LETTER: For publicity — Be proactive
Editor,
A few years ago as part of my duties as the public officer for the men’s club volleyball team I was in charge of the publicity. I had a Statesman reporter at games, and I had the team announced on my sister’s radio show.
The local paper, however, told me that they wouldn’t cover us, because if they cover one club, then, to be fair, they need to cover all of the clubs on campus. Imagine my surprise when the USU men’s hockey club showed up in the paper Wednesday. Now, this made me mad at first, until I decided that this must mean they changed their policy and they would now cover clubs, so I called the sports editor.
Well, I left a message saying that the men’s club team would be hosting a tournament with teams from Utah, Colorado, UVSC, and others, but to call me so I could give the details. That was Thursday, still no call, but the hockey club showed up twice more.
I don’t think this is fair. Over the weekend, the hockey team lost, but the two men’s volleyball teams finished second and fourth, respectively, in a 16-team tournament. Also, an Alumni team that was exciting did very well.
The fourth-place finish was the highest any “B” team has finished in a tournament in the five years I’ve been around the team. They both played extremely well. Each lost their final matches by two points, but there were no reporters from the local paper. The Statesman did a great job on the story, and all The Journal needed to do was to copy the same article. But they were busy apparently. I realize the hockey team is a popular team to go and watch, and as The Journal reported, they are the fifth-ranked team in conference.
Well, the volleyball team had close to 200 people on the two days, and last year finished seventh in the country. Imagine if the football or basketball team finished that high.
Now, I am proud of all of the sports on campus, and I’m not upset at the hockey club. I would like to be covered fairly though. So, any club team that feels this is unfair, call The Journal and get them to cover your event, too.
They said themselves that if they are going to cover one club then they are going to have to cover them all. Rugby, Ultimate Frisbee, Lacrosse, Rodeo, or anyone else who needs to be covered, call them and get them at your event.
Scot Stacey
Assistant Coach Men’s Volleyball