Prep football help

I've got my filing down to science. I'm usually in on a 10-inch gamer and box roughly 10-15 minutes after the game is over...sometimes sooner. I keep my laptop on for the entire game and type the scoring summary in my box file as they happen. My back up is the play-by-play notes should I have an electronic episode. I type in the names of all the statistical contributors at halftime and usually need only add two or three names at the end. This will undoubtedly save time. I typically write some 6 inches at the half also which most of the time end up not getting used.

I always, always get quotes from game-breaking players and usually on defense since the paper I string for is metropolitan and doesn't keep defensive stats. I NEVER talk to coaches...waste of f--king time and wholly overrated. I've found if you always ask kids about a specific play, after they get through the "It was a total team effort" bullshit, they tend to tell you about how they saw it develop, they talk about preparation from film, etc. I love to ask a coach to speak to a player...it burns most of them pretty good. They wonder why you don't want to talk to them first.

As for a stat sheet, I have one in a style that I use as two separate sheets for both teams.

It has about an inch of white space above three different boxed grids of equal measurement. The boxes to the immediate left are large enough to write names and numbers and then the grids move from left to right. Across the top of the very first grid, I have First Downs and then the individual boxes are numbered 1-30. I use the grid below the First Downs for Rushing, the one on the middle for passing and the bottom one for receiving. For each box, I write the yardage and accumulation underneath a slash. At the end of the game, it's easy to see how many carries, passes, pass attempts, etc. as each box is numbered by the First Downs list. To keep First Down's I just circle them. In the white space at the top, I write each penalty, fumble and punt. It takes about 3-5 minutes to total and input everything.

As for filing, I use my Treo as a backup in case I can't get a connection. I just load the file on my small disk and load it into my phone. Then, use my email address to file.

For a stringer, it's important to remain stress free. I hate having to call anything in. Hope this helps.

 

Gotcha. With the boxscore, it's a lot easier if i don't have to look back to the play-by-play to figure out the stats. Don't have time for it.

 

That is pretty much how I do it Wicked, but I have QBs and WRs combined so I know what happened on each play and whether it was a first down.
So, something like this:

Comp. | Play | Yards | First down
(check) #12 to #81 left post 32 (check mark)
--- #12 to #77 dropped 0 -----

The only problem with this method is you have to add quarterback yards and receiving yards at the end of the game. I guess I could have the running totals on another sheet and keep track of the individual plays.

 

I also do a running list of plays from scrimmage, totally different sheets.

It's a lot of paperwork, but it's easy enough to find stuff if you color-code it, as fj suggested.

 

I do a running list of play-by-play as well, but I like to have the completed passes in list form for easy reference at the end of the game.
I have never done the color-coded method, though I guess it could make things easier.

 

YdLn Team No Play Yds XXX
45 N 14 keeper right 3
48 N offside -5 Pen-N
43 N 14-32 swing ps right 18 1DP-N

That's in my reporter's notebook.

Then, one page of that notebook is ripped out and I keep all running stats on it. One team on each side, pretty much like wicked shows. Under the individual running, four columns: 1st downs, penalties, punts, fumbles-lost.

 

When I'm doing my scrimmage-play list, I use different colors for each team. It's why I usually bring four pens to the game: black, blue, red and green. Usually red and green are kept in the car, unless I know I'm dealing with teams that have wacky school colors (usually pen colors and one of the jersey's colors line up).

The green gets used rarely, but it does get used from time to time.

 

Not breaking any new ground, but...

I flip between two sheets, one for PxP and one for individual stats.

PxP has columns for D&D, yard line, play, yardage result, comments and penalties. Comments is a catch-all, since my entries in the play column are usually very generic - run by 32, 12 comp to 84, run by 7 scrmb, etc. - but most often is used for first downs (circled FD) and fumbles.

All the plays are numbered. So if something important happens and I can remember the details, I'll diagram the play on the back of the sheet and put the play number on it.

Stat sheet just has a bunch of rows for every ballcarrier, QB and receiver. Tallied at the half and after the game.

Not as elaborate as some, but it's done the job for me.

 

What about folks who take their own pictures (like me)?

I tried carrying a clipboard with pre-made stat sheets, even tying it around my neck. It was pretty clumsy with a big camera, and I went back to my reporter's notepad, just charting play-by-play and later adding up stats. Time consuming for sure and would love to find a more efficient way.

 

I do this a lot covering prep volleyball because of no full-time photog. My advice is this: Decide what information you need and what you don't. If you're doing a short gamer with photos, I would say you don't need to do play-by-play. I can't speak for everyone, but I rarely use the PBP when I look back. I take notes of big plays on one notebook and use the aformentioned stat-sheet. Two pieces of paper.
Sacrifices have to be made on the photog end, you might have to take a quarter or two off. More than likely, you work for a small paper, and this probably isn't the main art.
This maY sound like an excuse for not getting the best photo, but it's just the reality of the situation.

 

I'm staring a new job and am covering my first game this weekend. All the stat advice has been really helpful.

How do most of you file? I'm used to covering colleges where they have wireless or an ethernet plug in. Do most pressboxes have phone lines to use dial up? Anyone go back to the office to write / file? For road games do you ever find a hotel lobby or coffee shop with free WiFi?

 

I haven't covered an out-of-area game in forever, i.e. one that didn't involve coming back to the office or my house.

This day and age, I'm sure if you're in a well-to-do area, you can drive around and find a house with an open wireless connection, if you're in a pinch.

I would imagine most high schools also have wireless connections somewhere on campus, close enough for you to access it, hopefully.

I'm covering a game at an unfamiliar college campus this weekend, so I'll be in a situation similar to yours. I'm gathering the most likely solution will be to try to hunt down a wireless connection.