Opinions Writing

My first column as Sports Editor turned out to be one of my best ones. Due to the rise in esports' popularity at CCHS, I decided to take a stand on the topic, arguing that they ought to be considered a sport due to the team-building and alternative benefits they offer. I backed up my claim with strong interviews, namely from Joey Gawrysiak, a big name in esports. Ultimately, not a year after this column was published, CCHS got an esports team of its own.

In this social commentary on the continued relevance of "Dirty Dancing in the context of the abortion decision, I had to really work for the story. At first, I'd simply written a throwback review of the movie on the 35th anniversary of its release, but my adviser pushed me to find the real story in that. As such, I totally restarted, making it into one of my favorite pieces.

What challenged me about this piece was trying to review an album I saw as neither outstanding nor mediocre -- pretty average. I have listened to The 1975 before, but I didn't think about that when reviewing the album so I remained unbiased. Looking back, I could've done more with the review, as many songs are politically charged, which would make it ideal for a social commentary

As a soccer player myself, this open letter had personal significance to me as I watched the World Cup. With that being said, I knew I couldn't just speak to my personal experience, because that wouldn't properly engage the audience -- I had to make the audience care by using figurative language and short, punchy paragraphs.

I'd grown up reading ESPN game predictions, so I tried to model this off of those. The relevance was inherent, as the University of Georgia is right in Athens and is the most relevant college football team in the area. In writing, I balanced information about previous games with my expectations for the coming one, ensuring a cohesive and reader-friendly format.