OCVarsity writer Miguel A. Melendez: "The job can consume you and sometimes run your life." FILE PHOTO BY NICK KOON |
OCVarsity Voice: It's not all glitz, but it's not bad
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I got a call on Saturday afternoon from an eighth-grader who wanted to know what it was like to be a sportswriter for The Register.
I think I left him with the impression that reporters, particularly in sports, don’t have it all that bad.
Yes, it can be excruciating at times. It is 10:59 p.m. on Sunday night as I’m writing my first OCVarsity Voice piece and I’m taking meds for food poisoning and drinking lots of fluids.
I had been sleeping most of the day for hours at a time. And when I finally woke up, the lights dimmed and quiet in my apartment, I seriously had thought it was 2 or 3 a.m. I panicked a bit thinking the whole day had been wasted by me on the couch.
I’ll admit, I told the kid mostly good stuff about the life of a sportswriter.
Like getting great seats at Lakers games and eating Dodger Dogs, provided to the press in the fourth inning at Dodger games.
But the job can consume you and sometimes run your life.
The first thing that came to mind when I woke up wasn’t the meds or the water I needed to drink.
What came to mind was what time I was leaving this morning from my house to pick up the tennis brackets at the CIF office; the subject I would focus on for my Tuesday notebook; and how I would get a bigger picture of Canyon freshman Denis Nguyen, this week’s athlete of the week.
I guess I shouldn’t complain about how I’ll handle Wednesday: cover tennis around 3 p.m. then head to Staples Center for Game 2 between the Jazz and Lakers. To most people, that’s a problem they’d love to have.
And though I technically have the weekend off, I’ll likely also be at Dodger Stadium for the Houston series on Saturday and Sunday.
That, of course, will only happen if I’m feeling better.
As a high school reporter and Web-only reporter I get to enjoy a little bit of everything; the humble high school kids who maybe one day will make it big in the pros; and also mingling with the pros for my articles that are exclusively on our Web site.
It’s not all glitz and glamour but it beats actual work like construction workers; people who do hard labor. My hat’s off to them.
And on that note, I’ll stop complaining.
Contact the writer: mmelendez@ocregister.com
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