with Roman Uschak
Roman Uschak
Born and raised:
Union
Education:
B.A., Boston College
Professional Experience:
Sports Information posts at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks,
Michigan State and Boston College; an internship with Devils Hockey; and
a job in Grand Rapids, Michigan covering professional hockey and football.
Interests:
History, military aircraft and cinematography. He also has been a
comic book collector most his life.
Hobbies:
Playing hockey and golf, and traveling, particularly with the MSU
teams.
Roman Uschak loves being a part of a team, and as assistant director
for Sports Information for almost two years, he gets to be part of 24
teams.
Roman works directly with the media, helping newspapers, and radio and
television stations get the scoop on Red Hawk sports. "I am the liaison
between the media and our coaches and players," said Roman, who is
responsible for coordinating the coverage Montclair State athletes receive
throughout the year.
"If our teams do well, we want our success to be publicized. That's where I come in," Roman said. "As a Division III school, our athletes do not get scholarships. They play for the love of the game, and we want to be sure their achievements are recognized."
Roman also prepares sports guides, updates the Athletics
Web site and keeps the campus community up-to-date with regular e-mails
about how the Red Hawks are faring.
All the behind-the-scenes work gets Roman prepared for the excitement
of game day. Team stats have been compiled and are ready to go by the
time Roman takes his post at the microphone to announce the game. In between,
he sometimes coordinates the music that gets the fans pumped. And when
the last run is scored, goal is made or point is achieved, Roman's work
is still not done.
"In this business, you have to sacrifice nights and weekends from
September to May," he said. "But the fun and excitement of being
a part of the team make it all worth it. When the teams have success I
feel I'm part of that. I have pride in them and their work."
It was Roman's interest in sports that got him to where he is now. Aside
from being an avid hockey player, Roman wrote for the sports section of
the student newspaper at Boston College. It was then that he knew he wanted
a career in sports. "I liked servicing the media instead of being
a part of it," Roman said. "With sports information, I got to
see things from the other side."
After several jobs that took him from Alaska to Michigan, Roman is happy
to be back in his home state of New Jersey. "It was nice to come
home after 11 years on the road."