PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS:
- Winner, 2009 Aflac Motorsports Journalism Award of Excellence in honor of Russ Catlin (Writing-Daily Deadline category, for Newark, N.J., Star-Ledger); Honor included a $1,000 scholarship in my name to the school of my choice (Indiana University); Presented at NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the award marked the first Aflac writing award given for a non-NASCAR article.
- National Vice-President, American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association for six years
- Have won 22 American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association national motorsports writing awards and cash prizes totaling more than $3,000 from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
- National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) media recognition, 2000 and 2005
- Runner-up to motorsports announcer/editor/actor Dick Berggren in the Ford Motor Company Award for Excellence in Journalism
- Invited to serve for the past eight years as a judge for the National Federation of Press Women’s national writing/video contest for high-school journalism students and California state contest
- Initiated, directed, and provided all content for two revenue-producing special sections (about the NHRA drag races at Seattle’s Pacific Raceways) for the Tacoma News Tribune
- Established 1320 TV, the first drag racing video website that covered the sport’s three major sanctioning bodies and independent races. Headed a team of videographers, contributors, and Internet technology specialists. No one before or since has undertaken such a project.
- Current member of panel voting for the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award (recognizing the NHRA’s Rookie of the Year) and for the Jim Chapman Award for Excellence in Motorsports Public Relations
- Member, National Motorsports Press Association
- Past member of voting panel for the International Motorsports Hall of Fame at Talladega, Ala.
WORK HISTORY:
- NEWSPAPERS/MAGAZINES/WIRE SERVICE - The Seattle Times (1995-2003), Everett (WA) Herald (1992-1995), Baseball America (1992-2003), National Speed Sport News/Speed Sport Magazine (1998-present), Indianapolis Star (1977-1981), United Press International-Dallas (1981), Kingsport (Tenn.) Times-News (1975-76), Nashville Banner (1976). Regular Freelance Contributor: Newark Star-Ledger (2005-2015), Chicago Tribune (2005-2015), Los Angeles Daily News Group (2007-2016).
- ELECTRONIC MAGAZINES - Owner, 1320 TV (2006-2009); Regular contributor, Speed Sport News (1998-present), Autoweek (2016-present), Competition Plus (2004-present), Power Auto Media/DragZine (2012-present), .
- FREELANCE - Seattle Mariners Magazine, Texas Rangers Magazine, Cincinnati Reds Magazine, Blueshirt Bulletin (New York Rangers), NFL Game Day (Seattle Seahawks edition), Saturday Evening Post, Soccer America, SBNation, Arizona Republic, Dallas Morning News, Denver Post, Idaho Statesman, Rocky Mountain News, Dallas Times-Herald, Sacramento Bee, Tacoma News-Tribune, St. Petersburg Times, Hartford Courant, Oregonian, Western and Canadian Hockey League magazines, Hoosier Basketball, Flightime, Cincinnati Suburban Newspapers, Drag Racing Online, Drag Racer Magazine, Drag Racing Action, Drag Racing Edge, Drag Review Magazine, and more than 20 other specialty, community, and trade publications across the nation and in New Zealand and Australia.
- RETAIL ADVERTISING COPY - Frederick & Nelson (Seattle), Weinstock's (Sacramento)
EDUCATION:
- Earned certificate in Fundamentals of Global Sports Management through NYU’s Preston Robert Tisch Institute for Global Sport (2020)
- Studied Journalism, University of Tennessee (1972-76)
- Studied at Newspaper Workshop, Indiana University (1971)
- Attended more than a dozen marketing webinars and seminars, as well as Pay TV Show (Stream TV Show)
PEEK AT PERFORMANCE: The Stories Behind The Stories . . .
1320 TV – The brand is being revived within the soon-to-launch Power Candy TV. Improved technology has caught up to the concept that was ahead of its time from 2006-2009. The revised version won’t focus solely on drag racing, but it does keep the name that’s rooted in the sport. A traditional dragstrip is a quarter-mile, or 1,320 feet long.
SPECIAL NEWSPAPER SECTIONS – The Seattle Times – the newspaper for which I worked both as a sports desk copy editor and a freelance writer with the motorsports, hockey, and soccer beats – didn’t share my hunch that a special section centered on the upcoming NHRA drag races would sell ads. So I pitched the idea to the advertising department of the Tacoma News Tribune. They immediately signed on, and we cooperated to produce two special sections that made a profit.
JOURNALISM CONTEST JUDGING – Each year it is an honor and a pleasure to read the news, sports, feature, and opinion articles or view the videos from today’s high-school journalists. Some are light-years ahead of many professional journalists in both style and choice of topics. These teenage writers and video producers are astoundingly talented. Others struggle a bit but still exhibit promise. As a judge, my challenge always is to encourage and guide. And I take that seriously, giving the students far more feedback than is required of me. My critiques are notoriously detailed, but they’re positive.
ROLLER SKATING MADNESS – A defining personal moment for me came in 1979, when I wound up the focal point of a crazy $50 bet one night at work in The Indianapolis Star Sports Department. My task, as outlined in a contract my doubting co-worker and I both signed with gusto, was to roller skate unaided the 9.1 miles from my home to the office in less than two and a half hours. I had no roller skates. I was 24 years old and hadn’t skated since I was about 10. Even my husband didn’t believe I could win. But I acquired a pair of skates and practiced diligently every day. When the day of decision arrived, I was ready – but I fell flat on my face in the middle of a busy street just a few blocks from home. With a scraped face, bloody elbows and legs, and rock-pocked knees, I soldiered on. To my colleague’s dismay, I beat the allotted time by an hour. I earned the money, but the respect I earned was far more significant to me. Forty years later, my husband no longer questions my stamina, and my former co-workers don’t doubt my resolve. They know that’s just how I roll.
