BY JOSHUA BALL
I’ve written sports off and on (mostly on) for more than 25 years. At the age of 15, a chance encounter with a substitute teacher at the former Sheldon Clark High School turned into what would be an opportunity of a lifetime. That is when I went to work as a sportswriter at the Mountain Citizen.
For me, writing games is a craft that has lost its place in the hustle and bustle of instant news, smartphones, and the Internet. I’ve witnessed it firsthand over the decades. When I first got into the newspaper business, I was given a roll of film and a time to meet a runner to pick up my film at halftime. If the chemicals were right, I had a nice set of film negatives to browse through when I got back.
Fast forward to today, photos are digital and phones have taken the place of most cameras.
Ok, let’s get off that soapbox.
So, what’s an old, has-been scribe (that’s a writer for you young ones reading) doing writing elementary school games?
It started with an idea. For more than a decade, I was occasionally freelancing for the Ashland Daily Independent. I covered some great high school teams, but because of the demands and travel of my full-time job, the opportunities to cover a game were slim to none.
I’ve missed it. The thrill of the game, the telling of the story, and the adrenaline of a deadline. You know, that down-to-the-wire clash that ends with a game-winning score and you have minutes to put it into words. That’s the art of it. One that the greats like the late Ronnie Hickman (Mountain Citizen), Rick Bentley (Appalachian News-Express), Ed Taylor (Floyd County Times), Teddy Paynter (Williamson Daily News, the Medical Leader, and MountainTop Media), the late Tim Bostic (Salyersville Independent and Williamson Daily News), and Jim Van Zant (Williamson Daily News) perfected decades ago.
That leads me here. Home. Back to my roots. Writing elementary school tournament games. Highlighting the carefree spirit of boys and girls playing for nothing more than the joy of the game.
Over time, I’ll be making trips (when invited and my schedule permits) to cover elementary games and tournaments across the area. I’ll give these games the same focus and flare as the big boys and girls. Quotes, boxscores, and the occasional column or sidebar. I’ll donate my time and allow publications, like this one, to use the stories for free.
So, with that, if you have a big game or tournament coming up, drop me a line on Facebook or by email at ball.joshua@yahoo.com and I’ll make every effort to drop by — with my notepad and pen in hand.
Moving on…
What is the EKEBC? The East Kentucky Elementary Basketball Conference is the brainchild of Sara Kise, the principal at Fallsburg Elementary School in Lawrence County. She was talking with Paintsville High School girls’ basketball coach Les Trimble about elementary sports in general and the lack of a post-season.
That chat formed the EKEBC with founding members Fallsburg, Louisa East, and Blaine in Lawrence County, Inez, Warfield, and Eden in Martin County, and Paintsville. The inaugural girls’ season kicked off in the Fall and was a big success.
As the population has declined across the region, schools have had to close or consolidate. That has taken away many long-standing rivalries, as well as the grander of county tournaments. In an effort of full disclosure, I am a Warfield Elementary School graduate (two-time fifth-grade graduate). I’m a Red Devil through and through, although I will be neutral in my coverage.
Plans are to grow the league to other Eastern Kentucky counties, giving teams more competition, more games, and large tournament atmospheres like this.
This week’s first boys’ tournament will crown an A, B, and C team winner.
I’ll be covering all the A-team games and will write all three championship games on Saturday.
As Aerosmith put it: I’m back in the saddle again, hoping I don’t fall and break my hip.
Swing by and say hi.
See ya at the games…