This was the craziest two-week period I have had thus far in college. It all started off when we went to Snowshoe Mountain Resort on Saturday, Feb. 21, for the USASA snowboarding and ski event. We left Morgantown around 6 a.m., and I had pulled an "all-nighter,” so I knew I was in for a wild day. When we got to the mountain around 9:30 a.m., we started to build our equipment and pair off in groups because there were at least three reporters covering something mountain-related, and they all needed different content. I was paired with adventure reporter Andy Hartlove, who was covering the USASA event.
We had to stay in the location all day because the person we needed to interview was a volunteer at the event, helping with time trials. So, we got as much b-roll as we could for two hours and then were able to have the interview. At lunch break, we had to hike back up to the lodge, which took around 15 minutes. It was a struggle to carry all the equipment up a mountain while trying not to slip and fall on ice. I was able to convince an employee to let us ride the magic carpet lift, which made our lives easier. After lunch, we went back to the same spot to film some more. We left around 5 p.m. and got back to Morgantown around 9 p.m. I had stayed awake for 34 hours total that day.
I also helped Logan Powell and Quinn Robie throughout the week. I shot an interview for Quinn, which went very well and only lasted 10 minutes. For Logan, I was able to capture two interviews and his standup at the U92 radio station. Overall, I enjoyed working with each person to fulfill my duty as an ENG. Everyone was very kind and worked hard for their packages.
Another reason why my life was so crazy was because while I was ENGing, I had the opportunity to be a reporter myself! And for some reason, I decided it would be cool to work on not one, but two packages within the week! This was my first time putting a story of any kind together because I am taking the prerequisite class at the same time as Playbook, and we have not learned how to put together a script or package yet.
At the beginning of the week, Ben Stautzenbach met me at 5 a.m. to help film the WVU club figure skating practice at the Morgantown Ice Arena. We got lots of b-roll, two interviews, and some safety SOT Tzs. I really appreciated Ben’s willingness to wake up early to help me. Especially because the microphone on my camera was turned off, meaning I got zero natural sound. That same night, Ashlyn Anderson went back to the rink with me to film my standup, an interview, and SOT Tzs. She had lots of good ideas to help me be more creative. It felt so weird being on the other side of the camera as someone who is an ENG.
And finally, to top the week off, my second story was about mountain train rides in Elkins, West Virginia. Ben and Andy came with me and made a day out of this adventure. I accidentally slept through my alarm, putting the boys and me in a panic. But we made it down to the station in time for the ride. The day went really smoothly; we filmed everything I needed to make a whole package. I enjoyed the train ride and hanging out with my classmates.
Personally, Show #2 went much better than the first. I felt more confident as the technical director and was able to perform better than last time. There is still work to be done for improvement, but I am sure things will only go uphill from here. Operating the switcher is extremely fun, and I enjoy learning all the different things it does.