On Jan. 23, three newspaper staff members got the opportunity to attend a Dallas Stars practice and a press conference.
Meaghan Pulliam, Layout Editor
Sharpie in my little trembling hand with a baseball cap in the other, I reached up toward the giants and handed them both. My mouth dry and eyes wide, it seemed like a dream. The men that I watched religiously on television and sometimes on the rink were touching my hat, signing my hat. I remember my father pushing me up to the ‘do not cross’ ropes, telling me to get their autographs. I pushed my little elbows out, put on my pouty face and stood my ground like a big girl. One after the other came up to me, ignoring all the screaming men and rabid teenage boys, and squatted down to my four-foot-nine-inch eye level, flourished the sharpie, ruffled my hair and went on his merry way.
Meeting many of the Dallas Stars players by chance was astounding. March 4, 2004 was by far one of the greatest highlights of my childhood, and on January 23, 2012 I got to relive the same excitement I felt when I was nine years old.
When we entered the practice rink, I could barely control my excitement. The boys took the ice, and I whipped out my camera as speedy as Benn’s slap shot. In a blaze of glory, Ott, Eriksson, Ribeiro all skated by me and my heart nearly stopped. I felt like I was nine years old again staring up at the giants. As a sidebar, I managed to take 918 photos of the practice single-handedly.
Luckily, the amazement did not cease after the hour-long practice. The press conference was equally exciting where I met my new heroes in the sports broadcasting business including Ralph Strangis, Gina Miller, and John Rhadigan. Just as the Stars I met as a nine-year-old seemed unreal and untouchable, these broadcasting legends seemed larger than life. Being able to shake Ralph Strangis’ hand, the play-by-play announcer of our time, was a moment I will not soon forget.
Going into the press conference, I thought I had my career all figured out. I was going to get my degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Texas at Austin, become an anchor at the top news station in Austin, have myself a fancy 7 series BMW and be the new Diane Sawyer by the age of 35. After hearing Ralph’s, Gina’s and John’s career paths, my plan basically flew out the window. I now understand that one does not simply become the next Diane Sawyer solely by the swagger in her step or sparkle in her smile. It takes true determination and perseverance to become one of the greats. Accepting the standards should be avoided, rather going beyond all expectations and not expecting anything in return. The most important value I learned from the pros I met- both hockey and broadcast- was to separate yourself from the herd by your actions, not your words.
Danielle Deraleau, Staff Writer
The Dallas Stars and I go way back. About 14 years to be exact. Hockey has been in my life since I was four years old, wearing a hot pink hair bow with a jersey that reached almost to my knees, and clutching my dad’s hand as he lead me through the maze of fans. Apparently that bow attracted some attention, because without meaning to I began to work my way through almost all of the things someone could be lucky enough to do at a Stars game. I was the stick kid, I rode the fan zam, I did the YMCA back when that used to be a regular event, and I even got the UPS seat upgrade.
But not until this year could I cross “Dallas Stars Media Day” off my Stars bucket list.
When my newspaper instructor asked me if I wanted to go, the response was instantaneous. At first I agreed because it was a chance to be up close and personal with the team I knew almost everything about. It wasn’t until I was actually there, in the Embassy Suite’s conference room, clutching my phone to record in one hand and my pen and notebook in the other, that I realized it was so much more than that.
“I do what I love, and I love what I do, and that’s the most important thing to me,” John Rhadigan said when he spoke to the crowd of students.
Those words hit home. Growing up I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, and that was a constant nagging insecurity. Then, somewhere down the line, I realized I loved to write, and words seem to flow easily when I put pen to paper.
But at that moment my pen was shaking in my unsteady hand hovering above my paper. Being in front of so many successful people was both inspiring and terrifying. Ralph Strangis, someone I definitely recognized after so many nights of watching hockey, took the podium with confidence and enthusiasm. I don’t know if I blinked during his entire speech.
“I encourage you to find something you love to do. Find whatever it is you’re excited about and pursue that,” Strangis said.
I was more than ready when Mike Ribeiro, Eric Nystrom, and Michael Ryder (whom I had to resist telling was on my fantasy team) entered the room.
High school kid after high school kid stood up to ask their questions. I could tell some of them were nervous, and I was too. I could imagine getting up and not being able to find words, or worse, forgetting what I was going to say.
But time was dwindling and I knew if I was going to ask a question now would be the time to do it. I stared at Ralph Strangis, John Rhadigan, Gina Miller, and Mark Stepneski, their words from years of wisdom floating through my mind. Do what you love…and love what you do…
I love to write. I love to be informed. I love to ask questions and get answers.
And I have a serious obsession with hockey.
My hand shot into the air before I could think twice and hold it down. And when I stood up to ask my question, I wasn’t nervous at all. Just excited.
Dani Sureck, Staff Writer
Being a devoted fan for over 13 years, it was hard to imagine the day becoming any greater as I saw my favorite professional athletes take the ice. At the press conference, play-by-play announcer Ralph Strangis, FOX Sports Southwest anchor John Rhadigan, CBS 11/TXA 21 sports anchor Gina Miller and ESPN Dallas writer/blogger Mark Stepneski delivered influential advice to a room full of promising journalists on the industry.
The team had just finished a morning practice, preparing to face the Anaheim Ducks the following night. As the players warmed up to Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep,” the teammates joked around and continued working through their passing drills. As the music shifted to rap, the energy began exploding off the ice as pucks were flying into nets and bouncing off the plexiglass. The camaraderie between the players was apparent during a shoot-out practice as they cheered on their teammates and laughed about missed shots.
After practice, journalists moved on to the press conference, which began with Strangis. After a brief introduction of each person who would be talking at the conference, he began his story about the journey of his career.
“Nobody had to tell me to get excited,” Strangis said. “Find whatever it is you’re excited about and pursue that. I had a sense of direction and as a kid I would take my tape recorder out to football and baseball games and sit in the stands and practice. How good are you at something you don’t do every day? Nothing is hard to do; but everything is hard to do well.”
Strangis stressed the importance of doing homework for a job. He encouraged students to look for opportunities and seize them. Strangis discussed his previous jobs, ranging from announcing women’s volleyball to men’s wrestling, warning journalists that sometimes the best way to get ahead is to work for free.
“If you’re not worried about the job you have, then you won’t get anywhere,” Strangis said. “If you’re good at what you do, people will notice you and that’s how you can move up.”
Perhaps the reason Strangis and the other speakers were so effective was because they did not sit there and glorify the industry. Each one of them used specific anecdotes to stress the intensity of being any type of journalist today. To journalists not serious about a future in this industry, it may have come off as slap in the face. But to those prepared to fight through every obstacle thrown in the way, it was only words of motivation.
After hearing from the other speakers and their personal stories, forward Michael Ryder, forward Eric Nystrom and forward Mike Ribeiro joined the conference. The players were eager to answer the questions prepared for them. They talked about strengths as a team and weaknesses that needed tweaking to help them move up in the Western Conference. They talked about superstitions, such as always putting the right skate on first or eating the same game day meal, and they also discussed the passion and drive it takes to accomplish a goal or a dream.
“If you truly believe you are willing to sacrifice anything for that goal, as long as you work as hard as you possibly can and you can accomplish that goal, all is good,” Nystrom said. “If you just have a positive mindset and you push yourself, nothing bad can come of it. You just have to believe in yourself.”
