Media days are a staple for both professional and college athletes who aim to gain publicity and interest. Wanting to make this an experience for State High’s fall sports teams, State High student photographers Ellory Potter and Michael Powell decided to organize a Fall Media Day for girls’ and boys’ cross country, girls’ volleyball, field hockey, girls’ soccer, boys’ soccer, and girls’ tennis this year.
The football team has participated in this event for the past couple of years, and last year some spring and winter sports teams participated too, but this year was the first chance for the other fall sports to shine.
“We want to bring exposure to all athletes at the school, not just the most popular sports,” Potter said. “I think it’s special to play a sport in high school and it’s part of your identity, so just giving this opportunity is really cool for people to have this as memories to look back on.” Potter and Powell, with help from photographers Macie Naberezny and Aaron Brushwood, included backgrounds, props, and other elements to make this experience special.
Junior Lily Sidwell was excited at the opportunity to participate this year with the field hockey team and enjoyed doing a variety of poses. Normally, school athletes only take traditional, posed photos. However, Fall Media Day provided athletes with the opportunity to take other pictures with their teammates.
“I definitely think [the pictures] showed my athletic ability and stuff like that, which is really nice and it was really fun to be surrounded by my friends,” Sidwell said.
Though Fall Media Day previously only included football, Powell and Potter came up with the idea to incorporate more sports teams this year because last year’s inclusion of additional winter and spring teams went well.
“Last year, we started, especially in the winter and the spring, to get some more teams involved because we thought [it would] make it equal for all the sports,” Powell said.
Media days are not only fun for athletes, but they are also door-opening for teams who want to use their pictures for social media, senior banners, and to gain interest and involvement.
Sidwell described the impact of the field hockey team’s photos. “[The photos] definitely showed that we’re ready,” she said.
Additionally, media days give the athletes a chance to show their strengths and be creative. “I think it allowed us to kind of be more free with what we want to do,” soccer player Alex Fonash said. Photographers set up backgrounds, fog machines, LED lights, and photo sets with State High logos for people to pose in front of while players had the opportunity to bring in their own props.
“[We] would have the ball at our feet and be juggling and passing around with each other,” Fonash said. Field hockey players were allowed to bring in their sticks and balls to dribble for the camera, football players were encouraged to bring footballs and helmets, and so on.
Despite all the cool things the teams have done in the past, Powell is convinced this year is the best yet. Sidwell agreed that this year’s media day experience was extra special. “It was sentimental because they’re all seniors and I’m a junior, so it was really fun to have those last minutes with them,” Sidwell said. Media day is expected to make a return this winter, so stay tuned for more information and photos.
Note: Ellory Potter and Michael Powell are members of State High Publications.
