Last Week Was Truly Life-Changing for Me

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Last Wednesday, I was presented the Pinnacle Award in Conservation at Professional Outdoor Media Association‘s Business Conference in Wichita, KS.

It was my first POMA Conference as a member, having joined in October of last year. I entered some pieces for consideration shortly after they opened up the submission portal.

I had been selected as a finalist but wasn’t sure what to expect. All I knew going into it I was either an Outstanding Achievement recipient or Category Winner. They really kept you in suspense. Ha!

When Shelly from POMA informed me it was unprecedented for a first-timer to be selected as a finalist, I had a hunch something was going to happen. I had submitted entries into the Newspaper/Online Magazine and Conservation categories, so by process of elimination, it was either in either category. When my name was called during dinner last week, I beamed with great joy and cheered. Then and there, life was about to get more interesting. 

Here’s more from the official press release on the Pinnacle Awards:

WICHITA, KANSAS – The Professional Outdoor Media Association’s (POMA) 2019 Pinnacle Award honorees were announced by Kevin Tate, Vice President of Media Productions at Mossy Oak, during POMA’s 14th Annual Business Conference in Wichita, KS. on Wednesday, June 19. Mossy Oak has been the presenting partner of the Pinnacle Awards since the program’s inception.
The Pinnacle Awards honor journalists for remarkable achievement in traditional outdoor sports-focused communications, including writing, photography/illustration/art, and broadcasting as well as content focused on wildlife conservation.
“The outdoor media has always been a key part of what we do,” stated Toxey Haas, founder and CEO of Mossy Oak. “We started our company with their help and we’ve grown it with the same. They’re our business partners as well as our friends.”
 
“We’re proud to sponsor the Pinnacle Awards to recognize the best of the best every year,” Kevin Tate, Mossy Oak’s Vice President of Media Productions, added. “It’s an important way to reward excellence in outdoor journalism and encourage more in the future.”
 

Category winners like me were presented with a beautiful stone plaque, a Buck Knife, and an $800.00 check. I will wear this honor loudly and proudly till my last day! Here are some photos from the dinner:

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I am the 2019 @poma_hq Pinnacle Award Winner in the Conservation category for my @sportingclassicsofficial piece “Judicial Review Shouldn’t Trump Wildlife Management”—my piece on grizzly bear management efforts out West. I interviewed the delightful @skullboundtv and @joekondelis of @westernbearfoundation for this piece and it wouldn’t have been a success without their comments. I’m floored and stunned! I’m officially an award-winning outdoor writer! Thank you POMA and @mossyoak for this high honor. Ahhhhhhh! #POMA2019 #HuntingIsConservation #AwardWinningWriter #OutdoorWriter #Blessed #HardWorkPaysOff #GirlHunter #WomenWhoHunt #Huntervationist #whatgetsyououtdoors #iamsportsman #journalism #outdoorjournalist

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To be honored among the likes of Outdoor Channel host Nick Hoffman and QDMA’s Lindsay Thomas, for example, was a high honor. Interestingly enough, I was the only woman presented with an award this year. Last year, two women won Pinnacle Awards. That’s pretty cool for #MakingWaves, I’ve got to say.

This wouldn’t have been possible had I not been mentored by one of the best outdoor communicators out there, Tom Keer, who connected me with Sporting Classics editor Larry Chesney. Larry, in turn, has allowed me great creative freedom and constructive feedback for pieces I’ve published there. Tom been a constant resource for me since I joined POMA. Thank you, Tom!

I’m especially thankful to my friend Debbie Hanson who made the connection to Tom possible and has helped me navigate the outdoor media waters. Debbie, I’m very grateful for your friendship and guidance!

And I learned about POMA from Michelle Scheuermann and Mia Anstine several years ago and I’m glad they told me about it and I finally pulled the trigger by joining.

POMA is a high caliber, forward-thinking organization. More on them later—especially in the coming days.

And to those individuals who told me I was incapable of being more than a social media assistant, I’m so glad I proved you wrong. Never EVER let anyone put you in a box. Prove your detractors wrong with grace. Success is the best revenge.

Sporting Classics Daily also wrote about the award. I hope I made the editors proud! Here is the winning piece.

If you’d like a glimpse into how to succeed as a writer, I’ve penned several articles on the subject. I recommend reading a lot to enhance writing skills, how to write convincing op-eds, and detail some industry secrets on making it as an op-ed columnist.

I’ll have a more lengthy piece in the coming days on why aspiring outdoor media professionals should join a group like POMA. In the meantime, check out their website and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

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