After 50 years, it's time to say goodbye

I’d wake up and convince myself I still have the drive of that first summer I showed up at 6 a.m. at the Fayetteville Observer with zero experience but a passion for high school sports.

 

Fast forward 50 years. I’m no longer a regular on the sidelines of games, scribbling play-by-play on a legal pad, then retreating to my car on deadline to add the stats and pound out a quick story. Or in a real pinch, dictating one off the top of my head from a phone booth next to a deserted football field.

 

I cover everything from afar now, relying on phone interviews and social media and the games streamed on the web to keep me connected.

 

After a few years pushing this technology envelope and trying to force my career as a full-time journalist into it, I realized I’m kidding myself.

 

Covering high school sports is a full-time job, not something you can do the right way with the limitations I have to deal with.

 

So it is time to make the official announcement that my days as a sports writer are over. Effective immediately I am stepping down from my role at CityView to move into what I hope will be an enjoyable and peaceful retirement.