A Year In Review…And What’s Next

2012 rivaled 1999 for the best year of my writing life. Okay, rivaled isn’t the correct term. Blew 1999 out of the water would be more appropriate. 1999 was the year I won a national haiku competition and was named editor of my school newspaper. 2012 was the year where I had a story picked up by the national media, got to write my first NFL piece and picked up a bunch of new beats.

I think we can all agree that 1999 has been trumped.

I wrote several pieces this year that I’ll be proud of for years to come. These were pieces that reaffirmed that my “double life” of part-time writing, full-time administrating is absolutely worth it. Here they are, in chronological order.

Media Roundup: New England’s Remaining Small Market Sports Radio Stations Serve Unique Audiences – SBNation Boston, January

To All The 9-12 Year Old Girls in Baltimore Monday (From A Buffalo Fan Who Has Been There) – Personal blog, January

Doctor By Day, Lacrosse Pro By Night – SBNation Boston, July

Motivation Comes Super Sized for Flaherty  –Boston Herald, September

Lacrosse Aids Yeatman, Hogan In NFL Quest – Inside Lacrosse, September

Kids thrilled to ‘play ball’ – Boston Herald, November

Fitting fine with the Crimson: Jillian Dempsey – New England Hockey Journal, December

Former Husky Rylan embraces new grind – New England Hockey Journal, December

What will 2013 bring? I have some goals I’ll be working on.

I hope that 2013 brings my writing in a few new markets. I’m querying some figure skating publications to fulfill a childhood dream and to hopefully position myself well to cover the 2014 US Figure Skating Championships in Boston for a media outlet. I also would like to break into a few publications in my hometown of Rochester, NY. Also, now that I’m a proud car owner, I’m hoping my writing allows me to travel a bit more around New England.

In addition, I used the second part of 2012 to work on my speaking skills. Blog readers saw some of my practice through a series of videos I posted this summer. I did a lot more work offline as well. I know how to better prepare for a video or radio appearance, what words will always trip me up, and how to not look or sound like a deer in the headlights. I’m hoping that 2013 brings some chances for me to use what I’ve practiced. (If you need someone to talk for a few minutes about high school gymnastics, college lacrosse, men’s or women’s college hockey or anything else, please consider me!)

Lastly, I’m going to write more about social media. I’ve been doing social media management for several years, and many of those who purport to be social media “gurus” are writing material that really (to quote Peter Griffin) grinds my gears. I want to counter the so-called “social media” gospel they’re proselytizing with reality.

Those are some lofty goals for 2013, but nothing that is completely out of my reach. I know if I continue to get support like I have in 2012, so much is possible. Let’s see what I can get done in 2013. Thank you all for your support and feedback – I take it all in and appreciate the time that you share with me.

Happy New Year!