Rower Hendershot Scores Weekend Internship Shadowing CBS Reporter Wolfson
12/20/2017 11:35:00 AM | Rowing, Features
Michigan alumni David Reichel and Tracy Wolfson -- an Emmy-nominated reporter for the NFL on CBS -- have been great supporters of Michigan Athletics. About a year ago, the couple approached Michigan Athletics with an idea to create a unique opportunity for a current student-athlete. Given Tracy's line of work, they wanted to offer a sports broadcasting internship that would immerse one lucky student-athlete with Tracy for a weekend, preparing for (and executing coverage of) an NFL game.
David and Tracy were put in touch with Marquis Scott and Maurice Washington in the athletic department's career center to get the wheels in motion. After some conference calls and finalizing details around the opportunity and how the application process would work, Marquis and Maurice opened the competition to all student-athletes for three weeks beginning in late August.
Applicants submitted a resume with a two-minute video explaining what this opportunity would mean to them and why they felt they should be selected. Two finalists were submitted to Tracy and David to make the final selection. During a rowing team meeting in the Ross Academic Center, an unexpected announcement was made. Caroline Hendershot -- a junior from Simsbury, Connecticut -- had been chosen for the broadcast immersion internship.
"It was a great opportunity to work with Lee (Roberts, major gift officer), Tracy and David to take this idea and create a transformational experience for our student-athletes," said Marquis, the career center's employee relations manager.
Caroline flew to Buffalo for the Dec. 3 game between the Bills and the New England Patriots. The following is her first-hand reflection on the weekend with Tracy, CBS and the NFL.
***
This opportunity first came to me in an email from the Michigan Athletics Career Center. As soon as I read it, I knew I had to apply. Over the next month or so, teammates, roommates and other friends forwarded it to me saying this opportunity was right up my alley. I applied with a video that included clips of me broadcasting on camera from throughout 2017 and I ended the video telling Tracy how badly I wanted to spend the experience of a lifetime with her. I sent in my video and waited to hear back.
At our usual team meeting on a Friday in mid-October, Marquis Scott, MPACT's employer relations manager, stood in the front of the room and I thought to myself, "Oh, Marquis is here, he must be explaining what MPACT is to the freshmen!" But before I knew it, my name was being called. I was completely thrown off. As I got up from my seat to walk to the front of the room, everything started to click and I realized I had won. But when Marquis announced it to my entire team and everyone cheered for me, I could not hold back my emotions. I started to tear up and cry tears of happiness and sheer joy. I could not believe I had actually won. I had hoped and wished that I would win every day, but I never thought my dream would come true.
The day finally came when I got to leave for the trip. A car picked me up from my house to take me to the airport for my flight in the morning. When I landed, I made my way to the hotel and got settled in my room while I waited for Tracy to arrive. Even though I had talked to her on the phone a few times before, I was so nervous to meet her in person. I mean, let's be honest, she's the best of the best -- how could I not be nervous?! I met her down in the lobby Friday night to go out to dinner with the crew and she gave me a big hug and immediately made me feel comfortable. She introduced me to members of her crew, which included lead producer Jim Rikhoff, lead director Mike Arnold and other colleagues. Dinner was incredible. You could see how close and personal this entire crew was with each other, which is so essential in the production world. Everyone was laughing and joking and having a great time. They all accepted me immediately and treated me as one of their own.
Saturday was all about business. The talent, as well as the producer, director and I left the hotel at 9:30 a.m. and headed to New Era Field to meet with the coaches and players for our media production meeting. Derek Boyko, the vice president of communications for the Bills, met us in the lobby and guided us to the conference room where we would talk to the players and coaches. Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy, Jim, Mike (and I!) all sat around the table and prepped to meet with the team.
We first met with Sean McDermott, head coach of the Buffalo Bills. Each talent member went around and asked him their own personal questions. Then we met one at a time with running back LeSean McCoy and quarterback Tyrod Taylor. Seeing these meetings first-hand was truly incredible. I was able to see the personal relationships that these broadcasters have formed with the players over the years.
Later that night we had a crew meeting and went over our game plan for the broadcast the next day. We walked through every second of the broadcast and went over what people would be saying and when, what graphic would pop up or what statistic would be shown. It was incredible seeing all the work that goes into what seems like an easy TV program.
The day of the game was non-stop. We left at 9:15 a.m. for the field and did not stop moving until 4:15 when the game was over. I first saw the truck where most of the production team was and wow, was it huge. It was parked in a specific lot along with some other production trucks. Before I entered, everyone told me how this was the biggest truck that CBS owned. It lived up to my expectations and when I walked inside it, it was unbelievable. Every square inch of space in the truck was used, typically covered by a monitor showing a camera angle. The director and producer explained how they operate 16 cameras all at once during the broadcast. Usually, they said, it is 32 cameras for a Sunday game and 80-plus for the Super Bowl! I could not pick my jaw up off the floor imagining how hard and stressful that must be.
Next, I went up to the production booth to watch Tony Romo and Jim Nantz do their pregame segment. Jim walked me through his personal set up and preferences while he does his play-by-play analysis. Then I walked back down to the field to spend the first quarter and rest of the pregame with Tracy. Kevin, who handled audio down on the field, hooked me up with an earpiece. It was the same kind that Tracy has while she is down on the field. You hear the producer in your left ear and Jim and Tony talking about the game in your right. This way, as a sideline broadcaster, you're able to add to the conversation that is happening up in the booth and hear when the producer cuts to commercial.
Great having @umichrowing Caroline Hendershot alongside me this weekend learning the ropes and taking it all in. She's got a future in this business! #mpact @UMich pic.twitter.com/AJJDW0JO34
— Tracy Wolfson (@tracywolfson) December 4, 2017
I spent the second quarter watching the production truck in full speed. It was crazy. It was beyond hectic with constant talking and directing. If you lost your attention for even three seconds, you would mess up. It was incredible to see them operating at full speed. During the third quarter, I watched Jim and Tony call each play. They were very relaxed and the flow between them was impressive. Finally, I went back down to Tracy for the fourth quarter and watched her finish out the game. She was everywhere she needed to be and right in the middle of the action as it was happening. She was always on top of injuries, what the players said as they came off the field yelling or who was warming up to play. She is truly the best of the best when it comes to sideline broadcasting.
All in all, I could not have asked for a greater experience. Tracy and her entire crew at CBS are the kindest, hardest-working and most professional crew I have ever seen. As the weekend came to a close, I was sad that it had to end. However, it made me even more excited to get back to Ann Arbor and continue to do what I love and strive to be just like Tracy. She was by far the greatest person I have ever met and one day I hope I can come close to matching her level of expertise. I cannot thank Tracy and MPACT enough for this once in a lifetime opportunity. GO BLUE!
Players Mentioned
