College Sports Information Directors of America

Thanks to all the folks who took the time to respond to our many survey questions for the CoSIDA Family Feud! Also, thanks to the contestants from the NORTH, SOUTH and WEST and congratulations to the EAST FAMILY, the Champions of the June 30 show. Our EAST family winners were Rob Carolla (Big East), Ryan Briggs (Grove City), Leigh Matejkovic (Neumann), Carlton White (George Mason) and Chris Mathes (St. Andrews Presbyterian). We also thank our producer Dennis O’Donnell (Rochester) and judges Kent Cherrington (Plymouth State) and Jamie Weir (Harvard) for their outstanding work. Kent had very quick hands with those modern-day, less-expensive transparencies…especially on the STRIKES!

Here are some of the survey results that were used for our panel on June 30 in Cleveland. And, we include a comment or two about why these answers popped up nationwide. We can learn a lot from our colleagues, and what they think. Remember, in each case, “we surveyed 100 SID’s and the top answers are on the board…”

Other than a coach, name somebody an SID works closely with.

Athletic Director 38
Get a trusting relationship, open door policy, they RELY on U!

Print Media 26
Meet with them regularly, find out what works for THEM

Trainers 13
Some are secretive, some protective, get on the same page

Broadcast Media 12
Quickie sound bite stuff…HUMAN INTEREST, they don’t have a lot of time

Student Assistants 8
Appreciate them, organize schedules, watch for exams!

Other SIDs 2
Nobody understands you better then them! They are YOU!

Name something special that you do for your spouse or significant other, whom you never see.

Night out/Get away 24
They are a priority, make the TIME for him or her!!!

Don’t have one 17
Or USED to have one…singles volunteer groups, church,a store…be personable, don’t be SHY, make a point to meet people.

Buy a special gift 12
Flowers…candy…their favorite CD…they are SPECIAL!

Cook dinner 9
And I DO NOT mean Easy Mac or that cardboard meat filled thing you put in a sleeve and nuke…try a VEGGIE…make a SALAD…show an EFFORT!

Call frequently 8
Call just to say “hi” or “thinking about you”, so NICE!

Household duties 6
The lawn…dishes…vacuum…laundry…’bout time you are home, so help out!

Watch kids 4
First, wear your name tag to reintroduce yourself , do some NON sports, stuff that THEY want!

Name something you include in a media guide.

Roster 29
The LAST thing to check over…especially compliance!

Profiles of Athletes 19
Some like filler…some like expectations, to each their own

Profiles of Coaches 10
Don’t just add last year’s record…refresh it too!

Photos 9
Fun new action shots…maybe new history ones too.

Records 8
Good thing to update as quickly as possible, when season’s done

SID Contact/Emails 6
Always a great thing for YOU and MEDIA to have

Name a way to score from third base.

Sacrifice Fly 24
ONLY when a guy scores…don’t get one to 2nd or 3rd.

Wild Pitch 20
Happens a lot in the American League by the way.

Suicide Squeeze 15
It is called “manufacturing runs.”

Passed ball 14
Not that it brings back memories of the ’86 Series Boston fans, please.

Balk 11
I’d like to see THAT UMPIRE get out alive after THAT call!

Steal of Home 7
The last time I saw that was when TY COBB did it.

Base Hit 6
Only six people had confidence they’d get the RBI HIT?!?

NOTE: There are OTHER ways to score from third…do you know them?

Name the toughest challenge you have in dealing with the media.

Getting Publicity 31
Try something different & new & fresh

Lack of coverage for Olympic Sports 16
Has to be an angle…a draw…the personal stuff

Getting them to show 10
Play your best chips..make it a special draw (we are talking small schools mostly here)

Don’t Care/Laziness 9
Make it as easy as possible,send shorter post-game stories

High School Compet. 7
When a kid leaves high school, they don’t fall off the Earth, remind them how well they STILL are doing!

Space 5
Space…the final Agate Frontier! Work w/what they give you.

Consistency 3
Try to get a read for their PRIORITIES, how to work with them so you have some idea what to expect.

Name the toughest challenge you have in dealing with your fellow SIDs.

Communication 18
C’mon, would YOU want to wait for info? No…call ‘em FIRST!

Timeliness 17
Like you, they need it for the program, for the web, be timely.

Results 14
Get that score to your colleague as soon as you can

Statistics 11
Can’t update our stuff without your stuff

FAX List 5
Maybe they are busy, maybe somebody at your office can do it. Just make sure to check with them before you fax a list of 28 media outlets for post-game faxing.

Work Ethic 4
Hey, if they don’t have that, you won’t be seeing THEM in Calgary or anywhere else in this profession for that matter.

Tell us what you love MOST about being an SID.

Student-athletes 29
They keep you young! Enjoy them, they are gone in four years.

Work w/Sports 20
Of course…HAVE FUN! It’s just a GAME!

Paid to watch sports 12
Some people would call that stealing, paid to watch a game.

Set own Schedule 6
You don’t punch a clock…take a Friday in the summer, get some rest in the off-season.

College Campus 4
Walk around and bask in your beautiful campus, meet others in other departments.

Work w/coaches 3
There are some funny ones…up and comers…they appreciate you.

Game Day 2
The thrill of watching YOUR teams, YOUR students compete.

Name a professional quality that is important for a successful S.I.D.

Comment:

Organization 24
FILE it, don’t bury it…KNOW WHERE IT IS?!? Do your students or staff know when you are not there?

Time Management 16
So much work, so little time…so important personally and professionally.

Writing 15
You can’t do no post-game release if you ain’t know how to write it.

Communication 9
Don’t be shy…learn to communicate, speeches, radio, etc.

Multi-Task 7
That plate is full, can’t delegate? Set priorities, can’t do it all NOW, but still have to balance things

Work Ethic 5
It’s a lot of work, but “ya gotta love it.” You are the BEST workers in the world.

Integrity 4
You know the rules, you represent a campus just like a president, or dean, show integrity, in your appearance, your work with others on campus, your work with media.

On behalf of Wink, who is wiped out from CoSIDA and is vacationing in Walla Walla, Washington with his wife, Wilma...have a great summer!