This winter, the Athletics department set up a “media day” spot to give varsity teams the opportunity to take pictures like a college team. Media Day is most popular in the collegiate realm, but many high schools have been starting to take part.
The main reasons for media day for both colleges and high schools is to stay connected with schools through social media, and “to really get a sense of the personality of each athlete as they [step] in front of the camera,” according to Lawrence University.
At the high school level, media day is exciting because athletes get to do any pose they want; of course, it is also a chance for a new Instagram post.
Margaret Edwards, a junior from Whately, Mass., had her media day for Varsity Basketball on Dec. 8. She thought the event was “fire actually.”
Kat Mayer, a sophomore from Messina, N.Y., had her first media day this year at Williston, and was pleased with how much fun it was.
“I thought it was pretty hype,” Kat, who plays on the Varsity Basketball team, said. “I think the pictures are going to turn out good.”
Brandon Borges, who works as an Athletics Intern, coordinates schedules and times for media day that correspond with varsity team’s busy schedules.
Borges was a college athlete himself and had personal experience with the event.
“My personal experience with media day comes from the athlete’s perspective during my college sports days,” Borges said. “Regular media days for the college’s social media accounts allowed us to showcase our individual personalities, often overshadowed by the intensity of our sports.”
Borges believes that media day is an “excellent tool for our program to stay connected with other competitive schools, especially with the rise of high school athletics and social media.”
He is also grateful for Geoff Smith, Williston’s Social Media Manager, who took photos for media day.
“We’re fortunate to have Geoff Smith taking on the role of photographer, and he has been exceptional at it,” Borges said, thankfully. “Post-session, Geoff dedicates time to perfecting and uploading the edited photos.”
Other prep schools in our area who did media day include Suffield Academy and The Hotchkiss School.
Elle Ash, a junior from Kingston, N.H., loved media day and thought it was “a great opportunity for our team to bond and have fun,” she said. “Our basketball team had a blast, and it was a great addition to this year.”
She is grateful that the athletics department, which stepped it up this year.
“There was an actual camera and the photographer [Geoff Smith] was amazing and accommodating, letting our team take as many pictures as we would like, even though we were a bit excessive,” Elle said. “I hope they continue this for each season!”