There are a few things that hinder and facilitate the ability for a sport reported to meet deadlines. The major things that hinder a reporter are travel and quality. Due to the nature of a reporter's job, a lot of travel can be involved on top of the deadlines for stories. If he or she has to be on a plane to the next game by the next morning, the story must be done that night. Furthermore, the story will more than likely be needed that night anyway so that it can be run the next morning. That being said, it would not be difficult to write a story in a short time. However, it becomes more difficult to right a GOOD story in a short time. Effective leads and solid structure within a story is a great talent in itself and even more so when it is done in a short about of time. These writers must be able to put a great story out while also adhering to difficult deadlines.

The things that allow these reporters to do this are versatility, flexibility, and devotion. Versatility is needed because the reporter may very well have to be writing the story while he or she is still viewing the contest. That kind of multi-tasking is difficult for some but necessary for these individuals. Flexibility is important because there may be an amazing event at the end of the contest that completely changes the story. The reporter must understand that the most important thing is to have an interesting story and if this means starting over and writing a better story that includes all the facts, that is what must be done. Finally, devotion is invaluable to these individuals for all of the reasons that have been previously listed. These positives could not be achieved nor could these hindrances be overcome without an enormous amount of devotion.

I was able to meet the deadline for my game but I absolutely suffered for it. I was going to write a story on the Ohio High School State Track and Field Meet. However, I was travelling back to Tiffin and missed the 11:00 P.M. deadline. Instead, I was forced to report on a small mini-meet at the end of a track camp that the university puts on. Due to my lack of meeting the deadline, the story suffered and a less captivating sports event was reported on. In order to write the story, I needed to know the events that were being run, the individuals that were competing in them, and the results on the competition. The meet took place at the end of the camp so many athletes left as soon as they were done competing. However, one thing that I regret is not getting a quote from one or two of the athletes. Again, this comes back to the difficulties facing reporters and I clearly have a lot to learn!