On a crisp summer morning in Columbia, an energetic mood settled over the SJI interns.
As the sun crept from the remnants of the previous night’s rain showers, the group was ready for another day’s journey. Piling into a blue minivan, I put in my SOUL elite headphones, deciding that 8701 by Usher Raymond was perfect for this type of morning. Little did I know that his entire tracklist would become a recurring theme in SJI.
At 9 a.m. in the morning, we usually take a “sports check,” but this morning was different. Greg Lee, editorial director of NBA.com, started the session with a stirring rendition of U Remind Me. He picked on fellow SJI classmate Cameron Wolfe on his new nickname. Later he conducted a tough sports check where all that ran through my mind was I Don’t Know and Can you Help Me? In the rare instant that you got it right, you would Pop Ya Collar in celebration. That was until Leon Carter, an ESPN VP and editorial director for The Undefeated, would ask you to spell out the response and you find yourself stuck with How do I say as you feverishly tried to Twork it out. I wasn’t doing too well on Mr. Lee’s tests. It was as if U Got it Bad was my theme song and I had to make many U Turns and felt Separated from the correct answers.
However, something changed on the last sports check. I actually did well. The long hours of late night studying and sifting through CNN, SI, ESPN and USA Today had finally paid off. When I finally got above a score of 10, I felt like the Hottest Thing walking. I had conquered the beast and finally felt like a success on Mr. Lee’s sports checks.
--Jaylon Thompson
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