What better way to start than by covering a Dallas Stars practice? Students from all over the DFW area came to the Dr Pepper Arena in Frisco to watch practice, followed by a “mock” press conference with select Dallas Stars players and media professionals. 

Featured panelists at the annual media day included Fox Sports Southwest anchor John Rhadigan, TXA21/CBS11 anchor Gina Miller, ESPN blogger Mark Stepneski and Dallas Stars play-by-play analyst Ralph Strangis.  Each panel member shared their journey of how they got to where they are today and gave great advice to the students. Students were able to ask questions and pick the brains of the professionals in front of them.  “I was very impressed by their preparation and intelligent questions,” said Strangis, who also served as the Emcee for the event. “It was a terrific experience.”

Dallas Stars forwards Eric Nystrom, Michael Ryder and Mike Ribeiro joined the panel after practice and team meetings.  They fielded questions from the students, covering topics such as the upcoming All-Star game, current injury struggles and their favorite career moment.

“It’s always good to take some time to talk with young people who have an interest in a career in sports,” said Nystrom. “We work with the media everyday and some of these kids will be the sportswriters of tomorrow. It was fun to talk with them.”

Each student who attended High School Media Day was encouraged to participate in a contest, showcasing what they learned from the day’s events. They can choose to write an article or produce a two-minute video recapping their day at the Dallas Stars High School Media Day. The winning video and article will be chosen in February and then posted here on the Dallas Stars website.