Natalie Newell on the mound.
Photos by Josh Gleason
In another eventful day at Write on Sports, campers proved that they could write under pressure.
Following an hour-long session of interviews with Bethel College pitcher Natalie Newell and Goshen News sports reporter Greg Keim, each camper turned out a polished spot story in less than 60 minutes.
Newell, who has broken Bethel’s single-season strike-out record and still has two seasons to play, served as yet another accomplished guest athlete taking part in the two-week program. Inspired by her parents, coaches and softball champion Jenny Finch, Newell stressed being a great role model over being a great athlete.
“Softball isn’t something I have to do,” she said. “It’s something I get to do.”
She’ll have plenty of opportunities to continue inspiring young athletes. After college, she plans to teach and coach softball, hopefully at a college.
Josiah Lenoir taking notes during the interview session with Natalie Newell and Greg Keim.
According to Keim, one of the perks of sports reporting is that he gets to keep track of athletes like Newell.
“I’ve covered Natalie since she was a freshman [in high school] and it’s been great to watch her grow,” he said, adding that as a person, she hasn’t changed.
Newell followed the day’s interviews with a pitching demonstration on the GC softball field and then it was time for campers to write their spot stories. All campers beat the noon deadline and filed out of the newsroom, ready for lunch.
It’s a sure sign of progress. Just one week ago, many of the young journalists had never written such a story. But over the course of the week, and with guided practice, they are beginning to look more and more like professional reporters.
As this week continues, they will finish revising their print feature stories and complete a video feature story on a topic in sports.