As probably the lowest person on the media totem pole, I expected this weekend’s coverage of the WAC tournament in Reno to go as routine as usual. I figured the crew and I would be looked upon as just another school newspaper, just some kids learning the ropes. I myself have bought into this concept quite a bit since joining The Collegian, to be honest. I go to Fresno State athletic events, and on one side of me is a Fresno Bee reporter, and on the other is the cameraman from CBS. Yes, I feel obsolete. So going into the Western Athletic Championship tournament in Reno would seem as much of the same, right?

Wrong.

I can honestly say I was surrounded by professionals, and I’m not talking about The Bee or CBS. I’m talking about Matt Weir, Brianna Campbell, and Anna Jacobsen. The patience and professionalism these three showed over the course of the last three days was a breath of fresh air. For the first time I felt like the media; I felt important. The work these three put forth in Reno can’t be measured in this blog. I thought reporting and writing was tough; that was until I saw two nights in a row both Anna and Matt stay up well into the night (one time 5 a.m.) just to complete their videos and slideshows. I would often peak over their shoulders and realize how difficult their jobs were.

Furthermore, my editor Brianna impressed me more than ever. The truth of the matter is, she had very little aspirations of taking the sports editor position at the beginning of this semester, but the void needed to be filled and she was there. In Reno, I’ve never seen someone with such little experience handle a position with such poise. She went the extra mile: chasing players into the locker room for interviews, tracking down Fresno State vice president of student affairs Paul Oliaro in the stands for a quote or two, and blending in with some of the biggest names in Fresno journalism as if she’s been there for years.

We were the media this weekend, plain and simple. We got work done on time in a stressful atmosphere with consistency. If it wasn’t for Matt, Anna, and Brianna, I wouldn’t feel like the work I put in was worth much. It also helped that the three of them bleed Bulldog red as much as anyone, which I find about as rare as a solar eclipse these days. So hats off to The Collegian crew, you made me proud to call myself a journalism student at Fresno State.