UEL students mingle with the stars and stripes at US conference

Sports Journalism students Chris Deacon and Sunniva Ness were in Dallas last week to attend the 2012 United States Olympic Committee (USOC) Media Summit.

The four-day event gave Chris and Sunni the chance to network with some of the world’s best-known sports writers for the biggest sports news organisations. Among the guests were USA Today Olympic Editor Roxanna Scott and Sports Editor Vicki Michaelis, who visited UEL last year.

The students attended a lot of the many press conferences held throughout the summit and kept UEL updated on Twitter. Throughout the week they were followed and retweeted by organisations such as USA Basketball and even the official USOC account.

The biggest event at the Summit was a visit from First Lady Michelle Obama, there to announce her Let’s Move! campaign. Also, meeting swimmer Michael Phelps, interviewing USOC CEO Scott Blackmun and attending Olympic sport demonstrations were all highlights.

The many conferences also allowed Chris and Sunni to develop their writing skills in a professional environment, publishing their work on the UEL 2012 Blog and on the University’s website.

Athletes who will train at Docklands’ SportsDock, including Judoka Travis Stevens and Fencer Tim Morehouse, told Chris how important the University will be when they come to London to compete. All of these interviews can be found on the blog.

Chris said: “The trip was amazing; I met so many great athletes and coaches who will be in London in a few months. It’s also really enhanced my experience as a student at UEL. I have gained so much relevant experience on this trip and I can use it all in my studies and my future career.”