 "Photo: Zach Gray/O’Collegian")
When you ask many 8-year-olds what they want to be when they grow up, they will usually say anything from astronaut to fireman.
Brodie Myers wants to be a sports broadcaster for OSU.
Brodie Myers, a third-grader at Stillwater’s Westwood Elementary School, is one of four finalists in the Today Show’s Kid Reporter Contest. More than 1,000 people entered the contest and Brodie Myers was chosen to be one of the 16 semi-finalists for his 60-second video submission.
Brodie Myers’ father, Steve, said this isn’t a passing interest for his son. He has been passionate about sports, particularly OSU for quite some time and has been doing mock sports casts at home for years.
“It started with him sitting up in his room with his karaoke machine,” Steve Myers said. “He would imitate the things that he heard at the games at first. He gradually got more in depth with what he was talking about.”
Steve Myers said his son would get a line-up of a baseball team, play the “National Anthem” on his iPod and look out the window at the Veterans of Foreign War’s American flag. Then he would announce the lineups and yell, “Play ball.”
Brodie Myers said he learned his hand gestures from watching Dave Hunziker, voice of the Cowboys, doing car commercials on TV.
Brodie Myers got his first break into broadcasting at a Cowboys baseball game. He was invited into the announcer’s booth and acted as a guest announcer. Since then, he has been invited to several OSU press boxes, introduced Boone Pickens before his Town hall meeting last week and got to guest announcing at baseball and soccer games on campus.
“I like the softball press box the best,” Brodie Myers said. “It is the only one I have been in with nice carpet.”
But Notoriety hasn’t gone to Brodie Myers’ head. Jill Metzger, principal of Westwood Elementary School, said he is one of the most humble 8-year-olds she has ever seen.
“After Brodie returned from his trip to Oklahoma City, we set up a little press conference where the students could ask him questions,” Metzger said. “Out of all the experiences he had in his being on national TV, the one thing he said was the coolest was getting to stay the night with his aunt, uncle and cousins.”
Brodie Myers wears a lot of hats while at school. He is the self-appointed referee for the playground football games. He also helps with the daily announcements from the principal’s office and does the sports and weather report at the weekly assembly. He makes sure everyone knows what high school and college games are going on and weather reports so everyone can dress appropriately, Metzger said.
Brodie’s mother, Shelli, said the support the people have shown for Brodie and the rest of the family has been overwhelming.
“The people of Stillwater have been truly amazing in their show of support,” Shelli Myers said. “OSU and its fans as well have been incredible; we could not begin to express our appreciation for what they have done for Brodie.”
Anytime Brodie Myers is seen in the newspaper or on TV, he’s supporting OSU and he’s quick to correct anyone that gets his loyalties confused. When Al Roker of the “Today Show” accidently called Brodie a Sooner fan, Brodie quickly corrected him by telling him it was the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
Brodie Myers has his sights set on being a journalist in one capacity or another but said his true passion lies in broadcasting and announcing. He said he wants to go to OSU and there’s no other place for him.
“I don’t care how much money a college offered me to go to school,” Brodie Myers said. “I won’t go anywhere else but OSU.”
Brodie Myers and the other three finalists will compete again in New York within the month for the title of Today Show Kid Reporter and the chance to interview a celebrity. After being selected as one of the four finalists, he has already won a cruise for four that he and his family can take.
FOLLOW HIM ON TWITTER
You can follow Brodie at STILLbroH2O on Twitter during his time in New York at the Today Show.
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