Catherine relaxes in the stands of Lucas Oil Stadium after interviewing the players.

My day began in front of a huge TV camera with a microphone clipped to my shirt and many friendly people around me. Scott Sander, who works for a local TV station, interviewed me. He wanted to know how I got this assignment and when I found out about it. He also asked what I would ask the players when I interviewed them.

Then I went to the stadium. It was GIGANTIC, with bright colors everywhere. The goalposts were bright yellow and the grass was very green, but not real. The seats were blue with white horseshoes, a sign of the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts play in the stadium during the regular season. There were podiums set up for the top players. When we arrived, there were already eight cameras set up in front of Tom Brady’s podium even though there was still 65 minutes before the start of Media Day. In the time it took me to write two sentences, there were already 10 more cameras!

I had a press badge with my name on it, just like the rest of the media. I got it at the media center along with a Super Bowl notebook, media guide, and pen.

My job was to interview a lot of players, including the two quarterbacks, Eli Manning and Tom Brady. Ahmad Bradshaw, a running back for the New York Giants, made me laugh when I asked him how his position affected his personality. He said that he had to be mean on the field, but that he was very nice off the field.

There were thousands of people there. Most of them were TV reporters carrying very heavy cameras. Because I was one of the youngest reporters, I got interviewed a lot, too. Reporters asked me the same questions that the first TV station asked me, plus a few more. They asked what team I wanted to win, what other articles had I written for Weekly Reader, and what was I going to tell my friends at school.

I never thought that I would experience something like this day and now, I admit, I’m totally exhausted—but still very excited. I look forward to a “super” game on Sunday!

Catherine answers a reporter's questions during Media Day.

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©2012 Weekly Reader Corporation. All photos: Laura Anastasia for Weekly Reader. Published February 1, 2012.