David Song

Sports, arts and news reporter for award-winning Pique Newsmagazine 

IUPUI Sports Capital Journalism Program alum

Golfweek, USA Today alum 

New York-born, Calgary-raised 

Passionate about telling the stories of sport

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About Me

Howdy, I'm David Song. Allow me to welcome you to my portfolio. 

In my current position as a sports, news and arts journalist with Pique Newsmagazine in Whistler, I fill a versatile role handling three beats concurrently. At the risk of seeming biased, however, my true passion is sports reporting where I've covered Olympic athletes and major international events like Crankworx Whistler. In 2023 I earned Second Place for Best Sports Coverage at the Canadian Community Newspaper Awards.

As a Master's degree graduate from IUPUI's distinguished Sports Capital Journalism Program, where I proved myself in the demanding atmosphere of NCAA Division I sports. Flagship events I have covered include March Madness, the Big Ten Football Championship, Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament and Horizon League Basketball Tournament.

I also interned with USA Today's Golfweek from September to November 2020. This internship was an invaluable opportunity for me to practice my writing and copy-editing skills. Moreover, it allowed me to prove that I can adapt quickly to a new beat (golf) which I had zero prior knowledge of.

I have had the unique privilege of being part of the SJI Class of 2020. Alongside 15 other interns, I participated in the first-ever virtual SJI boot camp, learning and hearing from industry professionals like David Aldridge, Michael Wilbon, Stephen A. Smith, Malika Andrews and Malcolm Moran. Through SJI, I received the opportunity to intern with Golfweek.

Before that, I attended University of Calgary from 2013 to 2018 where I wrote for The Gauntlet, the student-run publication at my school. Discovering my passion for sports journalism, I became a regular and dependable contributor to the sports section from September 2013 to the present. From January to April 2018, I also served as the sports assistant, working closely with the sports editor to develop quality, relevant content for the section. After graduating from the U of C, I continued to pitch and write occasional sports articles on a volunteer basis. 

I hope you enjoy reading my work. Whether you work in the field of journalism or simply stumbled across my portfolio, I would love to get in touch with you at deltasigma96@gmail.com. Until then, I wish you all the best.

Pique Newsmagazine •

Jamaica achieves first-ever international bobsleigh triumph with four-man gold in Whistler

"Feel the rhythm, feel the rhyme, get on up, it's bobsled time!"  Perhaps Shane Pitter, Andrae Dacres, Junior Harris and Tyquendo Tracey were telling each other those very words going into Nov. 24's North American Cup (NAC). Or, perhaps not. In any case, they've made history by locking down Jamaica's first gold medal at any international bobsleigh race. The quartet rocketed down Whistler's fast ice in a two-run combined time of one minute and 45.88 seconds.
Pique Newsmagazine •

'We're struggling to no end on every angle'

As of this writing, Caileigh Koppang cannot speak. She is incontinent, fed via gastrostomy tube (G-tube) and wheelchair-bound.  The teen's once-promising mountain bike career was cut short on Oct. 17, 2024 when she rode into a tree at speed. The accident put her into a coma as multiple brain bleeds, a diffuse axonal injury (DAI) and a severed carotid artery threatened to take her life.  Caileigh's parents, Andy and Ashleigh, rushed to B.C. Children's Hospital (BCCH) where their daughter had been airlifted 4.5 hours after her crash. Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) staff recommended they withdraw life support, expecting that Caileigh would never walk or talk again.
Pique Newsmagazine •

Emil Johansson triumphant at Red Bull Joyride, spoils Tim Bringer's bid for 2025 Triple Crown

Mere months ago, few people would have had "Emil Johansson defeating Timothé Bringer at Red Bull Joyride" on their Crankworx bingo card.  These slopestyle titans are worthy rivals for one another, but had been trending in different directions. Johansson was coming off his third surgery in a year, the latest necessitated by a punishing error in Cairns that broke his rib and collarbone. Prior to that accident, he injured his shoulder at Joyride 2024 and had his hand operated on last December. Conversely, Bringer was gunning to join Nicholi Rogatkin, Johansson and Dawid Godziek as the only men to ever lock up a Triple Crown. Bringer had already won in Rotorua and Cairns, breaking the 92-point barrier each time. Sunday morning's duel of elite mountain bikers was one to remember as Johansson wasted no time igniting the Boneyard with 720s, tailwhips and a giant frontflip. He then observed 13 others fail to match his score of 91.00.
Pique Newsmagazine •

Adapted for Achievement

If you somehow haven't heard by now, the Invictus Games are on their way.  Between Feb. 8 and 16, more than 550 injured and sick military service members will represent 23 nations across 11 sports across Whistler and Vancouver. Six winter disciplines will join the lineup for the first time: alpine snowboarding and skiing, biathlon, skeleton, cross-country skiing and wheelchair curling.  We may not always understand what it's like for adaptive athletes to engage in physical activity. That's why I decided to put myself in their shoes. Over two days in mid-January, I tried out modified versions of cross-country skiing, swimming and alpine skiing under the helpful tutelage of WASP personnel.
Pique Newsmagazine •

Renaissance on ice

My grand tour began courtesy of Robb Zirnhelt, WSC’s track operations manager. The Kamloops native and his crew are responsible for grooming and curating the fastest sliding track on Earth. Built from 2005 to 2007, the WSC boasts 1.7 kilometres of icy runway linked to 55 kilometres of power distribution. Its iconic features challenge the world’s best athletes, from the hairpin Lueder’s Loop to the nerve-wracking 50/50 (so called because late American bobsledder Steve Holcomb remarked that one has a 50 per cent chance of wiping out in that section), and of course, the mighty Thunderbird Corner that racers must face at top speed just before the finish. When the entire beast is humming, a four-man bobsled and its crew weighing around 635 kilograms can reach 157 kilometres/hour down its length. It’s all thanks to gravity—and to the daily toil of people who rarely, if ever, see the spotlight.
The Hockey Writers •

Flames' Playoff Potential Rests on Jacob Markstrom's Shoulders

Calgary Flames star goaltender Jacob Markstrom has found himself under a magnifying glass after his shocking second-round playoff performance last May against the Edmonton Oilers. Simply put, a 5.12 goals against average (GAA) and an .852 save percentage (SV%) are not going to cut it in any postseason series, especially not for someone considered to be a top-tier NHL puck-stopper. Now, athletes are human too and there’s not yet a reason for Flames fans to panic, but questions have certainly emerged.
IUPUI Sports Capital Journalism Program •

Kansas’ Second Half Surge Overwhelms Miami, Sends Jayhawks to Final Four | Sports Capital Journalism Program

CHICAGO – The Jayhawks are riding a Kansas gale all the way to New Orleans. No. 1 seed Kansas channeled the intensity of its old fight song in Sunday’s Elite 8 matchup to vanquish No. 10 seed Miami, 76-50. By winning their 13th NCAA Midwest Region title, the Jayhawks qualify for the 16th Final Four in school history. Their record improved to 24-0 when holding foes under 70 points this season.
IUPUI Sports Capital Journalism Program •

Miami’s Hurricanes Prepare For Another NCAA First | Sports Capital Journalism Program

The trailblazing tenth-seeded Miami Hurricanes (26-10) just made school history Friday night, and they have a chance to do it again on Sunday. After overcoming the No. 11 seed Iowa State Cyclones 70-56, Miami (26-10) is set to engage with top-seeded Kansas (31-6) on Sunday afternoon in its first-ever Elite 8 berth. The Jayhawks are familiar with deep March Madness runs and will be appearing in their 25th all-time Elite 8 matchup. If the Hurricanes win, they qualify for their first Final Four.
IUPUI Sports Capital Journalism Program •

Hurricane Warning: Miami Beats Iowa State, Reaches First Elite 8 | Sports Capital Journalism Program

CHICAGO — Jim Larranaga has coached the Miami Hurricanes to 226 wins and counting, more than any of his peers at “The U”. None of those victories had ever come in a Sweet 16 matchup — until Friday night, that is. No. 10 seed Miami triumphed over the No. 11 Iowa State Cyclones 70-56 to advance to the first Elite Eight in program history. Upperclassmen Kameron McGusty, Jordan Miller and Sam Waardenburg combined for 56 Miami points, equaling Iowa State’s total scoring output, as the Hurricanes pulled away late in a hard-fought contest.
IUPUI Sports Capital Journalism Program •

Hurricanes and Cyclones, Together in the Windy City | Sports Capital Journalism Program

CHICAGO — A storm is brewing. The No. 10 seed Miami Hurricanes (25-10) and the No. 11 seed Iowa State Cyclones (22-12) are bound for a Midwest Region Sweet 16 game on Friday night at United Center. The Hurricanes will try for the first Elite Eight berth in program history, while the Cyclones look to return to a regional final for the second time and the first since 2000.
IUPUI Sports Capital Journalism Program •

Michigan, Once More, Leaders and Best | Sports Capital Journalism Program

INDIANAPOLIS – The Michigan Wolverines just keep climbing higher. Bolstered by a dominant defensive effort, No. 2-ranked Michigan disposed of the No. 13-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes 42-3 in Saturday’s Big Ten Football Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Wolverines (12-1) won their first conference championship since 2004, the longest span without winning or sharing a Big Ten title in the 123 years since the first triumph. Michigan’s victory, in its first-ever Big Ten title game appearance, positioned the Wolverines for their first trip to the College Football Playoff.
IUPUI Sports Capital Journalism Program •

Building a Champion: The Rise of Nebraska Volleyball | Sports Capital Journalism Program

“Female sports can be revenue generators.” In 2001, second-year head coach John Cook was inspired—or perhaps challenged—by the sellout streak that his university’s football program had accomplished. From 1962 to 2021 (across a pandemic) Nebraska football sold out 376 consecutive games: the longest such streak in America. Cook dared to ask his volleyball colleagues: why shouldn’t we try to do the same? The rest, they say, is history. From 2001 to 2019, the Huskers sold out 270 regular-season games in a row, putting together the lengthiest sellout streak in NCAA women’s athletics.
IUPUI Athletics •

IUPUI WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: TOMORROW ISN'T PROMISED

Two weeks ago I asked my friend Agatha Beier, a senior on the IUPUI Jaguars women's basketball team, about the way she and her teammates have mentally approached this unprecedented season. Her response stood out to me." Tomorrow isn't promised," said the 5'9" guard. "The games a month from now, we may not even be able to play. Right now is the most important." Beier's perspective reflects the class and maturity that I've come to expect from her as an individual, but also from the Lady Jags basketball program as a collective. And they know as well as anyone that tomorrow is never a guarantee.
Golfweek •

First Tee alumni Elsa and Sara Diaz come 'full circle' with connected careers in golf

For some golfers, their love affair with the sport starts early. Phil Mickelson was just 18 months old when his dad introduced him to the game. Michelle Wie swung a club for the first time at four years of age. Tiger Woods had carded 48 on nine holes and made it into Golf Digest before his sixth birthday. On the other end of the spectrum are the Diaz sisters, whose relationship with golf began, according to them, “by pure accident.”
IUPUI Athletics •

IUPUI ATHLETICS: THE ROAD TO RESTART

If the IUPUI Jaguars are to roar this fall, they will have to wait a little longer than usual. After months of deliberation by two internal committees, the Horizon League issued a statement on July 16 announcing that the start of fall athletics competition would be pushed back to October 1 at the earliest. Member schools retain the ability to make decisions about how each of their teams will approach training and practice.