No rosters at a high school football game

Yeah, we've got one like that at one of our better schools, and it's fantastic. Your best situation is a school where somebody takes it upon themselves to be the "SID" for the school and really takes pride in their game programs.

 

Had a friend who once did that in his boxscores.

Which is how Nick Papageorgio ran for three yards in a first round playoff game once.

 

Last night I got a program at the gate. The home team roster was good to go. The visitors ... not so much.

They provided LAST YEAR'S roster.

 

I've lucked out big time in this department...

Our paper covers one of the least competitive districts in the state -- at least in terms of non-section success -- yet we have a VOLUNTEER website (mainly football and basketball stuff) loaded with team rosters, stat leaders, nightly updates, archive section, etc.

Obviously, it's a huge help. Kudos to the folks who aren't as fortunate (then again, I'm barely pulling down $15K :-\).

Anyone have a similar resource in their area?

 

Our paper this season went to the time and trouble of gathering rosters for every team it covers even loosely (100+ teams) and putting them on our Web site.

It was a ton of work, but it's an absolute Godsend if you need rosters for a team you don't normally cover. All you have to do is go to that team's page on our site and it's right there to print out. ;D

 

FRANK: Let me understand, you got the hen, the chicken and the rooster. The rooster goes with the chicken. So, who's having sex with the hen?

GEORGE: Why don't we talk about it another time.

FRANK: But you see my point here? You only hear of a hen, a rooster and a chicken. Something's missing!

MRS. ROSS: Something's missing all right.

MR. ROSS: They're all chickens. The rooster has sex with all of them.

FRANK: That's perverse.


Oh, you're talking about rosters, not roosters. Nevermind. ;D

 

If you do get rosters in advance, be sure to double check with the coaches before the game.

Maybe there was a JV callup or they have different numbers for home and road jerseys.

 

I was in this situation last night. This is a real preppy school, but the game got moved earlier this week and they couldn't put the program together in time.

We have a really small coverage area (read I'm the only reporter), so it's usually no problem to take the announcer's after the game.

 

Absolutely a necessity. Most of the programs have rosters that were printed when the season began. I covered a team's opener this weekend and there were already 4-5 name/number changes.

 

I get cranky.

But not until after the game.

On Monday, I would call both ADs to tell them of the problem and to see what we can do about having rosters the next weel. (Assuming the visiting team is local).

If I have to, I will go to the principal. It's the ADs job.

I also save rosters from week to week and trade them with other reporters.

The first thing I do when I get there is tracking down someone on each team with "The Clue," usually an assistant coach I covered when he played) and find out about the changes.

(OK this is what I did when I was cocered high scool football.

 

That's not necessarily true. Providing media information is not listed in the job description of most high school athletic directors. Their responsibility is to see to scheduling in regards to the school and its students. Sometimes an assistant principal or coach is assigned that task, sometimes a clerk or secretary, sometimes no one at all. Most schools only deal with two or three media outlets, and many rural schools many not see anyone other than the editor/ad director/sportswriter from the local weekly all year.

Here is what I've told every reporter who has ever worked for me: Getting the roster is your responsibility. Getting the stats is your responsibility. Getting it right is your responsibility. Come back to the office without the correct information, it's your ass.

Will I call an AD or principal if they make my guy's job more difficult? Absolutely. But schedules, rosters and stats are basic reporting. Do your job. Sometimes that means you have to do quite a bit of clerical work. Tough. Welcome to the biz.

When I was still a ground-pounder, I would show up with a schedule when possible, buy a program and still hit the press box 45 minutes to an hour prior to the game to double-check the announcer's roster. I've copied entire rosters for both teams many times. I prevented a fair number of errors taking that approach.

 

If I can't get one by conventional means (buying a program) I'll borrow the PA guy's copy and type it at halftime. Real convenient, and takes a lot less time than if I wrote them out by hand, and since I work from the press box (I know, another thread) I really never have to worry about it.