Extra Point: A farewell address
Dan Bates
Issue date: 5/1/09 Section: Sports
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.
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.
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