It’s an understatement to say that Alex Ruppenthal is a Renaissance man on Mizzou’s campus. As a dual major in Journalism and German, this Chicago native has made juggling extracurricular activities an art form. He’s not only a member of the Alumni Association Student Board and Tour Team, but he’s also a TA for a class entitled “Mizzou 101,” a previous summer welcome leader and a 2010 Homecoming royalty candidate. Plus, did I mention that he was an award-winning sports writer at the Missourian?
But beyond such an impressive resumé, Alex is a down-to-earth guy with a real enthusiasm for everything Mizzou. Drawn to those who share his passion, Alex saw these numerous activities as a way to meet people like him while taking advantage of all the opportunities Mizzou offers. Whether he is cheering at a basketball game or giving a tour on campus, you’ll never find this true tiger without a big smile.
Her Campus Mizzou: Why did you decide upon journalism?
Alex Ruppenthal: It goes all the way back to sixth grade. I have always been a huge sports nut, and I realized in sixth grade that I probably wasn’t good enough to actually play sports. So I realized the next best thing would be to write about them. And I had liked writing ever since third grade. My teacher sent me to some young writer’s workshop. I always really liked it, and I thought I could combine the two.
HCM: Is that what influenced you to be a sports beat writer for the Missourian?
AR: Yeah. For a while, my dream job was doing a beat or something. I wouldn’t say that is necessarily the exact type of thing I want to do anymore. But I thought covering a Missouri team for a year would be pretty cool, and I always wanted to do the basketball beat, which is what I ended up doing.
HCM: Did the prominence of Mizzou athletics influence your choice to be a sports beat writer?
AR: It was cool to be able to cover some pretty prominent games. I got to go to KU and cover the game there; that whole arena is an experience. I got to go Kansas City to cover the Big 12 tournament. I got to go to Buffalo, N.Y., to cover the NCAA tournament. Those are kind of the perks that help get you through. It is a long season. It is over 30 games, and reporters have to be at every one of them, so it’s a lot. But the whole thing was fun.
HCM: What would you say is one of your most thrilling moments as a beat writer?
AR: One thing that sticks out at first. I got to do this really cool story where I actually played J.T. Tiller one-on-one. He was a guard who graduated last year. He was a really great defender, so I did a story about him by trying to get past him while dribbling a basketball. We filmed everything, and it was a really fun story to get to do. I got by him twice. I was way too proud of myself. That sticks out from the season.
HCM: Tell us about winning an award for your article “Missouri Athletics Enjoy Success, Know More Work is Ahead” at the AP Sports Editors annual award competition.
AR: That was during my basic reporting semester at the Missourian. That was quite a story to work on … Matt Schiffman and I wrote that story. That was the year the Missouri basketball team went to the Elite-8, a NCAA basketball tournament. They were having a good year, and the football [team] had a good year. Our editor, Greg Bowers, was like, ‘I wonder how this time now in Missouri sports stacks up with the rest of Missouri sports history.’
[The story] transformed into this analysis of the Missouri Athletics Department in the past 15 or so years since the newest athletic director, Mike Alden, has been here. It involved talking to a lot of people, including past athletic directors, the university, Mike Alden himself, past chancellors of the university and a few ESPN personalities and writers who attended [Mizzou] to get the dynamic of what it was when they were here in the 1980s.
HCM: What did it feel like winning that award?
AR: It was cool. It was really my first award of that type in college. It was the Associated Press Sports Editors, so it was for all papers, not just collegiate. A lot of Missourian sports writers have won those awards. It is really cool to know that you are right there with writers that are far beyond college. It isn’t why we work on those stories, but it is definitely a nice little reward.
HCM: Can you elaborate on some of your other involvement on campus?
AR: One of the first things I got involved with was the Alumni Association Student Board. We go by AASB. That is promoting tradition on campus. We put on a variety of events like Tiger Walk and Senior Send-Off. I was lucky enough to be in charge of the True Tiger program for a year. Through AASB, I learned about Tour Team. So that is something I have been doing since freshman year as well. I was a summer welcome leader, which was the most dynamic experience I’ve had. It’s literally the best summer you could have. Each of those groups becomes like a mini family. It is neat to be connected to so many people who share a passion for Mizzou and life in general because that is why I was drawn to those groups. I found people who were passionate like myself and really interested in helping the university.
HCM: What’s a memory related to Mizzou tradition that sticks out to you?
AR: Obviously with Homecoming, there are a million traditions that go into that. Some of my favorite homecoming memories are, as a part of AASB, being in the parade. Sitting in the back of the truck or walking along and being really goofy and doing the MIZ cheers every other second to the other crowd. You throw candy to all the children. It’s like Halloween for them.
HCM: What was it like being a part of Homecoming royalty?
AR: It was surreal. I was so lucky. There are probably hundreds of people who could easily have been part of that. I feel very blessed. The Homecoming tradition in itself and that experience is so amazing, and this just took it up a notch … this year with us playing Oklahoma and being No. 1. For College Gameday, my mom and brother were here. That was fantastic.
HCM: What has motivated you to stay involved through your senior year?
AR: I just have never known another way here. When you come to Mizzou, there are so many opportunities and groups to be a part of, and there are so many things to do that you only get for four years. There are a bunch of things that I haven’t been able to do that I would’ve loved to do. It’d be silly of me to just be less involved as I got older. Being a part of those groups keeps me excited. Thinking of my college career, I have had some great classes, but those aren’t the things that I will remember. I will remember the fun times I have had with these groups.
HCM: What’s your advice to future students about their experience at Mizzou?
AR: For any student at Mizzou, I would say don’t waste a second. There are so many things to do here that there is no reason to not join an organization or go to a sporting event. Find the things that interest you. Always keep that attitude of, ‘I am so lucky to be here. This place has so much to offer. And I am going to take advantage of it and enjoy it.’