As the ball is sent flying across the field by Bowie football players, senior Jaci Wylie holds her camera ready to get the perfect shot of the touchdown. She is on the sideline, making sure she gets clear shots and videos to upload onto FLXATX, an organization that videos sports events to showcase the talented teams of Austin-area high schools. 

FLXATX started out as an Instagram account under the name of Fanstand run by Snupe Daniel. There, he would upload videos of sports games to bring attention to teams in the Austin area. Now, FLXATX is one of the most well-known high school sports coverage organizations in Central Texas, maintaining an impressive website, a podcast, and outstanding media coverage. 

Having been recruited in middle school, Jaci Wylie has been part of the FLXATX team and started her official training in her freshman year. Now, she is a skilled videographer and helps with media coverage for the organization. 

“I found out about FLX through my dad. My brother played football when he went to Bowie, and my dad was always on the field taking pictures,” Wylie said. “My dad met Snupe during a game, and they started talking. After a while, I met him and he asked my dad if I would be interested in doing the videoing when I get to high school, and I said I was. After that, it kind of just stuck.”

Working for FLXATX requires skills in photography, videoing, and editing. To represent FLXATX to the best of her abilities, Wylie makes sure to always come prepared. 

“I am an ireporter, meaning I go to sports events and video them,” Wylie said. “After the games, sometimes I will interview the players that I think had the most impact on the game.”

Jaci’s father, Joe Wylie, has had a major impact on Jaci’s career in FLXATX. Starting out as a volunteer to take photos of his eldest son during his football games, Joe met with Daniel, which started Jaci’s career with FLXATX. 

“Snupe was very personable and had a passion for what he was creating.  FLX hadn’t been built up to where it is today, but I could see how much he was pouring into his work” Joe said. “His drive and the fact that he cares about the kids who he covers and wants to put a spotlight on them so that they know that they’re being recognized is a big reason as to why he has been and will continue to be successful.”

As her parent, Joe makes sure to provide useful insight and tips to help Jaci provide the best coverage for FLX. 

“I’ll offer pointers and make suggestions on certain angles or areas of focus on or off of the playing surface. I’ll also look over her footage before it gets sent off to Snupe,” Joe said. “However, as time has progressed, there’s less that I feel that I need to mention because she has become a very capable videographer.”

Working for FLXATX requires plenty of time, so as a full time high school student, time management is crucial to Jaci.  

“I go to school, FLX, and I have another job, so it can be tricky managing my time. After school, typically on Tuesdays and Fridays I play video games for FLX, and every other day I work at my other job,” Jaci said. “It does change depending on if a game has to get rescheduled, and it also changes depending on what sport is in season. For instance, seven-on-seven  football is played on weekends, which means I have to take time off from my other job to be at the games/ tournaments. 

Working for FLXATX requires certain skills that not everyone will possess. It is a communicative based job that is best suited for sociable people. 

“For this job, you must be able to use a camera for starters. You have to have great people skills and know at least the basics of the sports you are videoing. You need to have people skills to go up and talk to players as well as parents,” Jaci said. “You also must know about the sport in order to come up with questions to ask the players. Good skills to have are communication skills and confidence. It is good to have communication skills in order to have a good relationship and vibe with the players on the field or court. The confidence comes into play because you need to present yourself as if you know what you are doing, even if you don’t.”

Now as a major sportscasting organization, FLXATX can bring forth many opportunities, as well as choices for future careers. 

“FLXATX has most definitely influenced my decisions for college as well as a career,” Jaci said. “Before I started, I wanted to be an event planner or some sort of hotel management, but since then I have found my true passion and what I want to do in the future.”

FLX covers a total of 57 sports teams from schools around the Austin area. All high school sports are covered, but football is the most followed. 

“So in high school, you are specific to one school. I have only videoed Bowie, but in college, I will be going to any school that Snupe needs someone at, whether it be high school or college,” Jaci said. 

Since working for FLX, Jaci has built up her skills of a videographer, communicator, and achiever.

“It has definitely been fun sharing space on the sideline with her over the past couple of years and I’m going to miss that part,” Joe said. “Snupe has been a good mentor for her and has influenced her enough that she is focused on looking into career opportunities in this field.”