More than just journalists

Most reporters know that in order to get sources, you need to be able to talk confidently to strangers — something that can be a challenge for some new journalists. But this is not the case for some RSJ students who, within the busy realm of being in school, are committed to other creative passions. Read on to learn about how theatre, comedy and figure skating helps these students and alumni in their reporting.

Semi Won, second-year, figure skating

In 2010, when Semi Won was turning 10 years old, her family moved from South Korea to Barrie, Ont., and later Toronto, so that she could train at some of the best figure skating schools in Canada with coaching from Lee Barkell. During this time, she competed for Team Canada and Team Ontario as a singles skater. 

In 2017, she left competitive figure skating after dealing with some physical and mental health issues. Before starting university, a friend suggested she join Ryerson’s varsity team.

Won said she loved returning to figure skating at Ryerson, where teammates are working together and not as rivals.

“My team is amazing,” she said. “I think of them as my family, I rely on them a lot… even though we only trained together from September till February, it feels like I’ve been with them for many years.”

For Ryerson Athletics, school is the priority. First-year athletes are required to attend study hall and athletes must maintain a minimum 2.67 GPA. Won also said that RSJ student affairs coordinator Beverly Petrovic helped her a lot with scheduling.

During the school year she would wake up at 4:30 a.m. to make the commute from Yorkdale for morning ice practice before her classes. She did this along with coaching younger skaters at the Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club.

Doing streeters during first year is something that can often stress out new students, but Won had no problem with talking to strangers, partly because of skating.

“I would have to express myself a lot in front of audiences, judges, my coaches and doing shows; performing in the middle of thousands of people,” she said. “(During streeters) I don’t get nervous as much, because I know how to deal with people.”

Robyn Doolittle, alumna (RSJ ’06), figure skating

Ryerson alumna and Globe and Mail reporter Robyn Doolittle was also on the Ryerson Rams figure skating team throughout her four years at Ryerson, having previously skated with her hometown club. She also coached the team for a while, and at one point was doing morning ice practices after her night shifts in the Toronto Star in the Radio Room, followed by classes.

“It was so much fun. I made many great friends there,” she said. “For me, skating is just my relief. I love being on the ice.” 

When Doolittle was taking the newspaper stream at Ryerson, she never thought that she would be put in the public eye, becoming the interviewee and speaking on camera.

Doolittle said that skating helped prepare her in a way. She remembers the moment before she went on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart to discuss her book Crazy Town: The Rob Ford Story.

“They’re about to open (the door) and call out my name and I’m about to walk out… and I’m just so nervous,” she said. “But I very much recognized that fluttering as (like being) about to step onto the ice to synchro skate,” she said.

In 2017 Doolittle was part of starting an adult synchronized skating team at Trinity Skating Academy of Toronto (external link) , which she still skates with today. A quarter of her teammates were from Ryerson.

“No matter what’s going on, I have to be there for my team,” she said about practices. “It just kind of forces you to make time for yourself.”

“I think it's important to have hobbies and interests outside of work. Journalism is one of those jobs that can kind of consume you and eat up every spare minute of your time.”

Abbey Kelly, fourth-year, comedy and impro

Abbey Kelly has had a deep-rooted love for comedy and theatre since she was a child.

“I've known I wanted to do comedy or been on stage for much longer than I've ever wanted to write,” said Kelly. “I was five years old, when I would be running around, hamming it up for my family, and my mom would relate it to being on Saturday Night Live.”

It was after a musical theatre class in her first year that she decided to pursue more formal education. Throughout her second year of journalism, Kelly attended the conservatory program at The Second City Training Centre, attending practices for improv and comedy every week for 12 months.

While most of her performances were in groups, she did stand-up once, a seven-minute set about a dream where she had a baby.

“I got giggles, they were paying attention and I got a big laugh at the end. So I didn't bomb,” she said. “But I was still so scared that I was like, ‘I'm not doing that for another year or two.’”

She finds improv helps her in interviews, coming up with questions quickly and getting interviewees to warm up to her in a positive exchange.

For third year, she put performing on hold to focus on school, work and now her mental health. She left a job hosting MostAmazingTop10 (external link)  on YouTube, which was taking up half of her week, and is optimistic about returning to performing down the road. 

“Being good at comedy, also goes hand in hand with having life experience,” she said. “So the younger you are, the harder it is. Where if you have more life experience, you can really blend that in.”

Mark McKelvie, alumnus (RSJ ’20), theatre

Mark McKelvie’s parents took him to theatre performances growing up, and when he was very young he acted some before shelving it for hockey. But it was after taking a musical theatre class in first year that his passion flourished. 

In his second year, with the Ryerson Musical Theatre Company, he starred as Jack Kelly in Disney’s Newsies. Then, performing arts crept into his journalism, and he acted in a number of productions, including Dogfight and Oh, What a Lovely War with Hart House, Failed at the Toronto Fringe Festival and If The Shoe Fits with Alumnae Theatre.

“You can do a lot of stuff with this degree,” he said. “You don't necessarily have to go exactly, pigeonholed, where you would think journalism would go.”

Last semester he interned at Opera Canada Magazine, combining his journalism and performing skill sets while interviewing opera stars. He said that actors are good at reading people socially, and there are many parallels between the two professions.

“You have to be a well rounded person to be an actor, and you have to be a well rounded person to be a journalist... it's not a nine to five clock-in type of deal, you're doing stuff all over the place, you're calling someone.”

His acting, combined with two other classes (one being online), made for a busy work-school life. But the recent graduate said that it made him “a better actor and a better time manager.”

“[It] kind of makes you realize how much you can put into 30 minutes or an hour,” said McKelvie. “(As) journalism students, jobs aside, we have things we're doing… a lot of us, we're really good at that.”

With summer theatre gigs cancelled because of the pandemic, he’s busy at home in Sarnia picking up guitar, writing music with his cousin and working for the food bank. As well, he’s freelancing for urban planning and development news company Nova Res Urbis Publishing and considering graduate studies.