Jan. 2, 2013 — Change.
As has been since the dawn of time, our world is full of it, wreaking havoc on our emotions, our relationships and ultimately our lives.
It is also a reality that we cannot escape it.
And so, with a heavy heart, I break to you in this final ‘In The Post’, an unrelenting circumstance of change that has presented itself in my life.
This will be my final column as sports editor for The Olive Hill Times and Grayson Journal-Enquirer. A perfect storm of an opportunity for change, a change that I believe will ultimately serve as a beneficial decision to the betterment of my life, brought me to a crossroads, hence this final column being written.
My decision to depart has not been an easy one, and here’s why.
Attending these past couple of high school basketball games, which you see on this front page, I have realized just how fulfilling this past year of my life has been. My community’s high school sports have not just been my job…it’s been my very being.
As many of you know, I am a Carter County boy and former athlete. Though I wore maroon and white in high school, I can say with absolute certainty that I have come to mix Raider blue and Comet maroon into a truly neutral color on the journalistic palette.
Olive Hill, Grayson, West or East, it doesn’t matter, I know that you all are my people, and I am grateful you allowed me the opportunity to bring you all the latest and greatest of Carter County sports.
High quality sports coverage has been my goal since I first accepted the full-time position as sports writer for this publication last December.
Was I able to deliver this? In the end, this is ultimately your analysis, and as a person who has made a living analyzing sports, I can respect your opinions.
As with any departure, there comes painful goodbyes, and in this occasion, there also comes thanks.
I would like to thank the coaches, student athletes, administrators, coworkers and all those whose eyes have ran across the words in this sports section. You helped make my life as a local ‘sports guy’ gratifying, and I will certainly never forget it.
This was not just a sports section to me, it was my sports section, and now I pass the torch on to another, one who I am sure will bring the same amount of enthusiasm and care to its pages.
No matter where my journeys may take me, or what changes may come my way, I will always be a good old boy from Carter County.
Here’s to new beginnings.
Thank you.
Grant Stevens can be reached at gstevens@journal-times.com or by telephone at 1-800-247-6142.
