Laura at bat

Yes, I still exist. Hunched over a tired computer chair, I constantly worry that I will be a hunchback by this time next year, just like that one teacher in high school. When I sit up to crack my neck, I'm also convinced a bone's gonna snap as I over-zealously whip my head back into neutral position.

On the rare occasion something noteworthy happens, I never know where to begin, so stories back up in my mind (or on Post-Its) instead of my diary or blog. So here's my first story:

I'm a sports reporter.

Our sports guy fell in love with the Outback during vacation last spring, so he got a work visa and left in August. Since I already cover education and was technically a high school athlete, I appeared to be a good fit for the hyper-local sports beat. Also, it's a full-time position.

I politely reminded my editor that I might need to brush up on sports lingo (I've always thought there must be a finite number or ways to say a team won or lost, and now is my chance to write THEM ALL.) Being an English major first, I checked out three books on sports reporting from the library. I've renewed them thrice since August.

My first week as a full-time reporter was spent at the nearby Little League World Series, all day every day. Since then, I've spoken to coaches, worked up the courage to approach student athlete_ (just one, so far), trolled the sidelines to decipher 2 of 20,000 field hockey penalties, and almost figured out how to write a decent* story when I don't understand -- or even HAVE -- all the game statistics.

Of course, "decent" is really in the eye of the beholder. If the fishing column says "Flatties are biting at Gulp! on the Hot Dog," do people really understand? Or are they laughing at my attempt at lingo? I might just be writing crap that people uncomfortably smile and nod at, not wanting to ask the emperor is not wearing any clothes.

Laura writing sports? Honestly, it's tricky and it's getting fun. At this point, it's a primarily a learning experience.