Welcome to my world

WRITING

UPDATE

Due to cut backs in the newspaper business overall and in the Sun-Times Co. in particular, I haven't written any articles since May, and it doesn't look likely that I'll be doing any stories any time soon. It was a demanding kind of work, but it is work I will miss. Sitting and writing is tedious at times, but watching the games was normally a nice affair. Talking with the coaches and seeing the athletes try their best was a joy for me. I appreciate the cooperation of all the coaches I have met over the past 10 years. I will never forget the words of thanks they gave me for the work I did and how their kids would react to seeing their names in the newspaper. I don't know how much I may have helped any of those kids with my writing, but to know that something I wrote could possibly help them in any way made my work worthwhile more than any monetary compensation. So now I just write here on my Web site. Maybe someday I will return to print. I will let you know here, but check out my archived stories until then. Thank you.

Check out my coverage of high school sports by clicking here.

GUERIN SOCCER AND FOOTBALL WIPED OUT WEEKEND, SEPTEMBER 17, 2008

GUERIN FOOTBALL VS THORNRIDGE, SEPTEMBER 10, 2008

I began my writing career back in college covering Loyola University's soccer teams in the fall of 1997.  There I found a way to express my passion for the game in a new way.  I had a lot of support from the players and coaches on those teams who trusted me pretty quickly.  I thank them for that.  I kept in touch with the program after graduating in 1999, though less so in recent years.  Those two years were wonderful, and I got to cover the first ever conference championship for the women's program.  I hope to keep in better touch with Loyola Soccer in the future.

After graduating in 1999, I decided to give a call to the sports desk of the weekly Pioneer Press newspapers.  When I returned from a two-week trip to Italy for a wedding, my first assignment was to cover both soccer and football at Holy Cross.  Not too much deja vu going on there.  I've been covering high school sports primarily at Elmwood Park, Leyden, and Guerin Prep since then.  I've met many wonderful people along the line who have been helpful to me.  It's not often easy to pry a quote from a 15-year-old, but that process can certainly lead to some comical moments, and once the words flow, the work can be quite rewarding. 

Sometimes the tasks can be tedious, and the beat is anything but glamorous, but when I hear a coach thank me for the coverage or about how my story may have helped his team or any of the kids, it makes the time I put in worth while.  In the end, it's all about the kids.  It's about teaching them discipline, getting them involved in the school community beyond the classroom, and channeling the energy of youth in a positive direction. 

I also covered the Chicago Fire for Cyber Soccer Associates in 2001.  After covering college and high school sports, it was a privilege to get a crack at the pro game.  The Fire got bounced in the league semi-finals that year losing to the hated L.A. Galaxy at home in overtime of Game 3 of the series.  It was a stunner and a bummer, but getting to write about them was enjoyable and a lot of work.  They gave us pretty much free reign, which is a blessing and a curse.  I think I have to learn how to be a bit more succinct.  So much can happen in a game, and I tried to capture it all.  I think I made the job tougher on myself than it should have been.  The next year the group wanted writers to work for free, so I had to drop out because it just took me too much time to being doing that job for free.