It’s always tough to say good-bye. And that’s the difficult task that I’m tackling today.
Sports is about setting goals and doing your best to achieve them. It’s a cyclical process, one that has traditional seasons – each complete with beginnings and endings.
And thus, it’s with a mix of sadness and excitement that I leave you today for a new challenge – a new season, if you will – in sportswriting.
As I empty out my locker for the final time, I do so with a heartfelt salute to all those connected to the sports hotbed of Hollister and beyond. To the athletes, the coaches and all those of you who pack the stands and sidelines, I offer a nod of considerable respect.
Chronicling sports boils down to two things – results on the field and relationships off of it. And I’ve been most fortunate to have hit the jackpot with both in this community.
The results part is pretty simple. Everybody, including sportswriters, likes a winner. Pressed to pick one word to describe sports in this community, I’d choose juggernaut.
And it’s not just the bread-and-butter sports like football and baseball. You know you’ve carved out your spot on the sports map when you list champion boxers, distance runners, pole vaulters, swimmers and softballers among your brethren.
It all starts at the youth level, and for that, you all should be most proud.
But even more than the victories and the titles, the success in and enjoyment of this job stems from the personal relationships established along the way. And that’s what I’ll miss the most.
It’s the athletes that we see growing as competitors and human beings before our eyes. They see the game from a unique vantage point, even at the youngest ages, and their thoughts open up a new world of perspective to their faithful correspondent. It’s the Little Leaguer that eagerly seeks out an interview, the varsity softball players that have misty eyes because their coach can’t join them at the title game and even the football stars that shun comment after a tough loss.
It’s the athletes that make it entertaining for all of us. Because sports is entertainment, lest we forget.
But the relationships stretch far beyond the athletes themselves. It’s the laughing and joking with the fans. It’s the parent who wants to make sure you know about the tournament his daughter isn’t even playing in. It’s the umpire that asks you what the score is.
And most of all, it’s the coaches that have made my time with you a true pleasure.
It goes beyond the playing field to being welcomed into their homes, knowing their spouses and kids, and being on a first-name basis with the family dog.
This city and county are blessed with rare talents manning the dugouts, sidelines and pool decks. Their passion is inspirational, even to a scribe who finds himself struggling at times to remain unbiased.
And the best thing about typing some of my final words is that I no longer have to fight that urge. As I step away, I can toss my professional distance aside and take my place among the legions of fans in this community, albeit from a couple of area codes north.
Thus, a final tip of the cap, from me to all of you. You’ve earned it.
Scott Campbell is the outgoing sports editor of the Hollister Free Lance. You can reach him at [email protected].
