I think that, after last Thursday, I’ve become the Plant City Times & Observer’s expert authority on unusual weddings.
Out here, that’s just the way the ball bounces every now and then. I wasn’t expecting to be recognized as the “Sports Guy” at Rick and Lisa Rennert’s wedding at Dinosaur World (see cover) — which, by the way, was a great experience. But there I was, photographing newlyweds on the back of an extinct mammal and answering questions about what a sports writer was doing at a wedding. It also made me wish I could have been at the “Star Wars” wedding I wrote about several months ago.
And that’s not something I was ever expecting to write when I took the job in 2013.
I’ve spoken to high school journalism students about sports reporting before, but I never really touched on everything else that I do. So if I had to give some new advice to any aspiring journalists out there, it’s this: if you don’t work at a big daily publication, be ready for anything.
I once covered the Strawberry Queen pageant with former Managing Editor Mike Eng, not even a full year after I started. My time spent on the sidelines came in handy that night: I took video with one hand and tweeted results with the other, got an interview with Queen Jessi Rae Varnum immediately after they put that crown on her head and beat every other news outlet with the story.
I’ve covered several ag shows at the Florida Strawberry Festival, from legit exhibitions to costume contests, and have written about the bonds between competitors and their animals. It’s not always something that a “city” person from western New York, like me, can understand, but I’ve certainly come to respect the hard work that goes into the ag scene.
Speaking of the festival — and weddings — I once stumbled into a story about an engagement when, after security procedures pushed photographers to the middle of the Wish Farms Soundstage’s seating, a guy popped the question about 30 feet from where I was. My concert photos weren’t spectacular that evening, but I had the best view of that proposal.
I’ve covered many festivals, from attending my first Wild Game Cookout last week to a dog festival where canines probably outnumbered humans by about a 2:1 ratio.
I’ve covered board meetings, business and burglary busts. I’ve found myself at charity luncheons, ribbon cuttings and talent shows. I’ve interviewed musicians both unknown and world-renowned (special shout-out to Kellie Pickler, who was actually excited to talk to a sports guy at a small-town paper).
And, as I’ve said in many Plant City-area classrooms, I end up taking on graphic design projects that our page designers haven’t been able to get to. They’re not always big projects but, if you use our online features, you’ll see my work every time you log on.
At the last annual Observer Media Group company meeting, CEO Matt Walsh described me as the person with “the weirdest job in the company.” I don’t know how I would have felt hearing that three years ago but, now, I’m totally cool with it. I’m definitely keeping my unofficial title of “Sports Guy,” but don’t be surprised to see me at anything, anywhere.
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.