Bad news always leads. The sports world is no exception to that journalistic axiom.
Working at a weekly newspaper or small daily newspapers my entire 37-year journalistic career, I’ve looked at sports news differently. I take what my parents always told us to heart — see the good in all people. I’ve tried to see the good in all situations when I’m recounting the game story even in losses.
It’s not as if I grew up with only hearing good news. I realize the bad news also has to be told. Reading the Kansas City Star and Topeka Capital-Journal were staples in my family along with having the national news on at 5:30 p.m. each night on the television and the local — usually out of Kansas City metro area — each night.
We were not sheltered from the bad news. I just learned along the way as I worked toward becoming the best community journalist as I could to find the good in the story. During my years in elementary and high school, our athletic teams did not have a great deal of success. It was tough losing games as bad as we did.
My parents always pointed out good things which happened in the games to my brothers who played and to the rest of us who were on the sideline cheering. I have to report a team lost a game, but always lean toward the positives of the players’ performance. No one sets out to lose. Players and coaches practice to win and play to win.
Newton High football players had a tough go of it at Fort Dodge. The team played hard. The Cardinals moved the football, but had a couple of potential scoring drives stall out. Defensively, the Cardinals were never really settled into their normal flow, and the Dodgers took full advantage.
The loss hurt. Newton’s players were emotional afterward. They also resolved to work hard to be better in their next game.
After the football game, I came back to Newton on Saturday to see Newton High’s volleyball team have a pretty good day on its home court. The Cardinals have had an up-and-down season — more losses than wins.
On Saturday, the Cardinal volleyball players showed their mettle, going 4-1 and finishing second only to Class 4A top-ranked Pella. They battled back from deficits. They scrambled to save balls in play to score a point or keep a rally going.
They came back on Tuesday at home for Senior Night and played well again. The Cardinals lost to 14th-ranked Norwalk in three sets, but they were able to walk off the court knowing they gave it their all.
Newton/Colfax-Mingo/Pella’s Aquagirls, or as we know it as NCMP, have a smaller swim team this season, but they still do things the Aquagirl Way. Little things matter and the girls practice just as hard and compete just as hard this season, even though the team isn’t winning as many events or duals as in the past.
They swim to win. When the wins don’t come, the Aquagirls see they are improving with drops in times. They have two conference meets this season — the North Central Iowa Conference, which NCMP has won the team title four straight years, is Oct. 22. With the addition of Indianola to the Little Hawkeye Conference, there are four LHC girls’ swimming teams — NCMP, Indianola, Oskaloosa and Grinnell. Indianola will host the LHC meet on Oct. 18.
There’s always plenty of good news to spread. I like leading with it.
Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
jsheets@newtondailynews.com