The York Daily Record and the Evening Sun in Hanover bring high school athletes together for a fun day of interviews, photo-ops and games in preparation of a new sports season.
As a new sports season approaches, excitement builds to a fever pitch, a rush of adrenaline in its own right. No matter what happened last year, this is when the team “takes that next step forward.”
To help build on the hopes and anticipations of a new season, media outlets put together preseason media days, one of the most fun and time-honored traditions in sports. Media day allows coaches and players to interact with journalists, photographers and fans. It showcases the skills and personalities of athletes, builds team camaraderie, and promotes games and key matchups of the upcoming season.
No longer relegated to the national stage for professional and college levels, high school sports media days are fast becoming a major event in local communities. The York Daily Record and The Evening Sun in Hanover host four media days throughout the school year to highlight student athletes and coaches in the York-Adams Interscholastic Athletic Association while helping families, friends and fans get hyped-up for the start of the season.
The first media day hosted by the Daily Record and Evening Sun was in 2012 for football only. High school teams from York and Adams Counties converged on the Daily Record offices in York for interviews and photo-ops. The event was an immediate success with readers. Today football media day attracts journalists from local TV, radio, print and digital news outlets from around the area. The venue remains Daily Record offices.
As the Daily Record and Evening Sun grew their audience size with online and social media platforms, the organizations decided to open media day coverage to other high school sports programs. What started as a preseason football preview has expanded to include three more annual media days:
- Fall sports: soccer, field hockey, girls tennis, girls volleyball, golf and cross country
- Winter sports: boys and girls basketball, swimming and boys and girls wrestling
- Spring sports:
All events are marketed under the GameTimePA brand, available in print, online and social media apps. While GameTimePA Facebook and Instagram pages garner plenty of views, the TikTok account is the most popular app for students to cut loose and have fun.
Along with Sports Editor Elizabeth Stallings, York Daily Record sports reporters Jack Glecker, Shelly Stallsmith and photographer Dan Rainville facilitate each seasonal media day by scheduling the visits, coordinating events and writing profiles. The staff creates a festive atmosphere to help everyone feel at ease for interviews and pictures. Students and coaches participate in fun games like cornhole toss, chair races, water balloon games, feats of strength with athletes vs. reporters, and the ever-popular egg roulette.”Every year, coaches tell me how much their athletes look forward to media day,” Stallings said. “For many of these young players, it’s their first time speaking to reporters, and it allows them to interact in a fun, relaxed atmosphere. It’s win-win: We get to spotlight the athletes with photos, day-of stories and social media, and they give us good story ideas.”