In the modern era of college athletics, it’s not uncommon for players to move from one program to another on a yearly basis. Not wanting to miss out on that experience, I’ve decided to take my talents to…Iowa.
I’ve been living in Oceana County for almost the entirety of my life, and I’ve enjoyed every minute. Growing up, I went through the Shelby Public School system. I hopped around through just about every elementary school there was. I started with Mrs. Broomsma at Thomas Read, jumped to Mrs. Schmiedeknecht at New Era and then finished up with Mrs. Zoller, Mrs. Anderson. Mrs. Fris and Mrs. Payne at Benona. I had a plethora of teachers I enjoyed throughout middle school and high school, including spirited reading from Mr. Dirkse in sixth grade, dipping my toes into Spanish with Mrs. Dewey in eighth grade and spending three consecutive years with Mrs. Glerum sharpening my writing skills and learning even more Spanish.
After college I “branched out” a little bit, moving an hour east to Big Rapids where I attended Ferris State University. That started my love for sports writing. I covered everything and anything for four years there, even traveling to South Dakota on a fan bus to cover the Bulldogs’ first ever National Championship – courtesy of the men’s basketball team in 2018.
Unfortunately, I struggled to find a start to my career after graduation with the COVID pandemic in its early stages. After bouncing around for a year, I sent a hopeful email to Amanda Dodge at Oceana’s Herald-Journal in Hart. Moving back home made sense for me. It was familiar territory and offered me the chance to work in a community I knew well. Amanda hired me as a reporter, and I worked my way into a sports editor position after a year.
From that point on, I’ve done nothing but eat, breathe and sleep everything Oceana County sports. A lot of people often ask me “isn’t it difficult having to drive around to games every night of the week?”. At first I did think it was difficult, but over time I’ve found the more difficult parts of the job don’t apply to the amount of work I put in. The most difficult part is watching teams and trying your hardest not to cheer when they make big plays in the postseason. I can remember watching the biggest moments – whether it was Hart’s girls basketball team scoring a major upset to punch their ticket to the Breslin Center, or seeing Navea Gauthier snag the title of Michigan’s all-time leader in kills – and not cheering them on vocally.
The fun part was taking that energy I wanted to let out at games, and channeling it into written form. Over the last 4-5 years of covering Oceana County sports, I’ve taken pride in trying my very best to make sure every little thing that local athletes accomplished, was highlighted in some way. I hope I did just that.
Now, I’ll be taking that same passion and hoping I can do the same for athletes in Dubuque, IA. For those wishing to follow me, I’ll be working at the Telegraph-Herald in Iowa’s oldest city. But for those who love The Echo, I ask that you continue to support this operation. It’s been an absolute pleasure to be a part of and I can’t thank Amanda Dodge, Paul Erickson, Andy Roberts and all those who have lent a hand over the last two years.
Nothing will beat the close proximity to Lake Michigan, or driving to Detroit to watch a Lions game. I plan to make a home in Iowa, but I’ll visit this neck of the woods frequently. Next week’s paper (August 29th’s edition) will be my last.
To all of you that have read my work either at the OHJ or The Echo – thanks for always supporting me. Farewell for now!
