Trojans have a Great time at Warriors game

“Honestly, no silver linings. I guess the only positive thing is that it’s the NBA and you have a game in 48 hours so you don’t have much time to dwell on it.” said Golden State Warrior Stephen Curry. The Warriors champion Curry had nothing good to say about their tough loss with the Sacramento Kings on Jan. 5.

While it was a night that the Warriors might want to forget, it was an unforgettable one for The Olympian staff.

For us, the night was an introduction to the world of sports journalism, filled with behind-the-scenes insights, media privileges, and encouraging moments.

After navigating our way to the media room we were allowed to take court-side pictures of the Warriors during warm-up. It was an amazing experience being just a few feet away from players I have only seen on TV. Watching Curry up close was incredible seeing all the action in person and the effort the Warriors put into this sport. You could tell that they loved what they were doing, like the small moments of them laughing with each other and poking fun at each other. 

One of the night’s highlights was an interview with Marcus Thompson, a sportswriter for The Athletic. Initially, it was nerve-wracking to interview such an amazing journalist, but his humor and relaxed demeanor made the interview mellow. His advice was enlightening and inspiring: “This is a passion play, this is a thing that you do because you absolutely love it.” By the end, it felt less like an interview and more like a casual conversation leaving us motivated to keep pursuing journalism.

Adding to the evening’s magic, our CVHS Madrigals delivered a stunning national anthem performance. Watching my friends sing in front of the whole arena was so surreal and inspiring. The harmonies from our students were a nice contrast to the intense competition on the court that followed.

During the game, we sat in the media section, where we gained a unique perspective on the demands of professional journalism. Writers worked diligently on their stories in real-time, their eyes shifting between the game and their screens. Some even kept tabs on other sports events, multitasking under the pressure of tight deadlines.

After the game, we had the rare opportunity to attend the post-game press conference. I even had the chance to ask Curry about the game. His reflection on the game stood out to me: “We got to come out with a lot of aggressiveness and energy and be able to flush this down the toilet as fast as possible so that we can come out and just let it fly on Tuesday.” His focus on moving forward rather than agonizing over the loss was interesting and gave a view into his perspective of the game.

“It’s our last home game before a road trip so you wanna leave the bay feeling good about yourself,” Curry added.While the Warriors may not have left Chase Center feeling good, The Olympian staff did. We walked away not just as basketball fans but as aspiring journalists, ready to tackle our next story with the same determination the Warriors will bring to their next game.