You’ve been talking and we’ve been listening. You asked for more personality, opinion and analysis from our writers. You wanted us to get back to our storytelling roots that’s the opposite of boring journalism.
And you wanted a social media monster, so on top of your IV drips of Twitter, Facebook, and GC text alerts, you’ll get more drips of insider/breaking information (with a good dose of personality, too) being injected into your computers and smartphones to satisfy your craving for all things Gators.
Recently, it came time to bring another full-time reporter to GC. Thus began the search for the next “one.” After countless phone calls, emails and interviews, one day — via an off-the-cuff introduction, which resulted in a business meeting — the principals at a sports start-up here in Gainesville (Gamedayr.com) graciously recommended a fellow by the name of Ben Cornfield.
We all spoke with Ben. We put him through his interview paces but it was clear early on he was the perfect fit for us and Gator Country. He clearly understands what drives Gator Country and our customers.
Ben’s background is eclectic. A University of Wisconsin graduate who double majored in Political Science and Religious Studies, Ben also served as captain of the university’s rugby team. Upon graduating, Ben spent a year teaching English in Seoul, South Korea, for The Chung-Dahm Institute. There he was named Teacher of the Year. Ben has worked as beach captain at the Pacific Islands Club on the island of Saipan. Additionally, he is a yoga instructor who trained with several masters in India.
Though Ben wanted to experience other parts of the world before he settled into a career, his heart and soul have always been in sports writing. It’s where he could channel his passion and personality from the playing fields into the written word.
Despite understanding traditional sports journalism jobs are all but disappearing, he dove into the field seeking to create a name for himself by becoming a writer and editor for Gamedayr.com covering the Florida Gators as well as writing for Examiner.com.
It is with great pleasure, and a big thank you to Gamedayr.com, that the Gator Country team welcomes Ben Cornfield. He will be our man about campus, working with the rest of the GC team to cover football, basketball and all sports as well as helping with editing duties on the magazine and website.
(Our apologies for the corny headline, we couldn’t miss the opportunity for a great pun!)