Finding Happiness in the Unknown

By: Kate Norum

Having a dream can seem like just that; a dream. But some people choose to put that dream into action and turn it into something. Rachel Richlinski is someone who exemplifies this every day. Richlinski wanted to go into sports from the beginning but had no clue how to even start. Hailing from South Louisiana chose to stay in state and attended her dream school LSU. It was a huge deal because she was the first in her immediate family to go to college. Prior to actually stepping foot in a classroom at LSU, Richlinski declared Kinesiology as her major, due in part to her friends who also were majoring in that. “I was thinking maybe I could do physical therapy and work for a team,” Richlinski said on why she initially chose Kinesiology, then realized that wasn’t for her.  “From day one of actual school, I stuck to my major [of Journalism after walking past the Journalism building at orientation].” Sticking to something that gave her a sense of hope and purpose. 

How did you get started in sports broadcasting?

Initially I wanted to become a physical therapist, but I don’t like anything medical, I hate science. That’s just not how my brain is wired. But, I’ve always loved to write, thinking more creatively and loved sports. I remember on orientation I told my group leader, “Hey, I think I want to change my major,” after passing by the journalism building. I walked into the (Journalism) building and asked about Tiger TV, which is the on-campus television station. Tiger TV was really great because it helped decide early on if I would like this or not (broadcasting). My first beat assignment was covering softball, which of course everyone wanted to cover football, baseball, basketball and I got softball. But, I played softball so it was right up my alley. For me it was fun, especially covering softball to start with because it’s one of those untouched sports, there wasn’t much media attention surrounding it. Which meant there was more room for me to do stuff. Later on I did anchoring for Tiger TV so I was doing reps at the desk with a prompter and then I got an internship at a local TV station in Baton Rouge.
 
What was this internship like?

I always tell people my internship was really special. It wasn’t like a “grab a cup of coffee and shadow” type of internship. They would give me a camera and say “you’re working” and drop me off at a high school football game, saying “you’re going to shoot, edit, and then make a shot sheet to hang to the anchor.” So, this was almost like an entry level job in a sense of what I was allowed to do. I quite literally knew exactly what I was doing after I got into the workforce, it was awesome. I mean there were a few technical things, specifically the producing side of it, but I knew how to shoot. I actually had the same cameras at my internship that I had at my first job.

Where was your first job and what was it like?

So my first job was in Jackson, Mississippi. I got very lucky in the sense that I think I only  applied to a total of three jobs, interviewed for two and got one. Which is unheard of. The reason I got the job was because I was more than prepared from my internship, and both were owned by Raycom Media, at the time. So it was kind of like hiring from within as I knew all the programs they used, the cameras were the same, equipment was the same. I was actually hired before I graduated, once I graduated I immediately moved there. The position was weekend sports anchor, which was amazing. I so many opportunities to get better, really fast because of that. I was anchoring three shows on Saturday and four on Sunday, those reps were so important. The more you do it, the better you get. When I started, we had a three person sports department and by the third year, I was the only one left. My original contract was up after two years of being there and the other offer I had on the table, I wasn’t thrilled about. It was a lot further from home, the sports scene wasn’t great, it wasn’t really a step up. Because I had an offer, I used that as leverage to negotiate a one year extension in Jackson. So I stayed. At the time, I thought I was making the greatest decision because I was covering Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Southern Miss. Mississippi State, at the time was really great at women’s basketball and baseball. At this moment, there’s only two of us (in the sports department) and then the sports director announces he’s leaving and I just signed this new contract. They weren’t hiring anyone else to come in, so I was told to basically do everything. It was really hard. On top of me being an MMJ (Multimedia Journalist) shooting my own stuff, editing, operating my own live shots, producing, anchoring. Running up the sidelines sweating my tail off, and then having to set up for a live shot. It was the hardest 11 months of my life.
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How did you overcome working in Jackson, Mississippi with being the only person in the sports department?

It was really hard. I was always stressed. I never got a day off, it was hard. So when my contract came to an end, again, I didn’t have anything lined up. I had the option to stay but in my mind that wasn’t an option. So I took a big leap of faith and decided to pick up part-time freelance work with Wilson Premier Baseball and traveled with them for two months. I said “by the end of this, I’ll get a job.” It didn’t happen. I was a finalist for a job in a really great market, that I was for sure getting, didn’t get that. I wasn’t hearing back from anyone else. Turned down an offer back home in Baton Rouge, which was the hardest decision of my life. It didn’t feel right. Long story short while I was at dinner with my family, I happened to receive a call from a Denver area code, picked it up and the rest is history.

From the ups and downs, Richlinski has kept going regardless of the circumstances and is currently the In-Arena Host for the Colorado Avalanche in Denver, Colorado. A sure-fire change of scenery from Louisiana and Mississippi but it all surrounds itself with finding happiness in the unknown. 

Thank you to Rachel for taking the time to tell her story. Everything happens for a reason, and persistence will continue to keep you going, there is no doubt that you will continue to take the sports broadcasting field by storm.
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You can follow Rachel on Twitter: @RachRichlinski or connect on LinkedIn