That’s a wrap

While I don’t care to admit it, for the past two weeks I’ve been on a bit of an emotional roller coaster.

On June 14, I feebly walked into the editor’s office under the guise of talking about the upcoming football season.

When I’d exhausted the conversation I simply bowed my head and unsuccessfully fought back tears as I explained to a very understanding Tom Bodus that I’d accepted a position elsewhere in the community. So for those I haven’t been able to tell in person, today is my last day at the Imperial Valley Press.

I worked for the newspaper for six years, spending three years on the news side of the editorial department before switching to sports in 2015.

I hadn’t even been out of college a week (it was two days to be exact) when then Local Content Editor Richard Brown took me in. At first as a paid intern, then as a full-time reporter.

It didn’t take long for me to make my first mistake and learn a hard lesson about being in a profession open to the daily critique of others.

While not every day was easy, each assignment provided an opportunity to learn and experience something new.

Therefore, I can honestly say without any hesitation that I made the most out of my time at this newspaper.

The year I joined IVP I took over the education beat as well as NAF El Centro. As the reporter assigned to cover the base, I had to opportunity to fly with the Blue Angels in March of 2015 for the media ride.

The flight totally kicked my butt as I got sick on a few occasions and also fainted once or twice.

It’s an experience I’ll never forget and one I never would have had if not for the IVP.

In September 2013, I saw the efforts of Phil Grant and other Brawley community members pay off when the Brawley Union High School District honored fallen Army Capt. Scott P. Pace by placing his name on the floor of the high school’s old gym.

I still remember sitting in the BUHSD board room in August 2012, just two months after Pace’s death and hearing coach Grant’s booming voice come from the back of the room requesting the board to honor the fallen Wildcat.

I followed that story from the time coach Grant made the initial request to when the board unveiled Pace’s name on the gym floor. It’s a story I am still most proud of to this day.

Later that same year I interviewed a Brawley resident and veteran by the name of Frank Garcia.

Mr. Garcia was not only a WWII veteran, he was also a Pearl Harbor survivor.

The interaction I had with him that day was nothing short of a miracle as he was the last Pearl Harbor survivor in the Imperial Valley in 2013.

Then finally in 2015, I had the chance to take over sports and since then wrote hundreds of Athlete of the Week articles and covered an astounding 17 CIF-San Diego Section championship games.

I also covered soccer games at Qualcomm, baseball games at Petco Park, softball games that lasted 13 innings and basketball games that ended in buzzer-beaters.

I couldn’t be everywhere at once, but everywhere I happened to be felt right, and for that I thank the community.

Your collective efforts as parents, teachers, board members and, of course, coaches and athletes made this year an extraordinary year for athletics in the Imperial Valley.

I was glad to be on the sidelines of history capturing the exhilarating and sometimes heartbreaking moments along the way.