It鈥檚 been a while since I鈥檝e ever been called upon to do sports reporting. As the rest of the fellas in the newsroom can attest, I鈥檓 not the most comfortable describing what I see when I cover sports with the proper terminology, when it comes to team sports. Sometimes I mix up terms, sometimes I need to ask really obvious questions 鈥� that鈥檚 what happens when it鈥檚 not your beat, and your activities of choice growing up were running and Taekwondo.
One of the biggest stretches for a general reporter jumping back into the duties of a sports reporter for the first time in over three years, has to be the photography.聽 I truly take for granted how easy it is to snap a couple of still (or minimally moving) shots of a person or an object, and call it a day.
Taking the best shot of someone getting that crucial run in the sixth inning in a baseball game at sunset, or breaking ahead of the rest of a pack of runners or cyclists pedalling like mad, is a whole other beast.
I鈥檇 like to give a recognition to our sports reporter for his ability to do that every week. It鈥檚 more difficult than it looks! I鈥檇 also like to acknowledge how patient he is in the face of my unending flurry of questions about how to cover and write about sports.
Fear not. Before anyone breaks out the dunce hat, knowledge of how a game works inevitably comes back to me over the course of watching whatever sport I need to write about. As time goes on, usually in later periods or innings, I start to get savvy, again, of where to go for the best photos, and what details to pay attention to, and ultimately, what questions to ask the coaches. Truth be told, I enjoy it, because it pushes me out of my comfort zone.
But my shaky knowledge of the rules and glossary of terms associated with some sports notwithstanding, I am fully aware of what a great thing the Games are turning out to be for the City of Estevan.鈥↖t goes without saying that all the guests present here are a boon for the business community. The Energy City is getting all kinds of exposure, and the athletes of Team 麻豆视频 East are making everyone proud. The brigade of volunteers out there, making this happen, are a well-greased machine, working well together without a hitch.
I鈥檝e seen only segments of the Games, but I understand just from the small snapshots of sportsmanship I鈥檝e witnessed out there, that there is a great competitive spirit in the air.
I鈥檝e seen a lot of kids, on every team, from here to La Ronge, who know how to both win and concede defeat, with grace and dignity.
In a triathlon event, a friend of mine remarked that she watched triathletes who finished, then turned around and 鈥渆scort鈥� those who were following, shouting encouragement, urging them to proudly push on through the gruelling multi-course race and the oppressive July heat.
I鈥檝e spoken to a handful of athletes, and they have nothing but good things to say. Win or lose, they鈥檙e happy to be here, happy to be competing and happy to be doing what they love. Even when facing injury, many of the athletes out there just pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and roll with it. I don鈥檛 even know these people, and I鈥檓 proud of them and their consummate maturity.
In what I have been able to cover of the Games so far, I鈥檝e seen no fights, no equipment tossed at the ground in frustration, no shouting matches, no parents debating with referees and no complaining; only respect on all sides.
So far, I鈥檝e seen patient, encouraging coaches, parents, family and friends all being the biggest fans the athletes could ask for. There鈥檚 an evident passion present in every event, and it鈥檚 really something to behold.
By the time you read this, the games will be likely be winding down, and I鈥檓 sure you鈥檒l have had a chance to see some of that passion on full display. Bask in it, folks. It鈥檚 not every summer the Games come to town.
