Bryce Derouin sits on press row during Chassell's state title run. (Jason Juno/Daily Globe)

Days before I would walk for graduation at Grand Valley State, I had to do a preview story on the men’s basketball team as GVSU prepared to play Michigan State in an exhibition game. So I met with coach Ric Wesley for one of our usual meetings, and once he was done singing the praises of Gary Harris and Adreian Payne, we talked about life things — mostly my plans for after college. This went on for more than a half hour, but his advice centered around the idea that no matter how much you had things planned out, chances are that you’d end up on a path you’d never see yourself going down. 

And he was right, because there was no way in hell I thought I’d ever live in Houghton, Michigan. 

In fact, two weeks before I took this job, I remember saying, “I don’t know why anyone would live in Houghton. It snows. It’s cold. It’s the only place in the U.P. where basketball isn’t the top sport in the winter. And it snows.” 

Then the sports editor position at the Daily Mining Gazette became open, and I proceeded to have three of the most exciting and fulfilling years of my life. But now it’s time for me to take on a new challenge and venture down another direction I never foresaw for myself. 

Even as a child, I had some understanding of the importance of newspapers, even if it was just the sports section. I would always pull the sports out of the middle of the paper and throw the news to the side, scan the front page before quickly turning to 2B and look for the MLB standings and scores from yesterday. Then, I would check if the Cubs won — if so, great. And since the Cubs were usually bad in my childhood, it was onto checking the GB column (games back from first), which was usually in the teens by early June. 

As I went through elementary and junior high school, following the Bark River-Harris teams in the paper became a daily ritual. In our young eyes, the local athletes were heroes, and it was the newspaper where we could go to read about their accomplishments. If someone made the paper, it was a big deal and could be talked about for days. 

That kind of excitement was still prevalent when I began my prep playing career. During pre-game warmups, I would scan the gym or field for a reporter to see if we were getting full coverage for our game. And on the next day, we would take extra trips to walk by the school office to see if the paper arrived so we could be the first to read it. Eventually, with the emergence of the online edition, we would spend each morning going to a computer and continually hitting refresh on the sports page in hopes we could read the article before the paper came to the school.

But my favorite story about newspapers in the U.P. came from Carney-Nadeau. If the kids from the small basketball-proud town saw a reporter at their game, it would be a madhouse in class the next day when the paper came. So much so, that the teacher would have to stop class so the kids could read the article and pass it around, because there was no point in carrying on when their frenetic attention was on reading the recap.

It was my own experience and hearing stories like the one at Carney-Nadeau that made covering sports in the U.P. an unforgettable experience. Besides the unpredictable weather, the go-to conversation topic you could always count on to hear was about how the local team was looking for the upcoming season. What kind of reporter wouldn’t relish the opportunity to work at a place with that kind of passionate readership?

I saw the same type of excitement for preps in the Copper Country, while also learning more about a section of the U.P. that was otherwise foreign to me. Houghton and Calumet showed me what top-tier volleyball looks like. I actually enjoy watching hockey now, which is something anyone who knew me three years ago would never think I would type. And despite the negative stigma, I saw how there is good basketball up here with plenty of talented athletes — something the rest of the U.P. also found out this past year.

I also can’t forget about my time covering Michigan Tech. Tom Kearly delivered some of the best postgame quotes, including one time when I asked how he was feeling following a win after health issues forced him to miss the previous week’s game, and he replied, “Well, I probably won’t be going to the club tonight.” Talking football, baseball and every other sport with Steve Olson was also an enjoyable conversation. 

Weekly meetings with Kevin Luke were always a treat; anyone who has spoken with him understands what I mean. The women’s basketball team gave me the challenge of making each blowout story unique, thanks to Tech’s usual dominance on its home court.

I can’t go on without thanking the people that helped deliver the best sports section on a daily basis. Eden Laase is the best feature writer the U.P. has seen, and as her editor, it was always interesting to see what new things she could find about her subject and write in her own poetic way. Plus, for someone who never wrote about hockey before, she covered the Michigan Tech hockey beat in a thorough way befitting of a big-market publication.

For anyone who has liked the photography, that credit goes to Jason Juno of the Daily Globe and George Leinonen. If we weren’t using Juno’s photos at events we were covering, it was him giving me photog and camera tips to get the most out of my photos. Leinonen gave me the same advice and also helped with the process of editing the colors so they could look their best in the paper. 

We couldn’t have had extensive coverage without the help of Daver Karnosky and Paul Peterson, both who helped with my transition to the area with their local knowledge. 

I’d also like to shout out the prep coaches I’ve been able to meet. In addition to the interviews, talking off the record about teams, athletes and sports in general was always a great way for me to learn more about them and their teams. I enjoyed those conversations. Also, thank you to the ones who consistently sent in game results so I didn’t have to deal with questions the next day like, “Why wasn’t the game in the paper?” 

My sports writing days are still not finished. The plan is to still cover U.P. sports, but my days of a full-time editor are over. I’m proud to have served an area that will always have a special meaning to me, no matter where I end up.