What a difference a year makes.
This past Friday, I celebrated my one-year anniversary at KYMA. I know people will always tell you “it feels like Event X was only yesterday,” but hitting the one-year mark for me was slightly different. I’ve learned so much in the past year, to the point where it seems like I did my first story at KYMA five years ago. But I also vividly remember my first day when I left Detroit for good, and saw Ann Arbor and the Big House from my window seat as the plane began its climb. I can also distinctly recall inhaling my first deep breath of desert air as I stepped off my connecting flight. Maybe the passage of time seems so odd because the seasons never change in Yuma, Arizona. The weather here ranges from “hot” to “blazing inferno.” This was my first year without winter, spring, and fall. Maybe my body felt as if I were stuck in time.
Before I got my job as Sports Director at KYMA, I was applying to every news station and sports channel that had an opening. Each time I got a rejection notice, or no call back at all, it made me a little bitter. I went from just wanting a job, to now also wanting a chance to show those other stations what they missed out on.
Now, after a year, the bitterness is gone. I’ll never be able to fully thank my news director and my general manager for taking a literal risk in hiring me. I had never met either of them before, and all they had before offering me the job was my demo DVD and two over-the-phone interviews. It was a leap of faith, and one I won’t soon forget. My resentment toward unemployment was transformed to now wanting to show my bosses that they would never doubt the chance they took on the kid who was shoveling 8 inches of snow off his driveway when the Desert Southwest came calling. That’s why it meant so much to me when I was told I had won the 2011 Associated Press Radio and Television Mark Twain award for Best Sports Reporting and Best Sports Videography (see below). I finally had the opportunity to give back to the station that gave me a chance.
I’ve been fortunate to cover some great events. From flying with the Marines at 10,000 feet, to interviewing Coach Mike Krzyzewski one-on-one during USA Training Camp, it’s been a great run. I didn’t blog much last year because I wanted to make sure I gave KYMA my full attention. I think I have obtained a good balance over that time. Hopefully you’ll hear from me more in 2011.
Thanks to everyone for their support in the past year. Many of you have helped me reach this point. For my mentors, colleagues, family, and friends, you constantly push me to be a better reporter. I am forever grateful. Here’s toasting to great things in 2011-12 for everyone out there.
Cheers,
Matt Boyer
