The past fall and winter sports seasons have been the strangest season's I've dealt with in my 20 years doing this job. They've also been the busiest seasons I've had.
With the 10 extra schools put on my list to start this past school year, I've found myself driving all over the state to cover games, even more so than normal. Most weeks I would drive north to Lincoln or beyond at least once, sometimes twice, to cover teams in the Littleton Courier area. Add that to the teams all around the Lakes Region, then throw in playoff games, championship meets and the like and the mileage started to pile up.
But, that's part of the job and I'm OK with it, as long as I remember to get some sleep so that I don't total another car.
And now, the winter season has drawn to a close and I can breathe again. For a month or so.
All in all, it was a fairly successful season and it ended on a pretty good note, for the most part. All three teams in my coverage area that played in championship games this past Saturday brought home the titles. The Gilford boys' basketball team won the Division III championship, the Woodsville boys' basketball team won the Division IV championship and the Berlin-Gorham boys' hockey team earned the Division III championship. Two other teams, the Berlin unified basketball team and the Kennett girls' basketball team, finished as the runners-up in their respective divisions. Add this on to championships from the Plymouth alpine boys, the Gilford alpine girls, the Lin-Wood alpine boys, the Profile alpine girls, the Kennett alpine girls, the Gilford Nordic boys and the Kennett ski jumpers and runner-up performances from the Kennett alpine boys and Nordic girls and there was plenty of hardware to go around this season.
And there's no doubt that this unusual season wouldn't have happened without the work of a lot of people. The athletic directors and athletic trainers who put protocols in place, the superintendents, principals and other administrators who signed off on protocols and approved sports schedules, the school staff who made sure that teams could practice and play safely, the coaches who constantly made adjustments to their schedules, the parents who didn't argue with some tough rules as far as spectators go and the athletes themselves, who just rolled with the punches and played their sport. All these people were instrumental in making it happen and I tip my hat to all of them for a job well done.
I am pretty sure, if you asked anyone back in December or early January if we would have a full winter season and get through the playoffs, they would've said 'not a chance.' Yet, that is exactly what happened and everyone should be commended.
However, even as the busy season wound along, I was still spending time looking ahead, be it to this summer or to next winter, as the Olympics continue to be on my mind and continue to get closer. The last time we had Olympics this close together on the calendar was back in 1992 when the Winter Games were held in Albertville, France and the Summer Games were held in Barcelona. In 1994, the IOC moved the Summer and Winter Games to alternating two-year cycles, so they've been two years apart for more than a decade now.
But, Tokyo was postponed until this year, meaning the Summer Games will run just about six months before the Winter Games in Beijing kick off next February. I have credentials for them both and am looking forward to the opportunity to again experience the greatest sporting event in the world. And I am especially excited to see my first Summer Games in person.
That, however, is still a ways ahead. Between now and then I have what I anticipate will be a very busy spring season closing in quickly. After last fall and this winter, there's no telling what that might bring.
National Stadium in Beijing, also known as the Bird's Nest, was the centerpiece of the 2008 Summer Olympics and will host the opening closing ceremonies for the 2022 Winter Olympics as well.
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