Woo-hoo! Linda Bouvet!

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LAKE SUPERIOR STATE UNIVERSITY

************************* LSSU sports info director best in league

SAULT STE. MARIE, MICH. - The Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) has named Linda Bouvet its sports information director (SID) of the year during a recent awards ceremony held in Detroit.

Bouvet landed top honors out of the league’s 12 schools, many of which - like U of M and Michigan State - have a full-time SID devoted solely to hockey.

The photo shows Bouvet, front and second from left, with her 12 student staffers in their home element, Taffy Abel Arena’s media box for a special group photo.

This year’s SID staff was, top row from left, Ben Momber, Steve Nicholson, Dianna Allen; middle row from left, Kt Antler, Chelsea Payne; upper middle, Jessi Ordiway; lower middle, Nichole Donaghe, Price McAllister, Liz McAllister; front row from left, Lisa Schulte, Linda Bouvet, Katey Price and Lindsey Chaney.

“This is a great honor,” says Bouvet. “But I feel very strongly that, as support staff, my role is not to be in the spotlight. All of the CCHA SIDs work hard and we don’t feel like one should stand out above the others.”

That said, consider these facts:

- Bouvet single-handedly oversees all media releases for LSSU’s nine sports that field nearly 200 student-athletes.

- She produces and maintains material for the University’s athletics web site.

- She compiles and writes four annual media guides.

- You’ll find Bouvet doing her job in the Norris Center every weekend - often on weekdays as well - between September and April.

On top of all this, she trains and supervises a hand-picked team of 11 student workers.

“Linda’s distinction as SID not only reflects extremely well on the level of her professionalism, but on entire University’s as well,” says LSSU president Betty Youngblood. “I am delighted that she stands above the others, and that the rest of the league has recognized this fact. When any program at LSSU stands above others, it’s great news.”

Bouvet is coming into her sixth season as sports information director at Lake Superior State University.

She is a 1985 graduate of Indiana University and has more than 20 years experience as a sports writer.

She was the sports editor of the Sault Evening News from 1986-1992 and published her own sports magazine, The EUP Sports Scene, from 1992-1996.

She has free-lanced for a variety of media outlets and publications, including the Lansing State Journal, Radio Soo, The Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians newspaper, Max-Out Gym, and Michigan Country Lines Magazine.

While attending Indiana University, Bouvet was an intern for the IU Division of Recreation Sports, and handled marketing and publicity.

She also developed media guides for IU women’s athletics and was a sports writer at the Bloomington Herald-Times.

“I can’t say enough about how proud I am of the students who work for the sports information office at LSSU,” says Bouvet. “They know that they are doing to work of professional SIDs, and they take their responsibilities seriously.”

Bouvet mentions that when her staff pulls off a well-run sporting event at Lake State, they take as much pride in their teamwork as Laker athletes do in a big win.

“These students master complicated statistical computer programs, make tough decisions on the fly, work well as a team, and sacrifice their time for the benefit of Laker Athletics,” says Bouvet. “I couldn't do my job without their help, and I’m proud that.”

Bouvet says that one of her goals is to teach students professional skills that they may not learn in a classroom.

That is exactly what a higher form of education, specifically one found at Lake Superior State, is all about.

LSSU photo by John Shibley

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