When I was younger, I remember a handful of times I watched sports with my dad. Whether it was watching the NFL or NASCAR, I was not aware of the impact those small memories would have on my life.
Even though my taste in sports has changed to the NHL and Formula 1, this is something that I am thankful I get to enjoy with my dad. He even gained interest in these sports as well. With the Carolina Hurricanes and Buffalo Sabres starting Round 2 of their Stanley Cup Playoffs, I’m sure he’ll have some anecdotes about it.
Unexpected opportunities
Two years ago, when I started as a CSER writer for the Liberty Champion, I took every opportunity I could. I asked Aaron Palsgrove, the head sports editor at the time, if I could shadow him during a football game.
This opened my eyes to the things I was capable of. I worked hard on every article I was assigned that semester, trying to grow and learn as much as I could to become a better writer and reporter.
I got to cover so many different events at Liberty. I made so many connections and got the opportunity to interview a lot of amazing athletes. Being in this role has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had.
Saying goodbye
My favorite memory from the Champion was having the chance to go to Seattle to cover the Liberty Men’s Basketball NCAA March Madness game.
Since then, God has opened so many doors for me to go with other Liberty teams to cover tournaments and championships. My most recent outing was the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) nationals tournament in St. Louis, when I traveled with Liberty’s Women’s Division I Hockey team as their team photographer.
Since this job has been my entire life for the past two years, I have no idea how I am going to be able to say goodbye in a few weeks. I will be saying goodbye to all my friends in the office and the memories we made there during the late production nights on Mondays.
I always knew that I was meant to do something in sports, and even though I had no idea what that meant or looked like — God knew.
Schlösser is the sports editor for the Liberty Champion.