Hulcy balancing athletics and journalism, shining in both
March 28, 2019
Her face drenched in sweat, Coppell High School senior Maddie Hulcy barely finishes her morning run with the track team before rushing inside to attend her meeting for KCBY-TV, the school’s student-run television station.
Although she was a swimmer in middle school, Hulcy switched to cross country when entering high school. Having to hold her breath underwater for prolonged periods of time helped her develop strong lungs and endurance, which transfers well to running.
“There’s something really special about getting to see the sunrise every morning when you’re on a run,” Hulcy said. “Swimming is too individual, you can’t hear anything, you’re always underwater, just staring at the bottom of the pool. In running, you’re with your teammates, you’re with your competitors, you can see the world.”
As a sophomore, she enrolled in KCBY, as she had always been intrigued by its shows.
“I initially wanted to learn how to use the cameras and edit,” Hulcy said. “But when I got here, I learned the value of journalism, more than just the value of production.”
Now, after two years of hard work, Hulcy has grown into a leader of both programs, serving as the track team’s top female runner, and KCBY’s senior producer.
“She’s grown tremendously, as a leader and as a runner,” Coppell cross country/track coach Nick Benton said. “As a freshman, she was a scared little kid; as a senior, she’s the leader of a state championship team.
As a member of the executive leadership team, she helps make decisions about the show, co-writes the anchors and coaches newer members. Fellow senior KCBY director Landon Flesher has known Hulcy since middle school when they were in a media class together. Now, the two work on many projects together.
“We work on a lot of politics segments together,” Flesher said. “Both of us like politics, and we were able to interview [Beto O’Rourke] and Ted Cruz at a debate [earlier this school year]. Leading different students in completely different atmospheres is really honorable. She works really hard in both KCBY and track.”
While Hulcy serves as a role model to younger KCBY staffers, adviser Irma Kennedy fulfills that role for Hulcy. Kennedy worked as a professional journalist for years before sharing her skills with students.
“[Hulcy] has a great head on her shoulders,” Kennedy said. “She doesn’t get rattled and she has wisdom. She doesn’t get caught up in drama, she’s very business-minded and has the perspective of a journalist when she’s in class.”
Because both running and KCBY require time outside of school, Hulcy often finds it difficult to manage the two in addition to AP classes and her job at Mobility Credit Union as a marketing assistant. However, according to Kennedy, she still does not let her work ethic slack in any of these areas.
“If you were to talk to any of her teachers, they would say the same strong qualities she exhibits in KCBY and track, they also see in their classes,” Kennedy said. “She’s very consistent, which is hard to find in students at the high school level. She’s very consistent in who she is, no matter where she is.”
Hulcy is not sure where she is attending college, but plans to run for whichever school she attends.
“We won a state championship this year, for the first time in school history, and it was an awesome moment with my teammates, something I’d worked for since I was a freshman, and I realized I can’t give up the sport,” Hulcy said. “I just love it, and I want to keep on chasing those better times and keep on chasing those championships in college.”
CHS junior Izzy Iseley, who has been on the track team with Hulcy for three years, considers her a role model.
“[Hulcy] is someone I aspire to be in the future, because she knows what she’s doing, and she’s very dedicated to what she loves,” Iseley said. “She’s somebody that everybody should look up to.”
Follow Pramika on Twitter @pramika_kadari
