2008 Woodie Awards
Sports editor bids farewell after four faithful years
Ryan Hehr
Issue date: 6/4/08 Section: Sports
Adios. See ya. Bon Voyage. Aloha.
It doesn't matter how I say it, this is my good-bye to Wright State and my tenure at The Guardian.
Working in the sports department for four years - one as a writer and three as an editor - has been a big part of my college life, and I've loved every minute of it.
During my tenure, Wright State has won eight Horizon League titles, brought in nine new head coaches and is now hiring a new athletic director.
And I've written articles for nearly every one of these events.
And I can honestly say that I've written the truth in every one of my articles. No sugar coating included. Just the honest - and sometimes brutal - truth.
If they played flawlessly, then I said they were awesome. If a team played terribly, I said they sucked.
This led to a lot of athletes and coaches being upset with me. But it has led to even more people liking and respecting me.
Plus, the stories I have from this job are endless. If I've learned anything as a reporter it's that the best stories rarely ever make print.
The strange people I've met in airports. Restaurants that serve food I've never heard of. The kind things I've seen people do for one another that go virtually unnoticed by most people.
They're all stashed away as memories. If I ever get around to it, perhaps I'll write a book with all of them included. That's a big if, though.
Here's my favorite story though, I wanted to make sure this one was printed.
As students waited for Horizon League Tournament basketball tickets last season, Brad Brownell brought doughnuts for everyone. When Brownell approached one student in a wheelchair, he took a little extra time to talk to him.
"It probably wasn't as easy for that person to get there as it was for everybody else and I wanted to let him know that I appreciated the extra effort," said Brownell.
My heart still softens when I think of that moment.
But the biggest thing this job has done is open doors for me. I earned an internship at the Dayton Daily News last summer and have been working with them ever since.
I was also given a blog on sportingnews.com during the basketball season.
These are opportunities that would have never been presented to me if it weren't for this job.
As George Carlin used to say, "I love words, and I thank you for hearing my words." For the past four years you have been reading my words and I thank you for it.
I just hope these won't be the last words of mine you ever read.
It doesn't matter how I say it, this is my good-bye to Wright State and my tenure at The Guardian.
Working in the sports department for four years - one as a writer and three as an editor - has been a big part of my college life, and I've loved every minute of it.
During my tenure, Wright State has won eight Horizon League titles, brought in nine new head coaches and is now hiring a new athletic director.
And I've written articles for nearly every one of these events.
And I can honestly say that I've written the truth in every one of my articles. No sugar coating included. Just the honest - and sometimes brutal - truth.
If they played flawlessly, then I said they were awesome. If a team played terribly, I said they sucked.
This led to a lot of athletes and coaches being upset with me. But it has led to even more people liking and respecting me.
Plus, the stories I have from this job are endless. If I've learned anything as a reporter it's that the best stories rarely ever make print.
The strange people I've met in airports. Restaurants that serve food I've never heard of. The kind things I've seen people do for one another that go virtually unnoticed by most people.
They're all stashed away as memories. If I ever get around to it, perhaps I'll write a book with all of them included. That's a big if, though.
Here's my favorite story though, I wanted to make sure this one was printed.
As students waited for Horizon League Tournament basketball tickets last season, Brad Brownell brought doughnuts for everyone. When Brownell approached one student in a wheelchair, he took a little extra time to talk to him.
"It probably wasn't as easy for that person to get there as it was for everybody else and I wanted to let him know that I appreciated the extra effort," said Brownell.
My heart still softens when I think of that moment.
But the biggest thing this job has done is open doors for me. I earned an internship at the Dayton Daily News last summer and have been working with them ever since.
I was also given a blog on sportingnews.com during the basketball season.
These are opportunities that would have never been presented to me if it weren't for this job.
As George Carlin used to say, "I love words, and I thank you for hearing my words." For the past four years you have been reading my words and I thank you for it.
I just hope these won't be the last words of mine you ever read.
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