Be Open To Change and Opportunities Outside of Sports

By: Cass Ferguson

Your journey is your journey. Perhaps you started working outside of the sporting industry or maybe you got your start in it, but no matter where, this is what makes you, you. 

In today’s world no journey is a straight path. You will probably hit some bumps along the way, but it’s what you get out of the journey that is the “gold at the end of the rainbow.” 

Kristina Pompilii started off as most sports industry professionals do; she grew up playing sports. Hockey has been a part of her life for as long as she can remember, but where she is now is different from where it all started. Currently, Pompilii is a Video Journalist for CTV Yorkton (Saskatchewan), the journey to her current position involved lots of hard work, dedication and her love of sports. 

We asked her what education and experiences have led to her success thus far? To start off, she attended Seneca College for Broadcast Journalism – where she stayed for two years. She said, “Journalism was not something I would ever be into.” She then went onto saying, she “thought for the longest time I wanted to get into teaching, because reporting or being a reporter was not a glamorized career path or a path that you heard little to nothing about.” Regardless, she took her chances. she idolized people like Kate Beirness, who is a strong female in sports journalism. 

Her education came some great times to learn in her life. These opportunities brought Pompilii to interning with TSN Sports Centre as a ‘Story Editor”, work with Dome Productions as a ‘Freelance Stat Assistant & Runner’, work with CTV News Toronto as a ‘Freelance Technical Director’, and then she received the role of the ‘In Game Host’ with the Oshawa Generals (an OHL – Ontario Hockey League) team. This new host position excited her because she had done a lot of work behind the scenes, but now she would be the center of attention being in front of the camera.  

With all this experience under her belt she was the perfect candidate for the role she currently holds as a ‘Video Journalist’ for CTV News Yorkton. Within her role right now Pompilii mentioned, “I cover a lot of different stories and angles. Being in a small town where a lot of what I do is cover topics on agriculture, is for sure a different path for me, as I’m not covering sports.” We asked her, knowing her love and background of working in sports, do you see yourself down the line coming back into sports and being more of a sports reporter?

She said, “I love sports, I will always love sports, and when I first thought about my career path all I knew was sports. I was very tunnel vision for that, but sometimes things have to change. Being in the position I am in now has given me the opportunity to work in news. I’m more scattered.” Being given the opportunity has allowed Pompilii  to open up to what more is available within the industry of reporting and video journalism. She did mention that getting back into sports is 100% an open option for her. She just doesn’t want to close any doors to opportunities that come her way that may or may not be in sports. 

Sometimes working towards a goal of yours means having to work outside of sports, but dreaming of what you could do always helps you. In the back of Pompilii’s mind she says, “I would love to work in sports again and if I did, I would love to do more of the off ice/ off field reporting for a specific team, allowing me to be more engaging with fans and players.” 

Having sports and local news both under her belt does this mean she stops and picks one? “No” said Pompilii. “I’m a younger journalist trying to get my feet wet in as many areas as I can because although I would like to go back into sports, this doesn’t mean five to ten years from now I’m doing weather and that to me is fine.”

Someone’s story five years from now is different.  In the future someone’s goals can change, but something that stays the same is who they are.  Kristina started off working in sports to where she is now. She proves that her story and goals are changing, but who she is stays the same.

We asked her how she would describe herself in three words and why. She said, “I’m very driven because when I want to do something, I will do it. For example, I want to be in media so I moved to another province to make my dream a reality. I’m very optimistic, and I would also say creative because I can find a story that might be boring to one, and put a new and creative spin on it.” Although sometimes it’s hard to describe yourself, it’s great knowing who you are and what you can bring to the table for future endeavors.

Thank you to Kristina for taking time to tell her story because her story is different than most; working in sports to not working in sports, but having goals of wanting to go back. In the end, sometimes you have to pull down your blinders and be more open to other opportunities because you never know if you don’t try. BE OPEN TO CHANGE! 

All our stories are being told for a reason. If you are someone who’s interested in Kristina’s story you can contact her through the links below: 
Twitter: @kpompiliiTV
Instagram: Kristina Pompilii
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristina-pompilii-5b3418129/