Sports Reporter - The Villages Daily Sun - The Villages, FL

The Villages Daily Sun, America's fastest growing daily newspaper in the nation’s fastest growing metropolitan area, is seeking a reporter to join its award-winning sports department.

This is a general assignment sports position with a focus on the recreation scene in The Villages, which consists of 182 pickleball courts — more than anywhere else in the world — nearly 100 recreation centers, 92 pools, two bowling centers and four softball complexes that host nearly 5,000 games each year. The right candidate will also be able to assist on other beats in the sports department, including golf and high school coverage.

We’re a community-first newsroom, not a digital-first newsroom. This means that we place high value on content that is reported and edited at the local level, for a print-centric product, to the highest standards of excellence. We reward unconventional storytelling in an atmosphere in which good storytellers can become great.

The Daily Sun is part of a media group that also creates a daily television newscast, operates a radio station and produces a monthly lifestyles magazine to which our staffers contribute.

Apply by sending your resume and a brief cover letter to the attention of Staff Development Editor John DeClerk at john.declerk@thevillagesmedia.com. And then fill out the online application for the reporter position at http://compassinthevillages.com/careers/?job=2267.

 

About as close as you're going to get these days if you're still enamored with the print game.

 

No shuffleboard or bocce??

 

Don't worry, there are plenty of opportunities to cover those as well!

 

Sports reporter? Nah.
Games & hobbies reporter.

 

In all seriousness, that's a conversation we have a lot. We do try to keep our stories focused on the competitive side (and there are plenty of opportunities to do that), but we aren't going to turn away a good story if it happens to be about something we might consider a "game" or "hobby." If we can find a story to write about a Villages resident, we will.

This job certainly leans into more competitive and athletic sports such as pickleball, tennis, softball, running, swimming, cycling, triathlons, Senior Games, etc., but once in a while does stray into the billiards, shuffleboard, bocce tier. It's a great chance to cover a wide variety of things.

 

Not at all! It's a fast-growing sport among seniors especially because it's sort of like tennis, but on a much smaller court so the physical demands aren't quite the same. I always compare it to table tennis, but if you were standing on the table.

 

Not according to this!

Pickleball: The most popular sport you’ve never heard of

 

Does this paper cover Orlando Magic or Orlando City or UCF?

 

I think the paper's ad omitted its strongest asset. If you go there, you will never have to write about recruiting.

 

Applied for this the other day. Currently in PA but looking for opportunity in central Florida. Hope they’ll give me a serious look.