What I did at NCSMI (UNC-CH summer journalism institute)!

[tommy]

While we were there, we got treated to an interview with Mick Mixon (for you non-collegiate sports fan, he works with Woody Durham, voice of the Tar Heels...) and we were instructed to write an article on the notes we took from it.... and I got third place out of about 50 students who did the assignment! It was so exciting!

We spent the four days learning techniques and being taught about writing and designing news stories, features, and editorials. And of course, eating and hangin out on Franklin street.

So that's what I've been up to.

[Jeff O Rocks]

Glad you had fun tommy...even though I am a State fan!! :p ;)

[moonstomper]

state fan here too, but thats cool Tommy, welcome back

[Stormbringer]

Awesome Tommy... :spin: Did you eat at Pepper's Pizza and/or the Carolina Coffee Shop?

[tommy]

I typed up my article for anyone interested in reading it!

The play was a perfect disaster. Somehow, Rodney Taylor, the running back from the other team, had broken through the defensive line. One of the youth recreational football league's biggest players was about to careen right into Mick Mixon.

Mixon, however, had a plan. He would dive out of the way, to make it appear that he had just missed the tackle. But what ensued was actually a major factor in the life of Forest Orion "Mick" Mixon III.

Rodney Taylor collided with Mixon, who then latched himself onto Taylor's legs. He didn't stop Taylor.

"I thought, 'This is what riding a motorcycle must be like'," said Mixon, a color analyst for a Chapel Hill company, at a press conference for NCSMI journalism students on Wednesday.

But that motorcycle ride ended at the 3-yard line. Mixon had stopped Taylor just short of the endzone.

It was then that Mixon realized that his career would not be on the athletic field. He was destined for the broadcasting booth. That very night, he bought a tape recorder to practice his skills.

After this, Mixon continued to grow up in Chapel Hill. As he entered high school, he became more involved in the media, including Chapel Hill High School's student newspaper.

However, the written word was not the limit for Mixon. In 1973, at the age of 15, five years after the Rodney Taylor incident, he took another step.

After setting up an appointment with the manager of the local WCHL-AM radio station, Mixon landed the midnight to 6 a.m. shift in the studio, looking over the music while the DJ's were out.

While Mixon's friends were dating or partying, he was eating ice-cream sandwiches to mark the bottom of each hour, in the studio.

But even before this job, radios had played a role in Mixon's life. At the age of five, he recieved a Kent transistor radio as a gift in response to ending his habit of thumb-sucking.

He likened it to a modern day boom box.

"Just the box, no boom," Mixon explained.

Whith the transistor radio, Mixon would listen to Pittsburgh baseball radio broadcasts at night, as a child.

This dedication would not only land him his high school job at WCHL, but another part-time job with the same station, which he currently holds now.

Mixon said that the station was "the most exciting place to be". This was remarkable, considering that any of his teenage peers would rather have gone to a restaurant or a friend's house instead.

During this time, Mixon remained involved in sports. He played golf at his high school, and covered sports for his school's paper. He also enjoyed sneaking into games at Kenan Stadium and Carmichael Auditorium.

Thus, Mixon did not move into the area of general newscasts, since continuing his affection with sports gave him more freedom.

"There wasn't enough room for putting your opinion in," said Mixon, describing his brief stunt with news radio.

In that short while, he was repeatedly reprimanded for adding his own personal sentiment to the newscasts. It became apparent that his passion was for sportscasting.

However, Mixon's love of sports journalism did not spring from his home. His father, a chemical engineer, blames Mick's mother for bestowing her liberal arts genes upon him.

Still, his parents did not interfere with their son's desires.

"They were into underparenting," said Mixon. "They were supportive, but in a non-pushing way."

As Mixon marched onward toward college at UNC-CH, he was thrust into a world of sports heroes and athletic legacies. Among others, he watched Walter Davis, Phil Ford, James Worthy, and Sam Perkins play basketball.

Mixon delighted himself in becoming a part of this environment. He continued to gain experience, even interviewing longtime coach Dean Smith. Here he realized that interviews are not always easy.

"It was very nerve-wracking," said Mixon.

Mixon learned that Smith was a tough interview, who did not provide much of a response to poor questions, but rewarded intelligent ones. This type of learning propelled Mixon through college journalism.

In 1980, he graduated from UNC with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism.

His first major broadcasting job outside of college was a color analyst and production manager for Tar Heel Sports Marketing, a title which he still holds.

Mixon also regularly contributes to various athletic websites, and covers basketball and baseball in the spring for Fox Sports Network, as well as other media outlets.

These experiences have provided Mixon with many memories, both humorous and serious. On one occasion, during a Clemson versus Virginia baseball game, he said that the Virginia players were "too light in the loafers" rather than "too light in the trousers". He had just called the Virginia players homosexual, instead of undersized.

However, Mixon still recalls very successful interviews with such prominent figures as Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, and catcher Yogi Berra.

Yet, through both types of experiences, from his childhood to his adult life, Mixon has unearthed priceless information that he passed on to students who wish to pursue a similar path.

"Make it your business to know what the other person knows," said Mixon, who continued to emphasize the importance of asking questions.

"Become professional-grade curious," he said.

Mixon made a few closing remarks, in which he provided the attendees with instructions that he says will make them successful in journalism.

The press conference ended with Mixon telling students to start working now, get a system to follow daily, and to find someone who will take interest in their work.

"Journalism is a very subjective business," said Mixon, explaining that some people may be more fascinated by one person's work than by another's, but that nobody should become discouraged, as long as they are true to themselves.

Said Mixon, "Be sincere. And have lead in your pencil."

[tommy]

Awesome Tommy... :spin: Did you eat at Pepper's Pizza and/or the Carolina Coffee Shop?

Pepper's was SOOO good! My favorite though, was Franklin Street Pizza and Pasta... I had the best Philly cheesesteak in my life there... it was better than some that I've had in south Philly!

And the movie theater is really cool too... they had the best popcorn! And I got my dad the coolest Father's Day card (it's comin' up, guys!).

So overall, it was totally worth it, and I can't wait to go back next year as a member of the advanced group (I was in a beginner group this year.).

[CaniacPanther]

Dude...I went to NCSMI last summer too! I won an award for best newspaper article...talk to me on AIM sometimes and I'll tell you about it!