Can you love what you do so much? The answer is yes, and the best example on this occasion is Melissa Alvarado, a sports journalist from Heredia, Costa Rica.
Committed and passionate about what she does, even more so when it comes to work and sports. She has a particular history, which goes from a basketball to the microphones of national media.
Melissa has always lived in the province where she was born: Heredia, where she has the most special memories of her childhood, her games, friends, and everything in general.
About the teachings of her parents, the Costa Rican journalist emphasized that being a fighter and persisting in times of strong tests in life; being determined in what she wants and working hard to get it, are the lessons that she values, maintains, and is grateful that they have been instilled in her.
What inspires her about Costa Rica, her beloved country?
Alvarado said she feels proud to belong to Costa Rica, “where I consider that we are respectful, cheerful and above all, always willing to help others.
Journalism in her life: Studies and a rewarding experience
Since Melissa was in high school, she loved sports, especially basketball she practiced the discipline at the collegiate level and wanted to become a professional basketball player, but her mother told her that she could not dedicate herself to that, that she had to study and graduate, which is why she chose journalism to lean in the sports field and always be close to sports.
After graduating from journalism, Melissa did her internship at Radio Columbia where she managed to stay and it became her first formal job. “I was there for 5 years where I gained a lot of experience, including two world championships (major and minor)
Subsequently, She worked at Elca nal 9, in the national news area, until it closed. Then She started working at ExtraTv where She did sports on TV for the first time. “I also had the chance to expand my knowledge by covering sports in live broadcasts of basketball, Futsala, and Pan American games” She added.
In ExtraTv She spent two years until arriving at the national channel Teletica, where She has already 6 years -beautiful- working and where in his opinion, She has the opportunity to be in transmissions as host of world minor and women’s major. “I also had the great blessing of covering the men’s World Cup in Qatar.
Currently, Melissa presents the sports section of the morning edition of Telenoticias.
On Thursdays, she does a women’s soccer program on FUTV called “Acercándonos”, “They told me they wanted to have a women’s soccer program and they allowed me to direct it and in a way produce it and it has been a great experience”, she said.
“Acercándonos”, is an exclusive space for women of all categories. “I like to show human stories, beyond being soccer players, they all have a very nice story to tell; the participation of women in soccer is visualized”.
The FUTV channel is 4 years old, the same time Melissa has been working with them.
“It’s so nice when parents, players, or even family members write to me to tell me that they don’t miss my program or that I can report on any women’s soccer event. It’s incredible what a space like this can do,” she added.
Her weakness for soccer games
The Costa Rican journalist said that she loves sports and that she can watch soccer games all day long. “It’s something that comes with me because I remember when I was little, I used to watch games and my dad would fall asleep next to me because he never liked soccer”.
What does it take nowadays to practice journalism and sports journalism as such?
For Melissa, the most important thing that is required to practice journalism today is the passion for the career. In the case of sports journalism, it can be very tiring between the schedules in which you work. -But if you enjoy what you do, you don’t feel those hours.
“The most important thing to study this is to be clear that free time is scarce, but if you are passionate about what you do, everything is worth it”.
Can you tell us an anecdote about your work in the sports area that has taught you something?
Alvarado commented that when she started working at Radio Columbia, she used to get so nervous when it was time to go on the air that she would write down everything she had to say. Once a colleague jokingly took the page from her before the program, “I felt like I was dying, they scolded him, but I understood that I could not go on like that. Then I decided to fill myself with confidence and speak naturally into the microphone”.
She thanks God for the many experiences she has been able to learn from. The most recent was the coverage of Qatar. “It was a very exhausting experience in terms of work, but every effort and every hour was worth it. There were very few hours of sleep because of the time difference, and that’s where you also say, beyond all this, I love my profession. I remember that it was very hard for me to stay awake during the programs or live shows.
If you were given a choice between social networks and traditional media, which would you choose and why?
“I love social networks, I stay informed on X (formerly Twitter) I love the immediacy. I like the way the news is released on Instagram as well” she answered.
Melissa and sports as a personal practice
What sports discipline do you like the most?
Of all sports, she likes futsal and basketball. Now she is very interested in athletics since she decided to practice it.
“I started with athletics, because when I came from the World Cup I was overweight, so I decided to get fully into running and it has been a very challenging experience”.
Does she have a workout or sports routine? What is Melissa’s diet like?
She trains 3-4 times a week. She runs with a friend. As for eating, in her opinion, the hardest thing she has had to stop eating is bananas and ice cream.
“I used to eat 6 bananas a day and ice cream every day. Now I do it but with healthier measures” she added with a laugh.
Do you practice sports today for health, because you have always liked it, or for fitness?
“I have always been an athletic person. I like to exercise, play everything. And now that I’m 33 years old, I feel it’s a habit that can’t be left aside.
Melissa Alvarado’s personal view
Virtues and defects according to her criteria: “The greatest virtue is that I am a hard worker. When I like what I do, I dedicate time and love to it, for example to my work, I am a very faithful and responsible person.
My flaw is that sometimes I am not very patient, I want everything now. I’m also a perfectionist and it’s hard for me to understand that sometimes things don’t turn out the way we want them to,” she confessed.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time? In her free time, the first thing she does is sleep, trying to make up for the hours of sleep she doesn’t get on a regular schedule. She likes running and has been practicing for the last 9 months she would love to run a marathon.
What do you still have to do or achieve? You would like to cover the Olympics, “why not, I would like to work outside the country”.
Any projects you have for this year or in the future? “I would like to finish studying licenses to direct, I left them on standby. And in the long term, one of my dreams is to write a book”.
Melissa admires Lionel Messi very much, he is her favorite player. “I have always had an important affinity with everything related to Argentina because I also followed and read a lot about Maradona’s career”.
We had an incredible conversation with Melisa Alvarado, besides being a passionate and dedicated woman in sports journalism, active through her social networks, she is charismatic and feisty.
Finally, she shared a message for her viewers, followers, and readers around the world: “Fight and work hard until you achieve what you want or what you dream of.
Be capable of anything, when you put your heart into it. For me, it is vital to leave everything in God’s hands. I am a faithful believer that everything positive that has happened in my life is thanks to him and everything negative that I have suffered, he has sent it as a learning experience”.
If you want to know about sports events through Melissa’s image and feminine voice you can follow her on social networks: Instagram @malvaradobarrantes; Twitter @malvarado90; Linkedln Melissa Alvarado Barrantes.
