Extra Point: A farewell address

The clock has struck zero, the final out recorded. After a long, yet highly enjoyable, semester, my time as sports editor of The Bona Venture has come to an end.

And while I sit back and feel a little relieved, it will take time to believe this is my last week and last column.

The fact that I'm just a sophomore is the hardest part. Knowing I will never be the editor again after gaining the position early in my college career is hard to accept right now.

In four semesters at St. Bonaventure, two of my proudest accomplishments are becoming a reporter for the men's basketball team and the sports editor at the school newspaper. To even think I would have the privilege to do both by the end of my second year of college is overwhelming.

I'll never forget a few weeks into my freshman year, the time I became a member of The BV. One afternoon, I e-mailed Charlie Specht, the sports editor at the time, and asked him - in a detailed paragraph - if I could write an article. Of course, I had no idea how to write a sports story, or any story for that matter. I was just a na've and innocent freshman, looking to strengthen my writing and gain knowledge from the people who have it.

He accepted my request with enthusiasm and I wrote the story, a feature on a cross country runner. From there, I wrote more and then received an invitation to join the editorial staff. It all happened so fast, and for that reason, I wasn't sure if working full-time at The BV would be the best decision. However, I admire those people, now my friends, for trusting and convincing me to do the job. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made.

Little did I know these same people would come to the newsroom a year later, witnessing me lead the section, carrying on a tradition.

The memories I will take with me are numerous and, sadly, this space would not be enough.

Instead, I want to share a piece of advice that surely motivated me to become a stronger journalist and quite possibly defines my time at The BV.

Last Tuesday, the university held the Dick Joyce Sports Symposium - a collaboration of distinguished alumni who came back to campus to conduct workshops on sports writing. During the keynote speech, given by Mark Kriegel, national columnist for FoxSports.com, I sat in the audience, struck by his words.

"How much are you willing to spend and exhaust your energy? How much are you willing to work harder than everyone else? This is what it takes."

Kriegel was speaking of the ways to succeed in the competitive world of sports writing. He is an accomplished national writer with years of quality experience, including two New York Times best-selling books. Kriegel knows what it takes, and this is why I listened.

In no way have I reached my potential as a writer or learned all the lessons necessary to find a niche in the profession. But, I feel at least a foundation was laid.

Sacrificing necessary rest from Wednesday nights into Thursday mornings just to put a newspaper together is the greatest example of the willingness to exhaust energy. The adrenaline of making a deadline or giving the extra effort to interview a coach shows the motivation of getting the best story.

Looking around Friday mornings, watching students with newspapers in hand gives me a smile because I know I attempted to work harder than everybody else. I sacrificed myself for people I don't even know to give them information.

This isn't my last goodbye. My time as a member of The BV is not over quite yet. I will grace these back pages as a writer again, perhaps in this same space. But it won't be the same. It won't be as the sports editor.

There is that one thing, possibly a few things, that you want to be remembered for as editor. This spring, we extensively covered the emergence of our basketball teams including an historic WNIT run by the women's squad. The dedicated work put in for this coverage can never be taken away.

To all the coaches, athletes, professors, students and especially The BV staff past and present, I give a sincere thank you for getting me to this point. I now move on from current sports editor to a fraternity of ones from the past.

I have matured as a student and journalist in more ways than I could imagine just from earning the responsibilities of an editor. For the freshmen out there looking to write a story and be involved, I simply ask to give it a try. It might be the best decision you ever make, too.