Registration Opens for Cronkite’s High School Sports Broadcast Boot Camp

High school students interested in sports journalism are invited to apply for a two-week summer camp at Arizona State University, where they can report on professional sports teams such as the Arizona Diamondbacks and Phoenix Mercury as part of the Cronkite Sports Broadcast Boot Camp.The two-week residential summer program at ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication is offered in partnership with the Diamondbacks, Mercury, the Phoenix Rising FC Soccer club and other professional sports teams to give high school students live sports reporting experiences.The camp, which is in its fourth year, runs from July 15-28. Students are housed at Taylor Place residence hall on ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus. The early bird application deadline for a discounted price is April 1; the final application deadline is May 1. Applications are being accepted at https://cronkite.asu.edu/sports-broadcast-boot-camp-application.Students do play-by-play and sideline reporting, studio producing and live on-air reporting in the classroom and on the field, under the leadership of veteran sports journalists such as Cronkite Professor of Practice Paola Boivin, former sports columnist for The Arizona Republic and new member of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee.“Last year was my first leading the camp, and I was blown away by how imbedded the students were in the local sports scene, from broadcasting a Diamondbacks game in a Chase Field booth to the numerous interviews with professional athletes and broadcasters,” Boivin said. “I can’t wait for this summer’s camp to start.”The program’s instructors and speakers come from FOX Sports Arizona, the Phoenix Suns and Arizona Cardinals, among others. Outside of the classroom, students learn from veteran journalists at Arizona Sports, KMVP-FM, and the sports departments at 12 News, KPNX-TV, and FOX 10, KSAZ-TV.With access to the Cronkite School’s state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, students are able to create video stories from the field and in-studio sportscasts. For their final project, they produce an interactive media website. “The Sports Broadcast Boot Camp continues to grow every year and offers a great experience for those who want to study sports journalism in college,” said Cronkite Associate Dean Mark Lodato. “We appreciate the tremendous support of our local media organizations that makes this camp possible.”Thirty-one high school students from 15 states participated in the boot camp last year. The camp is open to high school students from across the country, and no prior journalism experience is required. Tuition includes housing, meals and transportation during camp as well as access to broadcast equipment, field trips and professional instruction.The Cronkite School is home to sports journalism degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The programs are focused on hands-on experience, including full-immersion sports bureaus in Phoenix and Los Angeles, where students report, write and produce sports content for professional media outlets.