As the whole world knows, the 2016 summer Olympics took place in Rio de Janeiro in August, but what many people do not know is that the 2016 Paralympics also took place in Rio from September 7th to September 18th. Penn State students had the opportunity of a lifetime to head down to Rio with the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism to cover the games. Junior Emily Peacock, with her passion for sports and journalism, was among the students who had the chance to venture to Rio. Peacock’s connection to the Paralympics really hit home with this trip and made it an experience she will never forget.
HC: How did you get involved with the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism?
EP: I actually heard about it at the Comm Scholarship dinner my sophomore year. They have it every year for recipients and donors, and I was talking to a girl at my table about how I was studying Portuguese and that I wanted to go to Brazil for the Olympics and she told me that the Curley Center was going down for the Paralympics. I talked more about joining the Curley Center with my advisor, applied and got in! I started taking my first sports business class that spring.
HC: Did you have to apply/ were you selected to go to Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Paralympics?
EP: I did have to apply. John Affleck, who is in charge of the Curley Center and was my sports business professor, sent out an email to all Curley Center members about applying for a trip to document the Paralympics in Brazil. You had to write about 200 words about what you would contribute to the team/why you want to go. I put energy, enthusiasm and the fact that I’m minoring in Portuguese into the application.
HC: Why was it so important to you to go to the Paralympic games?
EP: I wanted to do something that would set me apart from other communication students. Walking in the New Student Orientation before freshman year, I asked the question “where are the 2016 Olympics going to be held?” and my mom answered Brazil. I then asked, “what do they speak in Brazil?” to which my mom answered “Portuguese, Emily. They speak Portuguese.” I knew I wanted my career to revolve around sports and I thought learning Portuguese would make me look more valuable on a job application. When the Paralympics email popped up, I thought that it was a sign that all of these Portuguese credits were finally going to pay off.
HC: What are a few things about the trip you will never forget?
EP: So interestingly enough one of my best friends from high school competed in the Paralympics! He lost his sight his freshman year to a mitochondrial disease but has always been an incredible runner. He kept running despite his disease and made it to the Paralympics. I got to see him right after he finished his first race at the Olympic stadium. He didn’t win a medal but he was SO over the moon that he had competed at such a large scale event. Later in our trip we actually got to compete in a media relay on the Olympic track. I think I smiled that entire day. Besides Disney and Hawaii, it’s probably the coolest place I’ve ever run.
HC: Would you encourage more Journalism (or any major for that matter) majors to apply for the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism?
EP: Only if they’re passionate about sports. If your dream is to go into PR for a fashion magazine, it wouldn’t really make sense to join the program and take sports writing classes. If you think sports are in your future, join the Curley Center. I think it’s one of the best choices I’ve made, after committing to Penn State of course.
HC: What were some of your responsibilities in Rio?
EP: In addition to translating for taxi drivers and waiters, I was responsible for manning the Curley Center’s twitter and facebook accounts. I also used what the CC and others were saying about the Para’s on social media on something called Storify — you use it to accumulate everything on that’s been said and posted on social media, if that makes sense (if not call me and I’ll clarify). My job wasn’t too crazy for the first few days, I just posted about what we were up to. Once the journalism students’ article were posted by the Associated Press and began circling the internet, it was my job to share the link on FB and twitter so our followers could see what we’ve been up to. In a final report that I’m writing for the CC, I’m looking up how many media outlets posted the stories, the amount of followers we gained on Twitter and FB during my the trip and how much activity our posts got. Towards the end of the trip, I had to miss out on seeing a few events to make sure I was keeping up with my work but I most certainly don’t regret that decision.
HC: If you could describe your experience in one word what would it be?
EP: Adreamcometrue :-)