As COVID-19 continues its sweep across the nation, citizens are constantly transforming the way they live their daily lives.
This story is no different for Winthrop Athletics.
The Winthrop sports community and the extra mile from the main campus and the Winthrop Coliseum have been yearning for action since the spring shutdown.
On April 16 a ray of light beamed through, as Winthrop Athletics initiated a new series entitled “Ever Stand at Home.”
The new video series is a play off of the department’s branding campaign that was implemented in the fall.
“Winthrop ever stand,” are the final three words of Winthrop’s current alma mater–which was written in 1987.
In this unprecedented time, not only do those words stand for athletics’ branding outlook, but also what must be done to remain united.
As an extension to the campaign, the “Ever Stand at Home” series becomes another feature that is uniquely Winthrop.
The series is hosted by Alyssa Sconzo, Winthrop Athletics assistant director of communications.
“It is an honor to get to interview our student athletes,” she said. “Our staff and myself miss having the opportunity to cheer on our student athletes and this series gives us the opportunity to share their stories.”
“We are going to try and connect with as many student athletes as we can during this time,” Sconzo said.
The series is the brainchild of Peter Powers, Winthrop Athletics director of creative content and production.
“Ever Stand at Home was an idea that was really inspired by some of my favorite professional sports teams on social media,” he said. “I really wanted to be able to let our fans get more of an inside look into who our student-athletes are like on and off the field.”
“This is such a unique time in our history, so allowing our fans to get to see the faces of their favorite Winthrop Eagles was important to me to hopefully cheer people up,” Powers said.
The series gives viewers insight to some of their favorite Eagles student-athletes, and discusses a wide range of topics.
“I know how much our fans miss watching the Eagles in action and seeing their favorite athletes compete in the garnet and gold,” Powers said. “ It is super unfortunate that the spring season is over, but I wanted to give fans the chance to still see these student-athletes and maybe learn something new about them.”
The episodes can be screened on YouTube, with links found on the Winthrop Athletics website and Twitter page. Additionally, light transcripts of the conversations are posted online.
“I’m super proud of the content that we are able to produce at this time,” Sconzo said. “I have no doubt that when this is over we will continue to produce content that will highlight our student athletes and our fans will love.”
With the absence of sports, this type of creativity not only brings hope to athletes, but also entertainment to fans and a marketing perk for the department.
“This series ties in our initiative by giving us another touch point to engage our Ever Stand brand with our fans, alumni and supporters,” Sconzo said.
The series premiered featuring a conversation with Gabriel Dias, a notable athlete on the tennis court.
Dias was named to the Big South All-Academic team in 2019, and was serving as team captain for men’s tennis for the second year in a row.
Sconzo and Dias’ conversation was the first of many, and while a series, there is no prospective schedule.
“We do not have a set schedule but we do have a few athletes in mind that we look forward to talking to,” Sconzo said.
While a product of the current status of the sports world, there is hope that the Ever Stand video series will continue.
“Even when the pandemic is over it is equally as important to share their stories,” Sconzo said. “I hope we are able to keep up this effort in the future.”
This project is not just about having content to produce, but about keeping the garnet and gold connection viable.
“Whether it be training, working, or getting into other hobbies, I know there are plenty of fun stories we can tell,” Powers said. “ I always enjoy giving our fans the opportunity to get to know our incredible student-athletes on a more personal level.”
Graphic provided by Winthrop Athletics
