Journalism Milestone: Reporting Underwater!

What's the weirdest reporting gig you've ever had? Because reporting UNDERWATER at the 2023 Roses Lancaster v York underwater hockey match was a massive first for me! 

Speaking with club president, Peter Mylroi Lamont, we agreed that match coverage for underwater hockey (more so than other water sports which at least happen in view) is usually subpar. While organising the logistics of various reporting gigs over the Roses weekend, I decided there was no point in reporting for SCAN on the sidelines of the UWH match.

Instead, I borrowed a snorkel from the Lancaster Stingrays and a mask from York Octopush then dived in next to the players and followed the match from underwater, popping up between rounds to pass notes onto my co-reporter, Lucy Whalen.

Not only was this the first coverage of Underwater Hockey to truly engage with the sport in description, terminology, and accurate point scoring BUT it was also the first to be reported live underwater.

Both Lucy and I took turns diving underwater to provide the university's first match report collected underwater during a live match. Then, I wrote up the report, researching history and play specifics of the sport, with UWH President Peter Lamont adding comments as I went. 

The final feature is a Roses first for underwater hockey match reporting and for any sport feature in SCAN's publication. It was also recently shortlisted for Best Student Media Feature in the 2023 Lancaster University Awards/

Covering match reports alongside Lucy Whalen at the biggest varsity tournament in Europe this year, I have never had so much fun with journalism. Thank you to the Lancaster Singrays for inviting us to cover Underwater Hockey and thanks to SCAN: Student Comment and News for the opportunity. 

Read the article here: https://scan.lancastersu.co.uk...