Sports Copy Editor/Page Designer (Westminster, Md.)

McDaniel football and basketball get covered including travel to all the football games. Football had been good, but has been down the past few years. Women's basketball has been to the NCAA Tournament, including a Sweet 16 run a few years ago, in recent years. Men's program is on the rise thanks to a new coach.

As for the pay, copy editing positions are better than writers. I would figure high 20s to low 30s depending on experience. It's not great, but it's not bad either. You can also live in Pa. in cut down on taxes if you don't mind the drive.

 

Here's a question people:
What would be considered a good gig leaving a top smaller paper like the Times?

 

The Cleveland Plain Dealer.

 

I've actually never been to Westminster, but Mapquest tells me Littlestown, Pa., on the border, is 13 miles away. Littlestown is close enough to the MD line where you don't have to deal with the insanity of buying beer one place and liquor another (there's a nice little full-service liquor shop right over the border in MD). Now, Littlestown is not a happening place to live -- but, hey, Snacktown (aka Hanover) is just 15 minutes away, and Westminster ain't too much farther. And Hanover always has KClinger's.

 

Littlestown is one cool little high school football town.

 

It's even better when people cheer after the PA announcer (also the wrestling coach) announces your presence in the press box.

 

Besides the pay, the biggest (and only other?) downside I can see is having my eyes glaze over covering or reading copy about that just-awful Maryland sport: Lacrosse. Isn't this sport only popular in Maryland, Ohio, New York and of course - Duke University?

 

Lacrosse is extremely popular in the MD/Northern Va/DC area. I grew up in MD and I hate covering it.

 

Lacrosse is the best thing Canada's ever sent to us -- yes, even ahead of hockey.

 

The sport was invented by Native North Americans. Its name was dehuntshigwa'es in Onondaga ("men hit a rounded object"), da-nah-wah'uwsdi in Eastern Cherokee ("little war"), Tewaarathon in Mohawk language ("little brother of war"), and baaga'adowe in Ojibwe "bump hips". Since there was only one ball, early players concentrated on first injuring their opponents with their sticks, and then moving easily to the goal. Sometimes games lasted for days, and often players were gravely injured or even killed. Early balls were made out of deerskin, clay, stone, and sometimes wood. Lacrosse has played a significant role in the community and religious life of tribes across the continent for many years. Early Lacrosse was characterized by deep spiritual involvement, befitting the spirit of combat in which it was undertaken. Those who took part did so in the role of warriors, with the goal of bringing glory and honor to themselves and their tribes.

 

I find the highest level of college lacrosse to be absolutely intriguing.

I'm thinking of running down to Ravens Stadium for the final in a couple of weeks.

Lacrosse is starting to catch fire at the high-school level in central Pennsylvania, although the state association still doesn't recognize it.

 

The other terrible sport they love (or at least like on the prep level) down there is field hockey. If I'm on trial and the prosecution wants me to confess, make me read/watch a lacrosse gamer followed by a field hockey gamer. I mean, girls with sticks and they can't even hit each other.
Pennsylvania, Virginia and the Carolinas all have great NBA/NFL talent coming out of those states. Maryland (which obviously includes Westminster) should fall in line with its neighboring states, but it doesn't.
I wonder if Maryland lacks big time athletes (at least widely on the pro level) because the state focuses on weird, niche sports like lacrosse? Think about it, the same goes for New York. Only thing coming off of Long Island are Duke players.