It’s no secret that being a fan of the Georgia Bulldogs is nothing short of a whirlwind experience, and these past few years have included some heartbreaking losses.
If you know me, you probably know that I am a die-hard Dawgs fan and have been for my entire life. This love for the team grew deeper over the years into a passion for the game as a whole, and that’s how my journalism career began.
This weekend, I had the incredible opportunity to attend and cover the SEC Championship for my work as a reporter here at the Lake Oconee News.
Over the years, I have spent many Saturdays in Athens cheering on the Dawgs alongside my dad, but this time around was much different. With this SEC championship game, I got to experience the sport from a professional perspective, which has been something I’ve dreamed of since I started studying journalism in college.
This change of perspective was one of the most rewarding and enjoyable experiences I’ve encountered as a journalist. I look forward to every season as a fan, but it doesn’t compare to the joy of attending the game as a professional in the workplace.
Going into Saturday, I knew that this work trip would require some adjustments to my typical gameday routines. No shouting, no bias (obviously), and dress for the workplace.
I knew I would be able to maintain these aspects, but boy, that game was amazing and loud, so I definitely wanted to celebrate with the fans. But hey, it really wasn’t bad and showed me that I know how to maintain professionalism.
Two things about me are that I love to plan ahead and absolutely loathe Atlanta traffic. Therefore, I decided to make a weekend of the work trip and crash at my best friend’s house, who lives much closer to the city than I do.
My Saturday experience was an all-day job, and I woke up at 6 a.m. in order to make an eight o’clock drive to the Georgia World Congress Center for College Gameday.
Funny enough, I applied for a media credential for the TV show, expecting I wouldn’t get approved and hoping I wouldn’t, so I could sleep in.
Well, guess what? It was approved, and I wasn’t surprised because we often expect one thing and get the exact opposite.
For a brief moment, I considered not going because I am not a morning person by any means. But after some consideration, I realized that it was an opportunity I may never come across again.
In the wise words of my best friend Ellie (who convinced me to take the early morning), “You can always catch up on sleep.”
I spent about three hours photographing College Gameday, including the chaos of Pat McAfee, which runs counter to Nick Saban’s persona. I also got to capture the hosts’ conversations with Kirby Smart and Kalen DeBoer, and it was pretty surreal to see the coaches up close.
This part of the afternoon was one of the highlights of my entire day, but I wasn’t entirely prepared for the high-stress environment where everyone in the media is trying to get the same shot at once.
After months of covering high school sports, I was more used to being a lone photographer at events, but I loved this opportunity to meet others who do the same work as I do.
After gameday concluded around noon, I headed to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for game preparations, a nice lunch in the press box, and to watch the players warm up as I walked around the stands. Other than that, I spent the next four hours covering the game and certainly enjoyed secluding myself in the press box away from the swarm of fans.
You could certainly say I was exhausted at the end of the day, as I spent a total of 12 hours out and about doing the job. But despite how tired I was the next day, this experience was worth every single second.
Overall, this gameday experience was one of the best days of my life and exceeded my expectations. Before Saturday, I was convinced that I would never see a Dawgs win over the Tide in person.
I feel so blessed to encounter this opportunity just a few months into my post-graduate career. It was such a joy to see how special this sport is to so many people, including the fans, athletes, and coaches.
So here’s to whatever exciting opportunities that God has in store for this future in journalism.
I’m looking forward to watching the Dawgs make another run in the playoffs!