Tips for reporting on high school athletics

One of the first times I used a GPS navigation system, I was looking for a school in backwoods Georgia. It led me about three-quarters of a mile down a one-lane dirt road with no shoulder before I came upon a shirtless man chopping down a tree who was obviously angry that what I thought was a road was actually just his very private driveway. His two hunting dogs tried to jump on the hood of my truck most of the way back to the main road, a drive I had to make in reverse because there was no place to turn around.

I now study Google Maps' satellite views thoroughly before I go anywhere.

 

JoJo, an excellent job putting all of the advice given in one post.

On the topic of meeting people and "shooting the shit" in my area at least a lot of the coaches of the other teams at the school are working the game as well. IE: a basketball coach may be helping with the chains or a baseball coach at the ticket table, etc.

For me anyway, that just proved to be another benefit of getting there early.

 

Not all os uf have the luxury of just covering the game. Sometimes you have to go to the office, crank out an early page or maybe do another story before going to the stadium. I've gotten to some games as the national anthem was finishing. Not my favorite, to be sure, but sometimes the schedule doesn't do you any favors.

 

It's also amazing how many teams don't know the record of the team they are playing, and it is a little more than awkward asking a 3-15 coach to say they are "three and 15."

 

For football, I always walk the sidelines as long as it isn't raining. You'll find the press boxes at most high schools aren't designed for the press, and I never, ever venture up there unless I have to.

For basketball, make it a point to sit behind the scorer's table when necessary. It's easy to access it at halftime to check stats, and you'll see who the refs signal fouls on.

Like others have said, develop an accurate, reliable notes keeping system. On game coverage, this is your primary responsibility. The more refined this process is, the easier everything else will be.