1/5/2009 - I'm One Lucky Guy
Over the course of the last 20 years, I have attended so many awards banquets, I have lost count. But every one of them was special and covering these events as a journalist was always one of the special perks of doing the job I do.
Having the chance to watch student-athletes, coaches and teams honored for their hard work and dedication to their chosen sport always gave me a thrill because you knew the people being honored didn’t get there by chance.
I had the opportunity and the honor to attend another awards banquet on Sunday, but this time there was a twist. I wasn’t there as a member of the media, but I was on the other end. I was one of the people being recognized, and to say I wasn’t touched deeply would be an outright lie.
You see, I have spent the better part of my adult working life telling other people’s stories of their success on and off the playing field. I have had the unique honor of covering some of the best high school athletes to come out of the state of New Jersey like Mike Leach of Jefferson, Liz Sisca of Newton, Lisa Olsen of Sparta, Joe Martinek of Hopatcong and the list goes on.
I have also developed relationships with some greatest coaches to ever blow a whistle in this great state, and I have loved every minute of it. Having the chance to talk football with Vic Paternostro of Pope John and Don Smolyn of Lenape Valley is an honor and a treat.
And if you have ever had a conservation with The Legend, Ed Levens of Jefferson, you know how much fun that can be. There other coaches without the same notoriety as the Hall-of-Famers I mentioned that I equally loved dealing with like former High Point boys tennis coach Jeff Davidowsky, who always brought a smile to my face and a lot of laughs when we would talk tennis.
In fact, almost all the coaches I have dealt with over the years have been nothing but helpful and gracious and I thank them for that.
So when Sparta boys soccer coach Andrew Lowery called me at the end of November to tell me that I was being honored by the Soccer Coaches Association of New Jersey with its Media Award, I was humbled and honored, and a little stunned.
I was stunned not because we put out a poor product on Mugs Media, no, far from it. Jerry Morelli, the owner and founder of the company is a Sussex County legend, and you are not going to find better cameramen and editors then Tyler Adkins, Lance Van Ness and Chuck Mills anywhere in the state.
I have also had the pleasure of calling games with true play-by-play professionals like Tara Petrolino, Joel Konya and Paul Mencher, which has made my job that much easier. So I was stunned not by the honor, but that I was being recognized for doing something I love and that I always wanted to do.
Ever since I was a kid I wanted to dedicate my life to sports in some capacity. I knew at an early age that Major League Baseball, the NFL and the NBA were not going to be in need of the services of “athlete” of my ability from Sussex County. Like the old saying, what I lacked in athletic ability, I made up with lack of speed, just ask my old coaches at Vernon.
Anyway, I knew I wanted to cover sports and I even put “Sports Broadcaster” under my name and photo in my high school yearbook. (Yes, I know I sound corny, but it is the truth).
Not that I needed any reminding, attending the 40th Annual SCANJ Awards Banquet just reinforced what I already knew—I’m a very fortunate guy to do what I do for a living.
So when I walked into the massive banquet hall at the Pines Manor in Edison, it was pretty overwhelming to see that over 1,000 people were gathered to honor the best the sport of high school boys soccer had to offer in the greatest soccer state in the nation.
Just talking with the people in the room, you could feel the passion they had for the sport. I was seated at a table with soccer referee Mike Lee from Mercer County, who was honored with the Red Rice/Bob Bannon Referee Award.
Mike’s passion for the game was evident and we had a great time talking about the sport and we shared a lot of fun stories about all the great things we have been able to witness over the years, because next to the ref, the next best seat in the house belongs to whomever is covering the event.
When I accepted my award, after a very gracious introduction from Andrew Lowery, I thanked Jerry for giving me the opportunity to continue to cover all sports in Sussex County after a year-plus hiatus. Plus, I acknowledged all the student-athletes and coaches in the room. Like I said, Jersey, in my opinion, is the best soccer state in the nation, so to be honored here is saying a lot.
So I would just like to thank the SCANJ again for its Media Award and all the coaches, ADs (and especially their secretaries!), players, parents and fans of what we do at Mugs Media for all their support and kind words over the years. It makes what we do even more worthwhile, if that is possible.
Some people I have asked me over the years would I have liked to have been a Yankees or Mets beat writer or cover the Giants, and I tell them, yes, when I was first starting out that was my goal.
But as the years have gone by, I realized that telling stories like how Eric Gonzales of Wallkill Valley’s boys tennis team went out every match battling Crohn’s disease and spent the better part of his childhood in and out of hospitals, or how Bev Keur of High Point battled back from cancer to take over the Wildcats’ field hockey program again this year, were much more rewarding than possibly telling the story of how Plaxico Burress accidently shot himself at a nightclub.
I have been blessed to have the chance to share these stories with the people of Sussex County for the better part of 20 years now and I wouldn’t trade a thing.
And God willing, I hope to keep on telling these stories for another 20.
That’s it for now, see you on the sidelines.
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