People care about what we do.
I took many notes throughout my four days at the 2025 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Convention in Orlando. But that statement – people care about what we do – kept ringing through my mind as I reflected on the experience.
It was obvious, from start to finish, how much the folks filling the halls of the World Center Marriot care about what they do, who they do it for, and who they do it with. You heard it in the sincerity of the panelists and in the speeches of the award winners who all made it a point to credit a mentor or teammate for aiding their success. It was evident in the advice shared between veterans and youngsters and the many ways people documented the lessons being doled out.
That passion made it easy to connect with my peers and soak in the information. Between sessions and receptions, I attended 25 learning and networking opportunities throughout the convention, and I can honestly say I took something meaningful from each one.
A journalist at my core, I was thrilled to see that storytelling was a major theme for the week, and I took full advantage. We heard from ESPN storytellers including
Andrea Adelson, Elliott Munoz and
Luke Knox, and author
Dawn Dugle. There were several sessions in which fellow communicators across college and professional athletics discussed how the stories we tell affect the culture and business of the departments and institutions we serve.
As a first-time attendee and the only person from my comms team at convention, I went into this with a feeling of responsibility to go to everything – when I started making my schedule on the event app, there were numerous times I double-booked, or even triple-booked, myself within a time slot. Throughout convention, the experienced attendees kept reiterating that some of the most valuable lessons are the ones you learn in the hallways, not sitting in a session. I found that to be true after some wise words from Ohio State Associate Director – Communications,
Maria Slovikovski. We met in-person for the first time Monday morning at the CSC Women Coffee Hour after seeing each other on CSC Women Zoom calls for nearly two years. Slovikovski told me not to feel pressure to go to
everything. She spoke on the importance of leaving space in your convention schedule to take a break and digest what you're learning. I didn't realize how much I needed to hear that. Her advice, simple as it sounds, allowed me to give myself grace and shifted my mentality as I reworked the crazy schedule I initially put together.
The next three days of convention were very intentional. I thoughtfully selected which sessions to attend and really applied what I was hearing to my role at UTRGV. On Divisional Day, I found the "Defining Media" and "Workflows" sessions particularly useful for the upcoming endeavor of taking on UTRGV's first football season. I picked up helpful tips on how to teach student workers how to write with confidence and clarity. I soaked up info on handling crossover content, covering programs at all levels of success, and working with stats. I joined two CSC/NACMA collaborative sessions about content strategies for multiple channels of communication and using storytelling to fuel business growth, which provided great insight into just how vital athletic communicators are to the success of college athletics.
Ideas started popping into my mind as I heard the talented individuals talk about their experiences and practices. I sought out more of those hallway connections and let myself
enjoy being surrounded by people with goals similar to mine. During the week-ending CSC Special Awards Luncheon, I was recognized for earning a National Runner-Up award in the Fred Stabley Sr. Writing Contest.
I felt, and still feel, so reinvigorated and inspired after one of the most pivotal weeks of my career.
The work we do as athletic communicators is so important and special. We work so uniquely with a range of people, and we impact every area of college athletics – the student-athlete experience, recruiting and retention, revenue generation, culture and branding. It's not an easy job, but
people care about what we do, and nobody cares more than the dedicated SIDs working tirelessly behind the scenes. It was a privilege to connect with and learn from some of the best in the business, and I'm excited to see how this opportunity impacts my work in the upcoming athletic year.
Editor's Note: I was fortunate to attend the convention as one of six recipients of the NCAA Inclusion CSC Convention Grant selected by the CSC and NCAA Leadership Development and Media Coordination and Statistics staffs along with
Kensley Walters (Conference USA),
Coreyon Chester (Texas Woman's University),
Devanée Williams (Eckerd College),
Dawnisha Franklin (Plattsburgh State), and
Jalon Avent (Rutgers-Newark). Major thanks to NCAA Assistant Director of Media Coordination and Statistics
Marcus Thatcher for being an incredible point-person for the grant and setting us up with incredible opportunities (which I'll dive into in August after our trip to the NCAA national office.)
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