What I learned from (briefly) being on TV

Last Thursday, I, along with fellow Wayzata Science Bowl teammates, Duligur and Sunny, had the opportunity to take part in a short segment on Twin Cities Live.

Click the pic to watch our five minutes of fame.

Getting out of school early, Sunny and I carpooled to the KSTP-TV studio—marked by a colossal radio tower and within a stone’s throw of the U of M-Twin Cities campus, picking up Duligur on the way. After dismounting the Ishmobile, the three of us headed into the broadcasting building and were guided through a hallway, which was adorned with full-size monochrome photos narrating some of KSTP’s history, through a locker room, and onto the set of Twin Cities Live.

First impression: “Whoa, this is really cool.” Although smaller than I anticipated, the set was buzzing with activity. Everywhere I looked, peopled were getting their mics adjusted, their hair fixed, props were being positioned, orders being given—in a nutshell, highly organized chaos.

Three enormous cameras were focused on the stage which was lit from strategic angles with bulbs and mirrors. After meeting with the TCL producer and given directions for how the mock Science Bowl face-off would play out, we were fitted with this year’s bright blue t-shirts. Soon after, microphone boxes were hooked to our back pockets, a thin cord weaving under our shirts and terminating at the actual mic piece on our collars. We were due to debut at 3:10pm.

The most memorable part was meeting local personalities and anchors John Hanson, Elizabeth Ries, Emily Engberg, and meteorologist Patrick Hammer. They were extremely amiable people and it was fun to exchange banter with them before the show. Their charisma, positive charm, and politeness really struck me as the standard for television. It was as much of an honor as it was a good time to meet them.

But their niceness was no excuse for us to go full-force; the game was a (predictable) 4-0 shutout. The Science Museum tickets that we won were a pleasant surprise! I was expecting to walk out with only a TV appearance under my belt—and that would’ve been enough. So thanks, KSTP, for both the tickets and the awesome experience!