Most journalists can tell you why they first got into the business, and they can also tell you exactly when they realized they made the right choice. I’m sure our managing editor, Amber Jurgensen, could tell you her story off the top of her head.
Now that I’ve found my go-to example, let me share it with you.
The day after the spring football games, Strawberry Crest coach John Kelly called to tell me about junior Jake Meachum. I had the interviews set up just a few days later. I knew it was going to be an emotional story, but I didn’t know the full extent of it.
As longtime readers may know, I’ve been in the business in some form or another since my sophomore year of college. Having worked four different beats, I can tell you I’ve seen and written a ton of prep sports stories, and spoke with kids from all walks of life. But until last week, I’ve never encountered anyone like Jake.
This kid had the biggest smile on his face the entire time I was at the family home. He was surrounded by his family, his nurse, Chargers coach Will Terry and running back Theo Williams.
He’s got a ton of charisma, is quick with a joke and can’t stop moving around. He got a few stern warnings for trying to move too fast while on his walker and has probably gotten several more since I left the house.
But that’s awesome because his doctors will probably tell you he shouldn’t be walking or leaving his chair during football games. Jake wants to prove them wrong and prove to himself that he can one day leave the chair for good.
We went through his entire story over the hour I was there, with his mother leading the way in the conversation while we all sat quietly and soaked it in. Every injury, every detail of Jake’s accident was covered, and I watched him as he heard everything. Not once did he break down or lament about what could have been had the driver not been on the road that day.
Toward the end of my time there — right after I stopped recording — his mother showed me a photograph taken the day of the accident: Jake stood in black and white, positioned to take a free throw in a game of basketball. For once, his typical grin was replaced by a look of pure concentration as he squared up to get a quick bucket. The picture sits in a small frame in the family living room, and I have no doubt that Jake sees it every single day. But I also know that it must be inspiring him to keep working his tail off in physical therapy to be able to shoot a ball, swing a golf club and do anything else a young athlete would do, without assistance.
I really believe that he’ll achieve his goals one day.
This is one of those rare stories that comes around. For a journalist, it seems to justify everything in more ways than one could explain verbally, off the cuff. This is the kind of story that makes me proud to attach my name to because I truly feel like I must be doing something right for this family to invite a total stranger into their home and share such an emotionally wrenching story knowing it’s my job to re-tell it for the public.
Being able to write about Jake’s personal triumph is one of those instances that’s made me proud to call myself a journalist, even if I don’t get big-time exposure or make Scrooge McDuck money. Walking out of an interview feeling lifted by a story like Jake’s is a fine reward.
We enjoy sports because we’re captivated by the triumph of the human spirit, though it’s true that some victories are far more meaningful than others. In instances like this, I don’t think there’s a soul alive who can hear Jake’s story and not come away with even a hint of inspiration, whether it’s a sports fanatic or a sports hater.
If he can get put through the wringer like he did, survive and come out of it all with a burning work ethic and a persistently positive attitude, who’s to say that you or I can’t overcome a challenge that we think is holding us back right now?