Tip-off

When our editor asked the editorial staff if they wanted to blog, my first reaction was apprehension.
In journalism, professors tell you to take your opinion and throw it out the window. You aren’t supposed to write with a bias. That might be why blogs are tough for me to write.
This blog is going to start with the purpose of bringing to light national and local sports happenings and I’ll add my two cents. My train of thought is pretty scattered and rambling is what I do best.
I also want to include the interesting things that happen to me, since I’m not from Montana, let alone the Northwest. I hail from Minnesota. Yes, I have a little bit of an accent according to others. Dontcha know. I don’t notice it.
'On the bleachers' means, to me, all the things I observe from the stands. The trip to the game, the people sitting behind me and what is happening on the field are all things I hope to include.
I graduated in May 2009 and after many failed attempts at finding a job, I was offered one from the Lake County Leader as the sports editor. I accepted and ten days later, I was packing my car and driving to Polson, Montana.
Previous to this move, I had never lived outside of Minnesota. I grew up in Inver Grove Heights, straight suburbia is what I call it. For college, I traveled 25 minutes north to the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Needless to say, living in Montana has been a big stretch. There are some similarities between the two states, but many more differences.
The one constant is sports.
I grew up in a very athletic family. My dad is a wealth of sports knowledge and is successful in any sport he participates in. He played softball and hockey when I was younger and continues to dominate my brother in drive-way basketball. My mom held her own back in her day. With three younger brothers, she is well versed in winning and competition. She was a champion in table tennis (and corrects anyone that calls it ping pong). My brother is an athlete in all definitions of the word. Hockey and baseball are his arenas and he will play baseball in college. I’m sure he will make frequent mentions in this blog. As for me, I was a three-sport athlete in high school. Cross country, hockey and track kept me busy. I also played park-and-rec softball in the summer.
That is why I picked sports journalism as my niche. I understand most aspects of the genre. The only one I don’t have experience in is the business side of things. General managers, owners and front office politics are where I get tripped up.
I’ve played, coached and cheered my way through more teams than I can count.
Hockey is my forte but I enjoy almost all forms of competition.
Feel free to leave comments, whether you love what I wrote or disagree. Let me know if you think I have overlooked an issue or have a great youTube video or article you want to share.