Recently, my colleague Bill Stone and myself had a meeting with GCM editor Erika Hobbs. Erika — who is doing a terrific job in my opinion — showed that when it comes to online readers viewing our sports stories, the numbers are higher for features.
It was suggested that we focus more on features, and we agreed. This is not to say that we won’t have any more game stories; we’ll continue to have them occasionally, whenever there’s a regular-season matchup between local teams, or an important postseason game or match.
This week we have two features: one on OPRF senior softball catcher Tyler Brock, and the other on Fenwick junior football linebacker/wrestler Jack Paris. We also have a story on Trinity basketball coach Kim Coleman being named Illinois Basketball Coaches Association District 4 Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season.
Stories like these allow readers to get to know our local student-athletes and coaches. They will provide a glimpse of the goals and expectations they have of themselves and their teams. They’ll also serve as updates on how a team is doing at that point in the season.
I’m excited about this new direction for the Wednesday Journal Sports section. Writing more features is something I have long wanted to do because I believe that doing them ultimately helps me become an even better reporter.
In addition to more features, my Tate’s Take columns will start to focus on issues facing high school sports. I plan to engage local coaches and athletic directors on hot topics, and get their thoughts. And during the summer, when high school sports are on hiatus, you’ll see me delve into the Chicago pro sports scene, as well as interviews with past local high school student-athletes that deal with what they’re up to these days.
I want Wednesday Journal’s Sports section to be one of the Chicago area’s best, and I need your input. If you are a parent of a local student-athlete or a coach, you can make suggestions on our website — oakpark.com. At the top of each story, there is a small box that says, “pitch a story.” Once clicked, you can type in your suggestions and send them in. Erika, Dan Haley, Ken Trainor, or another staff member will forward them to me, and we’ll go from there.
Finally, I’d like to thank all the readers who have supported and encouraged me the last few years. Your feedback and kind thoughts are always appreciated, and I hope you’ll enjoy the new Wednesday Journal Sports section.
