Today is National Signing Day.
(Just in case sports fans didn't know that. Which is like the whole world not knowing yesterday was Groundhog Day. But I digress.)
NSD is an extremely busy time for those who work in collegiate sports information. It gets busier every year, too, as the day gains a larger foothold in the media calendar. While it's a day to celebrate a dream achieved for thousands of student-athletes, it can overwhelm for a Sports Information Department.
(There are social media pages where SIDs go to vent. There's a lot of invective in those places today.)
That said, National Signing Day can be a win-win for everyone involved -- if the the coaching staffs embrace the role their SIDs play in it. I was lucky enough to work in that environment during my tenure at Concord.
Football is the sport that drives the day, and the staffs of Mike Kellar and Garin Justice were instrumental in making NSD run smoothly. They got out ahead of their signee list and sent me as much information as they possibly could in advance. That meant biographies, photographs, and links to YouTube and other websites.
That way, when student-athletes submitted their paperwork to make their decisions official, they could be added to the (constantly updated) website story with a fair amount of ease.
Which made my life immeasurably easier. Especially since CU's Sports Information Department at that time consisted entirely of 1) me, and 2) a non-full-time GA, and I was also the Mountain Lions' play-by-play voice. It seemed like there was always a basketball doubleheader on the same day. Usually on the road. (Sigh.)
There are horror stories from SIDs on National Signing Day, especially from smaller schools, about having to wait (and wait, and wait) on information from coaches while fielding phone calls and e-mails from increasingly irate parents while having to scramble to post their stories, update social media and send out press releases. That was never an issue at Concord.
For that, I am grateful.
(Just in case sports fans didn't know that. Which is like the whole world not knowing yesterday was Groundhog Day. But I digress.)
NSD is an extremely busy time for those who work in collegiate sports information. It gets busier every year, too, as the day gains a larger foothold in the media calendar. While it's a day to celebrate a dream achieved for thousands of student-athletes, it can overwhelm for a Sports Information Department.
(There are social media pages where SIDs go to vent. There's a lot of invective in those places today.)
That said, National Signing Day can be a win-win for everyone involved -- if the the coaching staffs embrace the role their SIDs play in it. I was lucky enough to work in that environment during my tenure at Concord.
Football is the sport that drives the day, and the staffs of Mike Kellar and Garin Justice were instrumental in making NSD run smoothly. They got out ahead of their signee list and sent me as much information as they possibly could in advance. That meant biographies, photographs, and links to YouTube and other websites.
That way, when student-athletes submitted their paperwork to make their decisions official, they could be added to the (constantly updated) website story with a fair amount of ease.
Which made my life immeasurably easier. Especially since CU's Sports Information Department at that time consisted entirely of 1) me, and 2) a non-full-time GA, and I was also the Mountain Lions' play-by-play voice. It seemed like there was always a basketball doubleheader on the same day. Usually on the road. (Sigh.)
There are horror stories from SIDs on National Signing Day, especially from smaller schools, about having to wait (and wait, and wait) on information from coaches while fielding phone calls and e-mails from increasingly irate parents while having to scramble to post their stories, update social media and send out press releases. That was never an issue at Concord.
For that, I am grateful.
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