Sports journalist and tennis player: a full time job

By Donna Styron | gargoyle@flagler.edu

For the Flagler College men’s tennis team, there is one player who has more than playing on the court on his agenda.

As a communication major and a men’s tennis player, junior Adam Hunt has been busy during his first year at Flagler. Hunt is native of Woking, England, a small town in South East London. He came to the United States to play tennis for Mercer University in 2008 but transferred to Flagler’s tennis program this past fall.

“It was the best decision I ever made,” Hunt said. “[St. Augustine] is a lot like home. I personally like the escape.”

Hunt decided to come to Flagler with the influence of friends who happened to be past tennis players for the Saints. He expressed that the transition onto the team was a positive experience.

“There is a good team atmosphere,” Hunt said. “We get along as a team [with] an advantage of good team spirit.”

Hunt expressed that this year has been one of his best years playing tennis. Currently, the Saints are ranked No. 12 in the 2011 Campbell’s/ITA Division II and hoping to do well in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament in Augusta, Ga.

Along with playing for the Saints, Hunt is focusing on his aspirations to be a sports journalist. Through the years, he has always known his desire to be a journalist.

“I got the bug for broadcast,” Hunt said. “I’ve wanted to be a journalist since I was a freshman.”

Presently, Hunt is the sports reporter on WFCF Flagler College Radio’s sports weekly up date, “The Red Zone.”

This sports update airs every Friday at 8 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. on 88.5 FM giving a summary of Flagler College’s sports events throughout the week. Before Hunt approached the station manager of WFCF, Dan McCook, about the idea this past fall, sports had not been represented on the station since 2008. Hunt decided to begin the show on his own initiative.

“My reasoning [for the show] was to try to get people who don’t have time to go to the games the chance to know in five minutes that week’s sports events,” Hunt said. “It’s not too long and I enjoy doing it. It is always nice to hear from my listeners that they liked my broadcast. In radio, you can’t see your audience so, it is nice to hear from them.”

Since the fall, “The Red Zone” has had over 30 shows updating the listeners of St. Augustine. Hunt explains how he isn’t doing it for a grade but for a way to build his confidence in his ability as a sports journalist. He said having the advantage of experience is very important in such a competitive field like broadcasting.

“You can’t wave a degree at [the person hiring]. The degree is not the deal breaker,” Hunt said.

Though his spring semester has been busy with his obligations to both tennis and school, Hunt says he prefers the schedule that way.

“I am on the go all the time,” Hunt said. “[The Saints] travel for a match and school doesn’t stop. These past weeks have been tiring but it keeps me focused.”

Hunt is awaiting his final year at Flagler in the fall and hopes to finish strong both on the court and in the classroom. He is planning on continuing “The Red Zone” next year.