"Athletes tend to be pretty boring"

Yeah, I hate it. Not because it bothers me, but because it distracts and embarrasses the subject of the interview. Those kids are so self-conscious to begin with. So yes, I do find it difficult, because it can ruin the interview and, thus, the story.

 

I've found it's helpful to ask if they don't mind giving me their cell phone number in case I have followup questions. If I'm on a real tight deadline for a feature it doesn't always work out, but more times it's helped to call them and review the questions. Folks tend to remember more the second time you talk with them, and they're more relaxed then as opposed to, like you said, when they have to do it in front of their teammates or coaches.

Personally, I live for feature writing. I like the games fine and the previews fine, because folks gotta know what's going on, but I love writing features. Everybody has an intriguing story. The challenge is in discovering what makes their story unique.

 

In the past month I have written stories on a Hollywood stuntman turned Indy car driver, a 15-year-old girl who went from competitive cheerleading to racing midget race cars at a dirt track and a college swimmer with cerebral palsy. There are interesting athletes out there. But they are hard to find.

 

Yeah, see, I don't know that everyone does. Some kids are just ... kids.

Also, I would feel icky calling female high school athletes on their cell.

 

I should correct myself -- some haven't loved the idea. More have than haven't, though.

And yeah, that might be a bit weird calling younger girls. Some prefer to give their home number as opposed to their cell, which is fine and understandable.

For the most part, I think a lot of it is just making them feel comfortable. Different situations, different kids, call for different approaches. A lot of it is like sports, just a feel thing, trusting your instincts and all that.

That's awesome, dude. I'm jealous, especially of that Indy guy. That sounds cool. I'm always fascinated by the different people in Hollywood, whatever they might do.

 

He was a pretty cool guy. He was a stunt driver in Race to Witch Mountain and had a small part in the TV show Life on Mars. Apparently his brother was the director for the Life on Mars episode.

 

WHAT? I've been waiting outside the locker room door for 20 minutes for all this time and burning the clock when I could've been Jayson Blairing it?

 

Know how I know you're ....

 

See, I'm so glad they are sports writers like you out there who like doing that and are good at it because I can't stand it most of the time. I've written plenty of features about the kid who got hurt and came back to play, blah blah blah, that kind of stuff, or the kid who has some weird hobby and plays football. I often dread getting those assignments.

Rick, I'm with you. The game preview and the gamer itself are far more interesting to me than the features. Unless, of course, the feature is about a technical aspect of a sport. The game preview and the game follow-up - not necessarily a gamer, but a "key to the game" kinda thing - are much more my speed.. I'm just a much bigger enthusiast for the science/art of the sport, the Xs and Os, I guess, than the stories and personal experiences and all that.

And grimace made me literally laugh out loud with his previous two posts.

 

If it means getting something right or getting something wrong, either leave it out or nut up and call the girl.

But I agree. Not everyone has a story. You can't force it.

 

I'm not sure calling any kid on the phone today has the ick factor that it would have had even 10 years ago since those phones are basically umbilical cords now.
I respectively disagree with the statement that not every has a story. Everyone HAS a story. Now, are they all scintillating or newsworthy? Of course not. But if a kid has reached some certain level of achievement to warrant a feature/personality profile, then yeah, there's something there. FWIW, I have always found runners to be excellent interviews, because serious runners are usually nuts. You know you've got something when the kid starts talking about how much his/her feet hurt because all the toenails have been torn off.

 

Well of course everyone HAS a story. But not everyone has a story worthy of publication.

I've read way too many "This kid has been playing baseball since he was 7 and he's pretty good this year" stories. Some people force it when there's nothing interesting there. Those are the snoozefests I hate.

That said, I think some of the most interesting stories are when you talk to a seemingly uninteresting kid and then he pops off with the "My feet hurt because all the toenails have been torn off." Sometimes, a 20-minute interview yields gems like that. Sometimes, you have to rack it up as a loss. Take the good with the bad.