Sports anchor for a day

I can’t read.

Okay, that doesn’t sound right. Let’s start over.

I can read but just not out loud…on a teleprompter…with bright lights in my face.

But for some odd reason, I decided to raise my hand and volunteer for the position of sports anchor for Winthrop Close Up when the original anchor said he could no longer do it.

A decision I soon regretted.

Don’t get me wrong,  once I realized my stupidity, I tried  so hard to get other people to switch with me.

But funnily enough, no one else wanted to make a fool out of themselves either.

So, like a good trooper, I stuck with it (mainly because I didn’t want to fail ) and showed up to class.

Everything going was fine.

I confidently made adjustments to my script, joked around with my friends prior to the show and even giggled a little bit at the other anchors during their readings.

But when it came time to read my piece my flight versus fight reflexes kicked in.

From the very moment I clipped the mike on my shirt and stared at the glare on the teleprompter screen, I knew I was in some deep sh…stuff.

My heart began to beat faster and my stomach felt like it was entering some sort of gymnastic competition with all the flips it was doing.

When I began to read, my tongue swelled.

Okay, not really, but it might as well have with all the stumbling that occurred while reading the small novel in front of me.

But, I got through it.

I didn’t die and no one laughed at me (well not to my face anyway, which works for me).

And they didn’t kick me off the set or tell me to change my major straight away because I’m probably going to fail at life (which is always a plus).

So, that was my first dare for the semester.

Anchoring is hard work and I have a much greater respect for the individuals on the news who make it look so easy.

Even though broadcast journalism is my major, anchoring is not something I’ll look forward to doing.

I think I’ll stick to the production side.

One dare down, many more to go. If you have any suggestions for my next dare, please let me know ASAP.

Thanks for reading!

2 Comments

  1. I can relate with your tension because just recently I had to tell about a program that I have started at Alcorn Middle School and I was expecting to only discuss the program with middle school girls, instead I had a cafeteria full of aspiring young students who were looking at me like I am the next best thing. I was so nervous, and even when the social worker told me to speak up, I still was unable to speak loudly! But like you said, I got through it and I am glad you did too! Anchoring takes some practice with charisma! Something that MY sims on the Sims 3 know how to accomplish so easily, but it is not that easy. It takes a lot of innate intrapersonal communication skills that I know you and I both lack to some extent but congrats on getting through it! Winthrop does sound like a great school of opportunity!

  2. Sounds like fun to me! I’m glad you survived.


Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI

Leave a reply to Latoya Jeeter Cancel reply