Since the beginning of time The Quill has looked for its own sports reporter. We have searched high and low for someone who is interested in both sports and the art of writing. However every time I seem to find one person who considers themselves interested in one subject or the other it seems to be mutually exclusive, as if to say people can’t be interested in both subjects simultaneously. It’s as if as soon as I bring up one subject some people seem to get super excited and interested in talking with me. “Oh you like sports, you must have an opinion on how the local hockey teams are doing this year.” “Oh you’re a writer, you must be great with grammar and proper punctuation.” (Both statements are not true about myself, just for the record.)
But as soon as I try to bring up the idea of both subjects and the possibility of being a sports reporter it seems as if people skulk away. Like as if to say “Pfft I would not be caught dead with that group of individuals who like that subject.” People will often say they either dislike or don’t understand sports or claim they are not strong writers. I cannot possibly comprehend either of those points of view. Why can’t I understand them? First of all, sports are entertaining. They have a goal, a purpose and are based on real life/real time events. Second, writing is amazing. You can express yourself, share your ideas and opinions and it is a crucial piece of life.
There are entire companies dedicated to reporting on sports news. Thousands of people who both like journalism and sports and realize they are not mutually exclusive. And yet here I am begging someone, anyone who considers themselves a writer and a fan of sports to report on stories that surround the sports community.
Why you should join The Quill team? Well there are several reasons and I will lay them out for you. The Quill is focused on reporting news all across campus and in the Brandon community. If you ever wanted a chance to be involved in a community The Quill is a great option and connection to finding out what is going on locally. The Quill also offers payment through tuition rebates. Your wages would be based on the total word count you write. For example writing 2000 words (roughly 5-6 articles) might be as much as 2% of the total content The Quill posts, then that 2% is worth a portion of the tuition rebate which might total $100. It’s not a lot but the experiences that are offered are worth far more than the wages themselves. Experiences such as meeting celebrities who come to Brandon, going to certain events and outings and getting to interview some truly incredible people.
The Quill can offer you a place to study in our office, a place to meet people and a resume booster. The skills you would learn include some time management and communication skills. Even then if you’re worried about either of those I would gladly sit down to help out and mentor you through this process.
I started out my career at The Quill by taking on the sports reporter position. I covered games and events hosted by the Bobcats and even interviewed former NHL players like Theon Fleury. I also went to all sorts of HLC classes and clubs like yoga and floor hockey. It got me out of my comfort zone and put me in the thick of being social and expanding my writing skills. My first boss taught me a lot about writing and helped me really come into my own as a reporter. To date I’ve made well over $2000 since working here and making this a vital piece of my life. To think it all started with reporting on sports. It really is a great opportunity and I would feel awful if no one ever held out the hand and invited me to join.