MONTGOMERY - One Marshall University student has won so manybroadcasting awards that some of his peers tell him they can'tperform at his level.
(Just think how intimidating Tiger Woods is, even to many otherprofessional golfers.)
Adam Cavalier said that is just not the case. Like anything else,he said, becoming a good broadcaster takes hard work.
The Montgomery native and Charleston Catholic graduate has put inthe time and effort to become the best collegiate sports broadcasterin the country.
On June 5, Cavalier found out that he'd won the first Jim NanceAward for radio sportscasting from the Sportscasters Talent Agencyof America.
The next day, he won second place in the National Radio BroadcastNews Championship division of the William Randolph HearstFoundation's Journalism Awards Program. It is sometimes referred toas the collegiate-level Pulitzer Prize.
Cavalier is 'a great writer,' said Dan Hollis, a broadcastjournalism professor at Marshall.
'It is unusual for a student to do well with news and sports, andto do well off the cuff,' which is crucial to call play-by-playgames.
His play-by-play work has won awards. He has also been cited fora documentary titled 'Failing Infrastructure: Saving Huntington'sSewage System' that he wrote and produced.
Marshall alumnus Vince Payne knows what it is like to perform ata high level in collegiate journalism. The Hansford native stillholds the record for the most awards won by a Marshall broadcastingmajor.
He said he fully expects Cavalier to beat his record before hiscareer at Marshall ends.
'For someone to be good at both news and sports, they need to beversed in current events, politics, and the rules and regulations ofeach sport that is announced,' said Payne, who is a freelanceannouncer and the director of public relations for Hamilton LocalSchool District near Columbus, Ohio.
'They have to be well-rounded individuals who don't cornerthemselves in being a 'news' or 'sports' person,'' Payne said, 'butconsider themselves complete journalists ready for anything andeverything to make the best at both types of reporting.'
Jon Chelesnik is CEO of the Sportscasters Talent Agency ofAmerica, which gave out the Jim Nantz award.
'Preparation is the key to being successful at anything you do inlife,' he said. 'A lot of people don't get it. Sometimes those whodon't prepare are the first to get the pink slip.'
Cavalier started announcing Charleston Catholic sports eventsover the loudspeaker back when he was in high school.
Even in college, he returned to announce the Fighting Irish gameswhen he could.
Now he's a perfectionist. Cavalier said he watches and listens tohis broadcasts to improve his work and gives them to his mentors tocritique. He also said he listens for 'crutch phrases' and clichesand makes lists of different ways to describe sports plays. He aimsto have 50 descriptions to announce, say, a touchdown, he said.
Even though he could become a news journalist, Cavalier said hewants to broadcast games for a college or university.
There aren't many jobs in that field in this tough economy, so hehas decided to stay in school.
He is as good a student as he is a broadcaster. He graduated fromMarshall's honors program with a 4.0 grade point average when heearned his bachelor's degree in May. He began studying for hismaster's in journalism on Monday because he said he might want toteach someday.
Cavalier is a 'phenomenal student,' said Dr. Chuck Bailey, whoamong other things is the adviser to Marshall's WMUL-FM radiostation. 'He is academically gifted and he can apply it.'
Hollis said Cavalier is 'dedicated to being the best he can be.'
'Most people settle for being pretty good,' he said. 'That's athing all of us face - 'I'm happy where I am.'
'It'd be easy to rest on his laurels, but he doesn't do that.'
Bailey concluded, 'It's amazing what a student can do when theyput in the work.
'You can hear him working to get better.'
COURTESY PHOTOS In June, Marshall graduate student Adam Cavalierwon two awards, a first place for sportscasting from theSportscasters Talent Agency of America and a second place in theNational Radio Broadcast News Championship.
