Four years ago, I began college at St. Bonaventure University. Was I nervous? Heck yeah. Was I ready to get out of my parents house? Definitely. Did I know what would be in store for me in Allegany, New York? Not all. I guess that’s what college is all about as questions that are left unanswered are explained, and lessons are taught.
Being enrolled at a school like St. Bonaventure University over the past three and a half years teaches you many things about life. Yes. Friends, religion, sports, and fun are all important, but it is the hard-work, lessons in the classroom, and the hands on experiences that propel you to unprecedented heights as graduation and college come to a close.
Upon graduating from Canisius High School in Buffalo, NY, every graduating senior, including myself back in 2011, has to write a 10-page paper titled “The Graduate at Graduation.” The topic is based on five major themes: Open to growth, intellectually competent, committed to doing justice, religious, and loving. These five “themes” from high school have aided in bringing myself to those “unprecedented heights” throughout my college career. Whether it was my internship with the Buffalo Bisons, Buffalo Bills, or even announcing the Division-1 baseball games here at school, I am blessed to be in the position to succeed and learn in the field that I so desirably want to be a part of for my career.
This semester if you have followed my website, I was honored to be able to continue the path of breaking through to top those unprecedented heights that I reflected on earlier.
This fall, I worked tirelessly to complete my capstone assignment. As you can tell, based on all of the posts here on my blog, I was blessed with the opportunity to work within the media for the St. Bonaventure Bonnies Women’s Soccer team. Whether it was a road-trip to Cornell, or a late afternoon practice in the cold, I was there working hard toward achieving my dreams of becoming a broadcast-journalist.
It’s quite funny actually. As a senior, and a well-known person here on campus, I was pretty nervous going into this whole stint with the team. It wasn’t because I didn’t know how to use the equipment or how to write a good story. It was because I didn’t know the people. Yeah, I knew the names and faces, but I really wasn’t close with and didn’t know much about anyone on the team, even the three seniors that will be graduating with me in May. That soon changed.
First, I reached out to coach over this past summer about being able to cover the team. Coach Steve Brdarski was so gracious and praised the idea. He spoke about how the team has lacked in coverage over the years and how he wanted our alumni and students to be more connected to the program. “I’ll do my best,” I assured him.
Once I moved in to my off-campus apartment in late August, it was time to get to work. I headed to practice on a warm August afternoon to film the girls hard at work. My mind was always moving with the camera over my shoulder. “Does this angle work? Oh, this right here will be a great shot idea.” These phrases always ran across my mind when thinking of what to do next.
Practices, as one could probably suspect, were pretty boring for me. It just seemed like the same thing each and every day. It was just the same thing, for the most part, each and every day. No doubt though, these girls worked their butts off.
The games are where it got fun though. The first game on the new Marra Athletic Field Complex here at St. Bonaventure, was a cool thing to be a part of. Being on the field and filming the action for a sporting event was always something I dreamed of. I got a taste of this “feeling” during my time with the Buffalo Bills. Even though I wasn’t holding a camera, I was on the sidelines for every home game at Ralph Wilson Stadium assisting my bosses in game-day productions. Here at St. Bonaventure University, students are open to any and all possibilities to help them succeed. St. Bonaventure University will always be credited in my future successes for all the opportunities I have been granted during my time here.
The Bonnies previously played on an old, grass field that was barely used for games as the Western New York weather would always win the playing battle and wipe the field away with mud and un-playable conditions. In years past, the Bonnies would play games at local high schools in the area. With the new, beautiful turf field, that became a thing of the past. Rain or shine, the Bonnies had a new home.
During practices, I was coming up with new stories on-the-fly consistently. One-on-one interviews, MVP’s of the week, spotlight interviews, a segment based off of the former hit show “MTV Cribs:” all of these ideas were made up within minutes. Thankfully I came up with them, because they helped me learn a lot.
I became closer with the team when Coach invited me to travel with the team to Cornell University for a tournament game against the Temple Owl’s. First, not many guys will say that they enjoy 6-hours on a bus in one day with 18 girls. I am not going to be the first guy to state that, but I learned a ton. Putting the headache aside from the driving, this trip showed me what it was like to be a part of a team. Pregame rituals, team meals, the whole nine: it was neat to see what went into a road game and how hard these girls work.
My favorite parts of my capstone have to be the “Cribs” special that I based off of the former hit show “MTV Cribs,” and the Mic’d up of Coach Brdarski.
In the “Wired for Sound” piece I took a bit of what I learned with the Buffalo Bills and put it into action. Every week, the Buffalo Bills “mic” a player up during a game. It is a tad easier to “mic” an NFL athlete up as you simply just have to tape the microphone to their pads. In my case, I couldn’t “mic” one of the girls up as they don’t wear any equipment under their jerseys and I would’ve had to sew a patch to hold the “mic” into their kit. There were also Atlantic-10 conference rules to follow as well. I asked Coach if he would be interested in such a work and he was all for it. We tried it out in a practice and it was great. He didn’t know I could hear everything though as we would joke around sometimes. But when it came time for the first game under the lights, it was coach in the spotlight. Not only this piece, but also my entire semester was a success, and it is thanks in large part to Coach.
As the season moved along, I became a lot closer with the senior girls on the team so I asked them if they would be interested in me coming into their home to film a segment similar to MTV’s former hit show, “Cribs.” The girls welcomed me into their home to film their everyday lives, and they seemed to have fun with it too. This 6-minute video taught me a few things. First lesson: be prepared to wait at least three hours to upload a 6-minute video to YouTube. That was by far the worst simply because I am one impatient son-of-a-gun. Second lesson: I got out of the traditional “film the team at practice” mode. I got out of my shell and brought a different perspective to my overall work as I was able to make a behind the scenes exclusive. My creativeness paid off, as I believe it is some of my best work yet. One of my professors even liked it so much that he decided to run it during the Bonnies basketball telecasts. I highly suggest you go and check it out if you haven’t done so already.
Finally, I must say I loved my role this semester within the team. The coaching staff and the girls not only helped me with my work, but they aided me in getting that perspective of what it is like to be a part of a Division-1 athletic team.
Girls, thank you for letting me be a part of your team this fall. You helped me improve my work and get out of my shell a bit. I can’t thank each and every one of you enough. Best of luck in the upcoming years for you here at St. Bonaventure.
To the three seniors, Brittney, Alicia, and Molly. First off, thanks for letting me film you in your home. Most would’ve said, “no, we don’t want a camera in our home.” You three girls were the exception. Anytime I needed an interview this semester you three were right there to volunteer. You truly helped me complete some of my best work this semester and for that I am forever grateful. Now it’s time to complete our last few months of college. Can’t believe it’s coming to an end. Lets end it with a bang, girls!
Last but not least, Coach Brdarski. Coach Steve, thank you for welcoming me as part of your team. Thank you for allowing me to work toward my career in broadcast-journalism. Without you, all of my work this semester is not possible. You taught me a lot this semester. Whether it was sending me a shy player to interview, the mic’d up piece, or inviting me to come on the road, you were always there for me this semester and you knew how important this was for me. I cannot thank you enough for allowing me to work within the media for your team. You are a great man and I wish you, your family, and your team nothing but the best. Guess there is just one thing to say: Go Bonnies!
Fellow bloggers, thanks for following my every move this semester. It has been a fun ride. Stay tuned for more work to be posted to fredobillievesinbuffalo.com.
Michael Loffredo 