Carolina Sports Journalism Camp

“The three days I spent at Carolina Sports Journalism Camp were filled with many great opportunities. Everything we got to participate in and all that we got to experience was really a dream come true. I had such an amazing time.”

“I had a great time meeting new people, learning about different areas in journalism and media, and listening to top sports journalists share their experiences. I especially loved hearing from and talking with the UNC athletes. In addition to reinforcing my interest in UNC, I came away knowing how to ask smarter questions as a reporter and write better articles.”

“Attending the 2020 Carolina Sports Journalism Camp was one of the best decisions I have ever made. This program not only taught me about sports journalism, but (also) exposed me to a large range of career paths within the sports media industry. I learned about interview techniques, sports writing, broadcast production and so much more through a wide range of guest speakers. And (I) had the incredible opportunity to participate in a real college sports writing class, with feedback from current college students. The Carolina Sports Journalism Camp showed me what it would feel like to study as a student at the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media.

“I attended the virtual Carolina Sports Journalism Camp in 2020… The camp featured writing and interviewing workshops. My article was one of a select few that was reviewed by a college writing class at UNC. The feedback given by them was very valuable, and it is something everyone took notes on because it can and will help us all in the future. Several notable guests spoke on Zoom during the class, including Carolina Panthers radio play-by-play announcer Mick Mixon, The Athletic Clemson writer Grace Raynor and UNC men’s basketball player Andrew Platek. Each guest had their own unique story and gave great advice. Every minute of this camp was entertaining and worth listening to. I significantly improved as a journalist because of this camp, and I encourage anyone who is interested in sports journalism to apply.”

“I had a great time at the 2020 Carolina Sports Journalism Camp and would 100% recommend it to anybody with an interest in sports broadcasting and reporting. … This camp provided me with some amazing insight into what UNC journalism students experience in their classes. One of my favorite parts was having one of my articles read aloud and critiqued by Mr. Crothers and the students in his college sports writing class. Due to COVID-19 I had to attend this camp virtually, but I still had a thoroughly engaging experience. I especially enjoyed all the guests who were able to join us on Zoom from across the country, including a national NBA writer, a broadcaster from an NFL team and star UNC athletes like Isabel Cox! From this camp I took away experiences that I’ve been able to apply to my work as sports editor of my school newspaper and I am so grateful I had this opportunity to learn from some truly great instructors and collaborate with other high school journalists across the U.S.”

“As a rising senior in high school, the Carolina Sports Journalism Camp was a challenging and amazing experience, igniting my interest in sports journalism and writing. … Campers were able to listen to and interact with the numerous guest speakers, many of whom are alums of UNC Hussman. These speakers shared their experiences in the industry and were open to questions and becoming contacts. One of the best parts of the camp was how it reflected a rigorous and exciting college writing class, with direct writing feedback from college students. The camp covered all aspects of sports journalism, from broadcast to interviewing and writing feature stories. Overall, the Carolina Sports Journalism Camp was an incredible experience, and I highly recommend high schoolers who are interested in sports journalism to pursue the camp!”

“I really believe the Carolina Sports Journalism Camp changed my life. I remember being part of a camp press conference at the Smith Center with then-sophomore basketball star JP Tokoto. Even though I was pretty shy, I remember marching up to Andrew Carter, the Raleigh News & Observer beat writer for the Tar Heels who was a guest speaker one day during class, and telling him I wanted his job one day. (I ended up interning at The N&O the summer after I graduated from UNC and got the chance to work with him there.) I remember playing pickup basketball with other campers the last night of camp at the Granville courts and meeting John Bauman, who would go on to be one of my best friends to this day. (John invited me to write for the blog he ran at the time.) I also remember being inspired by Tim Crothers and his stories of being a senior writer for Sports Illustrated. I currently cover NASCAR and Charlotte FC at The Charlotte Observer, and I still think back on that week of camp and shake my head at how formative and special an experience it was. I couldn’t recommend it enough.”