Carolina Sports Journalism Camp, attended by Jack Pittman, is a workshop that instructs students on sports play-by-play, sports writing, sports photography, and more through classroom study and newsroom practice. The lead instructor was Tim Crothers, author of Queen of Katwe, whose work has appeared in New York Times Magazine and ESPN Magazine. Carolina Journalism Camp was a three day camp in the middle of the summer in which there were guest speakers, and participants had to interview athletes and write sports features on a deadline. Although the camp was originally a sleep away camp in Chapel Hill, due to COVID-19 it was moved to Zoom. Jack hopes to attend UNC next year, and he is taking every possible step he can to help him do so! Below, he answered some questions about his experience throughout the camp.

Were you chosen for this camp/did you sign up? 

“I attended the annual J-day at UNC in the fall, in which they advertised this camp, leading me to apply.”

What were some of the activities you participated in?

“We interviewed multiple student athletes including Isabel Cox and Andrew Platek. We were also able to listen to an array of UNC alums who were somehow involved in Sports Journalism, whether through print, television, or social media.”

Who was your favorite speaker and why?

“My favorite guest speaker was Andrew Platek. I thought it was so interesting to hear about his side of UNC basketball and be able to ask him questions about it.”

What was your favorite part of the camp?

“My favorite part of the camp was being able to meet new people. Although the camp was online and it was harder to connect with people, it was still possible to form rapport and friendship, which I greatly enjoyed.”

What was your favorite article to write about? 

 “My favorite article I wrote during the camp was an online interview of a fellow student at the camp. We had to interview another participant and write about their greatest sports moment, and we only had 2 hours to do it! Needless to say it was not my best work, but I enjoyed it!”

How will having attended this camp benefit you in the future?

“This camp taught me many things about how to write a sports feature and to write on a deadline. The sports feature will help me be the best writer I can be for the Media Office, and writing on a deadline is a skill I will need for the rest of my life.”

Rate your experience from a 1-10! 

“I would rate it as a 7. I believe if I had experienced the camp in person, it would have been a 10/10, but without being able to meet these new people and explore the campus, it was not the full experience.”