Not every journalist gets to cover and report at the Olympics. Students from ASU will get to watch history in the making. The Arizona State University shortlisted 25 candidates to cover the games. The students have been allocated a sport, which they will cover during the entire period of the games for the Olympic. Much of their time will be utilized collecting quotes from athletes in press centers and the mixed-zone, feeding and relying them into news service for accredited media, National Olympic Committees and officials. The official training for the students and other journalists starts few hours prior to the games kick off, but students of ASU have already been prepared by Cronkite Assistant Dean Mark Lodato and his lead team.

The students were enrolled in a special and ideal course where they were taught about the Rio Style Guide, how to ask quickly and effectively pause questions to the athletes. It’s specifically to their sport and lastly, about their conduct and behavior at the games. It is a high-pressure and fast-moving environment. They really don’t have multiple shots and time to waste at chances.

Mark Cronkite Assistant Dean is confident that his students will do well when they’re are pushed into the action. Mark, Sarah and Brett are going to be on the ground supervising and guiding very closely and being their emergency blankets when need arise. The students are learning. They are learners, so of course they will not write and cover like sportswriters with 15 years of experience. But they are still in the classroom long enough. It is time to give them this opportunity on a bigger stage.

It is very terrifying. But they know their respective sport, and they had done research and practice stories extensively on their assigned sport prior to landing in Rio. They are subject to make some mistakes, but they can’t let that define them. They are ready for this.