1. What follows is a newswriting exercise. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
You're a sportswriter for the Centerville Gazette. You‟re covering a soccer game between the Centerville
Community College Eagles and the Ipswich Community College Spartans. The game is for the state collegiate
conference title. It takes place at the Ipswich campus in Wardleysburg. The game is deadlocked until
Centerville‟s Tamba Kamara, a freshman who played soccer at Centerville High School, scores the first goal
with 21:18 remaining. Ipswich‟s Jason Beardsley scores for the Spartans to tie things up with 11:08 remaining
but then with just 2:23 remaining Kamara scores again. Final score: 2-1. It is the only loss of the season for the
Spartans. Centerville finishes the regular season 14-2. It‟s the team‟s first state soccer title in six years.
After the game you interview Centerville coach Jack Majors. He says the team was confident leading up to the
game, even though their two regular-season losses were to the Spartans. “These guys just played with a lot of
confidence and a lot of heart the entire season,” Majors says. He says that Kamara, a 19-year-old Liberian
native who came to the U.S. three years ago, was the team‟s top scorer of the season with 22 goals. But he adds
that “this was a team effort. Everyone contributed this year.”
You interview Kamara, who speaks in heavily accented English. “I‟m so grateful for this victory,” he says.
“The whole team came together to win. This is a great day.” You also interview Spartans coach Mike Ellsburg.
“It‟s a tough loss for our guys, but they played great all year,” he says. “They have every reason to be proud of
this season.”
Write the story in 45 minutes or less.
Sample of sports writing
Essay
10-16-95
Last Week the Rams deflated the Utah Utes in a 19-14 victory in the Utes stadium. The Utes fell to 3-2 in the
WAC while the Rams climbed to 2-1.
Myers first - Ram free saftey Greg Myers had one interception in Sarurday's game and moved into a tie for first
place in career interceptions with Selwyn Jones.
Running Away - the Rams have averaged 186.8 yards russing a game in their four wins this year. However in
their two losses the Rams have averaged just 19.5 yards a game.
Hall of Fame - Six former Colorado State University athletes and coaches will be inducted in the school's hall of
fame this Friday.
Packed House - As of Monday morning only 1,000 seats remained in the 30,000 seat Hughes Stadium. No extra
bleachers will be brought in for this game.
Utes Fall - the Utes loss on Saturday means there is only one WAC team who has not lost to Ram coach Sonny
Lubick in his three years as a Ram. Hawaii is the only school who is unbeaten, it is also the only school Lubick
hasn't faced. He'll get a chance when the Rams and Rainbows meet next month at Hughes Stadium.
As a student reporter you must remember:
Focus on the important plays of the
game or a key player, and build your
story around it.
Michael Jordan scored 35 points to help the Chicago Bulls clobber the New York Knicks by a score of 105-73.

2. When reporting in sports you don't have to put in every play, just the important ones that made a difference.
Joe Carter's two-run homer in the seventh inning led the Toronto Blue Jays to a 6-4 win over the Milwaukee
Brewers.
Everyone would like to know exactly what happened in the game but they don't need to hear every play or every
detail. An example of overusing information on an unimportant play would be like this:
Fred Smith came up to bat in the second inning, and swung strikes on the first two pitches. He fouled off on the
next pitch, and then popped one up into left field. Gonzales, the left fielder, caught it in the air for the first out.
Lively quotes from the players or managers can give your story a boost.
"It's lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges," explained Muhammad Ali"and I believed in
myself."
Sports don't always happen on the playing field, so if you describe the crowd's mood, size, or the effect they had
on the game, it helps keep your readers interested.
A heavy helping of octopi was heaved onto the ice at game's end by the 12,400 angry hockey fans in attendance.
Your story doesn't even have to be about a game. It could be player profiles or about teams preparing for a new
season or a tournament - whatever is happening that may be interesting.
Professional sports aren't the only things happening, either. Amateur teams in competition can be just as
exciting as the „top of the line' athletes. Sports happening in schools or in communities are always around to
report. These are the kinds of stories that people enjoy reading because they're about the local athletes that
people may meet everyday. It makes readers proud of their achievements.
In either men's or women's events, sports news is what matters. Take some 1996 Olympic medalists from
Canada as examples. Donovan Bailey won gold with a 9.84 second Olympic record run in the men's 100 metre
sprint. Marnie McBean and Kathleen Heddle excelled in rowing gold for Canada in the Women's Double
Sculls.
Make sure you know exactly what the players or athletes have accomplished, so your story has the
correct details.
//////
Last Meeting:
On January 2nd, Oregon State handed the Wildcats their first conference loss, defeating the Wildcats 76-75 in
Corvallis. In the loss, three Wildcats scored in double figures led by Momo Jones‟ 20 points. Veiled behind his
20 points, however, was Jones‟ 1:5 assist-to-turnover ratio as he led the Wildcats in a sloppy affair where they
turned the ball over 19 times against Oregon State‟s 1-3-1 zone defense.
The impact player from the game had to be Jared Cunningham. Cunningham came away with 17 points,
including a thunderous put-back slam that seemed to tilt the momentum in the Beavers favor in the lingering
minutes. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX_yAi_M1Y8) Cunningham was no slouch on the defensive end
of the court either, scooping up 5 steals from the bottom of the 1-3-1 zone.
When the Wildcats have the ball:
Last time these teams met, Jesse Perry totaled 5 points and 2 rebounds in 24 minutes. If the Beavers stick to the
1-3-1, which is difficult to rebound from, Perry can greatly increase the Wildcats odds by crashing the offensive
boards and creating second chance opportunities. Additionally, look for Jones and backup PG Jordin Mayes to
control the tempo of the game and attempt to beat the Beavers zone by creating fast break opportunities. Once
into the offense, the two point guards need to get their teammates involved, keep the zone moving, and protect
the pumpkin.
When the Beavers have the ball:

3. The Wildcats will need to protect the lane and stuff the penetration of the Beavers‟ guard tandem in Calvin
Haynes and Jared Cunningham. Haynes and Cunningham accounted for nearly half the Beavers‟ point-total last
meeting, scoring 18 and 17 respectively. Oregon State‟s chances will be helped greatly if they can get a repeat
performance from F Omari Johnson who had 10 points and 8 rebounds in the weekend‟s loss to California. The
Beavers will have their hands full with Arizona F Derrick Williams and will have to throw some fouls his way
as seemingly the Pac-10 officiating crews have let the “most protected dude since Jordan” comments get to their
heads.
What to expect:
Surely, Coach Miller will not be the most pleasant character in this week‟s practices after his Wildcats lost two
in a row and placed a significant dent in their Pac-10 Championship hopes. One has to be equally confident that
Miller will have the Wildcats prepared for this year‟s final set of games at home in front of the ZonaZoo and the
Tucson faithful. The Wildcats will come out hungry, although the fans won‟t leave that way, because they will
pick up their free tacos as the Wildcats feast upon Oregon State en route to a 82-68 victory.
///////
All it took was 95 characters -- including spaces -- for @UFLCommissioner, aka United Football
League commissioner Michael Huyghue, to make professional sports history.
"The #1 overall selection in the #UFLDraft for @theColonials is Texas A&M QB Jerrod Johnson.
#UFL" … so goes his tweet.
Huyghue ushered pro football into the 21st century at 8:01 ET on Monday night as the UFL
became the first pro sports league to hold its draft exclusively via social media. The commissioner
announced all five first-round picks on his own feed before the coaches took over.
Inside of six minutes -- a little more than half the amount of time most NFL teams take to make a
single first-round selection -- the first round of the first social media draft was done.
Click here to read full article
Monday, March 28, 2011
How the Baby Derby was won
By Matt Lindner
Special to Page 2
ROSEMONT, Ill. -- Some racers get into their sport of choice for the glory. Others, for the fame.
But those closest to Nathan Gilbert say he's motivated by something else.
"It was that remote controller, man," said his father Isaiah. "That little car I bought him, he loves that thing."
Ten-month-old Nathan crawled his way to glory in front of more than 11,000 screaming hockey fans during the
Chicago Wolves' 13th annual Baby Derby on Sunday afternoon, on a mat at center ice.
The event pits five infants against one another during intermission of the American Hockey League game, with
bragging rights and a trip to the Eagle Ridge Resort in Galena, Ill., on the line.
"The early start is typically the way to go for this," said Courtney Mahoney, the Wolves' senior vice president of
operations. "If you don't get a good start, you're not going to do it. That seems to be the way to go."

4. Of course, when Wolves announcer Wayne Messmer invited parents to "unleash the babies," the eventual
winner appeared to want to stay, well, leashed.
Click here to read full article
Friday, January 7, 2011
M4W: Oregon fan seeks 'Auburn hottie'
By Matt Lindner
Special to Page 2
Some people get married for love.
Oregon Ducks fan Ryan Tharp won't be one of them.
"I pretty much just want a mug with me and the girl on it," Tharp says.
Tharp's bride won't have any problem finding something blue for her nuptials. You see, Tharp is hoping the
girl-of-his-dreams-for-a-day loves the Auburn Tigers as much as he loves his Ducks … and is willing to put
more than just money on the line to prove it.
Tharp placed a bet in the form of a personal ad on the Auburn Craigslist on Tuesday. His goal? Find an
"Auburn Hottie" to meet him and marry him in Las Vegas after his Ducks win the BCS National Championship
Game on Monday.
But he's not looking for "happily ever after." Rather, he's just looking for the first Mrs. Tharp to hold the crown
for a mere 24 hours, with the fan of the losing team paying for an annulment the next day.
Click here to read full article
Sands powers East to All-Star win
06/22/2010 11:00 PM ET
By Matthew Lindner / Special to MLB.com
FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- You know you're in trouble if you find yourself facing a three-run deficit before most
fans are even settled in their seats.
That was the predicament facing West Division manager Jim Gabella of the Burlington Bees as the East tagged
starter Trey McNutt for three quick runs en route to a 6-2 victory at the Midwest League All-Star Game.
McNutt's nightmare started innocuously enough after Great Lakes shortstop Christian Lara singled to open the
proceedings. Things went downhill as Lara stole second and scored on a two-out double by Bo Greenwell of the
Lake County Captains. McNutt's fate was sealed when Great Lakes' Jerry Sands, the eventual MiLB.com Star of
Stars, stepped to the plate.
Sands quickly showed fans at Parkview Field why he's leading the league in home runs, taking a fastball on the
other side of the plate up and over the left-field wall to give the East an early 3-0 lead.
Click here to read full article
Bees breeding success in the Midwest
05/07/2010 10:00 AM ET
By Matthew Lindner / Special to MLB.com
The drive down Highway 34 in Iowa is as ordinary as they come.

5. Pass the fields of corn and soybeans, through towns like Columbus Junction and Wapello, far removed from a
world of reality television and excess of just about any kind, and you'll find a place called Burlington, home of
the Midwest League's Bees.
It's there, right next to a strip mall and across the street from a Taco Bell, that you'll find Community Field
rising above the small-town skyline. It's a place where the ballgames have the feel of a neighborhood block
party, where beer is still served in cans, and you can order a pork tenderloin sandwich that's about as big as your
head.
It's also the place where the Kansas City Royals have stashed some of their organization's crown jewels in
recent years.
Of the Royals' current top 10 prospects, eight of them have made the trek out to Burlington and donned the
Bees' navy and gold in recent years. Two of them -- No. 3 Wil Myers and No. 7 John Lamb -- are currently
with the team, playing before crowds that rarely number more than a thousand but who always know their
beloved Bees by name.