ESSAYS
by Brittany Strahl
January 30, 2004
While taking the class sports and journalism taught by Hank Nuwer, I have learned not only how to become a better writer but I have also learned about the different aspects that take place in sporting events. During the class, we have had many phone interviews and guest speakers converse with the class. A phone interview that I most enjoyed was the conversation with Karen Savoy.
Mrs. Savoy is a woman whose son was hazed during football season on his sixteenth birthday. She has
now begun a program entitled M.A.S.H. (mothers against student hazing). The Savoy family is from a close knit
community where everyone is well known within the town. The Savoy family appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show the day before we spoke to her. During the show, Mrs. Savoy expressed her feeling on how she felt against school hazing. Then her son, Jake, articulated how his fellow teammates hazed him. After the hazing had taken place, Jake approached his coach and told him about the incident. The coach did not seem to have a problem with it and did not confront the boys that had abused Jake. Then Jake quit the team.
By being able to interview and listen to the speakers, it has helped me to be able to comprehend and to get to know the different jobs that are offered within the journalism and sports field. The reason why that I have been able to connect with the hazing incident with Mrs. Savoy is because I have been in the same situation. When I played volleyball during my freshman year, they upper classman took the freshman team out in the middle of the woods while being blind folded and put ketchup, mustard, relish, sugar, and mayonnaise all over us. Then they left us in the woods to find our way back. I know that this incident was not as severe as Mrs. Savoy’s son, Jake, but I understand how he felt in a way.
