FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME
By: Leslie Peeples, RPR, CRI
Southwest Tennessee Community College
They take football very seriously at my hometown high school. Their hard work is evident. Our high school team has been to the state finals two of the last three years and is ranked number one in the state now. Their practice schedule is grueling. They practice a minimum of four hours a day, six days a week, ten months out of the year. Extensive workouts in the weight room take up the other two months.
There are approximately eighty members on the team. Half of them rarely, if ever, see any playing time on Friday night. Most of them will never play football after high school. When I look at them on the sidelines on Friday night, I have to wonder what makes them endure these six-day-a-week workouts, not to mention the two-a-days in the 100 plus degree heat in the summer, knowing that they probably will not see any action? The answer, I imagine, is for the love of the game.
Like those football players, I believe the most important lesson I can instill in you as a student, in order to help you achieve, is a love for the profession. If, through my enthusiasm and passion for the subject, I can make you fall in love with the court reporting profession, then the battle is half won. Athletes put themselves through grueling workouts and constructive criticism week after week for one primary reason – a love of the game. Likewise, it is that love of the profession that will make you want to succeed; that will motivate you to be the best writers you can; that will make you appreciate the need for continuing education and staying on the cutting edge of technology.
If it wasn’t love at first sight for you, what are some things that you can do that will make you fall in love with court reporting? One way is to be involved, not just in class, but in the profession itself. Start by joining the TCRA and the NCRA. Read the Journal of Court Reporting. Find out what’s happening in the world of court reporting. Find a mentor. Both the TCRA and NCRA have mentoring programs available. Having a buddy in the profession you can communicate with on a weekly basis is a great source of motivation. Shadow a reporter on the job. Watch legal dramas and imagine yourself sitting there. Start a Facebook page where you can talk to other reporters and students around the country. And, finally, try to go to as many state and national conventions as possible. It’s impossible to come away from a court reporting convention without a new enthusiasm for the job. There are reporters there who love this profession. If you’re around them long enough, some of that love can’t help but rub off on you, too.
Being totally immersed in court reporting will not only provide you the stamina you need to sustain your workouts on the steno machine while in school, but push you to be better writers and leaders in the field of court reporting once you finish your education!
“Chance can allow you to accomplish a goal every once in a while, but consistent achievement happens only if you love what you are doing.” -- Bart Conner, American Gymnast
