Sports Reporters

If it was not for Bonnie extending the time by a hour, I would not have been able to get my report done on the Columbian Boys Basketball team’s win over Norwalk. The game ended just after 9:30 pm. Even if I had a laptop, I would not have finished the post by 10 pm. I never returned home until 9:50 pm. Also, there was not any room for me to type on a laptop. There was only the scorers’ table set up to write on. I had to make sure I did not hit the guy in front of me in the back with my binder. I feel bad for sports writers who work on the West Coast because of the change in time and trying to make the papers for the East Coast.

I had the extra time to create a story for the blog and my short hand writing style helped remind me of what was going on in the game after I returned home. I wish I could have found a program for the game but they were either sold out during the Junior Varsity game or were sold out for the year. It was difficult trying to figure out what number went with which player. I had to do some Internet searching for players and their jersey numbers. I read the local paper the next day to find out what happened to the other teams in the conference. That piece of information would have been helpful to create a better story. Tiffin Columbian was one game back after that night and after reading this past Tuesday’s paper; they were able to clinch a share of their conference title. It was the first time in 40 years Columbian’s Boys Basketball team had back to back conference titles.

I think it was difficult for me to separate myself from the game and the atmosphere. Again, I had not seen a Columbian basketball game higher than the second row or from behind a video camera. My illusion of grandeur of then and now affected my view on the game. I am still disappointed about the students, the band, and the adults. I could not feel the energy of Saturday Night Basketball like I used to. There was a dance that night, but for how important of a game it was the students still disappointed. Students used to show up late because of the basketball game. If I would become a sports reporter, I would have to try to separate myself from the team and my emotions. I did find myself cheering rather than analyzing. I still have pride in my high school even though I did not like being there. I invested so much time and effort into the basketball program to which it still stays with me. I guess times do change when generations come and go.