I
came to the Carroll County Times in the winter of 2012 as an eager, baby-faced 17-year-old who knew about sports and writing, but very little about sports writing.
Four-and-a-half years later, I'm a grizzled 22-year-old veteran. Or maybe that should be grizzly.
This has been my dream job since I was a child. I grew up browsing the Times sports section, reading the bylines (and Roundtable answers) of the likes of Bob Blubaugh, Pat Stoetzer, Josh Land and Aaron Wilson.
Little did I know, I'd eventually be working with all of them and learning more on the job than any high school or college journalism class could ever teach. (And that they wouldn't be nearly as funny in person. Just kidding, guys.)
I'm now leaving the Times after a great handful of years that have been memorable, enjoyable, and truly life-changing for me. I've met some of the best people through the Times, as well as from the interactions I've had within this community.
I was born and raised in Carroll County and have lived here all my life, outside of a three-month stay last summer in Phoenix, Arizona. So it will definitely be a period of change coming up as I return to live in Phoenix to again work as an intern with MLB.com covering the Arizona Diamondbacks.
But before I return to the desert, I wanted to take the time to reflect on the memories I made here at the Times, as well as thank those who showed me the ropes along the way.
One of the best things about working at the Times sports section has been the opportunities and the surprises. You never know quite what you're going to see when you go out to cover a game, whether it be high school or college — or, in older days, the Orioles and Ravens.
My first time in the press box at Camden Yards when I was still an intern? Josh Hamilton hit four home runs.
One of my first high school football games in the fall of 2012 when I was a relatively new part-timer? Westminster quarterback Deryk Kern matched a state record with seven touchdown passes.
And who could forget when I covered North Carroll boys soccer on its path to the Class 1A state championship? Twice.
Some of the sporting events I have seen during my time here will last in my memory forever, and I'll surely be re-telling those tales again, perhaps even decades from now.
It's truly been enjoyable covering the high school athletes in this county, especially since I've been a full-time preps reporter beginning last August. I never would have thought I would walk into a gymnasium and have a student section chant my name before a basketball game (thanks, South Carroll) or have a baseball dugout chant my Twitter handle (good job, Winters Mill).
I could bore you with countless stories of all the memorable games I've covered, and I wish I could tell you each and every one of them, but I promised myself that my goodbye column wouldn't be more than 2,000 words like a former sports editor who left me with a humongous pile of words to sift through one night on the copy desk.
That brings me to my closing thanks to the two people who are all but single-handedly responsible for my journalism career — Bob Blubaugh and Pat Stoetzer.
I interviewed with Bob near the end of my junior year of high school for an internship. He brought me on as a part-timer in June 2012 to work while I attended McDaniel College for four years. And during that time, his teachings were most valuable.
Bob has been a great mentor and friend over the past four-and-a-half years, and I will forever owe him for letting me get my foot in the journalism door.
And who better to learn about covering a beat and game coverage than the person who has likely covered more Carroll high school sporting events than anybody else?
Pat taught me a lot even before he became sports editor and started making the big money, and I also thank him for being a mentor and friend.
It's been fun, Carroll County. I'll be back plenty to visit family and friends.
And who knows, maybe I'll even check out a high school or McDaniel game one night when I return.
But first, it's time to get back to sweating through my shirts in Phoenix. Does anybody have any sunscreen I can borrow?
410-857-7875
twitter.com/JakeDRill
