Sample Articles and Resume
This page has some of the articles that have been published since I've been working with The Collegiate Times. Each like is to a PDF of the article, and under that are my comments on them, as well as the first part from each one. Some of the more recent articles will also have a link, in case you are unable to download a PDF.
Clay Target: This was one of the last articles I wrote while working for the newspaper, and I also feel that it is my best one. It is a profile of Virginia Tech's Clay Target team, which is one of Virginia Tech's club sports and is very competitive. I really enjoyed meeting the people involved and working on this article, and I think it shows.
Tech's clay target team consists of a handful of students who hold practice somewhere between Blacksburg, Christiansburg and Shawsville, in an area that might be better referred to as God's country.
They are a little-known part of the club sports community, but after watching their practice and speaking to some of them, it became apparent that there is much more to clay target shooting than there seems on the surface.
Rugby Feature: In the beginning of the semester I wrote this article as a feature on the Men's Rugby club team. It's along the lines of the last previous one, a profile on who the team is, again, it was a lot of fun to work on this article.
"Do you have any suggestions for a split lip?" That was the first thing anybody at the men's club rugby practice said to me as I was observing. Needless to say, it would prove to be an interesting experience.
The men's rugby teams are one of those anomalies of Virginia Tech.
Many people know of them. Some know players on the team. Yet, outside of the inner circle, not many know much about the team, or for that matter, the sport.
Defensive Backs Article: This article was a part of the summer football preview that we did. It was the first article that I was able to write on the football team and was a very exciting experience.
Last year, the Virginia Tech secondary allowed little more than 207 passing yards per game as a unit. Senior free safety D.J. Parker and cornerback Brandon Flowers anchored that unit. Parker vacated the free safety spot after graduation, while Flowers left the team a year early to declare for the NFL Draft, where he was drafted in the second round by the Kansas City Chiefs.
While those players have moved on, the secondary does return two starters from last year's successful unit in senior cornerback Victor "Macho" Harris, and junior free safety Kam Chancellor. Both Harris and Chancellor have been named to the preseason watch list for the Jim Thorpe Award, which goes to the nation's top defensive back each year. Under their leadership, the secondary hopes to continue a trend of stingy defense that has become synonymous with Tech football.
Tiger Woods Column: I wrote this column over the summer, shortly after Tiger Woods had to have season-ending surgery on his knee. In the article I refer to past atheletes who played through injuries and how well (or not) it worked out for them. It was fun to work on because of the freedom that a column allows a writer.
Tiger Woods recently pulled off one of the most impressive feats in golf. No, scratch that, Tiger Woods pulled off one of the most impressive feats in all of sports. Many people will tell you that the U.S. Open is the most complete test of a golfer's skill that there is on the pro tour. Being such a thorough examination, it certainly isn't possible for somebody to win it unless they are fully healthy.
Of course, Tiger isn't just any normal golfer. Only two days after beating Rocco Mediate in an extra 19 holes, Woods announced that he would be having season-ending knee surgery. It turns out that he has been playing for the last 10 months with a torn ligament in his left knee. On top of that, he also had a double stress fracture in the same knee that he suffered just a couple weeks before the event. After all that, he still walked 91 holes to beat every other golfer in the competition, on a knee that grew worse with every step. If you're still not impressed you may want to check yourself for a pulse.