It
seems hard to believe that one year from now, if all goes according to plan
anyway, I’ll be on my way to the
Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
As
I’ve stated numerous times, I am more than excited to get the
chance to cover another Olympics and I’m grateful to everyone who helped me
make it to my first one and who is helping to make it possible to go to a
second one.
That
being said, I thought it would be a good time to recount my top five moments
from this job, which I’ve now been in for somewhere around 15 years.
Number
five came last winter when the Brewster basketball team played in a tournament
in the TD Garden in Boston. Covering the Brewster hoop team is a lot of fun,
not just because they are perennial national championship contenders, but also
because coach Jason Smith runs a great program and their a class act all the
way. What made this tournament great was the chance to stand on the fabled
parquet floor, the floor once used by greats like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.
It was pretty cool to walk out of the tunnel and into the middle of this
massive arena and just be able to walk up to the parquet and stand on it.
Number
four would probably be the first combined skiing championship, which took place
back in 2004. The NHIAA decided to crown not just individual team champions in
alpine, Nordic and jumping, but also offer a combined trophy for the school
with the best performance. After slalom and giant slalom for the boys and
girls, Nordic classical and freestyle for the boys and girls and jumping, the
final point difference was four points, with Kennett claiming the title over
Hanover. I remember a lot of intense moments of coaches calculating and
remember the great sense of school pride it instilled, since all disciplines
were out cheering for the others at their respective events.
Number
three is probably my first trip to Florida with the Kingswood baseball team. I
did this on the spur of the moment, the spring before I went to the 2014
Olympics. I booked a flight, hotel and rental car and spent three days in the
sunshine of Florida, a great escape from what had been a pretty long winter at
that point. I’ve been back twice since and enjoyed the trips, but the first one
always holds a special spot.
Number
two came a couple of years ago at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. A woman entered
the media center and asked if anyone wanted a ride in the pace car. It was hard
to say no to that opportunity, even though I’d done it once before. The difference
was this time, it wasn’t an SUV, it was a car and that meant we went even
faster. Coming out of the turns just inches from the wall was exhilarating and
scary, all at the same time. Driving 85 on the highway can’t come close to 100
down the backstretch of NHMS just inches from a concrete wall.
Number
one is obviously the 2014 Winter Olympics. From the moment I got approved for
credentials in October 2012 through the final day I was in Russia, it was an
amazing experience. I can’t sum up just how awesome it was to have the great
support of the community along the way. There are few things I am going to
forget about that trip, even if parts of it were a blur. But seeing the
greatest athletes in the world on the biggest stage, up close and personal, was
just a dream and something I am more than excited to get to do again.
It
will be here soon enough.
