Burnout is common in the world of journalism. Perhaps more so than any other field.

Since I started my professional writing career in 2010, I have seen dozens of talented writers leave the business for other jobs that pay more and have better hours. Late nights, holidays, and weekends aren’t ideal for some. I’ve also seen some of the best in the business lose their jobs without notice. 

Simply put, it’s not as glamorous of a career as many people think. But I’ll revisit that here shortly. 

There have been stretches when I felt burnt out. I left journalism in 2015 to work in marketing. It paid well, but I hated it and ended up working as an assistant superintendent at a golf course in the St. Louis area. All the while, I continued to write for the Post-Dispatch on a freelance basis. 

Writing seemed easy and enjoyable after working for two years doing manual labor, so I decided I would give journalism another try on a full-time basis and was fortunate enough to land my dream job (at the time) as a sports web producer in my hometown of Springfield, Mo. It’s a place I strived to get to since I graduated from college in 2011. But that gig lasted four months before I was part of a 40-person layoff by Gray Television on August 18.

In a three-day span, I lost my job, my girlfriend and the house I was three days away from closing on. I needed to get out of Missouri. I needed a fresh start, so I took the very first job that was offered to me and began work at the Uinta County Herald on September 12. 

In all honesty, I thought I would be packing up my bags and heading elsewhere by October. I enjoyed the Herald and my co-workers, but I did not feel welcomed by the community. (There are those who have been incredibly nice to me from the get-go, and you know who you are. Buddies for life.)  

The first time I visited a pub, I was challenged to a fight by a “cowboy” who looked like Matthew McConaughey in the Dallas Buyers Club. As I’ve grown wiser in my 28 years, I knew it was best to walk away. 

About a week later, phone calls started coming in from folks telling me they were canceling their subscription because I was not covering the University of Wyoming. They said it was the only reason they got the paper. That was a slap in the face. 

Yes, I was ready to get out of Dodge at that point. 

A few days later, the support came flooding in from members of the community, coaches and my co-workers. Since then, I have started to feel more and more welcome in Uinta County.

In the last week, I have received more positive feedback than I ever had in my entire professional career. For that, I am truly thankful and appreciative. 

I’ll be completely honest, it hasn’t been the easiest three months for me on a personal level — losing a job that I loved, missing out on buying my first house and moving to a place  where I didn’t know a single soul.

 But it has meant the world to me when someone reaches out with a nice message or when a stranger comes up and shakes my hand and tells me to keep up the good work. For that, I feel I owe it to this community to work even harder and put out the best possible product I can. 

Yes, the hours can be exhausting and sometimes overwhelming. But recently, an acquaintance of mine reminded me of a scene from “The Rookie”. It’s when veteran minor-league pitcher Jim Morris says to Brooks, an up-and-coming prospect bound for the big leagues, “You know what we get to do today, Brooks? We get to play baseball.”

While I wish I still had the opportunity to step on the diamond, my acquaintance was using the line as a metaphor for my job as a sports editor. 

I get to cover sports for a living and I get paid to do it. To me, that’s a pretty special thing and something I should never lose sight of.

I wanted to end this column by thanking those in the community that have been so supportive. It truly means a lot.

LOOKING BACK SINCE SEPTEMBER I have seen and reported on some extraordinary events. With the book closed on fall sports, I thought we could look back on some of those moments.

I have to start with Mountain View football winning a state championship in the final seconds on Friday. It was my first state football game to cover and possibly the best game I’ve ever seen. The Buffalos scored with seven seconds left to play to seal a 35-28 victory over Glenrock. This is a young team, too. Don’t be surprised to see them contend for another state title next season. 

The Evanston girls’ golf team also had an impressive year, finishing third at the Class 4A state tournament at Purple Sage Golf Course in late September. The Lady Red Devils were led by senior Alexis Cornell, who finished second individually. 

The Evanston boys’ cross country team also earned a third-place finish at the Class 4A state meet in late October. Dawson Crofts finished sixth and Weston Wiley was seventh to lead the Red Devils. It was the first time two individuals earned All-State honors in the program’s history. Evanston will return all of its state runners in 2018 and are the favorites to win the title. 

The Rich Lady Rebels volleyball team certainly deserves some recognition for taking second place in the UHSAA Class 1A tournament. Rich dominated postseason play, before falling to Panguitch in four sets on Oct. 28 in the state championship match. The Rebels finished the season with a 23-8 overall record. 

The Lyman volleyball team did not have an easy task ahead when the Lady Eagles fell to Rawlins in the opening round of the Class 3A state tournament. But the Eagles didn’t give in. They won their next three matches to earn a third-place finish at the tournament in Casper. Lyman also graduates just two seniors. Watch for them to be a force again in 2018. 

WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE FUTURE?

There will be some down time before winter sports get underway. In the meantime, I will be working on season previews for all winter sports at all of the schools in our coverage area. I will also keep working on season wrap-ups and providing write-ups for end-of-the-year banquets I am invited to. You will also see some feature stories here and there. 

I hope you’ve enjoyed the sports section since I arrived on September 12.

CORRECTION

Evanston junior Ajahonna Archuleta was recently left out of an article listing the Class 4 West All-Conference volleyball team. My apologies, Ajahonna.