University of Houston Athletics
A Look from the Sports Information Department.
10/29/2001 12:00:00 AM | General
Oct. 29, 2001
By Chris Burkhalter
As I sit here in the press box at M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, I ponder the season that could have been. Granted, I certainly did not feel we would be sitting at 6-0 after six games, but I certainly did not feel we would be winless and riding a 10-game losing streak dating back to last season. In a season of "What Happened?" I try in earnest to maintain a positive attitude and hope that victory number-one is right around the corner.
Sometimes it is tough to do this, for maintaining the positive in a sea of negativity is difficult for anyone to uphold. It is even more of a stretch for the Sports Information Director at times, because you feel at times that you are running out of positive things to say when your team is winless after six games. Believe me, I try and seek and write, but it becomes as cumbersome as it is for the players.
It's not that these kids-they are kids, remember, ages 18-22-are not trying. I see them day-in and day-out working hard on the field and spending countless hours in meetings watching film. I see the pain in their eyes and the blood on their uniform after every game. It is certainly isn't from a lack of effort.
I honestly believe we are snakebitten. Plain and simple. We have the proverbial black cloud hanging over us. I look up and see the cloud and hope I can find the silver lining in it. Hence, the difficulty of this job.
HOOP IT UP
Well, it is that time of the year. As the leaves change (every where in the nation except Houston, Texas), so do the seasons of intercollegiate sports. Even though we are in the midst of football, soccer, volleyball and cross-country, the sound of squeaky sneakers and bouncing balls are in the air. It is time for bas-ket-ball.
This time of year is transitional for a Sports Information Department. As much as we are in full swing with the fall sports, such as football, volleyball and soccer, we must be ready to switch gears for the winter sports of men's and women's basketball and swimming and diving. And lurking on the horizon after the holiday season are baseball, softball and track and field.
There is really no true "down time" in Sports Information. I think I figured in out one day--it is exactly one month, July, where there is nothing going on. So if you need to take a vacation, you better do it in July. If not, you risk not having a vacation or time away from the office.
When you are working through a transitional period on college athletics, you must know how to manage your staff. This is a time where people can become frazzled and worn out because of the break-neck speed of everything. Plus, you have severe staffing issues you must deal with or risk a revolt.
For instance, next month the University of Houston is playing host to the Conference USA women's volleyball championships. Great time for the UH, but not-so-great time for the Sports Information Department. Since we (meaning the UH Athletic Department) are the hosts, we must staff every game from opening round to championship final. These games occur during the middle of the day on a Thursday and Friday to begin with, so it will be difficult for the volunteers that work with us to get off work and assist us during the matches.
No problem. We'll just have to roll up our sleeves in the Sports Information Department and get it done. But wait. How is this going to happen? Normally I have a staff of three full-time assistants, one full-time intern and three very talented students. I would expect everyone to step up and assist with this tournament, however, it is a transitional time in athletics, remember, so my men's basketball SID (Rick Poulter) will be with the men's team in Maui for the opening of their season. My women's basketball SID () will be preparing for the Lady Cougars home opener, and my intern (Sara Swilling) could be with the women's soccer team at the NCAA First Rounds, if they qualify.
So that leaves me and , the women's volleyball SID, as well as the students. Well, on Thursday and Friday the students are students, so they'll be going to class, and on Saturday, the football team plays its final home game of the year at the same time the C-USA semifinals are being played. I'll be spending all day Saturday handling the football game. This, you see, is the staffing problem I spoke of.
This scene happens in a majority of Sports Information Departments across America, but you know what---we all seem to step up and get it done. Somehow, someway the event must go on, and the SID will find a way to get it done.
PLAY BALL!
I have been working in earnest over the last two years to have our top-notch baseball program on the radio all season long. It is a tough process to secure this endeavor, for the Houston market is a tight one. Rice is very fortunate to have their campus radio station willing to provide such services, but it is a student-run station with a variable format.
KUHF-FM, though a spectacular signal and coverage area, caters strictly to the classical music audience of the Greater Houston area. We were fortunate enough to have them as a home for our men's basketball games a year ago, but that was just a temporary one-year deal. Now we can call Clear Channel Communications our home for the next three years.
So baseball has been an ordeal, but I feel we are close to breaking through. Hopefully, there is an announcement on this in the next few weeks, and if so, the station will carry all 66 games-both home and away-of Cougar Baseball in 2002.
This action would give the University of Houston four major sports on the radio, which would be the first time in school history. Last month, we announced that Lady Cougar women's basketball would be broadcast on KGBC-AM for 80 percent of their contests this year.
Keep your fingers crossed. Hopefully this will come through.
FINALLY
We are plugging away here in Sports Information and enjoying every minute of it. I hope each of you are enjoying these columns posted by me and my staff. I think they're very informational. Please, if you have any ideas, suggestions, or any advice, please contact me at cburkha@mail.uh.edu.
Until then, here's An InSIDe Look at Cougar Athletics!
