I fell in love with football in 2006, while standing on the sidelines of high school games. My first reporting job was as sports reporter of the Columbian-Progress in Columbia, Miss., and that town loved football almost as much as Crenshaw County does.

Coming to the Luverne Journal meant returning to the sidelines once again, and I was more than willing to do so. But, it’s been a challenge.

I am still trying to figure out the logistics of covering sports at four schools and finding the space to publish it. Because I don’t make standing appointments or catch every coach I need on the sidelines, tracking them down for interviews is a constant challenge. I won’t even go into the thought I put into which colors to wear on the sidelines. Do I root for the home team or should an objective reporter wear grey?

Sometimes, coverage has been a cinch. Most of the schools have people dedicated to attending sporting events, snapping photos and posting scores throughout the games. At other times, it has been like wading through mud to find the information I need when I need it. We have limited resources. I’m the only one reporting news and sports for this newspaper. I try my best to give equal coverage to all.

When I learned that one of the coaches who made my job so much easier to do was leaving, my first question was, “Who do we have to beg or bribe to keep him?”

Coach Claude Giddens, you are an excellent coach and an excellent human being. Having the advantage of standing on the sidelines, I’ve gotten to hear how you encourage the Highland Home Flying Squadron and I can only hope that if I ever have a child in football, there is a person like you there to coach them.

Thanks for reminding me what Friday Night Football is really all about – the joy of the game.

 

Mona Moore is the editor of The Luverne Journal. She can be contacted at (334) 335-3541.