The Early Lead: Call to order

Call to order: Feature ideas welcome while a potential podcast awaits

By BRANDON HURLEY

Sports Editor 

sports@beeherald.com

@BrandonJHurley

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The beginning of July often marks the grittiest stretch of the summer for small town sports editors. Softball and baseball action slows as we enter postseason play, games no longer occur every night while time on the road increases. 

The Greene County softball and baseball seasons could be over in a blink of an eye or each team could enjoy a magical run. It’s such a finicky sport. 

But that’s not what I’m here to talk about today. I want to call on my readers.

As we near a potential month-long gap, this allows freedom as far as story content goes. 

So here’s my public plea: If you have a story idea you’ve been holding onto or just want some further insight on a specific topic, don’t hesitate to drop me a line. 

It’s my goal and my duty to share the stories of the community with you. 

As you’ve probably noticed by now in the year-plus I’ve been in Jefferson, we like to lean heavily on the feature side of things. I love sinking my teeth into a topic and letting it shine. 

Let me hear what makes you sports enthusiasts tick, young and old, wacky or tame. Let’s fill up these sports pages with gripping stories. 

Have a grandson that endured a grueling training regime to come out on top? Fire it my way. 

Your sister battled back from a devastating leg injury to achieve her dream? Put me in touch with her and I’ll get it out there. 

How bought a long, respected career in the sports realm that’s coming to an end? 

Ever wondered what happened to that legend that scored the winning touchdown or smacked the walk-off home run? I’m more than happy to pursue it. 

Even if you think it’s a sport that deserves more shine, I’m here for your reading pleasure. 

We at the Jefferson Herald truly believe in the positive impact local journalism has on a community. It’s often not the box scores that tell the story, but the people that created the outcome. 

More space means more room to get creative with a layout as well. If there’s a cool graphic to accompany the story, you bet your butt our designers will play it up and create something spectacular. 

As a side note, I’ve picked up a future project as well. 

I’ve been kicking the tires on starting a podcast. Journalism isn’t just told through the written word and visuals anymore. The podcast industry has been booming for years. 

I hope to bring the personalities of the community to life through audio stories in a yet-to-be-named podcast. 

I want to sit down in an informal setting and have a chat as I let the listener get to know you like I did, by hearing your voice and picking up on the emotion of your words. 

I hope to talk to coaches, athletes, personalities and anyone I can even in the smallest way tie it to sports. Heck, if you have a cool story and it’s not in the sports realm, bring it my way. Journalism is my life, I love all shapes and sizes. 

I tried my hand at an inaugural podcast a few weeks ago, it was rough, the editing took hours and hours and the reporting was lackluster. But there’s room for tremendous growth. 

Bear in mind, this podcast deal is still in the planning stages. I have yet to settle on a name or even reach out to potential guests. 

Some episodes may be a straight-forward Q and A or it’ll be a rehash of the feature I wrote that week. Maybe I’ll even dabble in a weekly coach’s show. There’s endless potential here. 

If you want to chime in, offer your ideas or even have a title I can use, feel free to shoot me an email (sports@beeherald.com), reach out to me on Twitter (@BrandonJHurley) or give me a call at 515-386-4161.

I’m open to friendly conversation, quick chats or even constructive criticism. 

The Jefferson Herald is your paper, and I want to keep it that way.

Contact Us

Jefferson Bee & Herald
Address: 200 N. Wilson St.
Jefferson, IA 50129

Phone:(515) 386-4161