Farewell Mac

I suppose that I’m a rarity, a person who knew exactly what he wanted to do in life since elementary school. I’m pursuing sports journalism and will be attending University of North Texas in August.

Some people focus on politics, some delve into studies of chemistry or biology, while I spend most of my free time doing activities pertaining to a much less important subject, sports. I’m overly passionate about sports, and this passion carried over into my coverage, and fandom, of every team at Mac. Yep, I was a fan, I shed a few tears after basketball’s final game, after football’s loss to Lee, after girls soccer state semifinal loss. I treated every team with equal intensity, I tweeted updates for anyone who cared, and I tried to hold off anxiety as I watched my friends play the sports that they loved.

This piece is to thank all of the athletes, coaches, and faculty that have helped me accomplish my goal while a student and reporter at Mac. Thank you to the 20+ players and coaches that I’ve been able to interview, your disclosure and ability to speak and interact after both wins and losses has allowed me to get an even better grasp of the emotions that sports provoke. I have a profound respect for everyone that I have covered.

I’ve received plenty of feedback over these two years in response my 76 articles, and all of it is absorbed and helps me to become better at what I enjoy doing. In a way it’s equivalent to a coach offering a different point of view. Thank you to anyone who’s read even one sentence then said “this it terrible” before closing the story. When I started, I expected 10 to 20 people to read my stuff, including my mom and dad. Now I tweet a story, and occasionally get up to 200 link clicks, along with the infrequent inquiry from a coach or teacher on my writing. Thank you all for giving me a real readership and an added motivation that I desperately needed. In addition, thank you to the newspaper staff and the teacher, Mrs. Cardoza, for helping me and teaching me everything that I need to know to try and make it in this industry.

Sports have played an integral part in my high school years and I’m forever grateful to everyone involved.

Thank you.