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Show 3WA o Page 4B Lakeside Review Wednesday, June 17, 1981 By Phil Kirkwood Sports Writing Better, But Tougher Sports writing has molded itself a new image during the past couple of decades. Twenty years ago, a typical sports staff consisted of a few cub reporters with acne headed by a grizzled veteran editor who never graduated from high school. The sports section was usually buried deep in the paper and was used to fill back pages when the editorial staff got lazy. In all, the sports page didnt cover much more than winners, losers, and the score. Sports writing today is much different. No longer hacks todays are its staff writers viewed as sub-pa- r well are trained, graduates who college journalists compete for very few jobs. No longer are sport sections geared exclusively for men women read them too and many papers employ at least one woman sports writer. In fact, the sports section is regarded by many as the major selling tool for most news papers in that it usually features the best writing, best photography, best layout, best gossip, best controversy, best human interest, best column and biggest egoes. Nevertheless, many people still view sports writing as an easy way to make a living nothing more than watching a few games, talking to a few players and story and collecting a coaches, composing a half-wfat paycheck. First of all, the pay isnt that fat, and after taxes, inflation, and interest rates take their toll, the final sum is more likened to a starving dog. Second, the pressures put on by todays readership demand much more than the old fashion stale, beer writing. The hours are long, deadlines are short, and no one everseems to call you when they enjoy your work. They only call to complain. it i Z Z So, for those who still teei sports writing is a trade for the heres a brief look at a typical in action: sports reporter Its late in the football season, the weather is cold and raining; its getting dark early and the field is muddy and miserable. The gun for halftime sounds and you slosh your way across the field towards the concession stand for a cup of something hot. Your hands are numb because you cant take notes with gloves on and you cant read your notes anyway You fumble because the rain made the ink run. trying to get change out of your pocket and drop your camera in the mud. The hot chocolate has lumps in it and it burns your lips. You drop your camera again. . The teams return for the second half and the home The mud has side scores on the opening kick-ofwiped out the jersey numbers and you cant tell which player made the run. The gun sounds to end the game with the home team winning easy-goin- ; v ; V-yo- w V . ; f. V.' t ' V, , V J, , 7-- ' You race down field in search of the winning coach and the player who you think scored the only touch- down. You can always depend on the winning coach to say something profound and youre ready to put down every word. The first thing he says is: We came to play. Does that mean his team won because they decided to show up? Coaches are yet to explain themselves on this one so you just have to play it by ear. He builds on his first statement by saying: You gotta give credit to these guys because they played hurt and still gave 110 percent. This is also vague. After all, if his team was playing with hip pointers, broken fingers, pulled muscles and the like, how could they play 10 percent better than they were capable of? Could it mean they .only give 100 percent when theyre healthy? Its best to ignore this one. You begin to worry because the coach isnt giving you much inside info and the story you promised your editor is running thin. You make a Z last attempt to corner him. How do you think your team will do in the playooffs? , you scream, trying to be heard above the blaring pep band. The coach ZZ gives you a blank stare and then replies, Well have ZZ a few surprises for em down there. Does that mean his team might not punt on fourth ZZ Z down? Or could it mean his team might or might not r show up? Coaches hate to be specific. You finally hunt down the player who scored the winning touchdown and ask him how he felt about the run and I , his thoughts about the upcoming I playoffs. He says hes happy about the touchdown and that hell be taking the playoffs one game at a ' time. You give him a blank stare and ask him if he could elaborate a little. He says no. Its getting late now and your story is still running thin. You look for the losing coach to get his Losing coaches are always a pain to interview because theyre so dejected and reporters usually Z dont help matters much when they ask questions Z like: Why did your team fumbel so much? Do they ZZ always lose in the mud? Do you think your teams 9 record might explain the rumors going around about a coaching change? t You dont get a chance to talk to him because he ZZ remembered what you said about him last time and hid in the team bus when he saw you coming. You settle for his assistant who says the team lost because Z they werent mentally prepared for the mud and that they couldnt get good penetration. (Penetration is a a psuedo-mach- o term for getting the ball where your opponent doesnt want it and in this case the mud JU prevented that. r; . h com-ment- rainy and basically weather the area has experienced over the last few weeks, the Layton Recreation Adult Leagues have fallen behind WITH ALL THE windy, schedule and will be forced to Imake up games later in the summer. But the bad weather took a break last Monday night and area teams got their games in. Randy Parker (above left), playing for Max Factor, puts away a pop up against North Davis Medical Center. Nordell Peterson playing for NDMC takes a strong cut. Hill AAaira Fishes for Fuira and Trophy and it came naturally to me, she explained. vork at Hill Air Force Base and is active in Janet were married in 1962, and purchased lis Sunset community, and in his church a home in Sunset. Janet does not care for fishing, but responsibilities, but on Fridays and Saturdays, you will find him on the lakes delights in caring for the game after it has and streams of Utah indulging in his been caught. She often gives free favorite pasttime. Fishing isnt demonstrations of her Scottish skills in everything in the life of Joe Lujan, but fileting and preparing fish for eating, to The Scottish admittedly, it does command a big part of her friends and neighbors. it. people are famous for working with fish, and it came naturally to me, she exPut a fishing pole in his hands, and he is plained. in another world. Joe is at home on a quiet Janet likes to tag along on Joes fishing mountain stream or in his boat, going for junkets, and spends her time in the quiet of the big ones on one of a number of lakes, he the canyons, writing letters to her friends visits. He has a lot of favorite fishing and family back in Scotland. Joe still remembers the biggest game spots, but prefers trolling for fish, and fish he ever caught. It happened at Bear thats where he goes for the lunkers. Last year he entered, and won first place Lake, and he caught a giant lunker on a in the annual Willard Bay Fish Contest. We celebrated by eating wilver spoon. His winning trophy was a twenty-fiv- e the fish, and never did officially weigh it, pound carp for which he was awarded a $45 he recalled, but it had to weigh more than fishing reel. Carp are considered trash-fis- h sixteen pounds. I was an hour getting that fish into the in Utah, explained Lujan. They are not good for eating, but I was able to sell boat, continued Joe, and we were both that big lunker for $15, to be cut up for fish worn out from the battle. bait. The Lujans of Sunset are a happy lot. Willard Bay is one of his favorite haunts They work together, worship together and for fishing, and he also frequents Bear play together. They like to get involved in Lake, Cossy Dam and The Lost Creek athletics and in outdoor sports. Scott, who Reservoir, to name a few. He also fishes is almost eighteen, recently graduated the tributaries that feed into the lakes, and from Clearfield High School, while Robert, he usually comes home with a limit of fish. almost seventeen will be a senior next year Joe has plenty of company on his fishing and LeRoy, the almost-thirtee- n year old will enter Sunset Junior High School this trips. He has three sons, who inherited fathers love for angling, and a wife, who fall. Joe is proud of his family, and proud of brought from Scotland, the knack was destined to be her husband. Joe and the unity of his clan. They live one day at a trips. He has three sons, who inherited time, but always for that one special day The Scottish when someone says, Lets go fishing. her friends and neighbors. By BLISS FULLMER Joe Lujan is a s. 0-- Its now two hours later and you just finished hammering out the last words to your story. The "Z story comes out to be eleven inches short and you "Z, inform your editor hell have to run your d ZZ photos a little larger than expected. The next mor-nin- g an irrate mother calls wondering why her sons name wasn't included in the article. You calmly 1 . explain that while her sons performance on the ZZ extra point team was admirable, you feel it wasn't a ; - local point to the game. You say youll make an extra effort to look for him next time. She calls the paper a shabby rag and hangs up. Indeed, sports journalism has changed over the years and readers have benefitted as a result. It still reports the winners, losers, and the score, but goes Z beyond for the inside story. It covers everything ."and never leaves the reader hanging. non-softb- mud-glaze- ' JOE LUJAN holds up one of his many star catches. t happy-go-luck- y man in his i Jason Smith of the Bandits, is safe at first as Adam Meyer of the As stretchews for an errant throw to the base in Roy City Midget C action. J ft |