Sunday, March 8, 2009

Column Writing Assignment - both due March 26



Part I: Please review the chapter in your book about column writing. Also, please go to mysanantonio.com - the website for the San Antonio Express News - and pick two columns by veteran E-N sports columnist and reporter David Flores and tell me the style he chose and what your take on his writing style is. Is Mr. Flores opinionated? Does he have a point or is he just writing a feature (human interest story). This should prepare you for the next phase....

Part II: Write two columns of your choice. Choose your style from the textbook. The column should be at least 750 words. These will be published either online or in The South Texan if the editors deem them to be worthy. Good luck...this is not due until after the TAMUK spring break...be careful and be safe....if you need ideas, call or email or post something on this blog....And, by the way, he is not related to me.

thanks
Dr. Flores

5 comments:

  1. HUMAN INTEREST STORY

    Web Posted: 03/07/2009 12:00 CST
    Coker hire no-brainer for UTSA
    David Flores -
    For the past five years, about the only tangible object UTSA had to show for its football “program” was a helmet.

    “That's all we had,” UTSA president Ricardo Romo said Friday, pointing to the headgear on display at one of the most important news conferences in school history.

    The Roadrunners had more than a single helmet, of course. They had a dream.

    More importantly, they had the support of students who voted to raise their fees twice in three years to raise the capital needed to bring football to the growing campus on Loop 1604.

    Now UTSA has a coach who has won as many BCS national championships as Texas' Mack Brown.

    Imagine that, San Antonio.

    Who would have ever figured former Miami coach Larry Coker would even entertain the thought of coming out of retirement to tackle the challenge of leading a startup program?

    For those of us who often lamented the absence of Division I football in San Antonio, Friday's news conference to introduce Coker as the Roadrunners' coach had a surreal feel to it.

    Some fans may not believe UTSA has a football team until the Roadrunners play their first game, in 2011 as an independent in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly NCAA Division I-AA).

    Romo and UTSA athletic director Lynn Hickey should be commended for their vision and commitment to bring Division I football to San Antonio. Their leadership was critical, as proven by the way they sold their bold idea to the student body and the UT board of regents.

    But let's face it: Timing is everything.

    And with all due respect to Romo and Hickey, sometimes you just get lucky and catch a break. If Coker didn't fall into UTSA's lap, it was close.

    Coker, who guided Miami to the 2001 BCS national title and was fired five years later, was eager to return to coaching after working as a college football TV analyst for ESPN the past two seasons.

    “I missed coaching,” said Coker, 60. “I had other opportunities to get back in it, but there was something about UTSA and San Antonio that got me excited.”

    It's not a stretch to believe recruits will feel the same when they visit the campus and city in coming years. That's why Coker, who was 60-15 in six seasons at Miami, sees so much potential at UTSA.

    When UTSA offered Coker the job Wednesday night, he couldn't accept fast enough. The San Antonio sports landscape changed dramatically at that moment. Coker's $200,000 annual salary, alone, reflects that.

    Yes, the Roadrunners will take their lumps for a few seasons. But, as Romo, Hickey and Coker said Friday: This is a marathon, not a sprint.

    That's why Coker's steady demeanor and strength of character factored so greatly in his hiring. No doubt, his unassuming nature and blue-collar approach to his job will appeal to San Antonians.

    A native Oklahoman, Coker grew up with small-town values. On Friday, he expressed a commitment to build a program grounded in integrity.

    “We want to do things the right way from the start,” he said.

    Coker is the type of guy who will be as comfortable mingling with fans at a South Side barbecue as he will be at a fundraiser with heavy hitters on the North Side.

    “I think San Antonio is similar to Miami,” said Coker, who was an assistant at the University of Miami for six seasons before succeeding Butch Davis in 2001. “It's very diverse. I have a passion for people, and I hope to meet as many people in San Antonio as I can.”

    One of the biggest challenges Coker faces is helping UTSA raise funds for the fledgling program. Given today's economic climate, that's a daunting challenge.

    Coker isn't flashy, but don't sell him short as a fundraiser and promoter. Throughout his career, Coker consistently has demonstrated a sincerity that has earned him admiration and respect on and off the field.

    “A marketing person probably can say it better than I can, but I want UTSA to be San Antonio's team,” Coker said.

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  2. Thank you Alissa. Good insight. It is a human interest story, but has some personal reflection that points both to the character of the writer and the coach who is taking over a job that seems impossible to be successful with. Exampe: "Coker isn't flashy, but don't sell him short as a fundraiser and promoter. Throughout his career, Coker consistently has demonstrated a sincerity that has earned him admiration and respect on and off the field." This commentary points out that the man will do fine. It's solely the columnists' opinion. The following, comment, also is a flat out opinion that would not be found in a feature story: "That's why Coker's steady demeanor and strength of character factored so greatly in his hiring. No doubt, his unassuming nature and blue-collar approach to his job will appeal to San Antonians." Human interest story? Yes, but it is peppered with enough commentary to make it special, very special. These were the type of comments I was looking for....let's see if the rest of the class follows suit.

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  3. I see where it can be a human interest story because it is talking about something new and exciting coming to San Antonio that will obviously appeal to San Antonians.

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  4. dr. flores, i can not think of a topic for a column, can u give me an idea or two?

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  5. In the two columns I read by San Antonio Express News veteran columnist David Flores, one column which happened to be his last published, “H.S. sports made job rewarding from Day 1,” and the other titled “Search for football coach keeping UTSA athletic director busy.” These two columns had every aspect of a superb column. In the column he wrote, titled “H.S. sports made job rewarding from Day 1,” it really made me wonder about how the Express News could have laid off this particular columnist.
    His last column which was pretty much a farewell column explaining that he was no longer going to be with the EN any longer covered the five Ws and How, provided added value, his column stayed close to the news, he took the readers with him, wrote for intimacy with readers, and he had and gave fun in his column.
    In both of his columns he always found a way to bring it back to the heart, San Antonio, and even though some of his columns were about the Spurs, the universities, or the high schools, he made it a point to address and relate the issue to something every reader could relate to. He was definitely un-biased and saw each school and team equally, in his reporting at least.
    From what I read Flores was an awesome columnist, and it is a shame the had to let a wonderful and talented writer like him go.

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