Let passion be your guide

I didn’t start for my freshman basketball team.

I wasn’t even in the rotation.

I went to practice and worked my tail off every week to sit at the end of the bench for a freshman team. 

My first attempt at selecting a major was much like that freshman year of basketball. I worked hard but didn’t see the payoff.

I had what many people would consider to be a “normal” life. I lived in the suburbs of Milwaukee, played sports, strived for good grades and was part of a nuclear family. The work ethic that my parents instilled in me is what led to most of my success during these early years. They taught me the value of giving 100% of your effort every day to achieve your goals, even if that meant sprinting every practice or studying for every quiz.

That helped me get directly admitted to the College of Engineering at the University of Wisconsin, with the intention of majoring in chemical engineering. While I had the grades to succeed in the field, I realized throughout my freshman year that I didn’t care about the work I would be doing because the engineering aspect drained the fun out of chemistry.

In basketball, my effort paid off during my sophomore year of high school when I worked my way into the rotation on junior varsity. It was the opportunity I needed to display my value to the team and earn a spot as a starter. I eventually made the varsity team, playing a bench role with the team that set the best boys basketball record in the history of my school.

I also caught a break during my sophomore year of college. As I broadened my horizons, I took a course called Journalism 201: Introduction to Mass Communications. It sparked an idea on how to find a major that I would love. Majoring in journalism let me marry my passion for sports with a career.

During my senior year of college, I landed an internship with the “Madison Commons” to be their sportswriter. This gave me the opportunity to cover local prep sports and write feature stories for publication. A great example is a feature about Sun Prairie High School splitting into two schools and how this would change the landscape of Sun Prairie sports as well as affect student athletes on an individual level.

This only cemented my passion for sports journalism. Covering underrepresented teams and enjoying sports never felt like work to me. Instead, it’s something I would willingly volunteer to do in my free time.

The position of sports reporter at The Commercial Review is my first full-time job. I am still raw and malleable. Being able to learn under editor and publisher (and former sports editor) Ray Cooney will help me grow as a storyteller and make me the best writer I can be. There will be plenty of mistakes made along the way, but connecting to those around me will help me through any challenge that comes my way.

During my time writing for the “Madison Commons,” I learned the importance of local coverage. None of my high school events were ever fully covered. Covering some of the high school teams for the Madison suburbs showed me just how passionate and underrepresented local sports can be. Providing coverage for your local teams is something I will take pride in.

My first love for sports is NCAA basketball. March Madness is a national holiday for me with so many great memories. Whether it was the Badgers going deep in the tournament, or just great games, nothing gets me more excited than college basketball.

Maybe this first position will help lead me to being a Division 1 basketball writer. Maybe I will fall in love with local sports and make Jay County my home. Maybe there will be another path that surprises me.

Only time will tell where this opportunity leads.

What I do know right now is that I am “the new sports guy” and there are big shoes to fill. It won’t always be perfect, but I am dedicated to doing my best to fill this responsibility.

Everyone’s path in life is different. Engineering wasn’t quite my thing.

You don’t always get to start or make an impact in your first year.

You can plan all you want, but that doesn’t mean opportunity will align with your plans. What is important is working hard, trusting the process and letting passion guide you. I believe if you do these things, everything will work out and you’ll live a happy and fulfilling life.