new ideas for prep football preview sections...

I like your ideas a lot JD. I agree that quick hits are the way to go and you obviously grasp that with your ideas. Sounds like a good start.

 

We do a tab for 88 teams in our area. Last year's was 92 pages. In addition to 15-inch previews on each team, last year we did a column (10 questions heading into the season), a story on the area's top players (a must for our tab) and a story talking with coaches about the philosophy of players adjusting to a coaching style or a coach adapting his style to the talent of the players. The latter was a very interesting story.

 

Did i read the words "baseball/softball tab" above?

ouch

 

This year, we chose the top 10 returning seniors and top five juniors. And we all picked an upset special.

We also had the usual cover story, capsules, etc.

Cleveland Plain Dealer had the best footbal tab ever a few years ago. The whole thing was TV Guide covers for the various top teams. It was incredible.

 

You mean papers have ad departments that can sell ads for a football tab?

 

It's time-consuming, but the past few years, we've run through all the college football Web sites and made lists of local players in college football. EVERY one.

We put it in our college tab with the appropriate story: Division I-A, I-AA, II, III or NAIA.

 

We do stories on pretty much every kid in our area who is playing college football for our college tab.

 

A plea: Stay away from coach stuff. A Q&A with a coach? Who are you writing that for? Kids don't want to read about adults. And the main reason for high school coverage is to get kids to read the paper and maybe prolong this dying industry a bit longer.
Seriously, though, coach stuff (particularly in gamers and previews) in my opinion shold be avoided.
Kids want to read about their classmates.

 

I guess I don't really understand this. For high school tabs, who do you talk to for team preview/scouting report? The kids? Are you gonna ask the kids about what the offense is going to be like this year or what changes in the defense the team is making? Are you going to ask the kids about a conference preview? That sounds like coach territory to me.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding your point, but it sounds like you don't want any input from the coach, which seems odd to me. I was just asking if anyone had tried a Q & A format with the coach because it would save time and I thought maybe people would be more interested to hear what the team's coach has to say about the team/conference than reading a reporter's story about the team.

Also, kids aren't footing the bill for the subscription. I can't tell if that was supposed to be a joke or not... one of those things that get lost over the computer.

 

i get what rambler is saying, and i agree mostly.

coaches at these schools have often times been there a long time. they get quoted in story after story. every single game and year. people don't really want to hear what they have to say all that much. it won't be anything they haven't heard before.

people would rather read what these kids have to say because in our communities they are flashes in the pan and they're gone. some gone off to bigger and better things. then, if they're successful, you can look back in 10 years and say i remember when he said "blah blah blah" in the local paper.

i try to use a kid's insight over a coach's whenever i can. sometimes they just parrot what the coach would say anyway. but it's also a worthwhile challenge to get them out of their shells, too.

that said, you can't cut off all communication with coaches. what if you're doing a story on releaguing? or the 10-year history of the lack of postseason success. or a profile of a coach who's turned a perennial losing team into a powerhouse. these would all involve coaches and you'd need them as valuable sources.

as for q&a's with a coach. i'd do it if it was a former nfl player or bigtime college guy who was in his first year taking over the local program. but if it's just the history teacher who's been there five years, i'll pass.

 

OK, I agree with that. That's very true.

But I've had coaches be much more honest with me about the team, its chances, its players, its opponents, etc., than players.

You're right, people probably are more interested in hearing what the kid has to say. But as far as getting good information, coaches have been better to talk to in my experience.

 

what we are doing is having a position by position breakdown on both sides of the ball with a coach's quote for each position. then turning that into a story for online. then on each team page, along with bullteted info, have a player profille.