Revision of Feature Story Draft

Below is the revision of the feature story draft. This will be the version used in the double page spread.

"I don’t really have thoughts in my head. I just do it.” That is the mindset Nasir Coffee has used throughout his life. Despite being 17 years old, the confidence he exudes is never in doubt. This mindset is evident in the way he carries himself in school and athletics.

                Coffee is a member of the track & field team at American Senior High. Entering his senior year, Coffee’s balance between his education and athletics will be put to the test. “The most difficult part is finding time to do homework and trying to get some time to sleep.”, said Coffee.  “I balance them by doing homework right away… I also go to practice after school.”, he added.

                Being a six-time “Patriot Star Athlete of the Month” brings a lot of expectation for any athlete, and Nasir is no different. “My future plans are to go to college and graduate in engineering, and also have a career in track & field professionally.” stated Coffee.  He dared to aim even higher, “I do plan on trying out for the 2024 Olympics.”

                Like every athlete at some point, Coffee has faced obstacles in his young career. “My toughest setback is my knee injury that I have had,” he pointed out. “I am still trying to bounce back from it, but I have had surgery and done many therapy sessions to at least try to get back to where I was.”, said Coffee.

                It will take more than injuries to slow down Coffee’s future aspirations. “My inspirations are Usain Bolt, Luvo Manyonga, and Christian Taylor. They all fuel me to strive for greatness at what I do.”, said Coffee.  The way Coffee describes his idols clearly show where his head is at in high pressure situations

                He recalled his biggest accomplishment so far. “My best moment was placing second in long jump and sixth in triple jump at AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) Nationals back in 2018.”, asserted Coffee.  He also mentioned who his accomplishments are dedicated towards.  “I dedicate it to my parents for them being hard workers and always making sure that I was fed and taken care of at all times.”, noted Coffee.

                In his final year as a Patriot, Coffee plans to maintain the same calm and collected head that he’s had over the years. He will continue to be reliant on a strong work ethic to help him maintain his grades and keep him in top shape. He doesn’t believe in luck. “I have no rituals.”, affirmed Coffee.

Feature Story Draft

Below is my draft of the feature story that will be included in the final double page spread:

“I don’t really have thoughts in my head. I just do it.” That is the mindset Nasir has used throughout his life. Despite being 17 years old, the confidence he exudes is never in doubt. This mindset is evident in the way he carries himself in school and athletics.
Nasir Coffee is a member of the track & field team at American Senior High. Entering his senior year, Nasir’s balance between his education and athletics will be put to the test. “The most difficult part is finding time to do homework and trying to get some time to sleep.” He also added “I balance them by doing homework right away… I also go to practice after school.”
Being a 6-time “Patriot Star Athlete of the Month” brings a lot of expectation for any athlete, and Nasir is not intimidated one bit. “My future plans are to go to college and graduate in engineering, and also have a career in track & field professionally.” He dared to aim even higher. “I do plan on trying out for the 2024 Olympics.”

Like every athlete at some point, Nasir has faced obstacles in his young career. “My toughest setback is my knee injury that I have had,” he pointed out. “I am still trying to bounce back from it, but I have had surgery and done many therapy sessions to at least try to get back to where I was.”
It will take more than injuries to slow down Nasir’s future aspirations. “My inspirations are Usain Bolt, Luvo Manyonga, and Christian Taylor. They all fuel me to strive for greatness at what I do.” The way Nasir describes his idols clearly show where his head is at in high pressure situations
He recalled on his biggest accomplishment so far. “My best moment was placing 2nd in long jump and 6th in triple jump at AAU Nationals back in 2018.” Any and all accomplishments already belong to someone else to Nasir. “I dedicate it to my parents for them being hard workers and always making sure that I was fed and taken care of at all times.”
In his final year as a Patriot, Nasir Coffee plans to maintain the same calm and collected head that he’s had over the years. He will continue to be reliant on a strong work ethic to help him maintain his grades and keep him in top shape. He doesn’t believe in luck. “I have no rituals.”

How to Write a Feature Story

Following the questions and answers phase with my feature subject, Nasir Coffee, I began researching how to properly write a feature story.

The purpose of all feature writing is to tell the audience a story. It is typically composed of a lead, middle, and ending. The piece also includes quotes from the subject which, if used effectively, can aide the writer in creating a "vivid" and "detailed description" of the story for readers. Leads serve as the intro of the story and are crucial in catching the attention of the readers. Different variations of leads include:
- Narrative
- Compare and Contrast
- Direct Quote
- Startling Statement
- Descriptive

It is also of good practice that leads use repetition, dialogue, and mixed sentence length, while avoiding cliches like "Imagine this....". The next component of a feature story is the "Nut Graph", a summary of the story using the 5 W's and H (Who, What, When, Where, Why, How). A feature story should end with a strong quote or reference to the lead. The acronym "GQ STUDD" (Great Quotes, Strong lead, Transition, Unique angle, Description, Detail) is a helpful tool to write a great feature story.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
- Acton, J. (n.d.). PDF. Austin, TX.

Designing the Final Table of Contents Page 2

#7. Here, I added the image of Nasir Coffee that I selected for the contents page. I manipulated the image to best fit the dimensions of the page.

#8. I shifted the "CONTENTS" text box to the empty space, removing the obstruction of the image.

#9. I added a text box with the title of the magazine, "THE LOCKER ROOM". Not including it would have been a waste of space on the page. Further, I used the same font (Antonio Bold) for the masthead on the cover page. Additionally, it is in white so it can stand out from the other colors on the contents page.

#10. Using the technique detailed in Step 4, I added a red outline to "THE LOCKER ROOM" to make it appear more lively as opposed to plain white text.

#11. Here, I changed the page numbers to reflect the importance. For instance, the entire section based around Nasir Coffee is 5 pages long. I also rotated the "CONTENTS" text box to appear legible from left to right and positioned under the "THE LOCKER ROOM" text box. Finally, I added a sub-heading on the picture of Nasir Coffee, to emphasize even more that he is the focus of this magazine issue.

Designing the Final Table of Contents Page 1

Over the next two entries, I will have detailed the step-by-step process on how I designed and arrived at my final cover page for my sports magazine, The Locker Room:

#1. Using the service Canva, I picked a "table of contents" template to start the design process.

#2. The first change I made was the background color. I made a navy blue, differing from the black it came in by default.

#3. Next, I edited the placeholder entries to reflect the headers from the cover page. Instead of mentioning what type of piece it is, I used the sub-heading to describe what the article would be about.

#4. I changed the color of the page numbers from pink to black. Then, I duplicated the page numbers, made the duplicates red, and overlaid it on the black numbers to create the effect of a shadow. This catches the reader's eye as the numbers "pop off" the page.

#5. The exact same procedures from the previous step are done here for the "CONTENTS" text.

#6. I rotated the "CONTENTS" text box by 180 degrees, so that the word can be read in a descending fashion as opposed to ascending.

Designing of Final Cover Page 2

#7. The masthead was originally white. In order to standout more, I duplicated the original text twice, making the copies blue and red respectively. Strategic positioning allowed me to achieve the effect of the final masthead.

#8. In the top right corner of the magazine, I used the "Elements" tool (left) on the Canva website to add these symbols (right) to the magazine. This reiterates the theme of sports for the magazine. It is also seen in my initial sketch of the magazine cover.

#9. I added a coverline, emphasizing what the feature story on Nasir Coffee will cover. I used the technique detailed in Step 7 to get the red-on-blue effect.

#10. My initial work with the taglines, in retrospect, seemed bland. I decided to shift them over to make them more dynamic and "eye-catching". To further accomplish this, I used the technique detailed in step 7 to make the taglines blue-on-white. Finally, I changed the font to differ more from the headers.

Designing of Final Cover Page 1

Over the next two entries, I will have detailed the step-by-step process on how I designed and arrived at my final cover page for my sports magazine, The Locker Room.:

#1: Using the service Canva, I picked out a magazine cover template to begin designing my final cover page.

#2. I removed the default designs and image of the template and added my own. I added a photo of Nasir Coffe, the edition ("February 2020"), the masthead ("TLR", an abbreviation of "The Locker Room"), and an "EXCLUSIVE" tag under the masthead.

#3. Here, I've added taglines in reference to the focus of the magazine: Nasir Coffee. The questions are taken from the questions I asked him as part of my feature story. I've put them bold white in order to catch the attention of the reader and to contrast with the headers, which will be more generalized.

#4. Here, I have added the headers of the magazine to the left of the central image. These headers are more general than the taglines, as they cover on the other sports that this specific edition of the magazine is covering. In hindsight, while I did make them a different font, I should've made them a different color from the taglines.

#5. Upon looking over the last step, I felt as though I could improve my cover page. The following steps will detail the specific changes I made in references to steps 4 and 5. The glaring change in the picture. I opted to have the athlete in the middle instead of off-centered to the right.

#6. I kept the headers in white text. However, I have re-positioned them, making the headers closer together.

Magazine Focus Question Responses

The following are Nasir Coffee’s answers to the questions I posted earlier on this blog:

1.What inspired you to become a member of the Track and Field team?
- I just wanted to try out track back in 8th grade and I liked it a lot, so I ended up falling in love with the sport.

2. What is the most difficult part about being an Honors Student and an Athlete?
- The most difficult part is finding time to do homework and trying to get some time to sleep.

3. How do you balance both of these things?
- I balance them by doing my homework right away or doing them on days that I am not busy and I also go to track practice right after school.

4. Since you’re a senior, what are your future plans?
- My future plans are to go to college and graduate from college in engineering and also have a career in track and field professionally.

5. Are your friends supportive of your athletic career?
- Yes, I have very supportive friends

6. What has been your toughest setback?
- My toughest setback is my knee injury that I have had.

7. How did you bounce back from it?
- I am still trying to bounce back from it, but I have had surgery and done many therapy sessions to at least try to get back to where I was.

8. Do you have any rituals? If so, what?
- No, I don’t have any rituals.

9. What is your biggest goal as of today?
- My biggest goal is to stay healthy and be successful in everything I do in life.

10. What has been your best moment in your career?
- My best moment was placing 2nd in long jump and 6th in triple jump at AAU Nationals back in 2018. (AAU stands for “Amateur Athletic Union")


11. Have you ever had to choose school over track, or vice-versa?
- I don’t think I’ve ever had to choose one over the other since I can deal with both, but it may be challenging.

12. Who are your inspirations?
- My inspirations are Usain Bolt, Luvo Manyonga, and Christian Taylor. They all fuel me to strive for greatness at what I do.

13. When you’re performing, what thoughts go through your head?
- I don’t really have thoughts in my head, I just do it.

14. Do you plan to tryout for the 2024 Olympics in Paris?
- Yes, I do plan on trying out for the 2024 Olympics

15. You’ve just won a Gold Medal at the Olympics! Who’s the first person you dedicate it to?
- I would dedicate it to my parents for them being hard workers and always making sure that I was fed and taken care of at all times.

Questions for Magazine Focus

The following questions will be asked of Nasir, the model athlete & focus for my edition of The Locker Room:

1. What inspired you to become a member of the Track and Field team?
2. What is the most difficult part about being an Honors Student and an Athlete?
3. How do you balance both of these things?
4. Since you’re a senior, what are your future plans?
5. Are your friends supportive of your athletic career?
6. What has been your toughest setback?
7. How did you bounce back from it?
8. Do you have any rituals? If so, what?
9. What is your biggest goal as of today?
10. What has been your best moment in your career?
11. Have you ever had to choose school over track, or vice-versa?
12. Who are your inspirations?
13. When you’re performing, what thoughts go through your head?
14. Do you plan to tryout for the 2024 Olympics in Paris?
15. You’ve just won a Gold Medal at the Olympics! Who’s the first person you dedicate it to?