It’s yr No. 49 protecting highschool sports activities in Southern California. Let me let you know the way it began.
Minimize from the Madison Junior Excessive basketball crew, I found writing for the varsity newspaper provided extra energy and affect than sitting on a bench. Everybody likes to see their title talked about, so now I knew I had an enormous duty going ahead.
It was the time of Watergate and new heroes resembling journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein uncovering corruption on the highest stage, inspiring future journalists. Whereas attending Poly Excessive in Solar Valley, Pete Kokon, the sports activities editor of the San Fernando Solar, provided to pay me $15 per week to jot down a narrative about highschool sports activities. It was the primary lesson of a sportswriter — don’t fear concerning the cash, bask within the highlight of getting your title seem in a byline.
Kokon was probably the most entertaining character I’ve ever met. He owned an residence constructing in Sherman Oaks and lived in his “penthouse,” which consisted of coming into a display screen door that was by no means locked and seeing a small room on the highest flooring. He’d go away his keys in his unlocked automobile below a mat. He used to cuss out Ronald Reagan at any time when his title was talked about. He taught me methods to guess on the race observe, saying, “Give me a greenback,” earlier than going to the window to put a $2 guess.
Eric Sondheimer giving a speech in 1989 on the Nationwide Soccer Basis and Faculty Corridor of Fame at Knollwood Nation Membership.
(Bob Messina Images)
He taught me methods to play golf, inviting me to Woodland Hills Nation Membership and shouting out his membership ID quantity to pay for every little thing from meals to shirts to drinks. He’d write all his tales on an historical Royal typewriter. He smoked cigars and as soon as was a boxing promoter. Two of his greatest buddies had been Corridor of Famers Don Drysdale and Bob Waterfield, fellow Van Nuys Excessive graduates. Everybody knew him, appreciated him and feared him at any time when he obtained indignant.
Pete Kokon lined highschool sports activities within the San Fernando Valley for greater than 60 years.
(Valley Occasions)
For greater than 60 years, he lined highschool sports activities. I by no means thought I’d problem his report. However after changing into a stringer for the Day by day Information in 1976 and being employed full time in 1980 after turning down the job of sports activities data director at Cal State Northridge, I realized there was a must cowl native sports activities and it turned my ardour to make a distinction. Sure, I’ve lined the Tremendous Bowl, the NBA Finals, the 1984 Olympic Video games, the World Sequence, the Rose Bowl, the Breeders’ Cup, the Little League World Sequence, however nothing has offered extra satisfaction than telling the tales of youngsters rising up within the face of adversity or overcoming doubts from friends to succeed.
There have been powerful tales by way of the years. I’ll always remember staying awake till 11:30 p.m. to see the lead story on ESPN SportsCenter detailing attainable NCAA rule violations by the College of Kentucky after a package deal despatched to a highschool basketball star in Los Angeles had cash inside. That was a narrative helped by others on the Day by day Information.
I’ve at all times handled highschool sports activities as totally different than faculty or professionals. These are youngsters, with criticism of coaches and athletes principally off limits. However instances are altering. Gamers are getting paid. Coaches are participating in moral lapses. It’s a rising problem. I’ll proceed to respect the custom of highschool sports activities being about having enjoyable however insist on guidelines being adopted.
Eric Sondheimer interviews Corona Centennial’s Eric Freeny on the finish of the state championship in Sacramento in March 2022. Freeny is now a freshman at UCLA.
(Nick Koza)
There are such a lot of tales of coaches getting mad. Generally it takes time for them to grasp I’m simply making an attempt to do my job as a good, devoted journalist who understands my obligations and remembers my function.
Let me give an instance. At one level years in the past, Sylmar basketball coach Bort Escorto stopped reporting scores. Possibly it had one thing to do with writing about transfers. Possibly not. However right now, he at all times solutions my calls, “I didn’t do it.”
You understand you’ve received any argument when somebody claims your bias for one college over one other. That was the weekly debate years in the past amongst Crespi and Notre Dame followers. Indicators had been made, barbs had been shouted. It made me chortle. Now it’s about sharing selfies.
What retains me coming again each season are the various new tales to inform. No space has a bigger, extra numerous assortment of high athletes from quite a lot of sports activities than Southern California.
Eric Sondheimer interviews sophomore Tajh Ariza after a basketball sport in 2022.
(Nick Koza)
There was a time greater than a yr in the past that I obtained annoyed with the negativity happening on the earth. I wanted to do one thing to alter my perspective. That’s after I vowed to jot down one thing constructive daily about highschool sports activities. Prep Speak was created to assist encourage me and hopefully others {that a} constructive message can break by way of in an period of social media nonsense.
To the readers by way of the years, you’ve helped me keep employed and keep devoted to telling tales that resonate across the Southland. Newspapers are in bother, however I can solely management what I can management, so thanks for being loyal prospects at a time of upheaval.
Eric Sondheimer interviews coach Ed Azzam of Westchester in 2020.
(Nick Koza)
Via the years as know-how modified, I’ve tailored, resembling sprinting from video games to discover a rotary phone in a locked P.E. workplace or driving to a telephone sales space to name in a narrative below deadline strain. I’ve climbed fences after being locked in because the final particular person in a stadium. I’ve sat on a health club flooring in darkness writing a narrative. One evening at Bishop Alemany, I misplaced my cellphone on the soccer area. I used to be able to throw up in embarrassment. The athletic director, Randy Thompson, discovered it. My story was saved. I’ve realized to take movies and shoot photographs and converse in entrance of audiences (thanks to speech class 101 at CSUN).
Right this moment’s world for highschool sports activities reporters is about not getting kicked out by safety after video games when everybody has left and staying calm when safety doesn’t need to allow you to in earlier than video games or on a sideline with a press move to do your job. Frequent sense is disappearing within the title of following orders.
I have already got gold passes from the Southern Part and Metropolis Part, which suggests if I step away, I’ll nonetheless be capable of attend occasions.
When and the way this ends has but to be determined. Pete Kokon died at age 85 in 1998 when he was discovered along with his TV on and the channel tuned to ESPN in his penthouse residence.
So long as a stage of professionalism stays amongst stakeholders, I’ll proceed to do my greatest to inform tales. My job is about serving the general public, not myself, and that will likely be my mission eternally.
