Scrolling through every paper of 2024 for the Sports Year in Review, I found myself stopping to read other stories that triggered a smile and a good memory for me. Sure, I am connected more to these stories than most, but looking at it from a reader’s point of view, I still found myself enjoying some memories from the past year.
As silly as it sounds, the one that made me smile the most is something that many might see as trivial, and it was two pictures and less than 100 words. I knew Kacey Plank as a kid who plays Raider sports, that’s it. I know her dad from being a youth coach and not a ton more. They seem like a good family, Kacey has always been a polite kid around me, but there has not been a more personal connection to them, until July 16, 2024.
To me, this happened out of nowhere, Kacey showed up in an umpire uniform to officiate a 14AAA tournament baseball game at Veterans Park. Along with a few other people, I am one of the volunteer caretakers of the big baseball field at Vets, I also share announcing duties with others and it happened to be my time to announce some of the tournament games. But what was supposed to be another day of baseball turned into something special for me and something special for the town.
You see, never before had I witnessed a female baseball umpire, and even though Kacey had been umpiring for three seasons at the lower levels, she had never been at the top tier baseball field in Hastings, and it was an historic event for not only me, but the field and honestly the town. I was proud to be witnessing our own little slice of history, and yes, I know I am making a mountain out of a mole hill, but that is how history is made, one step at a time.
I do not know if Kacey plans on umpiring past her teenage years. I have no idea if this is a passion or just a way to make some money over the summer, and honestly, to me, that just makes what she did even more special. She was the first female to officially umpire a game at Veterans Park and I was there to be a part of it, to document it and to share it with all of you, because it is a big deal.
There is a plethora of stories like that which I was reminded of while searching for the top sports things to review. The Kelly Jo Kocurek case, the Bond Trial, The Hawks hosting the region tournament for the first time and many more. That is what led to this part of this opinion piece.
What is one story worth to you, one story that touches you? One that moves you. When I wrote the Kacey Plank story, it was less than 100 words, yet here we are, 500 words later, talking about the impact a story like this has on a person. A 100-word story that still makes me smile and proud at the same time. It makes me think of the accomplishments of my kids and how proud I am of them. 100 words had a bigger impact on me this year than thousands of others, and nearly every one of the stories I write I am connected to in some way.
So, I ask again, what is one moving story worth to you? 25 dollars? 50? More?
Why am I asking that? Because local journalism writes those stories. Those stories that connect the community, we shout from the highest building about a historical event that you otherwise may not have known. We write the stories that make you cry because of the kindness of one senior at Hastings High School. That is a story that you need to read, go search “Senior Night: The lessons sports teach can last a lifetime” on our website. It is a story for March of 2021, and I am extremely proud to have written that story and even more proud to call Jake a friend. I feel it is the best story I have ever written but grab a box of tissues before you read it.
See, I am lucky, I get paid to tell these stories every week. There are people out there that understand that Hastings is a community lucky to have local media. We have a true paper with a local reporter, a radio station and a TV station all in a town of 22,000. Each of those three media outlets share a vital role in this town and each has their respective strengths.
Hastings lost a paper once and the devastation was felt instantly. The Hastings Journal is something I feel I am lucky to be a part of, I truly love telling the stories of the community. I am proud to know that the owner of the Journal did not allow Hastings to miss a week of having a local newspaper. It was a huge gamble and still is a lot of work behind the scenes to make this thing work every week. Late nights, very early mornings, stressors like you would not believe, all parts of running a local business.
And that leads back to how much is a story that moves you worth? What is one story worth to you? If you picked up the paper for the first time from a news stand and this story moves you, then it’s a buck fifty. If you are a yearly subscriber and you get one story that moves you a month, then it’s a few bucks.
My ask is simple, if you are a first-time reader or long-time subscriber, share your love of the paper with your friends and family. Encourage them to subscribe. $75 for two years is a steal and if you only read two stories that connect with you in two years, you will have paid $37.50 each story, which is still a bargain.
If you are a business owner, you know how important it is to have the support of the community. Just like you, we do our best to be great community partners, and just like you, we need the assistance of the community to survive. We would love to have you advertise with us, help us bring these amazing stories to the community.
For those that do subscribe and to our advertisers, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you for giving me the opportunity to tell you about these stories over the last four plus years. Without your support both as readers and advertisers, I could not have these amazing memories, and I would not have been able to document them for the friends, families and fans in this community.
I sincerely hope that you encourage others to join the Journal family in one way or another and I look forward to telling more stories about this community.
-Bruce
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