Leave it to a children’s movie to solve all of life’s problems — well, at least my problems anyway.
It was a movie that led me to create the Louisburg Sports Zone website and start my own action photo business to coincide with it.
Before I get to that, let me take you back to seven years ago when I arrived in a small quaint town called Louisburg. It was a town I was familiar with as I grew up in Paola, but I never envisioned myself coming back to Miami County to raise a family.
Coming out of college, my goal was to make it big one day by getting a job at a large, daily newspaper and become a beat writer for a college team or professional team. I knew with hard work and practice that I could get there one day.
Well, two kids later and my priorities quickly changed — for the better. After stops at newspapers in Leavenworth and Atchison, my wife Jennifer and I wanted to move closer to family and when a newspaper job in the county opened up, I was offered the job and took it.
After I was hired, my family and I bought a house in Louisburg and decided to make this our home. The place where we were going to raise our two kids, that eventually became three several years later, was a place we fell in love with.
Louisburg was our home, and at the same time, covering Louisburg athletics became my responsibility and one I didn’t take lightly. Living in the same town I worked in was a first for me.
I got the chance to get to know the community and they got the chance to know me through my articles. I was lucky enough to cover Louisburg High School’s first state football championship in 2010 and several other state title runs in other sports.
Getting a chance to know the kids, coaches and parents was something I will never forget. Unfortunately, all that ended for me a month ago when I was let go from my responsibility of writing about Louisburg sports.
I honestly didn’t know what to do. It was my life for seven years and then all of a sudden I was going to have to find something else to do, something I probably wasn’t going to like.
Trying to figure things out, I remember watching an animated movie called Big Hero 6 with my kids. It talked about when a problem arises, and you can’t figure out a solution, try looking at it from a different angle.
So, ladies and gentleman, Louisburg Sports Zone is my different angle.
This site gives me the opportunity and privilege to write about athletic achievements in the area and continue doing what I love to do. It is a free service that I provide to you and one I hope you appreciate.
Hopefully, down the road, not too far, businesses in the area will want to advertise here so that this can grow into something even bigger. For those who want to buy photos from events I cover, they can visit louisburgsportszone.smugmug.com and search through what I hope becomes several galleries.
I plan on covering athletic events at Louisburg High School and Louisburg Middle School, along with elementary-age activities. This page is going to be updated on a regular basis to give you the most up-to-date sports news and you won’t have to wait 5 days or even a week to read about it.
Oh, and did I mention…IT IS FREE!!
I just want to say a big “Thank you” to my family for all the support and encouragement they have given me. I want to thank all the members of community who reached out to me on Twitter, Facebook or just picked up the phone during what was a difficult time in my life.
Also, I want to give a big shout out to Mr. Kenneth Sweeney, a senior at Louisburg High School who helped design this site for me and was there to answer all my weird questions. I appreciate everything and all the hard work you put into it.
When I moved here seven years ago, I figured I was never going to make it “big.” I couldn’t have been more wrong. I have definitely hit it big and this community is the reason why.
