Thanks for an awesome year of sports, Gaylord
Over the past year and some change, I have received countless thanks and kind words from people in the Gaylord community. I feel like now, as we begin to set our sights on the 2023-24 athletic season, it is well past time I return the favor; thank you Gaylord, Johannesburg, Lewiston and the Otsego County area for an amazing year covering local prep sports.
It has been just over a year since I started covering sports here in Gaylord, and I have only felt more and more welcomed by the Northern Michigan community as time has gone on. And, while it was a slower transition than I anticipated, I feel like I can call myself a member of the Gaylord community now that I have found a place in the city that my dog Reggie and I can call home.
Some may already know about my less-than-stellar living arrangement for most of my first year; from when I started back in May of 2022 until this past May, I was living in Mount Pleasant, meaning a nearly two-hour commute stood between me and most of the games I needed to cover throughout the fall, winter and most of the spring.
Was that ideal? Far from it. But we made it work and made sure everything that could be covered was covered, because that's what the Gaylord community deserved.
I cannot express gratitude to my coworkers, Drew Kochanny of the Petoskey News-Review and Jared Greenleaf of the Cheboygan Daily Tribune, for their help during that period of time. It was physically impossible for me to be at a lot of events, so their help with photos and stories when Gaylord, St. Mary or JoBurg crossed their paths was as valuable as anything I could've asked for.
It wasn't easy driving nearly four hours roundtrip for sometimes an hour of work time, but what made it all that much easier was knowing wherever I went, the coaches, athletes and parents alike would be there, just happy to see me giving their athletes, teammates and kids the time and effort they deserved. I don't think many people can say they feel as appreciated as I was made to feel doing my job this past year, and it made every two-hour trek up and down US-127 more than worth it.
It also helped that I was treated to some of the most impressive high school sports the state of Michigan has to offer in a coverage area of just three schools. Not many sports writers get to cover a state champion every year; Gaylord and JoBurg gave me three in my first.
Obviously, covering the Gaylord softball run was special, but traveling to Ford Field for Brayden Gautreau's wrestling state championship and the rest of the Blue Devils at the state finals was an exciting experience as well. Watching the JoBurg cross-country team claim the school's first title from afar was just a bonus and turned an already historic year into something the area may never see again.
Gaylord St. Mary gave me a taste of what truly elite small school athletics looks like, including my first taste of 8-man football as well as multiple district titles and deep playoff runs throughout all three seasons.
Overall, I loved every part of covering the sports scene this season, but I hope to bring even better coverage and content to the community now that I live here. No more two-hour commute means more photos, more feature stories and, inevitably, more time I get to spend covering GHS, GSM and JLHS in 2023-24. That's something I'm looking forward to more than anything.
Like I said earlier, many of you have come up to me and thanked me, but it is the strong Gaylord sports community that reads and shares my work, allowing me to do what I love.
After this past year, I can't wait to give you even more as 2023 begins.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Thanks for an awesome year of sports, Gaylord
