Confession time, Airdrie: I’m not really good at goodbyes, but they’re sometimes inevitable and a necessary part of life.
It’s with a heavy heart that I say goodbye to all of you, as I am moving on from Rocky View Publishing. ‘Where are you going?’ Has become the natural question that has followed every time I’ve told someone that I’m leaving.
Confession time again: I really don’t know the answer to that question yet. I’m still working that part out and exploring my options. What I know for sure is that I’m sticking around Airdrie for at least a little while longer.
For the past two years, I’ve been putting the sports into words, but I’m finding it hard to put into words what my time here has meant to me. It has been my dream to be a sports reporter since I was a teenager, but I didn’t expect to get the opportunity to do it exclusively this early in my career. It’s an opportunity I’m extremely grateful for.
The days I spent freezing on the sidelines of a Saturday morning football game never felt like work. Neither did the nights watching volleyball double-headers or basketball tournaments. I had never watched a lacrosse game before I came here nor had I ever been to a rodeo.
My favourite days, though, have been the ones I spent at the rink. Airdrie has been a treasure trove for a hockey fan like me.
There are so many talented players that hail from the city and they should be proud to come from such a “hockey town.”
I don’t want to reminisce the whole time, so I have a couple of thank yous I want to jot down.
To Pam Davidson, Mike Sera, Andy Kirk, Ian Ferguson, Joe McLaughlin, Scott Sharun, Brent Legault and the host of other George Mac and Bert Church staff members for humouring my questions and returning my persistent phone calls. To all the Airdrie youth, you have some of the best teachers I’ve ever met. They are passionate about what they do and they care deeply about you. Appreciate them.
To Gord Henry, Don Bowman and Gareth Barley for helping me gain a new appreciation for lacrosse. There were days in the beginning where I had no clue what I was talking about or what I was going to ask after a game, so thank you for being patient with me and teaching me something new.
To Cam Aplin and the Airdrie Thunder and Terry Keogh and the Airdrie Xtreme for giving me a reason to spend my winter nights in my favourite place in the world – at a rink. Thank you for staying a few extra minutes after the games to chat with me, win or lose, and being gracious and patient whenever my exhausted brain lost my train of thought or couldn’t figure out how to work the recorder on my phone.
To the number of Xtreme alumni, including Ty Rattie, Coda Gordon, Spenser Jensen, Jason Swyripa, et. al. Covering your careers has probably been the coolest thing I’ve done yet and I’m going to miss sitting rink-side for warmups, roaming the bowels of the Saddledome, watching the NHL draft and the World Junior development camp all in the name of journalism. I can’t wait to watch you all in the “show” or wherever your careers take you next and be able to say ‘I interviewed him.’
To Jamie Atkin, Corissa and Zach Boychuk, Dana Tyrell, Steve Kemp, Robin and Dave Loyola, Lynne Driessen, Jodie Matsuba-Szucs, Jacquie Mirtle, Sue Farkas-Fillatre and the Special Olympics Airdrie crew and the countless cowboys, cowgirls, athletes and coaches and parents who I’ve crossed paths with over the past two years. Thank you for sending photos and stats and results and story ideas and kind words about my stories. Thank you especially to those who have told me that my columns were funny. I like to think I’m funny and witty, but now I have confirmation. Unless you were all saying that to make me feel better.
Finally, to my colleagues and friends, past and present.
Thanks for giving the intern a chance to achieve a small part of her dream.
Thank you for being my friends, mentor and some of the funniest, weirdest people I’ve ever met. My time here will always have a special place in my heart and it’s, in a large part, thanks to you all. I’m going to miss all of you, but I’m going to miss Disney Fridays more. Kidding. Kind of.
So, I guess after all of that, this really isn’t goodbye Airdrie. It’s ‘see you soon’ because I have a sneaking suspicion that my path will bring me back here one day. And just as it does now, I have no doubt it’ll feel like coming home.
