How My Sports Dream Came True
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Mark [email protected]
Not I. Not anymore.
Like many kids who begin to realize their athletic ability isn’t going to take them to the highest levels, I began to look for ways to stay involved in sports. My journey to the sports desk at the Times-Union has more twists and turns than an old West Virginia state highway, and lack of planning made the trip a lot longer than it needed to be, but ultimately here I am.
I admit, I’m an outsider. I moved to Indiana from Kansas late in 1999, after meeting the woman I’d marry on a well-known matchmaking Website. I grew up with the Royals, Chiefs, Jayhawks, Wildcats and the Washburn University Ichabods.
Before the move east I worked as an usher, a ticket taker, and later in security at University of Kansas football and basketball games. I worked outside the locker room for KU men’s basketball, and was close enough to the court that when I yelled at the referees they could hear me.
After working 30-plus major college atheletic events every year for close to a decade, I gained a unique perspective of student-athletes and their coaches. They go through a lot more than what we see on television, and I believe “student-athletes” isn’t necessarily an oxymoron.
In those positions, I met not only the players and coaches in an athletic program, but the boosters, the support personnel and even the media members who cover the teams. As in most walks of life, the good people in sports far outnumber the bad.
Fast forward to 2014, and now I get a chance to live my sports writing dream. Admittedly, I never thought it’d happen so far from Kansas. But always, I imagined covering high schools and colleges, with columns on national and even international sport. I get to do so right here in Koscuisko County at the Times-Union.
What I offer you, the reader, is a little bit different point of view. I’m committed to fairness and objectivity, as there are at least two sides to every story, combined with a dash of appropriate humor with an understanding of the audience. I can’t say you’ll always agree with me, but that’s the beauty of sports. My guess is you don’t always agree with all the fans already in your life. If we always agree, maybe you’re from Kansas, too!
If you think about it, the best sports to watch aren’t necessarily on television. They’re on the fields and courts closest to your home, contested by young people you may know and officiated by adults with a lot of heart and nerve. While every sport has a business side, the love of the game is on full display at the CCAC, Hire Park, Fribley Field, the Tiger Den, the Hardwood Teepee, Death Valley and many other places across the landscape. The people who make those games happen work hard and are worthy of our support.
It’s now my privilege to help tell those stories. My prayer is to do this as well as I can as often as I can, and to keep getting better at the craft. There’s a lot to learn, and I’m a good student.
So, let’s talk sports and have some fun together.[[In-content Ad]]
Latest News
E-Editions
Not I. Not anymore.
Like many kids who begin to realize their athletic ability isn’t going to take them to the highest levels, I began to look for ways to stay involved in sports. My journey to the sports desk at the Times-Union has more twists and turns than an old West Virginia state highway, and lack of planning made the trip a lot longer than it needed to be, but ultimately here I am.
I admit, I’m an outsider. I moved to Indiana from Kansas late in 1999, after meeting the woman I’d marry on a well-known matchmaking Website. I grew up with the Royals, Chiefs, Jayhawks, Wildcats and the Washburn University Ichabods.
Before the move east I worked as an usher, a ticket taker, and later in security at University of Kansas football and basketball games. I worked outside the locker room for KU men’s basketball, and was close enough to the court that when I yelled at the referees they could hear me.
After working 30-plus major college atheletic events every year for close to a decade, I gained a unique perspective of student-athletes and their coaches. They go through a lot more than what we see on television, and I believe “student-athletes” isn’t necessarily an oxymoron.
In those positions, I met not only the players and coaches in an athletic program, but the boosters, the support personnel and even the media members who cover the teams. As in most walks of life, the good people in sports far outnumber the bad.
Fast forward to 2014, and now I get a chance to live my sports writing dream. Admittedly, I never thought it’d happen so far from Kansas. But always, I imagined covering high schools and colleges, with columns on national and even international sport. I get to do so right here in Koscuisko County at the Times-Union.
What I offer you, the reader, is a little bit different point of view. I’m committed to fairness and objectivity, as there are at least two sides to every story, combined with a dash of appropriate humor with an understanding of the audience. I can’t say you’ll always agree with me, but that’s the beauty of sports. My guess is you don’t always agree with all the fans already in your life. If we always agree, maybe you’re from Kansas, too!
If you think about it, the best sports to watch aren’t necessarily on television. They’re on the fields and courts closest to your home, contested by young people you may know and officiated by adults with a lot of heart and nerve. While every sport has a business side, the love of the game is on full display at the CCAC, Hire Park, Fribley Field, the Tiger Den, the Hardwood Teepee, Death Valley and many other places across the landscape. The people who make those games happen work hard and are worthy of our support.
It’s now my privilege to help tell those stories. My prayer is to do this as well as I can as often as I can, and to keep getting better at the craft. There’s a lot to learn, and I’m a good student.
So, let’s talk sports and have some fun together.[[In-content Ad]]
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092