Opportunities Created By Chums And Chance
For one summer in high school, ESPN SportsCenter Anchor Scott Van Pelt stepped into the sweaty, steel-toed shoes of a construction worker. Thankfully, for both Van Pelt and the construction business, he’ll never do that again.
“I was truly the worst construction worker,” he recalled. “It was horrendous work.”
He branded the project foreman with a searing piece of rebar. He nearly toppled a building when he mistakenly threw a Bobcat into reverse.
But he lasted the whole summer — then again, the owner of the company was his friend’s dad.
“I think they felt sorry for me, quite frankly,” he said.
From Tough To Plush
At the very least, his experience taught him two things: that getting up early wasn’t his bag, and that construction work is hard as hell and worthy of profound respect.
So for his next job, Van Pelt opted for the lifeguard post at a country club, “which couldn’t be a more plush gig.”
Although those first few jobs put some money in his pocket, they didn’t open any doors to future careers. It didn’t help that he was a “horrible student,” but a well-timed internship at Channel 5 in Washington, D.C. allowed him to get chummy with a future founder of the Golf Channel.
That marked the beginning of a career built on a combination of relationships, passion, talent and luck. There was something memorable about Van Pelt, and the Golf Channel entrepreneur tracked him down, offered him a job and tossed him into the deep end, despite a distinct lack of experience.
“That amazing stroke of good fortune is why I’m here today,” Van Pelt said.
Over the next six years, Van Pelt covered all the major golf tournaments — the Masters, the U.S. Open, the British Open and the PGA Championship — and developed a professional and personal rapport with Tiger Woods. That, plus his Golf Channel grooming, eventually landed him a job at ESPN.
“And here I remain,” he said. “It’s implausible.”
He didn’t follow the traditional broadcasting path, slaving in smaller markets and steadily rising to the big time, but he said that makes him all the more appreciative of what he’s got.
“You’re really bound only by what you imagine is possible,” he said.
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