Grace Raynor is a sportswriter at the Post and Courier in Charleston, South Carolina. She is a 2015 graduate of the journalism school at UNC-Chapel Hill, and she was sports editor at The Daily Tar Heel during her time in college. In this interview, conducted by email, Raynor discusses sports journalism, her experience covering a national championship football game and her use of social media as part of her job.
Q. Describe your job at the Post and Courier. What is your typical day like?
A. I joined the Post and Courier’s sports staff in March as a general assignment reporter. What’s cool about being a GA sports reporter is that every day is different. There would be some days I’d cover high school football, others I’d cover minor league baseball and even some when I’d head out to the water and write sailing articles.
My favorite part about being GA is the ability to write the off-the-wall stuff. Once I wrote about a 70-year old pole vaulter, and another time I wrote about a couple that are judo partners together. My role is helping out in any capacity with the day-to-day stuff and then finding stories or enterprise on my own that I find interesting and want to tackle.
This week is a little unconventional in that I’m actually about to take on a new role at the P&C as our Clemson beat writer, meaning I’ll be making the move to the Upstate soon. In that capacity I’ll cover Clemson football, men’s basketball and baseball for the P&C — so the day-to-day grind is about to change!
Q. You recently covered Clemson’s victory in the college football playoff. What was it like to cover the championship game?
A. Covering the national championship game was unlike any experience I’ve ever had before, both journalistically and personally.
From a journalistic standpoint, it was the ultimate adrenaline rush: It was an 8:17 p.m. kickoff; for print deadline purposes, my first story was due 15 minutes after the game ended, and then the game came down the literal last second. It was stressful at times when I had to adjust so quickly after that last touchdown, but also such a rush that it’s a moment I’ll never forget.
Personally, it’s always been on my sports reporter bucket list to cover a national championship game. The way that one ended couldn’t have been more exciting.
Q. You’re active on Twitter. How does social media help or hinder your work?
A. Twitter is such a great tool to reach a large audience of people who are all interested in a common thing. With Clemson fans, Twitter is one of the first places they go to to get in-game information or postgame reactions, and so in that regard it’s very efficient and engaging. If there’s a quote or detail I want to get out there before my story is published, Twitter is the best way to do that.
I do think it can be a bit of a hindrance sometimes, though. I am guilty of sometimes spending so much time tweeting a postgame press conference or a locker room scene that I miss out on body language or eye contact or those little details that we miss when we’re on our phones. It’s definitely a give-and-take balance that I’m still learning.
Q. Covering college sports is challenging and rewarding. What advice do you have for students who are considering sportswriting as a career?
A. You’re so right in that regard that it’s both challenging and rewarding. I’m still learning myself the ins and outs of the sports journalism world, but my advice is this: Be patient.
After I graduated from UNC, I had an internship that lasted until October and then didn’t find a full-time job I liked until March. It took me almost six full months to land on my feet, and that’s OK!
Now, I’m so glad I waited on taking a job I knew I would be really passionate about, rather than just taking the first thing that was thrown my way. In those five months I continued to freelance so I had an income (definitely not advising not working here!) and then things fell into place.
I realize it’s annoying when people tell recent graduates that things will work out as they should. I used to hate hearing that. But it’s true. Stay patient, write things you’re passionate about and surround yourself with people who care about you. When it works out, it’s awesome.
Update: In February 2019, Raynor announced that she has taken a position at The Athletic, where she will continue to cover Clemson sports.
The Editor's Desk 
Great interview, and so timely. Go Tigers and go to the journalist who covers them…especially this lady.