The Regional Schools Press Conference is upcoming and the student journalists are leaning over the edge of their seats. Months of training all into a single moment, simply to prove their worth. But what would their training matter without their heads in the game? 

Student journalists all across the country have been anticipating the Regional Schools Press Conference, following their definite success in the division levels. They have been training hard and climbing without fail. And all of them have one goal: the pot of gold at the end of the steep rainbow—in this case, the National Schools Press Conference. 

However, it has not escaped our sights that some contestants do not seem to have their priorities straight. Could it be a momentary lapse of focus? Or perhaps a misplaced sense of confidence and optimism? 

It should have already been apparent by the division levels that campus journalism is a tight challenge. Since the beginning, many students have been fighting and clawing their way to the top in order to grab a chance at the Regionals and, maybe one day, the Nationals. And upon taking that chance, it should not imply that one can go lax on their training, supposedly because they are already a victor in their own eyes. 

The juggle

Student journalists are, first and foremost, students. They need to juggle between their academics and extracurriculars, and find a healthy equilibrium between the two. 

And although their attentions are divided towards the heavier classroom tasks, such as quizzes and exams, they are allowed a reprieve in the form of trainings. Still, that does not mean they should take it for granted and abuse the freedom allowed to them. 

They have already been freely excused. That does not allow them to also neglect their duties in the training itself. 

The sacrifices made

Moreover, the Department of Education has already invested so much into this endeavor, from funds to schedules. The coaches, too, have been sacrificing their time to properly train them. 

The coaches have work as teachers, a job that requires single attention and results in many exhaustive, sleepless nights. What more with the additional workload of being a coach? 

All that should already be motivation enough for the student journalists to keep on doing their best, so as to not let all their sacrifices go to waste. 

Pressure in the battlefield

They must remember that, not only are they fighting for themselves, they are representing their entire division. They have been chosen to set an example, to set the standard, and, in the end, bring home the trophy. 

That pressure is indeed a heavy weight on one’s shoulders, however, it is also a source of motivation. It should be a student’s driving factor, moving them forward to never give up, no matter how bone-crushing the weight of the fight feels. 

Enhancement activities should be held for them, once in a while, so as to “reignite the spark and joy” of campus journalism once again. Their training should also be properly overlooked by a professional—guiding, helping, and assisting the journalists if ever they encounter a block in their training. 

We must remember that the Regionals are a battle of skills and abilities that can match one another. The opponents are just as skilled if not more, therefore, failure is a heavy possibility and it should always be kept in mind during the battle itself. 

Of course, rest is important and our student journalists deserve it. However, too much of it and their weapons will rust—eventually, they’ll come plummeting back down to the earth.