With no sports this fall, Chico State student-athletes have found the opportunity to occupy their free time by doing more reading. Whether it’s for a class, keeping up with current events, or just for leisure, the time usually spent on the field, the gym, or the course is being filled by athletes scanning, among other things, website stories or the printed page. Women’s cross country and track & field distance runner Sophia Pearson is taking things one step further by actually providing some of the content that is being consumed by not only student-athletes, but readers worldwide. Her contributions as a reporter for the Chico State student newspaper The Orion makes Sophia Pearson the latest Wildcat of the Week.
Pearson, a journalism major with a minor in cinema studies, has certainly been prolific serving as an Orion reporter. Specializing in stories about arts and entertainment, the Southern California native has written over a dozen stories in just a handful of weeks, covering everything from new and classic films to stage performances and interesting trends in the Chico art scene.
“It’s important for people to know about local talent,” says Pearson. “I’m also a big film buff, and I know others have strong feelings about the art and entertainment industry.”
CLICK HERE for links to Sophia Pearson’s stories written for The Orion
Interestingly, writing for The Orion is Pearson’s first experience as a journalist.
“I didn’t really have any writing experience (prior to The Orion),” Pearson said. “In high school I had a friend who was in a journalism class, but because of my athletic schedule, I didn’t have the time to get involved. My real passion for journalism came when I came to Chico State. I took a couple of journalism classes my first couple of years that really inspired me. I fell in love with it.”
Being an athlete, you’d think it would only be natural to write about sports. But Pearson’s passion for the entertainment world held more appeal.
“Originally I did want to write about sports,” Pearson said. “But I found I enjoyed writing more about movies and the arts, and I look at that as more of the journalistic career path I want to take.”
Pearson’s writing style, at least for now, is a multi-step process that relies on research and refinement. She explains how she typically approaches doing one of her movie reviews.
“It starts with me needing to watch the film at least twice, because there are so many things I’ll miss the first time around,” Pearson said. “By the second time, I figure I have everything I need. I then have to write (the review) right away. I just lock myself in my room and jam it out.
“It does take a little bit of time, but I just tell myself to dial in and take care of it. I’ll write a super rough draft, then go back and elaborate.”
Story deadlines are a constant pressure, but that doesn’t faze her. In fact, working against the clock benefits Pearson’s finished product.
“I need the intensity of a deadline to make it more exciting for me to write,” she said.
Pearson’s time-consuming role as an Orion reporter has not gotten in the way of her studies. A three-time CCAA All-Academic honoree during the 2019–20 academic year, she refuses to give her classes short shrift.
“School never came easy to me, even going back to grade school,” Pearson said. “When I came to Chico State, I made a promise to myself and take school seriously so I can be as proud of my academics as I am of my athletic abilities. It’s great to have teammates and roommates who take school seriously as well. They help keep me on track.”
Pearson has also found time this fall to participate in an inclusion and diversity video produced by the Chico State Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
Then there’s the time Pearson devotes to staying in shape in case the women’s cross country or women’s track & field team gets to compete sometime before the end of spring.
“It’s been a little bit rough to keep the ‘competition mindset’ sharp,” Pearson said. “But I think getting out every day to go for a run and doing what I need to do to be reliable is important, just to know I can be in a place to race again.”
Pearson rooms with two of her Wildcat teammates, and they frequently connect with other teammates to go on small group runs around Chico. She also plans on utilizing the recently-reopened Wildcat Recreation Center (WREC).
During the pandemic, Pearson has kept in contact with coach Gary Towne and all of her fellow distance runners.
“We had a big Zoom meeting with the men’s and women’s cross country teams just before Halloween, and it was nice to see everyone’s faces,” Pearson said. She’s also part of a women’s cross country group chat that is always active, and sees many of her teammates living in Chico out on runs.
“Keeping in contact is so important,” Pearson said.
Asked if she thought the cross country and track & field teams would see action in 2020–21, Pearson was optimistic.
“I think we’ll be able to work out some sort of situation where some of us might be able to compete in a safe way,” she said.
Now that would be a story worth writing.
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