Editors Note
It's been a running joke that I've started telling athletes in advance whenever I reach out to do a zoom-style feature interview that they're recording at their own risk. "Athletes who interview with me in this format who go on to have a successful season afterwards is 50-50 at best so keep that in mind." Ultimately all agree to continue but the track record was not great there for a while. While it's likely entirely coincidental, there are some things that transpired this year that has me second guessing how I approach covering certain athletes. Watch the segment starting at the 15:00 minute mark until about the 20:00 minute mark of this feature about Jenny Simpson produced by FloTrack.
Even the most talented athletes can have a difficult time carrying the weight of their own success. Couple that with the unavoidable pressure of simply being sixteen or seventeen years old in 2022. I feel like this was the case with some runners this past cross country season and while there's no way around covering the stars of your state, there can be a conscience recalibration in how you execute that coverage. While I don't know specifically what that approach will be just yet, it will be something I'll be mindful of as I enter my third year in this position.
Additional Help
I won't be alone though. When I asked for additional help we had a lot of people who are passionate about writing inquire and I'm looking forward to letting them tell the stories I've not been able to for the past two years. Whenever I've caught wind of something interesting like the one about Olivia Doran, my response has been "That's great but I have no time to write it."
Read Again: Olivia Doran: An Unconventional Path To Collegiate Running
Well now we have a writer in every area of the state who will enable us to cover more localized features beyond just covering the athletes at the top of the rankings. Here's a quick rundown of where we have new contributors in position:
- Arlington
- Chester County
- Coffee County
- Chattanooga
- Nashville
- Knoxville
- Bristol
- Elizabethton
So if you've read every article on the site for the past two years you've know who the best of the best are. That will continue to be my focus. However, with these extra hands to help write, the state will start to feel small and you'll get to know some athletes, coaches, and programs you would not have otherwise.
Feel free to submit ideas to tnmilesplit@protonmail.com or reach out on Social Media.
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok
Looking forward to another year of track and field and cross country in Tennessee.