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January 27, 2010

Longtime Hog fan finds secret to success is building relationships

By Tim Ritter, Sports Editor

January 27, 2010 — As the years change, it seems like my profession doesn’t.

The only thing that’s been changing here lately has been my state of residence.

In a week, I will celebrate my 34th birthday and my mom keeps telling me that it’s time to set down some roots and find a home.

From Texas to Arkansas and now Oklahoma, I’ve learned that the people of each state are very unique, set in their ways and most of all, very friendly and passionate about sports.

There’s nothing like opening up the newspaper, turning to the sports page and seeing your child’s picture or his or her name in the headline for doing something extraordinary.

Through the years, I’ve been blessed to work for many wonderful newspapers and have come across a lot of gifted and talented athletes, as well as coaches. In all my travels from football games, to basketball gyms and baseball diamonds, I’ve always walked away with priceless memories and lots of long-lasting relationships.

Working in small-town America, it’s often said that high school and college sports are the backbone of the community.

As a loyal sports enthusiast, who eats, sleeps and breathes my profession, I believe that it’s my job to give the people excitement in their newspaper and lots of valuable information that can’t be acquired through the internet or in the larger newspapers.

I like to tell the stories behind the stories, if you know what I mean.

Finding out why athletes are passionate about their sports and then excelling with the heart of a champion is what I strive to do on a daily basis.

One story in particular that I had a chance to write in Canyon was about this fastpitch softball pitcher Leslie Weston, who underwent three open-heart surgeries before her senior year of high school.

Leslie was born with tetralogy of Fallot, otherwise known as a blue baby. What was so inspirational about this amazing young lady was her willingness and determination to not let the doctors take the game of softball away from her.

Before the completion of her junior year, Leslie tossed seven-straight no-hitters, pitched a perfect game and collected more than 200-plus strikeouts.

What’s even more impressive is that Leslie went on to earn a Division I scholarship to pitch for Texas A&M-Corpus; Christi. After two years of playing collegiately, Leslie walked away from the circle and is now the pitching coach for East Central University in Ada.

Where there was a ‘will’, Leslie found a way.

It’s stories like Leslie’s that make my job as a sports editor worthwhile.

In less than three days, people have already asked me the easy questions such as, “You must be new in town, who are you and where are you from?”

Well, here goes, my name is Tim Ritter and I am the new sports editor of the Claremore Daily Progress.

I’m from Canyon, Texas, which is located 10 miles south of Amarillo and home of West Texas A&M; University as well as the Palo Duro Canyon.

Most recently, I was the sports editor of the Siloam Springs Herald-Leader in Northwest Arkansas, where I spent the past two years covering the John Brown University Golden Eagles.

Now that you know I’m a Texan, let me be the first to say that my blood does not run burnt orange and I am by no means a Longhorn fan.

When it comes to college athletics ... there is really only one team that I am passionate about and that’s the Arkansas Razorbacks.

I learned the ‘Hog Call’ when I was 5 years-old and to this day, it still gives me chills when I am among 70,000 fans inside Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on an autumn Saturday in Fayetteville.

So, you may be wondering, “Why a Razorback fan?”

Well, simply put, it runs in the family. My late grandfather, George Ritter, graduated from the University of Arkansas and taught Political Science there in the 1950s.

There’s an old saying that says, “Once a Hog fan, always a Hog fan....”

From time to time, my allegiance to the Razorbacks has been questioned. My friends, who are mostly Longhorns, Aggies and Red Raiders, have tried to sway me to their side but there’s just something about that ‘Wooo Pig Soooiiieee’ that gets my blood flowing. There is only one time out of the year that I root for a team other than Arkansas, and that’s the Oklahoma Sooners when it comes to the second Saturday in October for the annual Red River Rivalry.

So, now that you know my favorite college, I guess it’s time to share with you the heart of this sports editor.

I’m about building friendships and establishing relationships.

I want the people of Claremore and the surrounding communities to know what they read in the Daily Progress comes from my heart and is truthful. I believe in fair-play and every athlete has a right to be recognized.

The player that scores two points in a basketball game is just as important to his or her team as the one that leads the way with 20 points. Names and faces sell newspapers, not my opinions in my “Around The Horn” column. And with that being said, every athlete should reach for the stars and chase his or her dreams.

Who knows what the future holds?

But, for now enjoy the moment, seize the day and leave it all out on the court, diamond or field.

The opinions of this column are from Claremore Daily Progress sports editor Tim Ritter. He can be reached by email at tritter@claremoreprogress.com.

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