Regaining championship form

You may be surprised to pick up this particular issue of the Kilgore News Herald and actually see a “What’s Causing All This?”

column by yours truly included as a part of the sports page.

That’s because it’s been a rare species since January.

...You see, I put a bit of a limit on myself on column-writing in recent months because, well, quite frankly, I discovered the true meaning of the term “burnout.”

...Covering something rather meaningful has helped me restore my focus on a goal I’ve had since becoming the sports editor of this institution: to give you the best possible sports coverage that one individual could provide.

In short, the burnout is over.

That’s because it’s been a rare species since January.

Those who know me well would probably tell you that tact is not always something of which I have in abundance. I’m sometimes brutally honest, and that’s a trait that can often land you in a spot of trouble.

But in this case, the confession I’m making here in these sports pages is one that I can honestly say will benefit you, the reader, in the long run, and will confirm my reputation as brutally honest.

You see, I put a bit of a limit on myself on column-writing in recent months because, well, quite frankly, I discovered the true meaning of the term “burnout.”

I’ll admit to you — regular readers and those who aren’t — that I found myself suffering quite a bit of burnout after the state championship football season. Obviously, the games themselves were mentally exhausting. Those same people I mentioned earlier that know me, including Kilgore High School coach Mike Vallery, would agree that I can sometimes be as intense as any coach.

But with Jenna and I having a child in December, right in the middle of the playoff run (not the best timing, I’ll admit), then moving across town on top of that in May, I was also trying to get used to those adjustments and still cover our local sports. I was just sapped. I found it very difficult to pick myself up for the remainder of the school year.

As a result, it’s been some time since I occupied this space when it truly felt special. And to write a column that didn’t have any real meaning after so many over the course of a year just felt wrong, and simply against the grain.

I took time off last week — and may yet take more before the school year starts — to recharge my batteries a little bit, and found myself regaining a desire to cover and to write about local sports competition as if it were the Super Bowl or the Masters.

Covering something rather meaningful — another Meadowbrook Classic this weekend (my fourth such Classic, as the News Herald’s sports editor) — has helped me restore my focus on a goal I’ve had since becoming the sports editor of this institution: give you the best possible sports coverage that one individual could provide.

In short, the burnout is over.

With a new school year rapidly approaching on the horizon, and football season leading the pack, I find myself rejuvenated. Many of you may not know this (I guarantee you the coaches do, though), but the real work for me in football season is actually doing our preview section. That’s the big issue where I try my best to give you information you can actually use and enjoy on our local teams, and include Associated Press previews for as many state football institutions as possible, like the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, and major college football programs.

I usually try to come up with something new each year to add to the preview, and this year is no exception. With the section still in the planning stage, I’ve got the brain gears shifting, and I hope that when the preview hits the streets (on Thursday, Aug. 25), some of you guys will be able to read it and say, “Wow, that’s a great fact — I didn’t know that.”

Obviously, the focus will be on the Kilgore High School Bulldogs and their defense of their state championship, and on the Kilgore College Rangers, who play in probably the toughest junior college football conference in the land, the Southwest Junior College Football Conference. And oh, by the way — they went unbeaten in conference play last year.

Another primary focus will be doing a better job with our area schools. We have a new program locally. Leverett’s Chapel has re-instated its football program, this time as a six-man football program, coached by Matt Everett.

Everett is one of four new area coaches at our area schools which include Sabine High School, Overton High School and West Rusk High School. I haven’t met all the coaches yet, but I’ll be doing so over the course of the next few weeks, and I hope each and every fan will do their part to help these coaches by supporting them as they try to rebuild these programs.

Since I’ve been here, reader support for this section has been nothing short of phenomenal. I truly do appreciate that. Honestly, I’m not your traditional sports writer. I love sports, and there will be statistics in this sports section. But I also recognize that there’s more to it than a bunch of numbers.

The kids that are out there competing are your kids. They’re local kids. And first and foremost, they are kids. They’re not professionals, and they don’t get paid to do this. They do it because it’s fun. And in a world where so much turmoil surrounds us, it’s nice to be able to use sports as a bit of a getaway. It shouldn’t be taken as life or death.

That being said, don’t be surprised when I put a gigantic headline on a sports story. I love giving kids attention, and it helps bring fans to the games.

I’m looking forward to a great upcoming school year of sports. I hope you are, too.

• State tournaments: My apologies to anyone seeking updates on our Kilgore Boys Baseball Association teams that made the state tournaments. Actually, many of them didn’t play until this weekend (July 15-16). I’m sorry I didn’t update things last week, but I just had to take time off.

I will do my best to update all the state tournament teams in the Tuesday and Wednesday editions.