WHO INSPIRES ME

I've said it before but I can't say enough about Sarah Kustok. She's the mini mayor of Chicago. Everyone loves her. There is literally NOTHING wrong with her. I think one of the first times I truly began to think about being a sports reporter was when I saw her interview after a game.

I just got home from school for the summer.My dad sent me and my little brother to a Blackhawks game. I don't think he and I said a word to one another 2 of the 3 periods

 (I try but he gets way too into it.) 

Little bit of a recap of the game. It was the Western Conference Finals. Hawks were playing the sharks for a 3-0 lead in the best of a 7 game series.

The mini-melt:

2nd period: 

Sharks ahead 1-0 early in the second period with a 5-on-3 goal, but Patrick Sharp got in there and put one up for the Hawks

3rd Period:

Dave Bolland put one in... putting the Blackhawks ahead 2-1. 

But the Sharks came back and put one in again tying the game at 2-2!!

This is about the time when every fan was sitting on the edge of the seat...sweaty...and gripping anything they were holding. My heart was pounding, I could feel my pulse in my finger tips I had such a tight fist.  Meanwhile my brother was digging his nails into my arm. 

Lovely. 

::OVERTIME::

12 min into overtime and Dustin Byfuglien scored at 12:24 of overtime Friday night to give the Hawks a 3-2 victory

::And this is when it happened::

I remember sitting there and wondering how exactly would that feel to be them in that moment. I literally remembering thinking in the mist of everything that was going on..wishing to know what that would feel like. And then this happened. 

 Kustok captured exactly what I think everyone watching wanted to know. The 

amount of energy in that room could have jump-started the Titanic in the bottom of the Ocean. You could tell she had a game plan before even talking to him. However she recognized that moment offered 1000 opportunities more than something preplanned. By asking "Describe this moment" She captured the fleeting second. she's an amazing reporter because she went off her gut and recognized the adrenaline both on the ice and in that packed arena. She changed how I view sports. People want to be involved right along with the athlete. They want to know what's going on in their head. I can't just watch sports as an outsider anymore. Kustok is someone I hope to be half as good as. That moment is one of the many that ignited me... not just because I was at that game, but because she introduced me to a whole new one.