Fringe Sports Parents

They are the WORST.

Two days ago, I had the mother of a water polo player "arrange" a phone interview with, and at a later date a photo of, her son.

I call at the specified time. He's not home. I call back an hour later. He's not home. I call back an hour later, no answer. What the hell?

Today, I'm set to cover a modern pentathlon. I go to the rifle range (mainly because we've run lots of swimming and running shots lately; not to mention, both those are boring shots anyway). I get to the range, the next group of shooters "should be arriving any time now." FORTY-FIVE MINUTES LATER and still NO SHOOTERS! I had to get to my next assignment: University team's spring football camp.

I mean, these are the people who constantly bitch about coverage, etc. and yet they are the people who are the most unreliable and unorganized. We're have a department of three at this daily, and two of us are off this weekend, meaning I have to do everything - pages Sunday night included.

Am I wrong to write off the other two stories? I know I shouldn't, but I can't get photos now, the pentathlon is over. And the water polo kid has yet to be reached!

Rant over.

 

If the water polo mom calls back and complains, tell her to blow you!

 

Maybe it's a little petty, but I agree. You write stories like this occasionally for a little bit of variety and to throw those people a bone. The truth is, most of your readership cares more about a football practice than about the national championship in the fringe sports.
I do my best try to give everything at least a little bit of coverage, but the small amount of people who care about those sports mean it's not worth your time to jump through a bunch of hoops.

 

Yeah Okie, it's just frustrating is all — especially because I don't even mind doing something different now and again. I actually had (what I thought was) a cool idea for a water polo potrait type photo. And, I think the sport is extremely tough, so I wouldn't be against giving the kid some props. But why do they have to make it so difficult? Drives me nuts!

What's worse, is I have to explain the whole debacle(s) to my SE Monday when he returns.

 

You should run the stories. Why punish the kids, they are working hard, they deserve to be written about.. :

 

You covered modern pentathlon? WTF?

 

Unfortunately, yes.

I go from covering major junior hockey to water polo. From pretty decent college football to modern pentathlon. All in a day's work.

 

I'd rather cover modern penthathlon -- if for no other reason than sheer novelty -- than the rodeo I covered in New Mexico.

Got pestered for nearly a month by this woman to do stories on this rodeo -- a sport I'm not a huge fan of. I did my weekly column on it and did a preview story. When I get there to cover it, there's nowhere for me to sit in what passes for a press box because of the announcer, this woman and all her cronies.

So I sit on this post overlooking the pen where the animals come in, since that gives me the best vantage point to mine all the "color" I'm going to need in my story to hide my blissful ignorance. That it is right in front of the arena is a nice bonus.

Something tells me to turn around, at which point I see a herd of stampeding bulls coming right for me. I jump off right before they rush by, inches from where I was sitting.

Rodeos still suck.

 

I'm not fond of watching rodeos, but I think they are fun to cover especially when you watch from the platform above the chutes. It is pretty intense when the bulls are right next to you. I also have found the cowboys to be some of the best interviews I've ever had.

 

I will say this, Angola. One of the best columns I ever did was on this rodeo clown who used to play football at Concord De la Salle High, the football power in the East Bay of NoCal that holds the national record for consecutive games won.

My boss asked me to do something on this local western days rodeo. The idea dawned on me when I was driving my son to day care that day. He heard me complaining and asked, "Dad, how do they get the bulls back into their cages?"

The light bulb went on and I started dialing when I got into work.

Great guy, great stories.

 

To this day I have a rodeo story in my portfolio. It's one of my best, three years later.