The End...For Now

The end of my semester in Los Angeles has finally arrived, and I will be going home for a few weeks on Sunday. However, I will be returning to Los Angeles to continue my broadcasting for the Ontario Reign and a position with the Los Angeles Clippers of the NBA as an Inside Sales Executive.

What a semester this was! I have no doubt about it that this was my most favorite semester of college and one of the best experiences of my life. Everyone was telling me before I came that it would be a fantastic time. However, no one's words could compare with the time that I had here, and I am truly grateful for it all!

The best part of being here were my internships. The Los Angeles Kings are a great organization to work for, and I loved every minute of my time there. A big thank you to Jeremy Zager for hiring me, along with Nick Nickson, Daryl Evans, John Traconis, Bob Miller, Jim Fox, and everyone else with the organization that made this experience as great as it was. From watching the games to learning from the broadcasters and everything in between, I am so happy I interned with the Kings.

Citi Cable 3 gave me an opportunity to write, report, and produce content that would air on a weekly show, "The Sports Desk." To get on-air and report on what I wanted was a great experience for me. I am so grateful to Bonnie Prickitt, our host, for hiring me, as well as to all the coaches and athletes who allowed me into interview them. You all made the experience extremely worthwhile!

Finally, the Ontario Reign gave me the chance to broadcast games for a sport I love. I have absolutely enjoyed having this opportunity and look forward to continuing my work with the team. The people at the Reign are great to work with and really value my role.

There were so many great activities I took part in while here in Los Angeles, and it was really hard for me to narrow them down to my Top 10, but here they are (I've added links to my blog posts about it):

10) Hollywood Sign Hike and Venice Beach
9) Wednesday Tradition
8) The Price is Right and Family Feud
7) San Francisco/UFL Trip
6) Knicks-Lakers
5) Yankees-Angels ALCS and Yankees-Angels Reg. Season
4) Six Flags Magic Mountain
3) Green Day Concert
2) Blink 182/Fall Out Boy/All-American Rejects Concert
1) Trip to California

I am not sure how much I will be able to post when I go home or when I return. However, I will definitely keep things updated from time-to-time. If you are interested in tickets to a Los Angeles Clippers game, feel free to contact me! My email address is michaelhpolak@gmail.com...See you all soon!

Jackie Landers Profile

This past week, I was able to interview South High volleyball star Jackie Landers as well as her mom and dad, and put together a nice profile piece on Jackie and her career as a Spartan. The final product came out, in my mind, as one of the better packages I have done. I hope you enjoy it!!

Here is the link to this week's episode: Episode 43.09
If you want to skip ahead to my package, the intro begins at 14:27 in the video

As always, let me know your thoughts on the final outcome. I really appreciate any advice, especially on this piece. Jackie was a terrific player and definitely deserved a profile piece like this to be done. She will no doubt have a great college career wherever she ends up!

Reign Highlights

Hello Again!

I was sent the following video from one of my co-workers with the Ontario Reign, Robert Salvucci. He works on filming some footage, including the pregame "Coach's Corner" segment. Robbie took the B2 Network feed from the game with video and audio and created a highlight segment that is shown on the scoreboard before the game. I hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think of the goal calls!

Another Crazy Weekend

Well, once again, I have yet to post in a few days, and that's because I have literally been scrapping for time. This past weekend was chock full of every different internship I have, making life sort of chaotic. In fact, I am writing to you right now from the Staples Center where the Kings are about to play the Flames, and several ICLA students and alumni are in attendance! GO IC!

So, here's a recap of the last few days:

Friday

Went to Torrance for Citi Cable 3 to do some interviews for a profile piece on South High volleyball player Jackie Landers. I got to meet her mom and dad as well as see where they live. The interviews and the package came out fantastic and will be aired on this week's show. Keep an eye out on the blog for a link!

Saturday

The Kings played a 1:00 game against the Blues. The team honored Luc Robitaille before the game for being inducted into the National Hockey League Hall of Fame and gave out Luc bobbleheads to everyone! The game was exciting and went to a shootout, but the Kings lost 5-4.

After, they had about 2 hours to change the arena from hockey to basketball format, and I got to stay and watch the changeover. It was the first time I've seen this, and I must say, it was pretty cool! Here's a glimpse of the change:

The Ice is Covered and the Court Begins to Form


Extra Seats Opened and Court Almost Done


Court All Done


All Set After 2 Hours


Players Take the Court

After, I stayed for most of the Clippers vs. Pacers game which was also exciting and allowed me to complete my goal of seeing each pro sports team in LA (and Anaheim)!

Sunday

The Ontario Reign finally returned home for the first time since November 21st. They played the Victoria Salmon Kings and won in overtime 4-3 in another thrilling game. It was great to get to call another game after such a long layoff, and it was even better because the game was close!

As for today, it rained for the 2nd time since I've been out here, and wreaked havoc on the roads. It took me 90 minutes to go what is normally 30 because people drive so slow and don't know how to operate when it rains. However, I edited the Citi Cable package and now am ready for Kings hockey! Should be another fun one at Staples Center tonight!

Basketball Season

Basketball season has arrived in Torrance, and for Citi Cable this past week, I did a little preview on the North High School boys and girls basketball teams.

Here is the link to this week's show: Episode 42.09 To see just my package, skip ahead to 9:57 in the video

I believe I will be doing one or two more packages for Citi Cable 3 before my semester is officially up. I will do a full internship recap when I get closer to the end, but I am truly grateful for having this opportunity and have really enjoyed getting to create my own work and having it shown on the air. It was pretty fun stuff! I hope you enjoy this week's package!

Kings Strike First in Freeway Face-Off

My awesome experience with the LA Kings was taken to another level on Tuesday night when I got my first experience watching a part of the "Freeway Face-Off!" This is the name for the annual season series between Southern California rivals: The Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks. Tuesday was the first meeting of the season between the two teams, and if it's an indication of what is in store for the remaining five games, I want to be at each one.


The Kings took an early lead and then played a see-saw affair into the third period. The Ducks tied the game early in the 3rd, and it appeared that the game would go to overtime when it was still tied late. Then, with 2:20 to go, Brad Richardson deflected a shot from Jack Johnson past goaltender Jonas Hiller for his first goal of the season and gave the Kings a 4-3 lead. With 1:35 to go, the Kings took a penalty. Anaheim immediately pulled Hiller, giving them a 6 on 4 advantage to close out the game. However, the Kings stood tall and took Game 1 of the series 4-3. WHEW!


The thing that stood out to me was the fan environment. Being from New York, I have gotten to see a very similar rivalry between the Rangers and Islanders along with the Rangers and Devils. I have also seen a similar duel in baseball between the Yankees and Mets. Basically, the arena is packed with fans on both sides, and both groups of fans make a lot of noise. When the Kings scored tonight, the arena was loud; When the Ducks scored, it was loud as well. While these are just regular season games, their seems to be an added pressure to win the games and take bragging rights for the time being.


Southern California is not really what you would call a hockey environment. The weather is warm, it's far from Canada, and there are not many ice rinks. However, with two NHL teams 30 minutes apart, and a sports-crazy fan base, it makes it easy for a big rivalry to develop. If only the two teams could meet in the playoffs, the "Freeway Face-Off" would be taken to a whole new level!