The first step of my process for creating my story on the PRS girls varsity basketball season was to get to know the team that I was writing about. Knowing the players was key, so I  made a copy of the roster and put it on a Google doc for future reference. Secondly, before writing the actual article I had to watch games and interview players like Solange Dzeketey (‘23) in order to get background information about the team and know how they function. In my opinion, this is the most important part of the process, because I need to know whom I am writing about.

I enjoyed covering the team throughout the season and seeing the type of comradery that can be present in a sports team. However, the most frustrating part of this process was not having access to box scores on Maxpreps. I remember the boys basketball team had box scores, but box scores for the girls were rarely, if ever, posted. That was unfortunate, but I plan to ask for access to the box scores or recommend that they be accessible in future if that’s not possible this year.

I did manage to work around this lack of information by just watching the team play, but it was annoying that I did not have the full range of statistics to back up my coverage of the team and their achievements and progress. I still scoured for statistics though, as I mentioned the 1,000 career points mark that was eclipsed by Jenna Gorton and 14.5 points per game that Brooke Rogers averaged in league play. However, if I’d had access to box scores and more statistics, I would have had a much more in depth article in terms of statistical analysis and just knowing more exactly how the girls performed over the season.

Overall, it was a fun experience covering a sports team at this school, and especially the very successful and much improved girls varsity basketball team this year.  However, in the future I believe that there should be equal access to scores for both boys and girls sports teams. That way we can ensure the best possible stories for both teams, and recognize the girls equally with the boys, which I think should be a top priority for Pacific Ridge School and for our student newspaper, just like it should for all schools and student newspapers everywhere.

To read Luca Colmignoli’s original story about PRS boys varsity basketball, co-written with Ashay Kalthia and Evan Willsmore, click here.