Paulsen Begins Raiders' Reporter Assignment

It was just a year ago that the Racine Raiders Football Club began searching for a radio station to keep Raiders' games on the air. The search ended at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside student radio station WIPZ with a new partnership that is moving well beyond just broadcasting football games. The Raiders are now offering real-world learning and experience opportunities for sport-management and communication majors at UW-Parkside.

At the Raiders' annual All-County High School Football Banquet Dec. 19, Alexis Paulsen became the first Parkside student to take part in the Raiders' communication internship. She attended the banquet to "cover the story."

Paulsen, a UW-Parkside senior communication major from Waukegan, Ill., is planning on a career as a reporter after graduation. She was referred to the Raiders by her academic advisor Communication Lecturer Mary Waid, who found out about the opportunity at a Parkside internship fair last spring.

In pursuit of her career goals, Paulsen's experience thus far has been limited to interviewing and writing for classes at Parkside. She is excited about the opportunity to gain knowledge and experience in the field with the Raiders.

"The opportunity she wanted came up, she took it, and we put her to work," said Raiders Board Member Tom Christensen, who is spearheading the program. Christensen said Paulsen did an outstanding job in her first assignment as a Raiders' reporter. "She asked the right questions during the interviews and got the right information for the story," Christensen said.

Paulsen will co-author a story on the event soon to appear on the Raiders' website. She will also have her interviews aired on WIPZ as part of the upcoming Raider Report.

"I enjoyed myself so much at the banquet and cannot thank you guys enough for this opportunity," Paulsen said. "Tonight was such a great reminder that the plans for my future are the perfect fit for me because I loved every second of interviewing and capturing the story."

The Raiders will continue to work with Paulsen and other Parkside students interested in communication fields such as broadcast sports journalism, marketing, and team management. And if they are really interested, the Raiders will teach them how to make popcorn and hot dogs.