By Jason Sethre
Publisher
Fillmore County Journal
jason@fillmorecountyjournal.com
I’ve been in the newspaper business for well over 30 years, and our own Paul Trende is one of the most dedicated sports directors I’ve ever worked with.
About a year ago, at a monthly staff meeting, Paul asked if it would be OK if he added photos to our social media from high school sporting events he covers on a regular basis. This is more work. Extra work. But, people appreciate it. And, Paul continues to lead us in an amazing direction with sports coverage, collaborating with a team of photographers to cover so many events. It truly is a team effort, and we are so fortunate to have so many dedicated people on our team.
Paul started posting photos that never made the newspaper due to space limitations. He’ll take hundreds of photos, and select a few for the newspaper. In the past, the rest of those photos sat on a computer, never really utilized for anything.
What we’ve learned through this initiative is that people want more. They appreciate the tremendous work that Paul and our sports writers and photographers contribute to put a spotlight on high school sports accomplishments.
Some recent photos that Paul shared on our social media account are especially worth sharing in the newspaper.
There are these photos mixed in with baseball game photos. They show one or two kids at the pitcher’s mound of a baseball game, holding up the American flag.
Once I saw these photos, I contacted Paul. He said this is what Caledonia does at the beginning of every home baseball game while singing the national anthem.
Having these kids stand out at the mound holding up the American flag in front of a crowd of baseball fans while singing the national anthem – that’s something special.
What a memorable experience for these kids and their families.
I commend whomever came up with this idea in Caledonia.
We need more of this.
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