About Me

My name is Lauren Burg and I am a writer and photographer. Since I was little, sports have been a wonderful outlet for me to turn to when I need a few hours away from the stress of everyday life. I grew up as a huge football fan, always rooting for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, USF Bulls and Auburn Tigers. During the 2004 Stanley Cup run, I became a fan of the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team. When I went to my first hockey game the following season, I became hooked. Hockey remains a major part of my life. I also have recently become a big fan of Tampa Bay Rays baseball.

I started out wanting to be an author, finding writing to be another outlet for my feelings. Since then, beginning in earnest when I became a hockey fan in April 2004, I have realized that everyone, including athletes, have some sort of story to tell. In order to get their story out, they need the help of writers and photographers to tell their story in a way that is compelling to the reader.

At Largo High School, I was first given the chance to try my hand at writing for publication, first as a Staff Writer and then as the Sports Editor of the Packer Press, Largo High's student publication. In the spring of 2003, I did an internship with the Largo Leader as part of one of my final courses before graduation. In the fall of 2004, I enrolled at St. Petersburg College and quickly found the composition classes to be my favorite. I graduated from St. Petersburg College with my associates degree in July of 2006 and immediately enrolled in the Journalism and Media Studies program at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg. In my second year at USF, I was given the opportunity to become a high school sports correspondent for the St. Petersburg Times. I am grateful for this as I still work there today. Finally, this past summer, a good friend told me of a job writing blogs for the Tampa Bay Rays. I quickly inquired and was given the job covering Tampa Bay Rays games, helping me to expand my sports knowledge.

In my portfolio, I have included works I have done while a student at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, along with St. Petersburg Times Prep Sports articles and blogs I did for the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team. Feel free to take a look at my work and enjoy!

Below are a few quotes I like to try to live by:

"Desire, desire- not having "quit" in you. It's easy to quit, it's easy to say it's too hard. Champions are winners. It's the "hard" that makes it great."

-Chris Dingman, member of the 2004 Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning.

"Be determined, keep your confidence, and keep your courage and good things will happen."

-Vincent Lecavalier, member of the 2004 Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning and one of only two players remaining from that championship team.

Largo-17, Gibbs-14

This article was written in my first year working for the St. Petersburg Times High School Sports section.


http://www.sptimes.com/2007/11/03/Sports/Largo_17__Gibbs_14.shtml

Hockey Photographs

Alternate Captain and Tampa Bay Lightning player Martin St. Louis answering questions from fans at the 2009 Tampa Bay Lightning FanFest which was held August 29th, 2009 at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa.

Tampa Bay Lightning players warming up before the October 22nd, 2009 game versus the San Jose Sharks at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa. The Lightning won that game 5-2.

SunSports Lightning TV analyst Rick Peckham interviews former Lightning player and Captain of the 2004 Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning Dave Andreychuk during a charity hockey game to benefit fallen Tampa police officer Cpl. Mike Roberts at the 2009 Lightning FanFest on August 29th, 2009 at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa.

Current Tampa Bay Lightning captain Vincent Lecavalier signs autographs for fans after a February 2009 Tampa Bay Lightning practice at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa that was open to the public.

2008-2009 Colorado Avalanche players (from left to right) Chris Stewart, Darcy Tucker and Ian LaPerriere watch from the bench during the December 2008 game between the Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa.

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Lukas Krajicek skates with the puck during a December 2008 Tampa Bay Lightning game at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa.

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Andrej Meszaros stretches before a December 2008 game at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa.

Members of the 2008-2009 Detroit Red Wings warm up prior to the start of their game versus the Tampa Bay Lightning on November 13th, 2008 at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa.

Tampa Bay Lightning players Martin St. Louis, Evgeny Artyukhin and captain Vincent Lecavalier warm up before a November 2008 game at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa.

Former Tampa Bay Lightning forward Mark Recchi gets ready for his turn to take a shot on goal during warm-ups before a November 2008 game versus the Carolina Hurricanes at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa.

NOTE: All of these pictures were taken during either the 2008-2009 or 2009-2010 season. Therefore, some of the players in these photographs are not still with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Mark Recchi was traded midway through the 2008-2009 season to the Boston Bruins. Dave Andreychuk has retired from hockey but still remains the face of the Lightning franchise seen at many Tampa Bay Lightning games. He also owns a restaurant(Andreychuk's) in Channelside across from the Forum. Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis are the only remaining pieces on the 2009-2010 roster from the 2004 Stanley Cup Championship team.

Photojournalism Photographs

The photograph above shows a Chicago White Sox player up to bat in the game that took place on April 19th, 2009 between the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox.

This photograph was taken as one of my feature photos. It is of the outside of Bright House Networks Field in Clearwater, home to the Clearwater Threshers minor league baseball team and the spring training home of Major League Baseball's Philadelphia Phillies.

This photograph was also taken as one of my feature photographs. It is of the outside of Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg which serves as home to the 2008 American League Champion Tampa Bay Rays.

This photograph was taken as part of my Depth of Field assignment. It is of a boater boating in Tampa Bay near Clearwater Beach and Sand Key in the Clearwater area.

This photograph is one I took for my Depth of Field assignment. It is of the Clearwater Causeway Bridge that connects mainland Clearwater to the Clearwater Beach area.

References:

Mark and Pamela Iusi, Neighbor
727-445-1193

Traci Johnson, Regional Sports Editor
St. Petersburg Times, St. Petersburg, FL
727-892-2900 (Office)
tjohnson@sptimes.com

Dr. Robert Dardenne, Director and Associate Professor, Department of Journalism & Media Studies
University of South Florida St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Florida
727-873-4613 (Office)
dardenne@mail.usf.edu

 

Lauren E. Burg

1010 Regent Ave, Clearwater, Florida 33764

Website: Lightninggirl09.blogspot.com, E-mail:lburg@mail.usf.edu

Mobile: 727-644-5562, Home: 727-441-8162

Education:

B.A., University of South Florida St. Petersburg, Florida
Mass Communications with an emphasis on News-Editorial journalism, Expected December 2009

A.A., St. Petersburg College, Clearwater, Florida
Mass Communications, July 2006

21^st Century Learning Center and Teaching Arts Academy, Largo High School, Largo, Florida, May 2003

Related Work Experience:

St. Petersburg Times, Correspondent, August 2007-present
Cover high school sporting events, interview coaches and submit game summaries and statistics for newspaper publication.

Tampa Bay Rays, Blog Writer- unpaid, July 2009-present
Cover Tampa Bay Rays games and write blogs for publication on MVN.com.

Internships:

Largo Leader , Largo, Florida, Sports Writing Intern, March 2003-May 2003
Interviewed athletes, coaches and general public to write community sports articles.
Worked with News and Editorial Staff to produce accurate, timely and interesting work.

Volunteer Work:

Friends of the Library Bookstore-Clearwater Main Library, Clearwater, Florida, June 2007-2008
Stocked shelves ran the cash register and helped customers with whatever they needed.

Sawgrass Lake Elementary, St. Petersburg, Florida, August 2006-present
Assist with classroom activities, grade papers and read with children.

Leadership Largo, Workshop Leader, Largo High School, Largo, Florida, May 2000 and May 2001
Created effective lesson plans and developed creative learning aids for up to three classes of 30 students per day.

Skills:

Key team member in facilitating a variety of leadership courses including Time Management and Team Building.
Interviewed athletes, coaches and general public to write community sports articles for the Largo Leader.
Created a Power Point presentation in high school for one of my courses.
Wrote articles for my high school newspaper, the Packer Press.

Achievements/Organizations:.

Harborside Activities Board, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, Florida, 2008/2009.
Freshman Representative, Student Government, St. Petersburg College, Clearwater, Florida 2004.
Principals Advisory Council, Largo High School, Largo, Florida, 1999-2003.

Women's vote goes both ways

In one week, residents of St. Petersburg’s Midtown neighborhood will join people all across the nation and vote in what has become this country’s most historic election. However, some of these Midtown residents supported Hillary Clinton and must now decide who to give their vote to now that she has withdrawn from this election. Presidential candidate John McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin, the female governor from Alaska, has not attracted women in Midtown to vote for him. An unofficial survey of residents of Midtown, a predominantly black neighborhood in St. Petersburg, reveals no women voters supporting McCain because of Palin’s presence on the ballot. Urban League volunteer worker and registered independent Edvyonne Hopkins said, “I will not vote based solely on a candidate’s sex and race.”
People are voting on issues, not whether one candidate is black or the other is a woman. According to most of the Midtown residents interviewed, “The main problems this country faces deals with either the economy or the war.” Hopkins, an Urban League volunteer worker and registered independent, stated that “she will vote for Obama because he (Obama) is against the war.”
According to Urban League of St. Petersburg director Ludell Hill, “Many Midtown residents will probably vote for Obama because they feel he (Obama) is the best candidate to get more jobs for people.”
Many residents in Midtown, whether registered or not, seem to vote more on the basis of what’s best for this country as opposed to the sex or race of the candidates running and their running mates. Midtown resident and unregistered voter Mayre Garcia said that “she would vote for John McCain because she feels that the society would take things too far out of context and riots could happen if Obama were to be elected.”
Unregistered Midtown resident and mother of three young children Stephanie Six said, “If I were to vote, I’d vote for Obama because he is looking out for the broker people whereas McCain wants women to make less money.”
However, husband and unregistered voter Steven Six said, “I would probably vote for Obama because he believes in more of the same things that (Hillary) Clinton believed in.”
Unfortunately, however, most of the Midtown residents I spoke to were either unregistered or choosing not to vote for a variety of reasons. Hopkins feels that residents choose not to vote because they are either “uneducated or don’t have the time to make an educated decision.” She (Hopkins) was careful to say, however, that “a majority of voters are educated” and that “those with a college education are more likely to vote than those without a college education.”
It can be said that the sex of the candidate, in this case Palin on McCain’s ballot, does not sway the voters in St. Petersburg’s Midtown neighborhood, even those voters who had previously supported (Hillary) Clinton, as much as the issues that particular candidate supports and what may happen to our country in the years to come if that particular candidate were to be elected into office.

NOTE: Stephanie and Steven Six and Mayre Garcia were interviewed with Director Ludell Hill present at the Urban League of St. Petersburg office.