I’d like to take this opportunity to first and foremost welcome myself to the South Valley community and more specifically the Morgan Hill community.
While I’ve only been on the job for a week, I can already sense that this is an area that is very passionate about its athletes and everything that goes on in its sports community.
It’s exciting to see so much energy and enthusiasm, in particular for the young people that work so hard on the playing fields.
Their hard work is certainly worthy of recognition, and I hope to serve the role of recognizing them.
That being said, my goal is to be your voice. I think the most important thing that any person who works at a newspaper can do is to be your voice.
You are the one who lives in the community. You are tje one born and raised here. So if there is something you are passionate about, it is my job to convey that.
I hail from about 50 miles north in the East Bay, where I was born in Hayward and have lived my entire life.
I have been involved in sports in some capactity throughout my life.
I played competitive baseball for more than 10 years. I played football all through high school, basketball all through elementary school and played two years of recreation roller hockey.
I’ve been a part of fastpitch and slowpitch softball teams and tried to golf when I can.
I hope that passion for sports can combine with this area’s passion to make a great sports section.
I hope to learn many new things during my time in this community.
There are some sports and activities in the area that are quite new to me, as the East Bay scene tended to be a little more limited to the traditional sports.
That’s certainly something that excites me. I yearn to inundate myself into the world of water polo and rugby – a pair of sports that struggled to find their way into the Hayward area.
I also await the opportunity to get to know all of the coaches in the area – because I believe we must work hand-in-hand to provide great coverage of all local sports.
If you have any issues with anything, be it inappropriate fans, poor field conditions or anything else that you believe should be brought to the pubic’s attention, let me know.
I want to work with you to make the coverage of this area’s sports scene as complete as it can be.
I believe this paper is and should be an important part of the community and hope to make it that way.
With the type of support I’ve already experienced in my time here, I don’t have any doubts that will happen.
Jimmy Durkin is the Morgan Hill Times sports editor. Reach him at (408) 779-4106 ext. 203 or jd*****@*************es.com.
