Track and field was a big part of my life – I started off in junior high throwing the shot put and being coached by my Dad (or otherwise known as “Coach Dad.”). Dad coached me throughout my career and was a great motivator, supporter, and workout partner.
Dad (aka Coach Dad) and I at the 2000 Golden West Invite
I competed in high school were I threw the shot put and was ranked #1 during the 2001 Outdoor season after being off the HS Girl’s National Shot Put record by a quarter of an inch. Yep – quarter of an inch – so close yet so far away. 🙂
What did distinct me from other athletes at the time was my website. It first started off as a Val Kilmer fan site (yes, the actor – hey, I was in Junior High at the time! :)). However, it transformed into my student-athlete resume for college coaches to follow my stats and accomplishments as a student-athlete. In college, I used my website to promote our team competitions, trips on the road, food we were eating at competitions (of course – was a foodie even then!) and sharing what it was like being a student athlete.
All-American Throwers at the University of Florida (2003-2004)
When I retired from track and field in 2006, I finished as a Four-time All-American (3X at the University of Florida and 1X at University of Southern California), Two-Time SEC Champion, USC School Record Holder in the Shot Put, and 2004 Olympic Trials Finalist.
Throwing for the USC Trojans (2006)
I got the wonderful opportunity to write a guest blog post for Melissa Agnes on her blog. The conversation emerged when I was corresponding with the co-hosts of “The Crisis Show” (Melissa, Jonathan, and Rich), and the issue of social media monitoring and athletics came up. I shared some of my own experiences as a former track and field athlete with a website and online newsletter with the group – which resulted in the guest blog post.
As mentioned in the post, I had the chance to participate and compete for two established academic and athletic programs. I competed for Florida from 2003-2004, and graduated with my degree in Public Relations and went to USC for my Master’s and competed for the Trojans during the 2006 season. While both are wonderful schools and I am proud to be a graduate from both, they do have different views of whether or not a student-athlete should have a voice on social media.
Based on my experience, I think student athletes do need to have a voice and a partnership and education initiative should be engaged. In the guest post I wrote for Melissa, I offered some points for others in the sports and social media community to think about and consider. This trend of social media monitoring among athletics will continue to grow – but we need to have these conversations as a community.
A lot of the lessons I learned from being a track athlete online are now being applied in my academic and professional career. Managing a proactive reputation online, time management, correspondence with fans of a particular team, engaging in proactive conversations online, and even crisis communication messages strategies. I had first hand experience in all of these activities in the ten years as a student-athlete. While some these lessons were tough, they were very educational for me and have shaped me into the person and professional I am today.
Researcher, Professor, and Consultant in Social Media, Crisis, and Public Relations at the University of Louisville
I would like to thank Melissa again for the opportunity to share my story on social media within athletics from a former-athlete perspective. Hope you all are having a great day.
Best Wishes,
Karen
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