{"id":4747,"date":"2021-10-07T23:30:12","date_gmt":"2021-10-08T03:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazine.alumni.ncsu.edu\/?p=965"},"modified":"2024-02-01T16:28:25","modified_gmt":"2024-02-01T21:28:25","slug":"abby-labar-17-is-calling-her-own-shots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/2021\/abby-labar-17-is-calling-her-own-shots\/","title":{"rendered":"Abby Labar ’17 is Calling Her Own Shots"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Sarah Lindenfeld Hall<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

From the moment she arrived on campus, Abby Labar \u201917 started hustling, searching out experiences and opportunities at NC State that would help her launch her dream career: sports broadcaster. And in a few short years, she\u2019s done just that, cobbling together a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 that now includes reporter and host for the Carolina Hurricanes and ACC football sideline reporter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Labar, a longtime athlete from Denver, N.C., set her sights on sports broadcasting in middle school. By the time she arrived at NC State, she was determined. Looking for any opportunity, the freshman reached out to the athletics department and started compiling stats and other information for reporters covering the men\u2019s basketball team. That position triggered other opportunities on campus and off\u2009\u2014\u2009reporting jobs, internships and hosting roles where she interacted with crowds during games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When Labar drove between a hosting gig for a minor league baseball affiliate in Kannapolis, N.C., and a reporter job at a summer league for college baseball players in Mooresville, N.C., she realized she was where she belonged. \u201cWhen I\u2019m in that car, driving that far, getting paid little to nothing for these summer internships, that\u2019s when I was like, \u2018OK, I love this this<\/em> much,\u2019\u201d Labar, 26, says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hustle continued once she graduated with a degree in communication and media studies. She pursued her broadcasting career with seasonal and one-off gigs while working at a Raleigh technology company to pay the bills. And as she built a reputation, the opportunities got bigger. In 2019, she became an ACC football sideline reporter for Fox Sports (which is now known as Bally Sports). And in January, after serving several years as a host interacting with fans during Carolina Hurricanes games, the team promoted her to her first full-time position\u2009\u2014\u2009reporter and host of Hurricanes LIVE, a pre- and post-game show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n