A Summer of Sport

Soon enough Autumn will be starting, so this seems like a good time to sit down, take a breath, and reflect on the busy summer of sport that we have just had.  Having not been as aware of the sporting calendar before I started at The Sun as I am now, it felt, at times, particularly hectic for me. On top of that, this was the year that England made history and had the whole country rallying behind them right until the end which meant that the pressure was really on for me to do it justice! Coming out the other side though I feel I have gained so much experience.

This summer saw Euro 2020, Tokyo 2020 – both the Olympics and Para-Olympics, Wimbledon and lots more in between. Britain did outstandingly well in all these events, from Emma Raducanu breaking onto the scene, to England reaching the final and it was such a wave of patriotism to exist in… however it also brought with it a lot of teachable moments for me.

By the time the Premier League started I felt like I was a significantly better video editor. I am much faster and more efficient in my production of videos due to the fast paced nature of the sports this summer. Every time a goal celebration occurred for England or a tennis match was won I needed to be on the ball (no pun intended) to get that footage up as quickly as possible which gave me a lot of experience in a relatively short amount of time, and speed comes with experience. The fast paced nature of the Euros was perhaps the most stressful thing but it proved to be of great entertainment to my family. Every time England scored goals too close together I would mutter to myself and shout at the players to space it out a bit to give me time to catch up!!! But after all of my inspirational and slightly aggy team talks with the England team (that only I could hear) we made it through.

I also have a much better understanding of copyright and media law after this summer. The Olympics had such strict rules on what we could use, how much of it and how long and I spent two weeks making sure those rules were followed exactly. Not only that but I had to make many decisions on fair use when it came to the Euros and Wimbledon etc. and you don’t have time to ask for a second opinion when the games are playing out in front of you, so I had to stop doubting myself and be more confident in my decisions. Now at the end of the summer I have stopped doubting myself and I am going into this new sporting year much more self-assured, (but still not without caution).

It also now marks a year of me being at The Sun. I have learned so much as the year has gone on but it was the perfect end to my first year because I am coming into my second year with a confidence I wouldn’t have imaged a year ago and an enjoyment in my work that many people could only wish for. I am now putting my skills into action by training someone new to our team. To be at a point of teaching the job, copyright and all, to someone new only proves to me further how much of an impact this summer had on my capability. Of course I made mistakes and of course I am sure I am still to make many more but this summer was the most hectic and yet in hindsight enjoyable way to improve my skills and solidify my place in this industry.

As a bonus here is a picture of me and the LEGENDARY Virginia Wade