Interview Example
This is an interview for an article titled, “Coaches Behind the Talent” coming up in the Bigfork Norse Code January 2018 Paper. Every varsity winter sports coach will be receiving this interview.
Please Circle: Wrestling, Swimming, Boys Basketball, Girls Basketball, Speech and Debate
Name:
Please return to the individual that handed you this interview.
Please Circle: Wrestling, Swimming, Boys Basketball, Girls Basketball, Speech and Debate
Name:
- What are your goals for the season ahead?
- How long have you coached at BHS?
- What has your team achieved in the past under your leadership?
- How long have you coached in general?
- Where were your past coaching jobs and what were your achievements there?
- What high school and college did you attend?
- What sports did you play in High School?
- Did you play sports in college? If so, what sports?
- In your opinion, what do you gain from coaching?
- Name an individual that has played a role in the success you have had?
- What is something you do on your free time?
Please return to the individual that handed you this interview.
Gathering Quotes
For every news reporting article I write, news gathering is a major factor in constructing a powerful piece. In the process of writing the article below, I thought of questions that I could ask relevant and reliable sources to gain intelligent quotes and knowledge. I like to gather quotes in person from face-to-face interviews, but otherwise I will send out a questionnaire.
The Bigfork swim team was first added to the high school as a competitive sport six years ago, when coach Charlotte Ball introduced the program in 2012. Over the years of Bigfork swimming, the teams population and athleticism has continued to improve, but being the only class B high school swim team in Montana, success continues to be limited.
High schools are ranked based on population of students attending the school; different classification letters are assigned depending on ranking. Class A and AA high schools, who have a higher population, therefore have a larger number of higher performance athletes, who can contribute talent to a sport and its success.
Bigfork High School swim coach, Charlotte Ball says, “when you have a class AA school, you have more students to draw from. The previous state meets, our times were not separated, and we were competing just as an entire sport.” Bigfork sports such as basketball, track, football, and so on are only in competition with other class B schools; therefore, the phrase “the Bigfork swim team wins state every year” became a popular joke amongst Bigfork swimmers and the entire school.
The discussion of adjusting the scoring method for the Montana state swim meet has been debated over for the past two years by coaches, athletes, and recently, the Montana High School Association. The executive decision to change the scoring method for the 2019 state swim meet came out of the MHSA meeting on November 19, 2018. MHSA stated, “AA and A Schools shall compete together during the preliminary races with top 12 swimmers in AA competing for 12 places in the finals and the top six swimmers in A-B competing for six places in the finals in individual events, relay events will be combined AA and A-B schools and be scored to 12 places; AA and A/B schools will be scored separately.”
This recently enacted scoring method will provide Bigfork swimmers with the chance to compete with athletes who are members of swim teams with a similar population and skill level in individual events.
Coach Ball says, “last year, if A/B class times were separated, I would have had six swimmers place at state, whereas before that was never an option.”
Competition for relays is staying the same is due to the fact that there are only six class B and A schools with swim teams, so all six relays would place if scoring was separated from AA.
BHS sophomore swimmer Hanna Ritchie says, “I think this change will be really beneficial for our team and it will give our best swimmers a chance to prove their worth among other swimmers who are in similar levels of swim and school population. In upcoming meets, I hope to really narrow down events that I would like to make it to the podium at state with.”
Another member of the BHS swim team, junior Ashley Anderson says, “I would like to place in the 500 freestyle at least, even if I’m standing on the ground. I hope that everyone will have a better time enjoyment wise, because this year we have actual goals and chances to place in the state meet.”
Bigfork swimmers such as Ritchie and Anderson now have hope for the possibility that they too could fill a step on the podium, like all other swimmers they have watched do so in past seasons.
“The fact that we are now competing against schools that are closer to our competition is just huge for us. We finally have a goal, whereas before the idea of being able to beat out swimmers who are swimming year round and also competing at a national level was just not as attainable for us,” said Ball. “Now that we actually have a chance to place and earn medals, what we are focused on is looking at our competition. Before, we were always just competing against ourselves and trying to push ourselves to get the fastest times for us, which is still what we are doing, but now that we have gone from competing against 22 schools down to 6, we have a much better opportunity to place. Looking at those other A schools that we are in competition with and reviewing their times has become a lot more of my focus as a coach, along with what I can do to push my swimmers so that we are in those top six times”
The Montana state swim meet will take place in Bozeman on the 8th and 9th of February, where the recent scoring changes will be carried out.
High schools are ranked based on population of students attending the school; different classification letters are assigned depending on ranking. Class A and AA high schools, who have a higher population, therefore have a larger number of higher performance athletes, who can contribute talent to a sport and its success.
Bigfork High School swim coach, Charlotte Ball says, “when you have a class AA school, you have more students to draw from. The previous state meets, our times were not separated, and we were competing just as an entire sport.” Bigfork sports such as basketball, track, football, and so on are only in competition with other class B schools; therefore, the phrase “the Bigfork swim team wins state every year” became a popular joke amongst Bigfork swimmers and the entire school.
The discussion of adjusting the scoring method for the Montana state swim meet has been debated over for the past two years by coaches, athletes, and recently, the Montana High School Association. The executive decision to change the scoring method for the 2019 state swim meet came out of the MHSA meeting on November 19, 2018. MHSA stated, “AA and A Schools shall compete together during the preliminary races with top 12 swimmers in AA competing for 12 places in the finals and the top six swimmers in A-B competing for six places in the finals in individual events, relay events will be combined AA and A-B schools and be scored to 12 places; AA and A/B schools will be scored separately.”
This recently enacted scoring method will provide Bigfork swimmers with the chance to compete with athletes who are members of swim teams with a similar population and skill level in individual events.
Coach Ball says, “last year, if A/B class times were separated, I would have had six swimmers place at state, whereas before that was never an option.”
Competition for relays is staying the same is due to the fact that there are only six class B and A schools with swim teams, so all six relays would place if scoring was separated from AA.
BHS sophomore swimmer Hanna Ritchie says, “I think this change will be really beneficial for our team and it will give our best swimmers a chance to prove their worth among other swimmers who are in similar levels of swim and school population. In upcoming meets, I hope to really narrow down events that I would like to make it to the podium at state with.”
Another member of the BHS swim team, junior Ashley Anderson says, “I would like to place in the 500 freestyle at least, even if I’m standing on the ground. I hope that everyone will have a better time enjoyment wise, because this year we have actual goals and chances to place in the state meet.”
Bigfork swimmers such as Ritchie and Anderson now have hope for the possibility that they too could fill a step on the podium, like all other swimmers they have watched do so in past seasons.
“The fact that we are now competing against schools that are closer to our competition is just huge for us. We finally have a goal, whereas before the idea of being able to beat out swimmers who are swimming year round and also competing at a national level was just not as attainable for us,” said Ball. “Now that we actually have a chance to place and earn medals, what we are focused on is looking at our competition. Before, we were always just competing against ourselves and trying to push ourselves to get the fastest times for us, which is still what we are doing, but now that we have gone from competing against 22 schools down to 6, we have a much better opportunity to place. Looking at those other A schools that we are in competition with and reviewing their times has become a lot more of my focus as a coach, along with what I can do to push my swimmers so that we are in those top six times”
The Montana state swim meet will take place in Bozeman on the 8th and 9th of February, where the recent scoring changes will be carried out.
Live News Gathering
The interviews included in these news segments I produced, are first hand quotes from important individuals involved in the reported event. Some difficulties in gathering interviews after a major accomplishment is gaining the attention of those involved and avoiding intruding.
|
|