My Experience in a Student-Run Sports Production 

One of the best things about going to school at Newhouse is the opportunity for hands-on experiences. While many different sporting events are produced through the Dick Clark Studios in Newhouse 2, most sports like football and basketball are usually produced by professional teams, or a mixture of students and professionals. However, the Syracuse women’s ice hockey (WICE) games are produced entirely by students.  

From top to bottom, each production has all positions filled by undergraduate and graduate students. This includes the replay, graphics, audio, technical director, director and producer. Students also fill the roles of on-air announcers and camera operators; this is where I found myself when working on my first game for WICE.  

There is no experience required in order to work on these games. When I showed up and our supervisors asked if I had ever handled a camera, I said no. Unfazed, all they asked was which camera I would prefer to operate. I chose a handheld camera to be as close to the ice as possible, much to the chagrin of my back and arms. These cameras are not terribly heavy; they are nearly identical to those you can check out at The Cage. However, carrying one on your shoulder for a couple of hours straight will make you sore.   

It was a lot of trial and error. If you have ever had a hard time following a hockey puck while watching a game, try doing that while looking through a tiny eyepiece. There were a lot of missed opportunities. I had to learn in real time where I should be, who I should be following with my camera, how to get better angles when players are up against the boards and to never, ever move your camera if the director wants to use your camera angle.  

The next time I worked on a WICE game, instead of standing rink-side with a camera, I was back in the studio in one of the replay positions. Your work in this position intersects with nearly everyone else. You are reliant on the camera operators to get you the best looks, you are rewinding and preparing a replay for the director to take, and you might be clipping moments of the broadcast for the producer of the show to use later on.  

Like any live broadcast, cuts are fast, and information comes faster. This can be intense, but it also gives you a lot of opportunities. You cannot stew on a possible mistake you made, because the game is still going, the next play is happening, and you have to follow that.  

WICE has been a great place to start making those mistakes and then learning from them. And, it is incredible to be able to power through an entire broadcast controlled by the students.