July 23, 2009

2009 USGA Girls' Junior Championship

Enjoy the sights from the 2009 USGA Girls' Junior Championship at Trump National Golf Club, in Bedminster, N.J. These photos are of Karen Chung competing match play against Ginger Howard. Keep an eye open for Ginger's adorable little brothers, Donald Trump's Rolls Royce, Karen's very sweet cousins who came out to watch, and the really, really awesome golf head cover in Karen's bag.

The younger fans had fun today, too!


View from the clubhouse... not bad.











This is R.J. He's six-years-old, almost seven. He is a good dancer, can do cartwheels and likes being a big brother. I know this because he told me.

Karen's cousins came out to see her play. They were wonderfully sweet and kept me company while walking the back nine. I wish them well in their college endeavors!


What a swing. What a course.


Mr. Howard watched every swing like it was his own. He was almost as fun to watch as Karen and Ginger were!




Ginger had some monsterous drives today. Her swing is so powerful. It was beautiful!



The 14th green on the New Course.

This was just such a neat event, I felt it needed photo documentation. These photos are from Thursday, July 23rd, when the "sweet 16" and "elite 8" were determined. Friday, the golfers will play 36 holes to determine the final four and the championship pairings, and Saturday will be 36 holes for all of the marbles.

Most of us would deem 36 holes of golf in one day to be quite the vacation, but for these kids, this is work. A lot of physical and mental preparation goes into these rounds, and in match play, the level of aggressive play is multiplied.

Karen Chung, 14, of Livingston, is the last New Jersey golfer in the field. She was runner-up at last year's competition (as a 13-year-old), to Alexis Thompson of Florida, who is also still in the field. She played against Ginger Howard today, who she beat in the first round last year.

I would like to say a big thank you to the Chung and Howard families for letting me photograph their daughters during the round. It was absolutely a blast getting to know the families! Also, thanks to the USGA and Trump National Golf Course for being such gracious hosts- this is a once-in-a-lifetime event!

July 21, 2009

No Rest for the Wicked

So maybe it took me until a few days ago to realize I hadn't blogged since... oh... five months ago. Oops. I guess it's a good thing that life has kept me busy enough to forget to write.


Some exciting things have been happening since February, especially in my work-life.


I took on the Central New Jersey high school golf beat for our newspapers, which was a challenge and a whole lot of fun.


Sometimes, the worst part of being a sports writer is interviewing high school kids. They're shy and unable to express themselves in anything more complex than one syllable answers. Luckily for me, this was not the case with most of my golfers.


Both the boys and girls were polite, articulate and genuinely excited to be playing their chosen sport. What a treat.


My job was also made easier by the fact that the girl's state champions and the boy's state third place teams were in my coverage area (actually, the same school). And no one won more than one major tournament during the season, so we had features and photos of at least a half dozen deserving golfers over the course of the season.


Which brings me to today. I'm sitting in a den of a mansion formerly owned by the creator of the DeLorean car (and supposedly Mike Tyson), which happens to be dark green and decorated to look much like Don Corleone's office in "The Godfather."


The reason I'm sitting under chandeliers this morning is because it is day two of the 62nd USGA Junior Amateur Championship and the 61st Girls' Junior Championship Tournaments. Hosted by Trump National Golf Club (yes, that Trump), which happens to be in the proverbial back yard of Somerset County, there are 312 boys and girls playing 18 holes of golf in the rain, trying to add their names to an amazing list of golfers who have won this tournament before.


Tiger Woods was a three-time champion. Nancy Lopez took home the trophy.


Even more recent winners have had success. Last year's Girls' champion, Alexis Thompson, made the cut at the Women's U.S. Open a few weeks ago. Did I mention she's 14 years old?


This is an amazing experience. Not only am I enjoying the views of the most beautiful golf course (and clubhouse) I've ever seen, but I'm meeting the future of professional golf AND the USGA staffers who put it all together.


Turns out, the lead media contact for the Girls' tournament spent time in Indiana and worked for ABC's Indy Car broadcast team, in the same position I had last summer. To say it's a small world is really an understatement.


You can check out my work on the Championship at http://www.mycentraljersey.com/.


But this is how my spring has gone- lots of good luck, tempered with a few minor let-downs, but mostly a great experience.


This includes covering Martin Brodeur breaking the all-time win record for goalies, and the Devils' ridiculous melt-down in the final 1:20 of game seven in the first round of the playoffs. It includes surviving a round of layoffs to go on and have three front page/front section stories run the next week. It includes setting myself up to break a state-wide story on girls' golf, only to be thwarted by the evil, omnipotent Newark Star-Ledger (I kid- most of the folks at the Ledger are great people. It just so happens the paper is "in bed" with the N.J. high school sports association, so they get everything first).


You take the good with the bad in this business, just like any other. Sometimes the bad is even more frustrating than usual, but only because the good is so good, the "high" is way too hard to come down from.
My friend Michelle Kenneth, of http://www.insidehockey.com/, snapped this picture of Brodeur during his press conference after win number 552. And yes, that's my head poking out from behind Rich Chere (of the Star-Ledger. of course) and next to Eric Marin of http://devils.nhl.com/. Michelle was kind enough to share this with me, a moment of my own minute glory in the midst of all that Brodeur and the Devils were celebrating.
I'm right there. You may not notice me, but I'm right there.

February 24, 2009

Coming Back and Moving Forward

When the going gets tough, the tough go home.
That's what I did last weekend, although going home meant going back to Indiana (which really doesn't count as home, but was close enough).
Frustrated by the state of my career and the state of my social life on the East Coast, the 11 hour drive back to Indianapolis was a welcomed break from breaking my neck for a job.
The sight of campus, the familiar path leading to the off-campus housing, the open arms (and floodlights) waiting for us. It was a confidence boost like no other.
New surroundings are exciting and I love an adventure, but the familiarity of Indianapolis was comforting. I felt like a big fish in a little pond compared to the overwhelming nature of the East Coast.
Spending time with friends and family was just the jump start I needed to refocus on landing a good gig. No more sitting around and pitying myself - my clip book is updated, the Devils blog has reached the 400 hit mark (yay and thank you!), and I've got a renewed confidence in my ability to perform as a journalist.
Not to mention knowing the healing powers of eight of your best friends around the breakfast table, laughing until the tears are from joy rather than absence. I highly recommend Breakfast Club for what ails you.
So as the months keep moving forward, and the East Coast creates new memories and hopefully new opportunities, I'll have this past weekend with loved ones to look back on fondly and remind me of where I come from and what I've already achieved. I've never been so thankful to be in the state of Indiana.
So watch out New Jersey, you don't scare me anymore.

January 16, 2009

Disappointing Start

When I started "Make Yourself," I was hoping to chronicle the meteoric rise of my writing/television career. I expected some ups and downs, and up until this point, have decided to only write about the ups. But in the current state of my career, the economy and journalism itself, there really is no good news to report.

First, I must confess that I have interviewed for two positions with the broadcast team for the 2009 IRL race season. I interviewed in October, and was told I would know my fate by Thanksgiving. The week after Turkey Day, I received word that one of the positions was filled, but I was in line for the other. I have not heard word from them since.

There are several reasons for my discouragement. First, I REALLY wanted to rejoin the IRL crew, and I knew I could do a great job in either position. Second, I interviewed with people I had already worked with, built a relationship with, and I have not received the courtesy of a "we gave it to someone else" call.

I've stretched out hope and anticipation for three months, not telling nary a soul other than those I live with and those I asked for advice. So I come clean, disappointed but honest.
***

Another indicator of the downturn my industry has taken, The Gannett company, for whom I am currently working, has decided to forgo first quarter layoffs in 2009 in return for "furloughs."

No, Gannett is not giving us a week of vacation to get tattoos and sleep around, as one of my co-workers put it. We are required to take a week without pay sometime between now and the end of March. This may not seem like a big deal, which it isn't in comparison to layoffs, but the way journalists are paid, many people count on every cent in their paycheck.

To be forced to go a week without pay is disheartening more than anything, for my situation. Nothing says Dead End Job like "We can't pay you." Top to bottom, Gannett is enforcing the furloughs. But the question remains, after the end of the first quarter, will our jobs be safe even then?
***
A year ago, I was working for The Brazil Times in Indiana. I was full time, with a flexible schedule and an excellent work environment. Sure, there were issues with that job (the 75-mile one-way commute non-withstanding), but it was solid.

I moved to New Jersey to be with my fiance, with the thought that finding a full-time position would be easier now that I had a full time job on my resume.

What this move has turned into is me working three part-time jobs, not being able to put my whole heart and soul into any of them, and reducing my fiance to a person who I see before bed and when I wake up.

I don't regret it, but I am very frustrated, like many other Americans, that I am a willing, intelligent, motivated person looking for a full time job with a less-than-first-year-teacher pay, and there is nothing out there for me.

How am I supposed to pay for a wedding? How am I supposed to keep my fiance around long enough to plan a wedding? And how long am I supposed to wait for the self-respect that comes along with being a full-time employee?

It's inauguration week, and while the nation is brimming with the hope that President-Elect Barack Obama can make his changes, I am less than hopeful that things will change soon for me.

Don't worry, I'm not giving up - it's just nice to vent every once in a while.

January 9, 2009

A New Venture

Friends, family and loyal readers:
I've taken on a new venture for my hockey-loving writing development.
I'm now writing a New Jersey Devils specific blog at www.devilsmademedoit.com.
Visit. Often.
I receive proceeds from the advertisers for every hit the website receives. So visit. Often.
Thank you as always for you support as I continue my quest to be paid to watch sporting events.

January 8, 2009

A New Jersey Driver Resolution

As a child of Wisconsin winters, I feel I've practiced enough to claim I am a decent bad-weather driver. Living in Indianapolis for five years, where plowing remains a mystery and an odd chemical spray is used instead of salt, I thought I had seen the worst of winter drivers.
And then I experienced driving through two inches of snow in New Jersey.
I would like to suggest some winter driving do's and don't's for the Jersey population to limit the driving delays, injuries and deaths, and to limit my road rage.

DO leave early!
An extra five or ten minutes will give you ample time to take it easy on the road. If you're late, you're late. I would assume that most employers would understand. So unless someone is dying or giving birth, leave early and take your time.

DON'T be Weavy McWeaverson
Along the same lines as taking ones time, there is absolutely no need to be weaving in and out of traffic when there is snow, slush or freezing rain on the road. If you think traffic is bad now, wait until you see how bad it gets when you cause a multiple-car pile up by cutting someone off. By being patient (gasp!) and giving other drivers enough room, traffic will move more smoothly in general and fewer people will go off the road yelling profanities and waving gestures out the window.

DO learn how to control a skid
I was surprised to learn, through a respectable top area radio program, that most New Jersey drivers do not know how to control a skid or fishtailing. Before I had my permanent license, my parents took me to a church parking lot and told me to stop suddenly on an icy patch. I did so, felt the loss of control, and learned to turn in to the skid, not against. If you visualize your wheels while this is happening, it makes sense. Knowing this skill is vital to avoiding crashes. Learn it, do it, teach your kids.

DON'T tailgate!
This may seem obvious, but tailgating during icy conditions is even more dangerous than on dry, smooth, clear pavement. Apparently this is not the thought of the average Jersey driver. Tailgating, especially on bridges or freeway ramps is idiotic. You will not force the driver in front of you to go any faster than they feel is safe in the weather, and if you rear end someone, it is your fault, no matter how slow they are going. Bridges and ramps freeze first. If you can read, you'd know that by the big yellow signs on the side of the road. So back off and give cars and trucks space, especially on tight curves and ramps.

DO lose the attitude
Winter driving sucks. It sucks for me, it sucks for you, it sucks for everyone. So do not pretend that you are the only driver on the road who needs to get somewhere quickly. We all need to get somewhere quickly, that's why we have cars and not horse-drawn carriages. Getting all angry at slower traffic, tailgating people and generally having an attitude is not going to help you at all. So drop the attitude. Seriously.

DON'T go 15 miles an hour in a 55 mph zone
The same local radio program refers to winter weather traffic as "Snowpocalypse." I did not realize this was the truth until I got behind a car going 15 mph in a 55 mph zone on a major highway. If one wants to go 5-10 mph under the speed limit during inclement weather, that is not only acceptable, but safe. Speed limits are configured for best driving conditions, not worst. But it is not safer to go 15 in a 55mph. In fact, it is more dangerous, because people are going to have to slam on their brakes behind you, possibly causing skids they may not know how to get out of, and cutting off other drivers they did not give enough room to. If you are so uncomfortable driving in snow or icy conditions, then stay home. Do not make it worse for the responsible drivers out there. You could probably walk where you're going faster than driving 15 mph anyways.
DON'T buy into the lie that SUV's are safer
Four wheel drive is great in a foot of snow, but it doesn't make you any safer on ice. SUV's are more likely to spin out and tip over due to their height than sedans or vans. If you drive an SUV, you are not invincible. Take it easy like the rest of us.
I hope a little bit of Midwestern knowledge and common sense sticks somewhere in the East Coast collective. If not, I'm buying a dog sled team before it snows again.