Q: Tell us about yourself and your dream.
TL: My name is Tom Liodice. I graduated from St. John’s University with a Bachelor’s in Communications. I am a huge hockey fan and I converted my love of hockey to writing about it, and have been very successful at it. Currently I am a featured blogger for the New York Islanders Blog Box and have been doing that since 2007. My blog, The Tiger Track, focuses on the New York Islanders and their minor-league hockey affiliate the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Last season I was asked to write the official post-game recaps for the Islanders home games for their official web site. I have also contributed work to the Sound Tigers Radio, IslandersTV, Minnesota Wild Hockey Club, NYSportsDay.com, and Yahoo! Puck Daddy.
My dream is to land a full-time position with a sports media organization or a professional sports franchise.
Q: Describe a “gray” time in your life.
TL: My “gray” happened after I graduated from college at St. John’s. I took a job at an Internet advertising trade association and I kind of got sucked into it. During that time I had really no motivation to write or do anything of the sort. Halfway through my time there, about 5 months or so, I realized that I was miserable and wanted to get back into writing about hockey. I e-mailed an editor for a web site that I had met briefly at a game a year before and asked if he needed any coverage for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. From then on the opportunities continued to flow.
Q: How are you working towards your dream?
TL: Through sheer hard work and never stopping or giving up. I know it sounds cliche, but if you’re going to make it anywhere, you need to constantly push and knock at the door.
Q: What challenges and fears have stood between you and your dreams? How are you working to overcome them?
TL: The one real challenge that always gets in my way is my confidence. Every now and then, I tend to get down on myself thinking that landing a full-time position is just a pipe-dream. But I keep telling myself that someday things will work out and someone will realize what an asset I am. Confidence is key.
Q: What inspires you to keep pushing forward when the going gets tough?
TL: When I see myself mentioned on other blog sites referencing my work, that’s a huge confidence-booster. It makes me feel like I’m contributing something worthwhile and makes me want to work harder. A few months ago, I wrote a piece about a certain Canadian hockey analyst. I was a little miffed at some things he said, so I wrote something off-the-cuff and posted it to my blog without thinking anything of it. Next thing I knew, Yahoo’s Puck Daddy NHL Blog picked up my story and my blog hits soared 1000% that day. Needless to say, that kind of recognition always fuels a fire in me to keep going.
Q: If you could give one piece of advice to someone else who is struggling to move beyond the gray and follow a dream, what would it be?
TL: Don’t settle. Find something you love to do and make a career out of it. There will be many roadblocks in your way toward acheiving your dream, but it will only make you better at it. Keep hacking away and eventually you’ll get there. And above all, remember to follow your sport of choice in as many different ways as you can. For example, this could include keeping up with hockey matches by getting involved in pa online sports betting. Just remember to do what makes you happy and the rest will fall into place.
You can check out Tom Liodice’s blog, The Tiger Track at www.thetigertrack.com and follow him on Twitter: @TheTigerTrack.
Are you actively pursuing or living a dream? If so, I’d love to hear from you! Please e-mail me at: Erika (dot) Liodice (at sign) hotmail (dot) com.
