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Outdoors Activities

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by SCEditor, Feb 6, 2009.

  1. Inky_Wretch

    Inky_Wretch Well-Known Member

    The thing about an "Outdoors" page us that you can get away with sticking just about anything on it.

    Find somebody building a cabin. During deer season, do a story about life in deer camp. Hell, find some old guys in a horseshoe league or kids playing Ultimate or frolf.

    AP had a good OUT feature for this weekend on a guy who advocates running barefoot ala Zola Budd.
     
  2. SixToe

    SixToe Well-Known Member

    Not necessarily. It needs to be compelling in some way, just like any other story competing for space that is going away.

    Hiking 4.3 miles to Peter's Point to watch the sunset isn't compelling. Writing the "first time I've been camping" column is trite. Finding an 82-year old grandmother who has hiked the 4.3 miles to Peter's Point an average of 260 days a year the last 20 years is interesting.

    Throwing everything on an "outdoors" page and using it as a catch-all also isn't good IMO. At some point you cross the line between things considered to be outdoors and recreation. Once you get into a "recreation" page you're risking a slippery slope of youth sports edging on the page. Then you're screwed.

    The problem, if you want to call it that, is deciding what is 'outdoors' and what is 'recreation.' Just because golf is played outdoors doesn't mean it belongs on a page with a deer hunter's 6-point and the local canoe club whiz kid.
     
  3. Inky_Wretch

    Inky_Wretch Well-Known Member

    I can see your point with that. My ill-worded post last night was, basically, my attempt at saying "Don't limit yourself to just hunting and fishing."
     
  4. SixToe

    SixToe Well-Known Member

    Limiting yourself can be bad, unless you limit yourself to redheads or brunettes.

    ;D
     
  5. Pilot

    Pilot Well-Known Member

    If you write the outdoors page for your paper and don't use it to do all sorts of crap you wouldn't get to do otherwise, you're really missing out.

    Do a feature on local businesses that are in that field. I live in the mountains so that gives me a ton of options and feature topics, but there has to be some where you live as well. Do stuff on fitness, i.e. how to get in shape for a marathon or a triathlon. Or go rafting with a local company and feature that company, or find some out of the way, not so popular trail or bike path, ride it and write about it. You don't need to put yourself in every story, but use that page to give other people ideas of things to get out and do.

    An outdoors page done well can be a fantastic way to get out of the office.
     
  6. micke77

    micke77 Member

    i'd work in as much running type of stories...5ks and marathons are huge in our area and i think that falls into the outdoor sports department or, at the least, what we sometimes call "outdoor adventure" sports...
    we also have a lot of "fun run" type of events...maybe a mile run, yet also a mile walk for those who don't care to run...
    and, oh, the triathlons and half-tris.
    mountainbiking is another thing to include..it seems to get bigger and bigger.
     
  7. Mark2010

    Mark2010 Active Member

    It reminds me of a question from a former news side colleague years ago about our outdoors page: "Why does every story have to revolve around killing something?" (fishing, hunting, etc.)

    I responded: "I've wondered the same thing about the metro section."
     
  8. Mediator

    Mediator Member

    We've also done stories on the number of places in our area you can mountain bike, fish, skateboard, kayak etc. Check with Audubon chapters as well.
    And outdoor stories are an opportunity to actually do whatever you write about. Like ice climbing, windsurfing, sailing, ultramarathons. (OK, maybe not the last one.) There are also issue stories, like local clubs helping with trail maintenance in an economic downturn, trying to push through funds to buy land for a park.

    There are opportunities to think outside the boundaries of a game or event when it comes to these stories.
     
  9. micke77

    micke77 Member

    I did a trail run several years ago. busted my ass getting into shape, etc., etc. and wound up getting a ribbon. better than the ribbon, though, was doing a column on going through the whole thing.
    Mark2010...i loved your reply to the newsroom person when asked about why everything on the outdoors page is about killing something.
    classic comeback.
     
  10. SCEditor

    SCEditor Active Member

    Thanks to all for your help. I certainly appreciate it.
     
  11. Mark2010

    Mark2010 Active Member

    Now that's really cool when you can take a local event and write a first-person column about it. Sadly, marathons, triathlons and even bicycle road races are somewhat out of my league.
     
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