Michala Robinson, the graduate of Union High School’s Class of 2015 and future Campbell Camel, is a prime example of how sports can impact one in many positive ways. She has been able to see sports from two sides of the spectrum, from the playing field and from the media side. Through it all, she sees only positives coming from her experiences in sports.
“After four years, two sports, countless hours of practice, and numerous games, I can honestly say that I have gained an abundance of memories and lessons learned from my experience as a high school athlete,” said Robinson.
“Being a member of a team has taught me so many things about working with others and pushing myself to be the best I can be. It also strengthened my ability to rely on others and work together to reach a common goal. I established friendships that flourished both on and off the court/field, and I am grateful for each of my teammates and everything they have taught me. I can’t imagine making it through high school without being involved in athletics. Some of my favorite memories took place on the volleyball court or in the softball dugout. Although we may have never won a state championship, the positive impact athletics have had on my life is worth more than any championship ring,” she continued.
Robinson worked for The Independent as a stringer, covering her home-school, the Union Spartans, each of the past two basketball seasons. During her time working with The Independent, Robinson met deadlines with ease and showed a great talent for writing sports articles that were easy to read.
“Due to my participation in athletics and involvement with journalism classes at Union High School, my principal, Julie Hunter, approached me with a job opportunity during my junior year,” said Robinson, explaining how the position came about. “The Sampson Independent had contacted me about possibly hiring a student to cover Union’s home basketball games. Ms. Hunter informed me about it, and I was thrilled to get started. After meeting with Sherry Matthews, editor of The Sampson Independent, I began attending all of the home basketball games, camera and notepad in hand.”
Robinson admitted that seeing sports from the media side was a completely different experience, an experience that she greatly enjoyed.
“The job allowed me to see a whole new side of sports. Instead of being the one actually playing, I was now responsible for capturing the action of the game and sharing it with others through the newspaper,” she said. “I thoroughly enjoyed working for the newspaper, and it sparked my love for writing sports articles and photographing sporting events.”
From playing sports at a high level, being selected to many All-County teams through her high school career, to seeing sports from the journalistic side, Robinson has now decided that she would like to continue to do work in the sports field. The opportunity will come sooner than later, when she enrolls at Campbell University for the Fall semester.
“High school may be over for me, but my passion for sports is definitely not,” said Robinson. “As I was preparing for Campbell, I was presented with a work study opportunity with the Campbell University football team.”
Robinson will be filming practices and games, and possibly creating some publications for the team. While her role in athletics may change, from a player, to a writer, to a filmer, she is sure her love for sports will remain the same, if not become even stronger.
“It is an exciting opportunity for me to once again see a different side of sports,” she said. “It is great to continue to find new ways to enjoy and love sports.”