Shanna Lockwood, Auburn alumna ’09 and ’11, is the digital media manager of special projects at USA Today Sports Images and took her passed experience from the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics to the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.
Lockwood said her favorite part about being in Rio was getting to see colleagues in the industry.
“There are some people I only ever see at the big-name events like Final Fours and Super Bowls, and they’re a lot the same ones who work the Olympics,” Lockwood said. “It’s fun because we all have a passion for this industry that inspires us to work the crazy hours we do, and I think the shared lunacy in choosing this career path makes for a strong bond.”
Lockwood said she loved the feeling of being back at the Olympics.
“Coming back to the Olympics for a second time has felt like getting back on campus after a long summer, feeling stoked to see friends again and excited to learn new things,” Lockwood said.
Michael Millford, interim director and associate professor to the School of Communication and Journalism, said that Shanna's experiences in Rio would put what she learned at Auburn to the test.
"International environments are excellent testing grounds for the things you learn here at Auburn," Millford said. "If we’re only teaching you concepts and skills that work on the Plains then we’re not adequately preparing you for the variety of contexts you’ll encounter."
The quantity and quality of work hours were the greatest challenges during her time in Rio, according to Lockwood.
“It’s not just working from 9 a.m. to 1a.m.,” Lockwood said. “It’s also balancing several events at once and trying to get the finished-product photos out faster than everybody else.”
Lockwood said she received a constant stream of photos directly from photographers’ cameras during the events.
From there she would choose the best, most relevant images to edit, caption and transmit, according to Lockwood.
“Identifying athletes can be a challenge in some sports when numbers and names are in hard-to-see places; I’m looking at you, water polo,” Lockwood said. “So most days, it feels like a challenging mental balance beam routine that goes on for hours.”
Lockwood said though she met notable athletes during her time in Rio she’s also star struck by famous journalists.
“Admittedly, I’m more excited about running into journalists I admire,” Lockwood said.
Lockwood said her time on the Golmerata photo staff gave her hands on experience to learn from photography professionals on the sidelines.
“I can’t emphasize enough the direct correlation between my involvement on Auburn’s campus and my career,” Lockwood said. “I was on the Glomerata photo staff for three years, and without that experience, I quite literally wouldn’t be in Rio right now.”
Lockwood said she credits her work on the yearbook and maintenance of a high GPA during her years at Auburn as the reason she’s been able to cover the Olympics.
So my first takeaway is simple: leverage opportunity to its full extent,” Lockwood said. “My second takeaway is to be proactive about doing the things you want to do while doing the things you have to do.”
Lockwood said being able to say she loves her job is her “gold medal” that she gladly trains for daily.
“In Rio, it has been a lot of behind-the-scenes, intense work, but it took much of the same at Auburn in order to arrive at this career,” Lockwood said. “Sure, the nights on the fifth floor of the MPC in Rio feel a lot like nights on the fourth floor of RBD, but I consider it all worth it.”
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