It’s been a while since I’ve ever been called upon to do sports reporting. As the rest of the fellas in the newsroom can attest, I’m 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 — that’s what happens when it’s 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. 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’d like to give a recognition to our sports reporter for his ability to do that every week. It’s more difficult than it looks! I’d 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. It 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 South 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’ve seen only segments of the Games, but I understand just from the small snapshots of sportsmanship I’ve witnessed out there, that there is a great competitive spirit in the air.
I’ve 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 “escort” those who were following, shouting encouragement, urging them to proudly push on through the gruelling multi-course race and the oppressive July heat.
I’ve spoken to a handful of athletes, and they have nothing but good things to say. Win or lose, they’re 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’t even know these people, and I’m proud of them and their consummate maturity.
In what I have been able to cover of the Games so far, I’ve 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’ve seen patient, encouraging coaches, parents, family and friends all being the biggest fans the athletes could ask for. There’s an evident passion present in every event, and it’s really something to behold.
By the time you read this, the games will be likely be winding down, and I’m sure you’ll have had a chance to see some of that passion on full display. Bask in it, folks. It’s not every summer the Games come to town.
