Okay, so I wanted to share something I tried doing recently. It’s about trying to get an interview with Audi Crooks. You know, the basketball player from Iowa State? Watched a few games, really impressed, thought it would be cool to maybe get a few words from her for my little corner of the internet here.
So, the first thing I did was just some basic digging. How do you even talk to a college athlete? It’s not like you just DM them, right? Especially someone getting as much attention as her. I figured there had to be an official way.
Finding the Gatekeepers
I spent a good hour or so just clicking around the Iowa State athletics website. Found the women’s basketball section, then looked for media contacts or sports information directors, SID they call them sometimes. Found an email address for someone who seemed like the right person to ask. Seemed straightforward enough at first.
Next step was writing the email. This part took longer than I thought. What do you even say? I didn’t want to sound like some weirdo fan, but also, I’m not exactly ESPN over here. So I tried to be professional but also honest.
Basically, I wrote something like:
- Who I was (just a small blog, focusing on personal stories).
- Why I wanted to talk to Audi (impressed by her game, her presence).
- What I’d want to ask (kept it vague, like about her journey, challenges, not deep strategy).
- How much time I’d need (kept it short, maybe 15 minutes).
I read it over like ten times. Felt okay about it. Hit send and waited. And waited.
The Waiting Game and Reality Check
Yeah, you can probably guess what happened next. Absolutely nothing. Not even a ‘no thanks’. I waited about a week, maybe a bit more. Thought about sending a follow-up, but honestly, I kind of got the message. These athletes, especially at that level, are busy. They’ve got school, practice, games, travel… and the SIDs are probably swamped with requests from actual big media outlets.
I even thought for a second about trying social media, but that felt wrong, kind of invasive. Plus, I read somewhere about NCAA rules and how interactions can be tricky. Didn’t want to cause any issues, even accidentally.
So, the whole Audi Crooks interview attempt? It was a bust. Didn’t happen. But it was a process, you know? A bit of a reality check about access and how things work in college sports media, even from the outside looking in. It’s not as simple as just wanting to talk to someone. There are layers, procedures, and probably a long line of people wanting the same thing.
Anyway, that was my little project. Didn’t get the interview, but hey, I went through the motions. Learned a bit. Maybe next time I’ll aim for someone a little less famous, ha!
