Your Chance To Break Into the Industry

Yesterday I stumbled upon a pair of excellent sports journalism-themed Minor League events, and since they both involve a team from the Mike Veeck-led Goldklang Group I figured I would cover them in tandem with one another.

Tonight in Fort Myers, the Miracle are hosting the first-ever "Miracle Journalism Camp". From the press release:

"The camp will give 10- to 18-year-olds the chance to learn about sports broadcasting and meet broadcast professionals from Southwest Florida...Professional writers, TV anchors, editors and photographers will talk about their respective professions, how they got there and what the campers can do to prepare themselves for a career in journalism.

The highlight of the camp will be the opportunity to cover that evening's Miracle game. Campers will watch the game from the Hammond Stadium press box and report on the game and their experience. Stories will be reprinted on the Miracle's website."

Tonight's event is at full capacity, and the club is already compiling a waiting list for next year. Obviously, this is a win-win situation. The camp provides aspiring sports journalists with a great opportunity to learn about the ins and outs of covering a game, while simultaneously generating increased fan interest in the Miracle.

Meanwhile...The Charleston RiverDogs announced the details of their "Fancaster Contest" yesterday. The club is currently accepting 1,000-word essays from fans who would like to try their hand in the broadcast booth. They will then select nine of these aspiring announcers, each of whom will broadcast one inning of August 23's game against the Columbus Catfish.  Here are the rest of the details:

At the conclusion of the RiverDogs-Catfish game, nine fan video clips will be uploaded and available for voting by 5 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 25 at www.fancaster.com.
 
From Aug. 25-27, fans will have the opportunity to vote for the best RiverDogs Fancaster fan video on www.fancaster.com.  There will also be a link on the RiverDogs' website.

The winner will be announced as the "RiverDogs' Fancaster Fan of the Year" during Fan Appreciation Night, which will be held as part of the RiverDogs final home game of the season on Aug 27 against the Savannah Sand Gnats.

On the assumption a position is available, the winner may be considered for a potential radio play-by-play position for one of The Goldklang Group's teams (Charleston RiverDogs, Fort Myers Miracle, Sioux Falls Canaries, Brockton Rox, St. Paul Saints and Hudson Valley Renegades).  Being named the "RiverDogs Fancaster Fan of the Year" during Fan Appreciation Night does not guarantee future employment.

So there you have it folks...while the winner of this contest may not be guaranteed future employment, he or she will be guaranteed to win respect and admiration as a result of heretofore unrecognized play-calling skills.

Kudos to both the Miracle and the RiverDogs for staging events for their fans that are both fun and beneficial to professional development. That's a hard combination to pull off.