Reporting and Writing Experience
Freelance/Contributor
Experience
September 2021-Present
Over the Monster- Freelancer
I am a freelance contributor for Over the Monster, an SB Nation affiliate. I provide bi-weekly articles to the site and also contribute to weekly roundtables to prompt writer/viewer communication.
July 2020 - Present
Diamond Digest— Writing Contributor
I have contributed analytically-based articles to Diamond Digest for over a year now.
June 2020 - Present
Girl at the Game— Writing Contributor
I have been a periodic contributor for Girl at the Game since June of 2020. I was invited on by the gracious creator, and enjoy being able to be a voice for women in sports on a popular website ran solely by women.
March 2019-August 2020
Sox Sphere— Writing Contributor
I was a writing contributor for a year and a half for the Sox Sphere website until the creators decided to shut it down. I was the most common contributor, and wrote over 10 articles for them in my year and a half as a contributor.
School Reporting Experience
July 2020-Present
Yearbook Writing Contributor
I report on and edit stories for my school's yearbook.
2018-2019
Sports Broadcasting Reporter
My freshman year of high school, I contributed to the production of games at my school, which included me interviewing athletes and coaches in a reporter-style conduct.
Examples of Reporting Work
I worked on spreads during my junior and senior years which required me to report some stories. These excerpts are examples of this reporting work. I also have links attached to published articles that I have reported on as well.
Yearbook Reporting:
For volleyball players and coaches, this year was a year like no other. Uncertainty surrounded the occurrence of their seasons all year long. It was scheduled to occur in the fall, as usual, but was pushed back when those sports were all canceled, besides football. Then, the players had a complete schedule change, going from the plan to play teams throughout the state such as Valor Christian, Legend, and Chaparral, to being confined to a league-only schedule for their eventual season that began in mid-March of 2021. This preparation was a wild ride, and for Ruby Sherman ‘22, “when [the original season] got canceled and we still weren’t allowed to meet as a team, it changed preseason for all of us.” In the end, most girls are just happy that they have some sort of season to play this year. But this struggle to prepare throughout the offseason was taxing, “The lack of volleyball was very difficult,” Sherman states, “it was hard because I love playing volleyball and I love that community and when it was taken away it was hard not only for me but for everyone on the team too.” Still, throughout all of this struggle, most have high hopes for the team; a team that is ranked third in the state in CHSAA’s annual preseason rankings. Sherman said “this season I really hope we take it to state and can win state as well.” This strive for greatness doesn’t take away any of the fun and familial sense throughout the program though, as Sherman asserts, “I also just want to grow a happy and fun community with everyone within the programs as well.” Anjelina Starck ‘21 says that she has met “so many great people” through volleyball during her years at the school, and expects great performances this year from both herself and the teammates with whom has formed these friendships.
Even with ever-changing circumstances and restrictions, the girl’s volleyball team plans to perform their best this season in hopes of securing their well-deserved state championship. The teams will use this teamwork and dedication to perform the best that they can both on and off the court this year, so keep an eye out for those Rams on their quest to greatness in 2021.
Features and Profiles
I completed some senior features for our book in 2021, as well as some features for regular stories throughout the book. These excerpts are featured below as examples of my feature work.
Anjelina Starck Feature
Black Lives Matter
Artharva Vispute NHS Feature
Profile Lead Entry
Sox Sphere:
Preview: As the Red Sox dump Dave Dombrowski in the year following a World Series championship, this article analyzes Chaim Bloom's new front office and the approaches they'll come to deploy with this new-age team. Bloom, the new Chief Baseball Officer for the team, will use his analytical background and progressive approach to build this team into an annual contender with a sustainable roster and deep player pool.
Girl at the Game
Preview: While COVID-19 affected the world, the baseball season was put on hold. But this shortened season has the chance to benefit the short-handed Boston Red Sox in the long run.
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Diamond Digest
A heavily in-depth, analytical exploration of lineup optimization, this piece uses Tom Tango's "The Book" to contextualize lineup optimization and explore how its application to the Boston Red Sox could increase their win probability game-to-game as well as their end-of-year win total.
How Lineup Optimization Can Further Maximize the Red Sox's Success
Over the Monster
This piece examines a key secret of success for Boston's Wild Card search: the performance of the bottom third of the lineup. This group has seen trends of improvement over the past months, and their consistent contribution to the team could make or break their Wild Card race.
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The bottom third of the lineup holds the key to Boston's success this week
For Anjelina Starck ‘21, volleyball has always been a substantial part of her life. Even though she didn’t start playing the sport herself until age eight, Starck’s life has always been influenced by volleyball. Her family is made up of “both… parents [who] played volleyball in college, my mom played at The University of Texas and my dad played at Ball State University,” along with her sister Izzy Starck ‘24 who plays the sport as well. Because of this family dynamic, Starck is always exposed to volleyball, and she explains how “they [her parents] have definitely helped me advance my volleyball skills,” because “with both of them playing Division I volleyball they knew what I needed to do to reach my goals.” She further tells how “They have spent a lot of time working with me in the gym and helping me with the mental aspect of the game,” and the mental aspect of the game is an important one to consider and something that can be frequently forgotten about by both athletes and spectators.
But even with these connections to the sport in her early life, Starck says that “they [her parents] both had me play a lot of different sports before volleyball because they did not want to force me into it,” but even with this, she explains that “[she] ha[s] always enjoyed volleyball the most out of any sport I played.” Later on, Starck explains how “[she] started to play volleyball in second grade”, this means that volleyball has been a large part of nearly her whole life. Starck was told that “[she] would learn life lessons through the sport of volleyball, and I definitely believe that now.” Throughout these influential years of her life, she has always had volleyball to teach her these lessons. Through her competition in the sport, she has “learned how to keep working when times get tough”, an important life lesson for all student-athletes and people in general.
Starck has experienced a relatively large change in her life in the past couple of years, moving from “Las Vegas” where she’d lived for “[her] whole life.” Although she has “loved it here in Colorado” so far, the move was tough for her, as Starck offered “I was very nervous to move because I did not want to leave all my family and friends.” But even throughout this move, volleyball helped her through it all, “Rampart made it very easy to change schools because everyone made it feel very welcoming and the volleyball program felt like a family.” Starck expresses love not only for the school’s volleyball program but also “the sport of volleyball” in general, which has helped her through life. Explaining this, Starck has “learned how to keep working when times get tough” because of her participation in the sport, and has also become “more goal-oriented” through her practice as well. Furthermore, she has also learned that “through hard work and dedication, you can achieve anything you put your mind to.”
All in all, Starck’s familial ties to volleyball along with the support it’s provided her throughout her life are the reasons that the sport is so important to her. Because of her hard work and dedication, she was able to make the first-team Under Armour All American team this year, an exclusive club featuring only 24 athletes nationwide. This is a very elite mark, and a difficult one to achieve at that, which just highlights Starck’s abilities and talent. She is more than deserving of this honor, as she achieved a strong mark in 2019 that made her one of the best athletes in the state and nation. Starck also has a strong case to be chosen as Colorado’s Gatorade Athlete of the Year this year, for both volleyball and as the best female high school athlete in the state. This is yet another commendable accomplishment that Starck hopes to add to her resumé before she heads to University Park in Pennsylvania to continue racking up more amazing feats throughout her collegiate career.
Following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, protests have sprung up across the nation, demanding justice from the officers involved and calling for the end of the constant police brutality that has been showcased in our nation for centuries. The events of May 25th, 2020 have greatly impacted our whole country over the months that have passed. Civil unrest has occurred across the nation, and in Denver, protestors blocked I-25 multiple times in calls for action. These injustices have even infiltrated some of America’s favorite pastimes; following the NBA restart, players changed the text on the back of their jerseys to show solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and have even protested playoff games to bring the public’s attention to their cries. Major League Baseball followed suit that same night, canceling games across the country over the next two days in an attempt to show solidarity from a sport where only 7.8% of athletes are black, as of 2019. Local protests have been held nationwide calling for justice for George Floyd, along with Breonna Taylor, who was killed on March 13th when officers shot at her while she was sleeping after entering her home with a no-knock warrant, and Elijah McClain, who was killed on August 30th, 2020 in Aurora, Colorado. Though these three names have been the most recognizable throughout the nationwide movement, there are countless others who have been victims of police brutality in America. It seems that 2020 has the potential to be a year of change for our police force, but as law enforcement continues to fail to take notice of the public pleas, all we can do is keep fighting until something changes. Not only in honor of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Elijah McClain but for the good of our country as a whole.
The National Honor Society (NHS) is a nationwide organization dedicated to high school students who display exceptional leadership skills, commitment, and character. As explained by Atharva Vispute ‘21, an NHS officer, “The National Honor Society (NHS) is a junior and senior-level program for students that have demonstrated a knack for high academic accomplishment as well as a desire to do good for the community.” The National Honor Society strives to make the world a better place by completing community service acts. The club participates in bettering the community by volunteering at local middle and elementary schools, along with other community opportunities, such as clothing drives, tutoring programs, and more. Vispute says, “Students are also encouraged to create their own leadership programs.” In order to be a part of this program, students must maintain a 3.75 GPA and reach a certain amount of service hours, along with the opportunity to letter in the club by reaching a higher hour mark. For the students who participate, the program holds a special place in their hearts; Aaron Rubin ‘21, an NHS officer attests to this, saying “NHS is an opportunity to engage with my community and attempt to make Rampart a better place. The activities we engage in spread positivity and helpfulness around the community.” Vispute explains how, “NHS is, in my opinion, the way that Rampart makes itself known in the community on a more personal scale with other schools and community groups.” Just to show how involved the club is in the community, Vispute tells of the work that they do at “Mountain Ridge Middle School, various elementary schools, as well as various nursing homes throughout the community,” and describes how “we are making a personal difference in the lives of individuals in those groups.” In the end, this is the goal of the NHS program, to better the lives of those in our community, and to help out those who need help. It is less of a club, but more of a lifestyle, and a major unifying factor for juniors and seniors in the school.
This profile lead is an entry that I submitted for the Big Scribble writing contest in April of 2020.
The Mystery of Family- and How to Build a Relationship During a Global Pandemic
Ever since I was young, my grandpa has been an enigma to me. We never really communicated, we’re both extremely quiet and laid back people, unless we talked about sports. We’d chat about trades, I’d go over and watch the Masters with him in April, and watch Broncos games every Sunday. He’d try to talk to me about the Red Sox, and did his best considering his flamboyant love of the Rockies. He’d always text me when something happened to one of our numerous teams, trying to engage with me, something that we seldom had in person. But recently, my grandpa and I have begun connecting through something else- our family history.
The story of my finally growing connection with my grandpa began only recently. I’ve spent time talking to him about everything sports, but I’d wondered how to deepen our connection in the past. I considered discovering information about our family history, though I’d never thought to explicitly have an in-depth conversation with him about it. I made excuses, figured he didn’t have the documents or resources to even begin the story of our many ancestors. But then the emails started.
When schools were canceled and the stay-at-home order put into place in early March, I could no longer visit my grandparents, for their safety and mine. It was a sad adjustment, but was for the best. To stay connected, my grandpa began composing long and ranging emails about our family history, starting with him and my grandma’s great-grandparents, with the following emails going down the generational lineage. These stories have filled me with hope in a time where it seems lacking. They’ve been able to connect me to my grandparents when I can’t physically see them. Now, instead of only talking to my grandpa about the Broncos upcoming draft selection, I’m hoping they trade up for Jerry Jeudy, I have hour-long phone calls with him, inquiring about our family history and learning more than I’d ever hoped. And the best part of it all may not be learning about my distant ancestors, but learning about him.
Commentary Report
This COVID commentary report is an entry that I submitted for the Big Scribble writing contest in April of 2020. The prompt for this entry was to describe how COVID has impacted people's hair.
All around the world, people are struggling. Businesses are closed, families are isolated. But one thing that has impacted everyone is the struggle of not being able to receive a hair cut. This is even being endured by our canine companions too. In communities, our furry friends are unable to get their grooming appointments during the most crucial part of the year- the beginning of the summer months.
All the shaggy-haired dogs of the world are experiencing this together, especially those with luscious locks who haven’t been groomed for months. “He hasn’t been groomed since January,” says Ceanne Hamel, the owner of Benny, a 1-year old chocolate labradoodle. “His hair is getting so long that we now have to bring him water on our shortest walks, just because he’s so hot under all of it”.
Humans have felt the impact of the closing salons, greatly, but owners have been pondering about possible opening dates for grooming facilities since lockdown began. Luckily, their furry friends are being thought of too, as grooming salons have recently reopened in some states under the Safer at Home orders.
While some of these raggedy pups will be cleaned up in the coming weeks, grooming still remains a problem during the pandemic due to a complete back-order of grooming appointments in U.S communities. On April 30th, with grooming salons being open for only a day, the local Wag N Wash was already booked full for appointments until May 16th.
Animals and humans alike are struggling with the overload of hair, and, with it being a physical feature, it has been one of the most blatantly observable struggles of this pandemic. But as our country attempts to slowly reopen, the sight of newly shaved dogs everywhere should symbolize the slow progress of the world combating this virus. While we are also cautiously reminded of the difficulty and unknowns ahead of us as we continue to see the back-logged pileup of pups waiting for their turn to receive a fresh summer trim.