West Side Story Sports Editor
FEATURE STORIES
The following are examples of my best feature stories focused on the lives of athletes at Iowa City West High. All of these articles and many more like them can be found on our school publication's website. To see my comprehensive list of work click here.
FORCED TO SCRAMBLE
Oct, 2019
This story was featured in the first issue of our school newspaper West Side Story on Oct. 3. The story follows the life of senior football player Anu Dokun and his evolving journey leading up to his arrival at Iowa City West High. To read the full story click here.
MIND OVER MATTER
Nov, 2019
This in-depth article addresses the growing trend of reduced weight cutting in Iowa high school wrestling and how it is affecting wrestlers at Iowa City West High School. Competitors and coaches alike share their views on cutting weight and the dangers associated with the practice. To read the full story click here.
BENEATH THE SURFACE
Dec, 2019
This feature story on the combined swim team of West and Liberty High examines the leadership skills of the team's two captains and the chemistry amongst the athletes that has brought them closer together on their quest for a state title. To read the full story click here.
EVENT COVERAGE
As Sports Editor for the West Side Story, a major part of my job involves live coverage of West High sporting events in addition to writing game stories recapping the action. Below are some of my best game stories from the summer and fall sports seasons. To read more West High sporting event coverage click here.
INTERVIEWING
The Recruiting Trail is an original sports video idea featuring West High's top high school prospects. To date, the series has produced three episodes shot and edited by videographer Tosh Klever.
PODCASTING
In order to expand my journalistic skillset, I created a humorous sports podcast for fans of West High athletics. There are currently five episodes available on Soundcloud.
SOCIAL MEDIA
One of my first initiatives as Sports Editor of the West Side Story was launching an athletic Instagram account to connect with our high school audience. The account is great for live coverage of sporting events, promotion of sports stories on our website and connecting with our followers through engaging stories and content. In addition to running the Instagram account, I also run our athletic Twitter account which can be viewed here.
FIGHTING FOR CHANGE: EXAMINING THE COMBATIVE CULTURE AT WEST HIGH.
Jan, 2020
Due to an increase in the number of fights at Iowa City West, I decided to write a comprehensive article addressing the problem and gathering perspectives from students and faculty. The full story, co-written by Alex Carlon, was featured on School Newspaper Online's national newsletter as one of the nation's top stories of the week.
BOXED OUT: THE EXPLOITATION OF COLLEGE ATHLETES
Mar, 2019
As my first project on staff, I wrote a well-researched opinion on the unfair treatment of college athletes in America. The story features a variety of infographics and statistics and earned an honorable mention for Interactive Graphic of the Year from the National Scholastic Press Association.