Why I Write: Graham Gibson

Editor’s note: Welcome to our series for this summer. Every Thursday from June through August, one of our writers will share a bit about the journey that brought them here. The goal is to provide a way for our readers to learn more about the people behind the keyboard as well as the steps they have taken in their careers so far.

What are some interesting notes about your personal life that you care to share?

My name is Graham Gibson and I am a graduate of Pepperdine University Class of 2020. I am 24 years old and graduated with a Liberal Arts Degree with a writing emphasis. I grew up in an Air Force family and I currently live in Lancaster, California and I work as a 4th grade teacher. I have been fascinated with sports ever since I was 10 years old and I was involved with track and cross country throughout high school. I ran long distance for track every Spring after competing in cross country. I have always enjoyed football and have had some great opportunities, such as being able to attend the Mountain West championship game and this past college basketball season, March Madness in San Diego.

I have always loved the idea of competition, but that wasn’t what actually got me into sports. What drew me into sports was the teamwork. Watching a group of players come together and accomplish something great. That is something that drew me into coaching as well and something that I try to emphasize to my players. In addition to serving as the 4th grade teacher for my school, I also coach football, basketball, and softball for the school and I plan to add volleyball to the list later this year.

Fun Sports Facts about me:

-I am a huge Boise State, Utah State, Oregon, Baylor, and Clemson fan.

-I have had the opportunity to talk with Boise State quarterbacks Brett Rypien and Hank Bachmeier.

-I led my first basketball team to a championship game

-I had the opportunity to be on national television more than once

-I was able to watch Gonzaga come to Pepperdine and watch an awesome gameday atmosphere

-I had the opportunity to commentate sports in the press box for my high school

Why do I like writing?

I have always enjoyed writing from a very young age and wrote for an award-winning high school magazine. I also wrote for an online publication before transferring to Pepperdine. At Pepperdine, I took quite a few creative writing classes and learned even further how to tell stories. In my final creative writing class, I was able to write part of a novel. I enjoy getting my thoughts out on paper but I love to write because I love to tell stories, whether they be fictional or true stories following my favorite sports teams. Writing is a way for people to uniquely express their creativity and tell the stories that they want to tell.

Why do you follow college sports?

January 4th, 2010. Boise State beat TCU 17-10 in a hard-fought Fiesta Bowl win. September 6th 2010. Boise State did the unthinkable and beat a very good Virginia Tech team, a heavy favorite, 33-30. My number one team is Boise State and the Fiesta Bowl win over TCU and top 10 win over Virginia Tech are what led me to my love of sports.

College sports are my favorite because of the dedication from fans and the heart of the players and coaches. There’s nothing better than waking up in the morning to the sounds of the college gameday crew. Watching the first games kickoff at 9 A.M. or early afternoon games pitching two good teams against each other. Nothing like feeling the energy and watching the atmosphere of the prime-time games with late-night upsets to follow.

Ultimately, college sports, football especially, can be very unpredictable and that’s what makes them great.

What led to writing for the MWConnection?

Two years ago, two months after graduating from Pepperdine, I found an advertisement that was looking for writers that could contribute to the Mountain West Connection. I reached out to Mike and expressed to him my love for writing and my passion for college sports. There was an open position to write for Utah State and I have gladly and passionately been writing for the Aggies for two years.

What do you like about the MWConnection?

The Mountain West Connection has given me an amazing opportunity to do two things: write and express my enthusiasm about college sports. I have greatly improved my ability to write about sports and do more research about some of my favorite things. MWConnection promotes creativity and encourages writers to write the engaging and exciting stories that they want to write.