A proper introduction

You have seen my name, read my words, scanned my section and maybe even met me in person — but all without a proper introduction from the one manning the sports desk for Yamhill County’s historic family newspaper.

My time with the News-Register has so far been brief, but an experience unlike any other.

I moved from the southwest — Flagstaff, Arizona, in specific — where I attended Northern Arizona University for four years, studying for a major in journalism and a minor in creative media and film. Northern Arizona was beautiful, an escape from the harsh desert heat that my body learned to love by the time high school athletics came about.

Baseball was my specialty, my first love, and there is little shade in the Sonoran Desert outside of flush mesquite trees and slim shadows cast by saguaros.

Of course, that was not really all, but the heat became less of a burden despite my vampiric pale skin.

Ajo, Arizona, was my home. Raised in an oasis in the state’s southernmost depths, an appreciation for rural life grew in my soul; one that resonates with me in my adventures around Yamhill County. The Copper News, a weekly paper that has been in existence since 1916, sparked my admiration for the broadsheet, piqued my interest in writing and expanded my curiosity about the business as a whole. My parents, both English teachers, may have had an impact as well.

Wherever I go, I feel that I carry the desert with me. The harshness, but also its beauty and serenity that can free the mind even if for the briefest moment.

At NAU, I discovered a sports media program that set me on the path to where I am today.

As a freshman, I toiled through prerequisites and thrived as a teenager fleeing into the world for the first time. But then an opportunity arose, a class that blew my doors open to a new world. What is this? Credit for simply covering sports? It was a dream, yet so real that I could taste a career in the sports media industry.

Over my final three years in Flagstaff’s sparsely forested, highly elevated climate (think Bend, but a major college town), I dove into everything I could to experience all the potential of a sports journalism career. Radio, television, the school newspaper, I did it all and underwent a personal transformation that allows me now to cover a plethora of talented athletes produced in the Willamette Valley.

The Pacific Northwest has been enchanting. It is alien in almost every way to the dry air I am accustomed to, but ever-intriguing around every turn.

Yamhill County sports and the teams that populate the area bring me back to reality. They show me that stories of perseverance, strength and determination are still everywhere. Whether it is historic collegiate records or high schools committed to youth development, this wine country offers countless tales from the sports world that are crucial to the community.

In a time when drama and uncertainty run rampant through media circuits, sports often remind me of all that is good in the world.

Sure, there are chronicles about athletes’ downfalls and the sickly side of some programs that take advantage of inexperienced minds. However, the beauty of sport is its ability to forgive. It creates opportunities for people to feel accomplished and teaches lessons of growth and purpose.

As I embark on the journey that is my time in McMinnville, I am appreciative of my role in the community. I take pride in providing coverage to the county, because each and every sport should be celebrated.

I am still learning what it means to be a staple in the industry, but as I navigate these waters, I encourage all News-Register readers to reach out if there are any sports stories or accomplishments that you would like to see in the paper.

Send a message to necker@newsregister.com and let’s start a conversation.

I look forward to hearing from you and learning more about this outstanding community.and purpose.