Despite the fact that I have been the sports reporter for the Airdrie City View and the Rocky View Weekly for nearly a week now, I still have yet to come to the realization that I am actually working out in Alberta.
You see, I spent the majority of last week on the wildest adventure I have ever been on as I drove across three provinces and three states on my way to my new job here.
As I pounded the pavement over the course of my three-day drive, I was way too focused on staying awake in my car instead of thinking over the fact that I was driving all the way out west.
Though it is starting to sink in that I am working in Airdrie, I think my body is still of the belief that I am in the eastern time zone, and it will be debating that issue with me over the next few weeks.
Oh, where are my manners, I haven’t properly introduced myself yet.
My name is Lucas Punkari, and as I have already informed you, I am the brand new sports reporter here for Rocky View Publishing.
I come to Airdrie in search of a new challenge and opportunity after an enjoyable two-and-a-half years in Fort Frances, Ontario, where I worked as the sports reporter for the Fort Frances Times newspaper.
Don’t worry if you don’t know where Fort Frances is by the way, not a lot of people do.
Before I kicked off my journalism career in Fort Frances, I grew up in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, where I got the itch to become a sports reporter.
To be blunt, as a massive sports junkie, covering what I love for a living is an absolute dream.
I can’t think of anything else that I would rather be doing, and the day that I start complaining about doing this as a job will be the day that I hang up my keyboard.
When it comes to my sporting interests, they pretty much run the gamut.
I’m a huge fan of auto racing, curling, college football, soccer, and major junior hockey, which may not be the sports that get the general public excited, but I live and die for those events all year long.
In fact, once I found out that I would be moving out to Alberta, I got really excited when I discovered that I would be able to see Western Hockey League games and major curling bonspiels on a regular basis.
While I have only been here for about a week, I have had a chance to cover a few events here in Airdrie and explore the area when I am not at the office.
So far, the city has been easy to get around, the people have been very friendly, and everything that I need to get to is close by.
Also, since I’m close to Calgary, I may have gotten a tad bit excited about discovering that there is an alternative rock station in the area, as I have never lived in a city where such a radio station existed.
But my love of alternative music will be a story that I’ll save for another time.
As I get more settled into Airdrie, I am finding that I am enjoying the city more and more each day, and I can’t wait to meet more of the people in the town that are involved in the sporting scene.
Even though I am a little over 2,500 km’s away from my hometown, I am already feeling at ease here in Airdrie, and I’m looking forward to getting things rolling here at the sports desk.
