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CITIUS MAG x Hayward Magic Announce Magic Boost Class of 2021

By Chris Chavez

June 3, 2021

June 3, 2021 – CITIUS MAG and Hayward Magic are proud to announce their first collaboration — a summer-long experience for 16 aspiring track & field storytellers representing all platforms of new media. Over the course of eight Zoom sessions, the Magic Boost Class of 2021 will be exposed to the wisdom and experience of numerous in-the-field experts as they explore topics like the Concept of Story, Navigating the Freelance Space, Improving Interviews, and Helping Athletes Amplify Their Voice.

The capstone for this year’s class will be an in-person gathering at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon for the 2021 Nike Prefontaine Classic.

magic boost class of 2021

Each of the men and women that comprise the inaugural Magic Boost class are already active in the track & field storytelling space, while many of them are also very active on the track or in the field.

Ben Crawford publishes New Generation Track and Field, an honest-to-goodness print magazine with a presence on Instagram and YouTube as well.

Hannah Borenstein is active on Twitter and Instagram and is a Ph.D. Candidate in Cultural Anthropology at Duke University with a special interest in women athletes from Ethiopia.

Katherine Burgess is a graphic designer who is combining her professional training with a passion for working on campaigns that draw attention to the barriers women athletes face in gaining sports media coverage.

Dana Giordano is a U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier and the host of a lively podcast called More Than Running with Dana Giordano. Dana is also very active on TikTok, Instagram and Twitter.

Elizabeth Hernandez ran Division II Cross Country and Track at Cal Poly Pomona, where she was also editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper. Now in graduate school at DePaul University, Elizabeth is a graduate assistant coach while she studies sports journalism and tweets regularly.

Nikki Merrill runs and writes for Villanova University while posting her thoughts on running on her eponymous website.

Matthew Parker is a life-long sprinter turned coach and YouTube content creator. Matthew created MJPTV specifically to put track and field first with the intent of elevating the sport to mainstream status.

Aaron Potts is the older of the two brothers who power the 2 Black Runners Podcast and YouTube’s Running Report.

Joshua Potts and his brother Aaron are also very active on Twitter and YouTube — on all platforms, they are very intentional in “producing for and by the culture.”

Dominique Smith is a sports journalist from central Florida whose goal is to impact lives through the art of track & field storytelling.

Ben Weingart is a photographer making work at the intersection of art + athletics with an interest in humanizing track & field, making it more accessible.

Tiara Williams is a former Division I heptathlete who started Real Talk on YouTube and Instagram to gain experience toward her career goal of becoming a sports broadcaster.

Matt Wisner is the editor of New Generation Track and Field magazine and has one more season of cross-country eligibility at the University of Oregon. He knows all about Hayward Magic.

KaDeem Wynn is a freelance photographer and videographer with a life-long interest in being a storyteller, rather than having his own story told. You can find KaDeem working the beat on Instagram and Twitter.

Johnny Zhang found both running and photography a little later in life, and the combination has been a winning one ever since, as you can see on Johnny’s website and Instagram feed.

Emma Zimmerman hosts the Social Sport Podcast, which explores the connection between endurance sport and social change. Emma is also active on Instagram and Twitter.

In addition to their ongoing work, each member of the Magic Boost Class of `21. will be producing special content around the 2021 Nike Prefontaine Classic. Stay tuned to CITIUSMAG.com for this and other content as the summer unfolds.

About CITIUS MAG: “Our readers, followers, listeners and fans have spoken. CITIUS MAG is a new running media outlet that’s irreverent, clever, arbitrarily ritualistic but fundamentally beholden to the principles set forth in Once a Runner and followed by any of us who’ve given running an honest shot. Through podcasts, articles and videos CITIUS MAG brings running news, opinion, commentary and humor for runners, for you.” – Chris Chavez, CITIUS MAG Founder

About Hayward Magic: Hayward Magic is a collaboration among a number of partners working to create engaging communications and marketing platforms for a new generation of track & field athletes and fans.

Chris Chavez

Chris Chavez launched CITIUS MAG in 2016 as a passion project while working full-time for Sports Illustrated. He covered the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and grew his humble blog into a multi-pronged media company. He completed all six World Marathon Majors and is an aspiring sub-five-minute miler.