"I never was an athlete growing up," says Jessie Garcia, TMJ4 sports reporter and anchor. "But I've always loved writing and telling stories, which is what I'm doing everyday." Growing up in Madison, Wisconsin, Jessie, like lots of kids, had thoughts of becoming a veterinarian or an actress one day. But once she reached junior high, she knew she wanted to be a writer or journalist. "I always thought I'd be a newspaper writer," she said.

Instead, Jessie started honing her interviewing skills. "I loved to interview people when I was a kid. My mom still has these hysterical cassette tapes of me interviewing her and even my cat." It was her step-father, however, who passed on his passion for sports. He and Jessie would go to Badger games together when she was a young teenager. She's been hooked on the excitement of sports ever since. "It's all about the emotion of the games," said Jessie. "I'm not much of a stats person. I like telling the story of what's behind the team, win or lose."

While attending Madison East High School, Jessie ran track, played softball and was a cheerleader. She also wrote for her school's newspaper, covering both news and sports, but she definitely liked the sports assignments better. "I like the creativity. You can write with all those great adjectives and really have fun with it."