Recently it was brought to my attention that my colleague up at Carthage has come under some criticism on this chat board. Certainly everyone is entitled to his/her opinion and I respect that.
However, as the aging dinosaur in the CCIW athletic publicity world, I think it might be useful to point out that the sports information director at the division III level has a tough task. We juggle multiple assignments for a variety of sports (at Augustana we have 23 of them). On a Saturday in the fall there are times when we have as many as 10 teams in competition on the same day. All those sports deserve attention and the hours in the day are not always enough to accommodate the work load.
I checked the Carthage schedule for this past weekend and Phil had four game stories to write on Friday, seven on Saturday and four again on Sunday. That is a heavy work load, my friends.
Hosting a football game is, by itself, tough work. Making sure the sound system works, checking the internet connections, waiting on the National Anthem singer, adjusting the volume for the Pom Pon squad at halftime – those are all things that come up routinely that the person on the outside don't see.
I haven't even mentioned the headache of running Statcrew. It is a wonderful program and it helps fans, coaches and sports information directors alike immeasurably. But, it can be very stressful. At the end of the game it is time to pack up and head back to the office to write the football story and then manage all the other results that come in. In all, it can be a hectic day.
I have long referred to our writing of gamers as "meatball journalism". That is a take on the description that Hawkeye Pierce used to give to surgery performed during the Korean War during the epic television series M*A*S*H. Sometimes, quite simply, we don't have the time to get it perfect. But, the story gets posted and it is there for all to read (and criticize). So we do the best we can.
This has always been a collegial group of posters. One that looks at both sides of issues and generally comes to reasonable conclusions. All I am asking is that you give Phil a break and let him find his way. He is replacing a legendary figure in Steve Marovich – a guy who made every SID in the CCIW better by his professionalism and attention to detail. It is no small task.
The CCIW has always held itself to a high standard on the playing field and I would like to think that the sports information directors in this league do a pretty good job of holding up their end of the bargain. Legendary names like Ray Smith at Wheaton, Ed Alsene at Illinois Wesleyan, Reggie Syrcle at Millikin, Dennis Prikkel at North Park and my predecessor Jim McGrath at Augustana were always classy and helped set the tone for those of us who came later.
Phil will be just fine. It is a tough job and he will figure it out but please, give him a chance.
Ok, time to move on and tackle the work load for today but I thank you very much for letting me have my say.
Cheers
Dave Wrath
However, as the aging dinosaur in the CCIW athletic publicity world, I think it might be useful to point out that the sports information director at the division III level has a tough task. We juggle multiple assignments for a variety of sports (at Augustana we have 23 of them). On a Saturday in the fall there are times when we have as many as 10 teams in competition on the same day. All those sports deserve attention and the hours in the day are not always enough to accommodate the work load.
I checked the Carthage schedule for this past weekend and Phil had four game stories to write on Friday, seven on Saturday and four again on Sunday. That is a heavy work load, my friends.
Hosting a football game is, by itself, tough work. Making sure the sound system works, checking the internet connections, waiting on the National Anthem singer, adjusting the volume for the Pom Pon squad at halftime – those are all things that come up routinely that the person on the outside don't see.
I haven't even mentioned the headache of running Statcrew. It is a wonderful program and it helps fans, coaches and sports information directors alike immeasurably. But, it can be very stressful. At the end of the game it is time to pack up and head back to the office to write the football story and then manage all the other results that come in. In all, it can be a hectic day.
I have long referred to our writing of gamers as "meatball journalism". That is a take on the description that Hawkeye Pierce used to give to surgery performed during the Korean War during the epic television series M*A*S*H. Sometimes, quite simply, we don't have the time to get it perfect. But, the story gets posted and it is there for all to read (and criticize). So we do the best we can.
This has always been a collegial group of posters. One that looks at both sides of issues and generally comes to reasonable conclusions. All I am asking is that you give Phil a break and let him find his way. He is replacing a legendary figure in Steve Marovich – a guy who made every SID in the CCIW better by his professionalism and attention to detail. It is no small task.
The CCIW has always held itself to a high standard on the playing field and I would like to think that the sports information directors in this league do a pretty good job of holding up their end of the bargain. Legendary names like Ray Smith at Wheaton, Ed Alsene at Illinois Wesleyan, Reggie Syrcle at Millikin, Dennis Prikkel at North Park and my predecessor Jim McGrath at Augustana were always classy and helped set the tone for those of us who came later.
Phil will be just fine. It is a tough job and he will figure it out but please, give him a chance.
Ok, time to move on and tackle the work load for today but I thank you very much for letting me have my say.
Cheers
Dave Wrath