Hussman alums excited for real taste of Olympics

This article, written by Tommy Hamzik, was originally published on unc.edu.

The delayed 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics were unlike any other, held in 2021 and played in a bubble because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many journalists reported on the Games from afar.

That was the experience of Carolina students Julia Roth '23 and Kaitlyn Schmidt '23. Working with professor Charlie Tuggle of the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media, they sent cold emails and Instagram direct messages to athletes to get Zoom interviews for North Carolina news outlets.

Three years later, as graduates, they are working the Olympics again – this time in person from Paris. 

Julia Roth (left) and Kaitlyn Schmidt (right) have covered a wide range of sporting events during their time at Carolina and professionally, but will be on-site for their first Olympic Games this month in Paris. (submitted photos)

Returning to Paris

Roth likes seeing the Games and her career converge in Paris. She studied abroad there her junior year and studied French from middle school through college graduation.

“It felt very serendipitous that my first Olympics is in Paris,” Roth said. 

Roth is a production assistant at NBC Sports in Stamford, Connecticut, where she produced on-screen graphics for the swim trials last month. In Paris, she will be part of the Sportsdesk team that creates broadcast packages that NBC distributes to affiliates and local news channels. This may involve conducting research, writing scripts or helping with an interview shoot.

While many Olympics viewers will watch sports like figure skating and gymnastics for the first time this month, Roth and her team cover them year-round.

Roth grew up in a sports family, but it wasn’t until she got involved with Sports Xtra, a sports broadcast program produced by Carolina students, that she realized her passion could turn into a career. 

She tried different on- and off-camera roles, ultimately landing an internship with NBC Sports that brought together her interests and led her eventually to Paris.

“This summer is something I feel like will be a big moment in my life, but also in a global setting,” she said. “Those are the moments where you have to be there. Embrace joie de vivre, as the French say, just really be in the moment.”

Reporting live

Schmidt’s first sports reporting experience came remotely during the pandemic. She had been writing for the Daily Tar Heel for months before finally covering a game in person: the NCAA field hockey national championship in May 2021 at Karen Shelton Stadium.

Erin Matson scored the game-winning goal in overtime, lifting the Tar Heels over Michigan for their third straight title. Schmidt was hooked.

“That was the aha moment for me,” she said. “From there, I realized my passion for sports writing and telling stories.”

Around the same time, she was at her apartment assisting with Tokyo Olympics coverage. She’d soon be attending scores of live events.

Schmidt spent the last year interning with Warner Bros. Discovery and NCAA Digital in Atlanta, covering collegiate championships like March Madness and managing NCAA.com. That role took her to the NCAA volleyball championships in Tampa, Florida, and the softball championships in Oklahoma City. Last month, she started at Bleacher Report as a production assistant, producing live shows and podcasts on a range of professional sports.

In Paris, she will work on a team Tuggle assembled to serve as reporters for Olympic News Service. They’ll be the eyes and ears at many events, interviewing athletes right after the biggest competitions of their lives for clips that will be used by news outlets around the country – a vastly different experience from watching the Games on her laptop.

“It’s going to be such an incredible experience to just see the world and what the world’s athletes have to offer,” said Schmidt, who wants to watch events in lesser-known sports like judo. “I couldn’t be more excited.”