Rhino’s Ramblings - On Ice
By Robert Thomas - Opinion/Commentary
I had a chat with a couple of people over the past week about MJ Independent’s sports coverage, and how we have seemingly evolved into more of a sports publication.
Although being true to a certain extent moving more to a sports oriented publication after years of concentrating on the goings-on at City Hall in reality is all part of where I personally wanted to take this publication.
I do my best to center on issues and areas which do not see the appropriate amount of coverage in the local and regional media.
In one of those conversations they talked turned to my personal decision to no longer cover hockey within the City of Moose Jaw. After covering my first hockey game way back in 1984 I’ve hung up the skates so to speak.
When I say so to speak I have been moonlighting back at where I got my start in the journalism game meaning Troy Media well over 35 years ago.
Or should I say an agreement between one of their papers and a group of advertisers very interested in the grass roots growth of female minor hockey in their community.
For me it all starts with my beginnings in community media and as I hit formal retirement age my wrapping up the career in the same community.
It comes with a lot of memories of former Canadian men’s hockey team coach Don King was once a player coach on a senior mens hockey team I covered.
Yeah, it was that long ago or is it rather I’m that old?
And yes, I know it’s only female hockey I personally cover now, but I reflect back to the days when Dennis Beyak called the Saskatoon Blades games and the old Saskatoon Arena. The place where I cut my hockey teeth.
It was so long ago but I remember placing second at the Canadian Community Newspapers Awards for my photographs. An award that still hangs proudly in a small country newspaper well over 30 years later.
I remember being asked was I willing to drive 10 hours - round trip - to help punch up the coverage as they strove for an upgrade from A to AA status.
It was an opportunity I jumped at.
Moving from A to AA is not just about regions or development of other teams but also the band you’re going to get for your buck. And by that I mean it also depends on the level of local media coverage you are able to garner.
In order to grow a sport, you need to have media coverage there’s no way around it.
People can laugh all they want it when I say this, but this is where your local newspaper, radio station, social media, as well as online publications such as MJ Independent comes into play.
And believe it or not when it comes down to hockey and other sports, the big things I’ve learned over the years is that the photographs and hard work you do is either going to make or break your growth.
It’s a formula used in basketball this year and if I decide to continue my association with MJ Independent past this November it’s a formula I intend to build upon.
Due to changes at the publicly rink fee subsidized Moose Jaw Minor Hockey’s (MJMH) there was a new media policy adopted and this publication is not accredited.
What that means in my interpretation is that the coaches and players who under MJMH are not allowed to speak to MJ Independent.
As such our coverage last year was limited at best. This coming year - if I decide to continue with MJ Independent - there will be no coverage of MJMH events.
It’s that simple.
As it was explained to me on the telephone when I spoke to their office in late August 2022 that there were people - parents - who did not like how MJ Independent covered hockey.
So it was time to move on and when the opportunity came to help move a team from A to AA from a publication I started out at I jumped at the opportunity.
And that’s actually what I told somebody in the past week.
If the parents don’t want you at their child’s minor league sports it’s time to move on.
With that said will I be back covering female hockey again this coming winter?
Well I do have a verbal contractual agreement with a AA team this coming winter, if I decide to continue covering hockey.
But given the response I’ve had from basketball as well as other sports organizations in the community. I’m going to tell yo it’s highly doubtful I’ll be covering minor hockey at all.
Quite frankly, I’m too busy.
In order to cover high school basketball the way it deserves to be covered. You have to change your lifestyle.
For me that meant foregoing Council and moving to a schedule where you go to bed at 7 AM and then get up at 3 PM in order to properly write as well as edit the photos for the next morning.
Call it dedication, call it stupidity or call it what you like to call it it’s just a fact.
All I can say is I have figured out ways to make the coverage more effective, as well as at the same time more efficient. If I’m back at basketball I’m set to expand.