but the Detroit News does. So, if you're planning on courting the Detroit papers, the News is the one to contact.

I was also going to suggest press releases be faxed/emailed to the newspapers you're looking at. I worked at a hockey magazine a few years back, and they were forever recieving press releases (which, essentially, were short stories that they wanted the paper to know about) about a team winning a tournament, a player getting the MVP award, etc. If the story was worthy, and we had room, we already had a head start with lots of info. from the press release, and just had to call for quotes, elaboration, etc. Give these a try following a competiton, and see if the paper bites. It doesn't have to be long (a few paragraphs, as JD said) or complicated, just "X, X years old, from XFSC, won the gold medal at..." And I would leave out any complicated skating terms, so you don't intimidate anyone away from the story.

Good luck, and post links to those stories when they're printed!
;)

[LittleNina]

I have found another article about a skater from the Central Pacific Region.

https://www.travis.af.mil/news/tailwindonline/stories/2002/oct/20021025_12.htm

This one's about Victoria Muniz, who placed 3rd in Intermediate Ladies. Seems like this region really covers their younger athletes!

[Terri C]

One if the skaters I skate with was second at South Atlantics in Juvenile Boys, and will be going to Lake Placid. The ABC network affiliate in our area (ABC will have TV rights to Worlds this year) came to our rink and interviewed him and his coaches. It also helped that his home skating club is Washington FSC, home of this year's Worlds!

By the way this is southern VA that we are from and skating gets next to no coverage in our local paper!

[Mazurka Girl]

Here is an article about Ali Smith who will be competing in Jr Nationals:

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/family/article/0,1299,DRMN_107_1563946,00.html

[Mazurka Girl]

Terri C, do you know when that will be on TV & the channel?

[Terri C]

Mazurka Girl,
It was shown during our news broadcast here in Southern VA.

By the way, everyone is talking about Juvenile/ Intermediate Girls, dance events, etc? Anyone know about any of the Juvenile Boys that will be at Lake Placid?

[Dave Amorde]

My money's on Ricky Dornbush. :D

http://SWPSkating.com/rickydornbush.html

[chattykathy]

THANK YOU to everyone that has commented and offered advice. We have made many contacts with local papers and the Detroit News. We have taken advantage of grandma's with computers and many other relatives and friends. Some one once said, it takes a village...

I will let you know if we have some success.