During the 2002 Winter Olympic games in Salt Lake City, Utah, Erin Cargile was a student at Oklahoma Christian University, competing on the Lady Eagles track and field team and serving as a member of the Theta Theta Theta women’s social service club on campus. This year, however, she has a first-row seat to the games, as the Emmy-nominated reporter is currently stationed in Pyeongchang County, South Korea to cover the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Cargile, an anchor on KXAN out of Austin, TX, was selected to report on this year’s games by Nexstar, the station’s owner. Part of the ‘deal’ included shooting and editing her own content—something Cargile said she has not done in years—so the Oklahoma Christian alumna and her team trained before leaving the States to work as multimedia journalists once they arrived in Pyeongchang.
“On one of my days off about six months ago, my boss texted me telling me to call him,” Cargile said. “I thought, ‘Oh great, I am going to be fired,’ and when I called he said, ‘What would you think about covering the Olympics?’ I am here with a team of six reporters covering the Olympics for dozens of stations across the country that our company owns. I had not shot my own stuff since my first job in Sherman 12 years ago, but I was willing, excited and scared to re-learn. After about three months of on-the-job training at my own station, I was ready.”
Cargile is currently working on 12-hour shifts, from noon to midnight Pyeongchang time.
“I start out on a conference call with a producer back in the states who is helping guide our coverage, and helps vet story ideas,” Cargile said. “I am reporting for all of our Texas NBC stations, so I have to think about which athletes they are interested in beyond the big names. I am responsible for morning live shots for about 10 stations, so I write those scripts and go live in their morning newscasts from Olympics Park, which is toward the end of my day here.”
“Social media is also a big part of what we do, so I am trying to post as much as I can. I want people to feel like they are tagging along on my journey and getting a sense of exactly what it is like to be here.”
While in South Korea, Cargile said some highlights have been taking a picture with Jamie Anderson, who won gold in snowboarding, meeting Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir and feeding raccoons in a raccoon café. Her favorite moment thus far, however, took place when her team took a bullet train into Seoul for the day to shoot several stories.
“I went to a Buddhist temple and got to sit down and have tea with a monk,” Cargile said. “In the middle of that crazy, rushed day, we got there, were invited inside for tea, took off our shoes and sat Indian-style across the table from a Buddhist monk. In that moment, all of the stress of covering the Olympics melted away. I was completely present and in the moment, and knew right then and there it would be one of the most memorable parts of the trip.”
Cargile, who joined the KXAN News team in 2008 and typically focuses on education issues affecting the lives of Central Texans, was honored with the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International 2012 Media Award for her in-depth coverage of the Texas school accountability system, potential Austin school closures and the impact of budget cuts to numerous local school districts. According to Cargile, her time working toward a degree in broadcast journalism at Oklahoma Christian helped prepare her for both her time in Pyeongchang and her work in Texas.
“It was at OC that I first learned how to shoot and edit, and turn stories for Eagle Angle,” Cargile said. “I also still hear from my OC professors on a regular basis who are like family. Dr. Jurney just sent me an email a couple of days ago, telling me how proud of me he is and how exciting it is to follow my Olympic experience. It sure makes you feel good and is a reminder of where it all started.”
As those around the globe watch athletes from all nations competing on the world’s stage, special attention has been paid to the unity between North and South Korea in this year’s Games. According to Cargile, she said she hopes this display of unity will lead to improved relations between the disputing countries long after the Olympics are over.
“I think it is incredible that they can come together despite their history, walk under one flag at the opening ceremony and even compete together, in some cases,” Cargile said. “I have also seen the North Korean cheerleaders at a speed skating event. That is what the Olympics is all about—putting differences aside and bringing countries together.”
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