Jets reporter visits Oceanside High School

On Oct. 25, sports writer Rich Cimini came to Oceanside High School and talked to a small group of students about his experiences covering the Jets for decades.

Cimini spoke to students in the school library, offering them tips on how to break into the journalism field and also sharing anecdotes about his time with the team.

“I’ve been to every stadium in the NFL,” Cimini said, describing how he travels with the Jets to every game they play. He explained what he has to do to cover a typical game: he talks to fans online during the actual game while taking notes and working on a story that’s due within minutes of the game’s conclusion. Then he has to rush down to the locker room for interviews with the players and coaches and get another story filed. All in all, he said, he writes about 3,000 words for an average game.

Cimini, who said he had been to the last 22 Super Bowls, used to cover the Jets for Newsday and The New York Daily News, before leaving to write for ESPN New York.

Talking to the students, Cimini told them that the key to getting a journalism job after college was one thing: clips. “It’s all about going out and getting writing samples,” he said. He told them that, while grades are important, practical experience is even better. He encouraged students to write for the high school paper, as well as the paper in college.

He also said they shouldn’t spend their entire summer on the beach, but should try to find internships to help further their experience.