Blair Soden counts persistence among the reasons shes found success in broadcast
journalism.
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quit playing lacrosse at the University of Pennsylvania, even after extra
training and work to improve didnt pay off with playing time. And after
graduation, she spent three weeks in New York City -- having already signed a
lease -- and hunted for a job before getting hired by ABC News.We talked to
Soden, whos now the?manager of original programming and development at NBC
Sports, about her transition from being a Division I college athlete to her
career in broadcast news.This interview has been edited for length.espnW: How
did you feel when you were about to leave college and (essentially) your
athletic career? What was going through your mind? Blair Soden:?I was really
excited, to be honest, because I had started laying the groundwork for my career
the summer of my sophomore year. I had interned at the CBS affiliate in my
hometown of Columbus, Ohio, and then the following summer I interned for the
national ABC news network in New York City. I had wanted to work in broadcast
journalism for as long as I can remember, and my internship reaffirmed my
passion for that field. I was pretty eager to get started and finally get a
paycheck for doing the work that I had been doing throughout my college summer
years.espnW: How were you able to balance your life as a college athlete with
summer internships?BS:?With lacrosse being a spring sport primarily, we pretty
much had the entire summer. We would be assigned workouts throughout the summer,
so that when we would come back and have a run test in the fall and started
working out again for fall ball, we would be prepared. The summer was really our
time off, so we were lucky in that respect.I had friends who played field hockey
and tennis, which were pretty much year round, who didnt have that luxury and
had to come back to school about a month early to start training. But I did have
the luxury of having those three or three-and-a-half months to pursue outside
interests while still pursuing my training regimen.espnW: How did your first
couple of years out of college go? What did you do? BS:?I was hired full time at
ABC News as a desk assistant. I also began cross-producing overnight features
for weekend Good Morning America, and then I was also a feature reporter for
ABCNews.com. So I was working seven days a week, 12-plus-hour days, but I knew
thats what is was going to take to grow in this industry. It was tough because a
lot of my friends had moved from Philadelphia and Penn to New York City and had
all this free time on the weekends, and it was pretty much an extension of
college. It was difficult for me to see them re-living those college years, and
I was missing out on that.And then about two years after I started at ABC News,
I took one of the biggest risks Ive ever taken and left the comfort of ABC News,
which is where I thought I would spend my entire career, for an opportunity to
help launch, develop and segment produce the new morning edition of SportsCenter
[at ESPN]. It meant leaving my friends and going to Bristol, Connecticut, where
I was waking up at 3:30 every morning and producing a live show three days a
week.I think it set a precedent for me to keep looking for opportunities and
challenges that would help me develop and learn in the industry. And I found
that pushing yourself out of a comfort zone, although it can be terrifying, is
one of the best choices you can make for yourself.espnW: What lessons did you
take from being an athlete that have applied to your working life? BS:?My work
ethic, my character and my role as a team player. Playing lacrosse at a top
academic institution was my dream, and Penn not only has an excellent academic
reputation, but the Ivy League is one of, if not the best conference for
lacrosse in Division I. I think it goes back to high school because Ohio, at the
time, wasnt really on the recruiting radar for lacrosse, so I went to camp after
camp to meet coaches and introduce myself, and by the time I met the head coach
at Penn, she had already filled most of her recruiting class for my year. But
she said if I could get in on my own merit, I would be on the team. So I did.It
was an uphill battle for me, to be honest. I barely played my freshman year and
was told that if I increase my speed, Id have more of an opportunity to play. So
I got running coaches over that summer between my job as a tennis pro at a
country club and my internship at CBS, and I trained to return to school and
beat everyone at the run test the next winter ahead of the season. But I still
didnt see playing time.I watched others quit and go onto a life outside of
college athletics, studying abroad and going on spring breaks and having free
time, which I was extremely jealous of. But I didnt want to quit, and I think
thats something thats really helped build my character, not just in my work life
but in my personal life as well. I knew those four years would likely be the
last Id be playing lacrosse, especially at an elite level. And the way I looked
at it, I got to play the sport that I love every day but game day. I tried to
always contribute to the team by supporting my teammates and making sure I
cheered the loudest and got the underclassmen on the sidelines to join in on
cheers.The lesson that I learned from that was that its tough to learn that your
best isnt enough for someone. Its an objective sport, and no matter how hard you
work, your fate is in your coachs hands.Theres one time that I always look back
to in my college career that really shaped my work ethic and determination. It
was Princeton, and they were our biggest rival, and it was an away game my
senior year, and my coach told me that I wasnt going to dress for the game --
which is, as an athlete, pretty much the biggest slap in the face you can
receive after putting four years of work into a program. I think that a lot of
people wouldve walked away that day. But I used it as motivation, and I still
do. I think back on that whenever Im in a difficult time.We had words that
describe us written on the back of T-shirts by our captains, and my word was
persistence. I knew that my future wasnt going to be playing professional
lacrosse and I had so much more to look forward to. But it taught me that just
because someone doesnt believe in you, all that truly matters is that you
believe in yourself and do what makes you happy.espnW: Whats unique about Penn
thats helped you in your professional life?BS:?We have a fantastic community of
alumni and have a reputation for excellence. Penn holds its athletes to a very
high standard, and theres no favoritism from professors or coaches when it comes
to academics. I think thats well-known.Im still really involved. I co-chaired
our five-year reunion, and Im still involved in alumni activities in the area I
live in now, and its just incredible to see how far people have come since
college. I have friends who have started businesses all over the world, or who
are vice presidents at top New York City banks, politicians, you name it. And we
all keep in touch and often work together in our professional careers as well
and can bridge gaps between major companies with our shared Penn bond. Its a
great community to be a part of.espnW: What advice would you give your
college-aged self? BS:?Its a lesson that my parents taught me, and it would be
to always believe in myself. I think career-wise, during the second half of my
senior year, I was sitting there watching all of my friends get lucrative offers
from banks in New York, and I was fairly certain that my internship would result
in a job offer, and that I laid the proper groundwork for that to come to
fruition in the final week of my internship, but our industry doesnt work like
that.I would find myself comparing myself to friends in a field entirely
different from mine. There arent those slots waiting for recent graduates like
there are in banking. After I graduated I went home to Columbus, Ohio, and I was
jobless, and I was completely doubting my future and everything I had worked
for, and my parents told me to not give up on my dream. They supported me
throughout that summer as I continued to pursue jobs in broadcast journalism.I
went to New York with my mom for an interview at ABC News, and I was told that I
was a top-three candidate and that if I received an offer, Id need to start
right away. My mom and I looked for an apartment and signed a lease during that
trip. We went back to Ohio to pack things up, only to find out that I hadnt
received the job.Here I was, jobless, living in Manhattan, no income, my parents
still supported me. And I think it was only three weeks that I was living in the
city without a job -- it felt like an eternity. I took up a job as a restaurant
hostess to help supplement my parents contribution to my rent however I could.
But then the call finally came from ABC News.I didnt give up, and that word
persistence did pay off.
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. After Mondays hard-fought loss, the wait seemed longer than usual. Getting set
to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach
credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road
trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end
of the week. WASHINGTON -- Erik Durham scored 19 points and made 6 of 8
3-pointers, Malcolm Drumwright added 16 points with four 3s and the Gamecocks
shot 13 of 22 from behind the arc to beat Howard 72-59 on Wednesday night to
snap a three-game skid.Jacara Cross scored 13 points, Norbetas Giga had 10 and
Jacksonville State (6-6) held the Bison to 42 percent shooting from the floor
and 5 of 16 (31.3 percent) from long distance.Down 35-23 at halftime, the Bison
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bay.Charles Williams scored 18 points and Dalique Mingo and Boyd added 12 apiece
for Howard (1-8).
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