University of North Carolina Athletics
Five Tar Heels Will Gain Journalism Experience At Olympics
July 28, 2016 | General, Women's Lacrosse, Women's Soccer, Track & Field, Fencing
Five UNC student-athletes are headed to the Summer Olympics in Brazil Thursday as part of a team that's pursuing career success instead of athletic acclaim. They're among 29 students from the UNC School of Media and Journalism that participating in a one-month internship with Olympic News Services during the 2016 Games.
Tar Heels participating in the program are Jenny Chiu (women's soccer), Kendra Douglas (women's track and field), Alexis Gannon (women's track and field), Sydney Holman (women's lacrosse) and Amanda Lalezarian (women's fencing.)
The internship is one of the School of Media and Journalism's Global Summer programs, in partnership with the UNC Study Abroad Office.
The group will stay in the Olympic Village and will assist in various capacities at venues around Rio. Each student is assigned to a specific venue and will send quotes and information from that competition back to the International Media Center. They'll focus particularly on athletes with ties to the state of North Carolina and also will provide information to media outlets in the state.
In many cases, they'll staff the sport in which they compete.
Chiu, a junior from El Paso, Texas, will be staffing the women's soccer venue, where she'll she plenty of Tar Heels. Five UNC alums are on the U.S. roster, and two more are alternates. A current teammate of Chiu's, Katie Bowen, will represent New Zealand. “The Olympics is the pinnacle of athletics, so to get to be there and watch so many fellow athletes live out their dreams is incredible,” Chiu said. “It's also nice to know that so many Tar Heel women's soccer alums will be representing the U.S. in Brazil.”
Douglas, a senior from Raleigh, and Gannon, a sophomore from Brookings, S.D., will be staffing track and field. Two Tar Heel alums are competing in track and field events in Brazil.
“I am so excited to be a part of this trip,” Douglas said. “It's a once in a lifetime experience. I think I'm most excited to be in the arena where the events for track and field will be held. For most of my life I have looked up to these people. My dad used to take me to practice at the St. Augustine's University track, and I would see some of the guys there preparing for the Olympics. They were always friendly and encouraged me to do better. They were an inspiration to me, and now, I'll be there with them. It already feels like an out-of-body experience. I hope to reach that gold as the best sports journalist the world has ever seen.”
“I am excited to witness world-class athletes from all over compete at the highest level in Rio for the Olympics,” Gannon said. “Being a track and field athlete at UNC, I am pumped working with this venue especially. So many of these athletes have been my role models growing up and I know it is going to be an experience of a lifetime. I cannot even imagine how the atmosphere will feel, but I can't wait to take it all in. I hope to gain experience pertaining to both areas of Exercise Science and Journalism. I know with only being a junior, I will be learning a lot along the way and this experience will give me opportunities later down the road.”
Holman, a junior from Chapel Hill, will be at the field hockey venue, where five Tar Heels are part of the 16-player roster. ““I am so excited about this opportunity that the UNC School of Media and Journalism has provided me with,” she said. “It is an absolutely amazing experience, and I am looking forward to gaining sports reporting knowledge that I will hopefully use in my future. To be able to experience the Olympics, let alone work and live in the Olympic Village, as well, is an opportunity of a lifetime, and I look forward to making the most out of our trip to Brazil.”
Lalezarian, a junior from Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., will be at the fencing venue. No Tar Heel alums are competing, but Lalezarian has competed against several of the fencers who will be there. “Attending the Olympics in Rio as a student journalist with UNC is a tremendous honor; I'm still kind of in shock,” she said. “I've been fencing for 10 years, nearly half my life, but never imagined going to the Olympics. Of course I won't be competing in the Games, but I'm just as excited to cheer on Team USA from the sidelines. While fencing is a growing sport, it still remains a small and tightly knit community. I have practiced and looked up to the many of the fencers representing team USA, especially those in women's foil, so I'm especially excited to watch them compete and go for gold. “
Players Mentioned
