OFC Tournament: Let's try this again

The 2023-2024 Ozark Foothills Conference basketball tournament has wrapped up, and I couldn’t be happier with the results.

This year’s OFC tournament officially marked my one-year anniversary of writing strictly about sports for the Daily American Republic. Though basketball season is not quite over yet, I feel I have grown as a writer since I first arrived.

After my first experience with the OFC tournament, I must admit that I was not too excited about this year‘s tournament. I’m not saying that I didn’t like the tournament, I just felt blind coming in. I didn’t know any of the teams or other coaches, and it was my very first time working against a deadline.

Nor did I realize this was a big tournament for the surrounding areas, which enhanced the pressure even more. The last thing that I wanted to do for my first sports coverage in the area was not being able to get the job done.

I was still relatively new to riding sports using the proper mechanics, so you can imagine how long and unorganized my first story was. I could barely pull together two stories in one day, let alone two basketball games before a 10 o’clock deadline.

I was very spoiled coming from a newspaper that I only ran three days a week, so I never had to experience working toward a deadline after a game. I’m sure the job doesn’t look as difficult to some of you, but journalists have to deal with many things during games.

There are wi-fi issues, camera issues, and even finding a place to sit and write. Would you believe I experienced all these issues on my first night, but I got it done.

This year was totally different. I felt like I knew the players and who the favorites were to win it all. I am a planner. One thing that I hate is going into something blind. But sometimes, going in blind is an opportunity to grow and be better.

I felt like I needed to share this. At the end of the day, it had nothing to do with the OFC tournament. It was about learning from an experience that I thought I wouldn’t make it through.

No one can start off being great. We often tend to run away from anything that may seem difficult, but I see it as a perfect opportunity to grow. To the athletes, if you feel that you’re not where you need to be, practice and keep working because sooner or later, everything will start to click.

I believe this moment applies to everyday life as well. Don’t be consumed by fear just because something is new. Walk through those doors and learn.

Congratulations to the Doniphan Donettes for handling all the adversity that’s been thrown their way. To still be able to go into the OFC tournament and win their fourth consecutive title while staying undefeated says a lot. Congratulations to the Greenville Bears for winning back-to-back OFC titles. The matchup between Greenville and Neelyville is definitely one of the top games I’ve covered this year.

I couldn’t ask for a better place to land for my first sports writing job than a place that loves basketball and sports more than I do. Until the next OFC tournament, remember to keep growing.