By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
From the sidelines of Great Bend High School to the dugout in Minnesota's Target Field, recent Great Bend High grad Molly Kaiser is making the most of her time at Kansas State University. This summer, she is winding down her journalism degree with an internship with the Minnesota Twins.
"I started in high school with yearbook," Kaiser said. "That's kind of where my passion for sports photography grew. I had a passion for photography since a pretty young age, but through yearbook, I got introduced to the profession of sports photography, and just made it my goal to make it."
After graduating from GBHS in 2019, Kaiser headed to Manhattan to study journalism and mass communications with a minor in sports marketing. She did not shoot photos during her freshman year at K-State, but after COVID hit, she applied and was accepted for an internship with K-State Athletics. That turned into a paid position, and Kaiser has shot every sport at the school. Last year, she traveled with the women's basketball team as a full-time photographer.
"It was cool to experience the NCAA Tournament," she said. "I'm really excited for this year because we're going to the U.S. Virgin Islands for one of our tournaments. I think the coolest place I went last year was South Carolina."
All along, Kaiser is able to keep up with her school work. She gives credit to her advisor, who helps her with online classes and meeting with professors ahead of each semester.
"It is very challenging, and I definitely have to have my priorities straight on making sure school is still my top priority throughout all this," she said.
Approximately 10 Major League Baseball teams offer internships to photographers, and Kaiser applied for the position in four of the markets. She advanced in the process with Cleveland and Minnesota, eventually accepting a paid job with the Twins.
"I decided that the Twins were right for me," Kaiser said. "The sports photographer they have on staff has been a huge mentor for me, even before this internship. It's just super cool to be learning from him."
Kaiser uses her own equipment while shooting for K-State, but gets to borrow some additional items in Minneapolis. She uses two cameras during games, but with another photographer in the other dugout, does not have to operate by remote.
"All the guys are so nice on the Twins," she said. "I don't think I've had a bad interaction with any of the guys. It's just so awesome to be within arm's reach of some of the best athletes. Our setup for the stadium is super nice. We have positions right by our dugout and the visiting dugout. We are very spoiled."
Kaiser's boss in Minnesota is also an affiliate for USA Today and Getty Images, which sends photos to media outlets worldwide. He put Kaiser in touch with freelancers at USA Today, and for that publication, she will be working the upcoming Major League Soccer All-Star Game in neighboring St. Paul this weekend. Kaiser recently worked a concert by country artist Cole Swindell.
"It was a very cool experience," she said. "It was the first of its kind. I got to shoot directly for Cole Swindell. I got to really get to know him before the concert and was able to capture the experience of the first-ever after-game concert series."
Kaiser is preparing for her senior year at K-State. After that, the future remains wide open but will probably involve a camera.
"I would love to stay with a pro team," she said. "I'm leaning toward MLB just because I like the schedule; I like all the games in a row. It's what I like to do. I know there will be some college opportunities if I'm unable to get an MLB position right off the bat."
Molly is the daughter of Leonard and Brenda Kaiser of Great Bend.