On March 14, 2018, I was invited by the First Tee to participate as a Junior Reporter at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. As a participant with the First Tee, I have been able to learn about the many aspects of golf, from playing the game to maintaining the course. However, I had never really considered the role of on course reporters!
I soon learned that I would be shadowing Jamie Seh, the Sport’s Director for WKMG. I was so excited to have this opportunity, but was not sure what to expect. I figured I would be following Ms. Seh around the course, attend the day’s Press Conference, and watch her do interviews. When the day came, I was joined by one of my First Tee Coaches, and we headed to the tournament. When I met Ms. Seh, she was very welcoming, and I could tell she was as excited as I was! We quickly discussed a run-down for the day, and began by heading to the media tent, where the day’s Press Conference had begun.
Ms. Seh pointed out her cameraman, Ryan, and asked if I’d like to do an interview. Going into this day, I knew that my conducting an interview was a possibility, but I hadn’t anticipated it actually happening. I immediately said yes, and brainstormed possible questions to ask. As soon as the Press Conference was over,I was given a microphone, put in front of the camera, and given the go ahead. First, I interviewed Ms. Marci Doyle about her position as Chief Operations Officer of The Tournament, followed by a few questions with Mr. Sam Saunders about the tournament and what it meant for him. Everything seemed to happen so fast, from being handed the microphone to actually asking questions, it was a whirlwind. This was my first time doing anything like this, and I was so nervous. But by the time I’d finished the interviews, I was ready to go again!
We then headed to the driving range, and walked around the course. I was able to speak with Ms. Seh and learn about her background and her career. It was so much fun to follow her around the tournament, and see her in action! Before we wrapped up our day, we headed back to the driving range where Rickie Fowler would be doing a group interview. Little did I know, I would be able to have a one-on-one interview with him as well! I was watching and listening carefully as a group of reporters interviewed Rickie, and stood right behind Ms. Seh. I was not able to ask a question during the interview, but Ms. Seh was quick to make sure I wouldn’t miss this opportunity. After the interview, she quickly pulled Rickie aside to see if he would be interested in letting me ask him some questions. Sure enough, he was! I was even more nervous this time, as I would be interviewing one of my personal idols! However, I was immediately put to ease when we started the interview. Rickie was so kind and made my job seem a lot easier. By the time I finished interviewing Rickie, I knew my day could not get any better!
Following the day, Jamie Seh highlighted Sara on their newscast, below is a video highlighting some of the interviews Sara conducted.