Lay some heavy hits out on my work..

You are definitely on the right track Troy, and you are starting at the right time. I wish I had started in high school. Just keep writing and keep reading. Everyday. Then keep posting. The improvement will happen faster than you might think. Good luck!

 

Hey dawgpound, I was wondering if you knew any websites that have some in-depth tips on sports journalism. Or should I search more around here?

TyWebb, thanks! When I was 12-13 -- that was the point in my life that I knew what I was going to set out to do in my life: become a sportswriter. I came to that conclusion after I found out that I had no ability in being a future athlete. Yet, I love sports and the whole atmosphere surrounding them, and I want to stay involved in some way.

 

There is no original reporting in it.
Anybody can watch TV and have an opinion and tell it to somebody, written or otherwise. Anybody can be a fan and write about it.
But not anybody can find out something new and significant, find out what is going on behind the scenes with these people and then share it with readers in a simple, relevant and accessible manner.

That requires reporting: making calls, interviews, sources, access, finesse, guts, cutting through lots of static and cliches and the ability to think ahead of the rest.
Even if you want to be columnist, a good columnist gets good original ideas from good reporting.

 

Master Troy,

Just keep going. If you are in high school and you're writing at all, just keep going. Good, bad, indifferent. Read a lot. The BASW is a good place to start, I guess, but bookmark better papers and writers and look at them on a regular basis. I'd suggest that you look at more than sports but that's your choice. As an exercise, print out your favorite piece every month and mark up/highlight sections that make it work--try to figure out how the puzzle was pieced together. But, like I say, if you're writing at all in high school, that's a good start.

YHS, etc