Demon Deacons beat the "Fighting Christians"...but I still had a baller time

We may have lost to Wake Forest last week, but I still had an incredible time. The stadium was amazing - SO big. And the Pendulum people I was with made it even more enjoyable.

I went onto the roof to shoot video during halftime and the view, as I suspected, was breathtaking. I love the top of Rhodes Stadium, but this is even higher in the air.



And as soon as Pam, Sam and I got back to campus, I put together a highlights reel. I was ready this time and finished it quickly thanks to taking timecode notes on my phone any time I saw an awesome play.



It took me several hours (most of Monday's production night) to edit the bigger all-encompassing video, and I decided to try a voiceover. I may need to work on my sporty voice, though:



The best part: I'm slowing starting to understand football. It will probably take a few more games for me to feel like an expert, but I'm definitely starting to grasp some concepts.

I am SO proud of Pam and Sam for all the hard work they are putting in to The Pendulum's football coverage. They tweet and blog throughout the game in addition to keeping stats/play-by-play notes and preparing the big overall stories. They never cease to impress me and they really have taken Pendulum sports to a whole new level this semester.

Before the game started (we began the trek to Wake at about 2:30 so we could get our bearings), we hit up the Elon tailgate and interviewed some students, alumni, and my personal favorite, Dr. Danieley:



Can't wait for Georgia Southern during Family Weekend on Saturday!

Rubber Ducky, you're the one...of 7,000

This past Sunday, I got to cover a Meals on Wheels event that raised money for food for the elderly. It was a race that consisted of 7,000 yellow rubber ducks. Yes, it is true. And yes, it was amazing. Before I set out on this story, I was picturing a few people sticking their ducks of various shapes, sizes and colors (though predominantly yellow), into a pool to push or blow along to the finish line. But I was very, very wrong. I arrived at the YMCA in Burlington with Melissa, a freshman reporter who came with me to write the story and learn how to shoot video. And when we got into the pool area, we were faced with at least a dozen tubs filled to the brim with what we soon found out were 7,000 rubber ducks.

The tubs were dumped into the pool on the count of three and sprayed to the finish line with hoses. It was an awesome sight, and rightfully so for such an awesome cause. I was blessed to be a part of it, and to be working with Melissa - it's always a joy to teach someone about something I love, especially when they are so enthusiastic about it.

Here is Melissa's story, and here is the video I shot and edited with Melissa:

Fighting Christians vs. Demon Deacons

OK, so we're not the Fighting Christians anymore, but how cool would it be if that was still our mascot and we were facing the Demon Deacons tomorrow? Answer: Really cool. Even though we're the baller Phoenix now, I'm stoked to be going to the Wake Forest game tomorrow. I've said it before, but I am SO excited about sports this semester. I don't know where/when it really started, but I think some of it is rooted in my internship at The Washington Post this summer. I only got to edit a couple sports videos myself, but attending the AT&T National and taping/producing Washington Post Live every night must have set off some sporty trigger. And I am so glad.

I am headed to Wake Forest for our big game tomorrow with Pam, Sam and David. And we have press passes, something I am LOVING. It's only my second game shooting video, but after our Davidson game a couple weeks ago, I've been looking forward to this day for a long time. And THIS is the stadium we're working with:



It's a whole different ball game from those in Rhodes Stadium, and the other awesome aspect to this game is that Wake Forest is the second Football Bowl Subdivision team Elon has played in its history. (Pendulum: http://www.elon.edu/pendulum/Story.aspx?id=2546). Wake Forest is 1-1 and we're 2-0. I sure hope tomorrow turns out to be a win for the Phoenix, because not only do I get to witness it, but I get to report it.

My New Touchdown

This semester, I am shooting video at all the home football games. I have always loved watching football even though I never really understood it, but now I'm REALLY in love with it. I'm slowly but surely learning all the rules and I'm having a blast standing on the sidelines and shooting.

I am becoming a sports person. I'm truly surprised at myself. Last weekend, we played a great game against Davidson and I cannot wait until the next game. We play at Wake Forest on the 19th, so I'll get to travel for that game and get my next shooting experience.

My favorite video so far was a feature I did on Terrell "T-Mobile" Hudgins and Scott Riddle, two stars of the team...Batman and Robin as Terrell says. I had a great time getting to interview the guys with Pam Richter, the sports editor:





The scrimmage I shot for the Terrell/Scott feature was great practice for my next football video from the Davidson games. I did a "Scene In" Rhodes Stadium, game highlights reel, and highlights from the press conference after the game:















I absolutely cannot wait until the next game and I'm stoked to learn more about football! Getting to go up in the Rhodes Stadium press box with Sam, Pam and David is really great - the view is amazing. An even better view is from the very top of the press box. It's breathtakingly cool.