From Michele...
It has taken days to come up with the right words, the perfect sentiment for one of the most generous gifts ever bestowed upon us. Those perfect words and sentiment still aren't there, but here goes...
When I became the Managing Editor for The Adrian Journal, little did I know how much it would impact me, Mike and the kids for the long haul. I fell in love with a family who taught me about the newspaper business and more importantly, the true meaning of community. I learned from the very best! Steve and Linda Oldfield and Lila Gunn will always be near and dear to me. Not only did I learn, but so did Mike. He wasn't on staff but he did anything he could to help us out. Being the sports guy that he is, and a former Blackhawk athlete, Mike thoroughly enjoyed doing what he could for the paper and the Blackhawks.
When The Journal changed ownership, the focus of our local paper also changed to cover the entire county. We support these changes as they are necessary in an industry that is fighting fiercely to compete with the internet. Small town newspapers are really struggling to stay afloat and broadening from a town to county paper helps with long-term survival. We moved on from the newspaper, but the desire to cover the Blackhawks was ingrained in both Mike and I. He tossed around the idea of starting a blog and to be honest, I wasn't all that interested. Mike decided to go ahead and give it a trial run just to see if anyone would care. It was slow going at first but once he got started, Mike realized that his passion for this community, the school and most definitely the kids was stronger than ever, and that people did care.
For his blog, Mike began covering the Blackhawks under Friday night lights. Being the All-State football stud that he was in 1987, Mike has a huge interest in Blackhawks football. It branched out to volleyball and other sports when possible. Like the Journal, it's impossible to cover every team, every event, every anything, so he did what he could, all the while working full time and making it to all of our kids events and activities. It didn't take long for me to help him when needed, but make no mistake about it, the heart of the Adrian News Leader is Mike's. The blog has grown since those early days to include more information, more pictures, etc. It is truly a community service and neither of us have ever expected (or will expect) anything in return.
After an off-the-cuff comment about needing a better camera lens on Facebook after a football game when many of Mike's pictures were blurry, Randy and Tina Reed began a crusade to get Mike that new and improved lens. What followed before a recent home basketball game is the most humbling, overwhelming, absolutely shocking reveal ever. Much to our surprise, MS/HS Principal Abe Lewis called us to half court for a presentation from Randy and Tina and a whole bunch of people - a new lens! As the announcer read a very sincere message from Mr. Lewis and the Reed's, we were standing in front of Blackhawks fans, who rose to their feet and erupted into cheers, with no clue what to say or how to act. All I could think about was rushing off the court to hide the tears that I couldn't hide anymore. Wow.
Mike is slowly learning how to use the lens and we are slowly adding pictures to the blog (and to the Adrian News Leader Facebook page). With a new lens comes a whole lot more pictures, which is taking awhile to sort through, edit, and post, especially with basketball tourneys last week! We'll get there!
Receiving the list of donors (for thank you notes to be written) brought tears to my eyes all over again and warmed our hearts more than I can say. Blackhawks parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles and people in our community gave generously along with the Reed's for this lens. The only way Mike and I truly know how to say thank you is to continue covering the Blackhawks and giving Adrian kids as much well-deserved recognition as possible.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you so very much. God bless you all.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From Mike:
I want to say something myself so that I do not alter her words. Michele is as genuine as they come and what she said is truly heartfelt.
I'd like to echo her sentiments that it has taken a while to put into words how appreciative we are of the generosity extended to us. I started this blog not on a whim. Michele and I were approached by some people to do something on a smaller, local level to give Adrian the coverage it had been accustomed to for over 100 years. Financially and logistically it made zero sense to try to put together something in print form. But, being the 21st century and everybody's access to the internet, doing a blog would provide us the opportunity to bring back a local flavor to coverage of things going on in Adrian.
I wanted to give it a look and feel like a local "paper". Since I had been taking pictures and writing sports stories for years I stuck to what I knew best. We've done a few other stories since then. Most, if not all, pertain to activities revolving around the school. It's the largest employer in town with most people in town having an interest in an activity on any given night.
I take 200+ pictures per ballgame. Not all are good. Many are repetitive so they don't make the cut. The good thing about the blog and Facebook is that there is an endless amount of space to post these pictures. Instead of 2 or 3 good ones getting placed in the layout of a paper we can throw up hundreds. Parents and players love to see pictures of them in action. Links to the blog get shared. Instead of clipping out articles people can just send the story to every family member with the click of a button.
Nothing validates what we are doing more than seeing the pictures we've taken become somebody's profile picture or background photo. When we see our photos copied and shared it makes us smile. We do not watermark the photos because these belong to the people we are covering and their families. We are also happy to share special moments with the local papers if/when the occasion arises where they weren't able to cover it themselves. There is no competition between us and the local paper. We want the kids to be recognized for their achievements. Being called upon by other publications is an extension to the service we are providing the community.
What Michele said is true. I was frustrated with the (lack of) quality of football pictures late in the season. As the fall days get shorter and the amount of sunlight becomes less, it makes it increasingly difficult to get good clear photos of the games. Unless I was standing under one of the light towers with the action coming my way it was very hard to get a good picture. It was easier when George Bruto was head coach to position myself for the shot. "Run a 313" would be the call. I would move down 12-15 yards and await the play. I remember telling the photographer for the Butler paper one time to stand next to me and be ready for the pass to come our way. After the play he asked me if Bruto tipped me off. I told him "No, it was a play we ran when I was playing for him!"
I was feeling really bad about the pictures I was providing for the parents. Frustrated with the pictures one night I made an off-hand comment apologizing and making excuses. I wasn't saying it to elicit the response that grew from the comment.
Randy Reed took the bull by the horns and put out the idea of people donating to the fund to get the lens purchased. We saw it on Facebook and were floored. So many people were offering to donate. There were even people we don't know donating. Just unbelievable to us that people would do that for us!
I knew the effort to get the lens had been made but I also know the price of that type of lens. I figured it would be a stretch for it ever to come to fruition. We were at the home games in early January anxiously awaiting Bailey Reed's 1000th point. That milestone wasn't reached so we were very confused as to why Abe Lewis would ask us to come to mid-court. I take the pictures but Michele always organizes the subjects of the photo. "What's going on?" I asked. "Who are we taking pictures of?" Each time I asked and each time Abe blew me off I got a little more confused and a little more exasperated he wouldn't tell me why we needed to be out there. Then I saw the gift bag that I had seen Tina Reed walk in with before the end of the girls game. That's when it dawned on me. It hit Michele about the same time because she told Abe he better not make her cry.
The words that were said are a faded memory. I stood out there a bit in shock and trying to play it cool. I can't recall, without assistance, what was said. But what will stick with me forever is the thunderous applause and cheers when the lens was presented in appreciation for all that we do. It was very humbling to say the least. Sometimes I still can't wrap my head around the fact that an idea conceived on a whim grew into the final presentation.
One of my favorite quotes is one from George Bernard Shaw. I have it on my Facebook profile page. "I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and as long as I live it is my privilege - my privilege - to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. Life is no brief candle for me; it is a sort of a splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations."
We have a great community. I am proud to be a Blackhawk. So much so my email address is blackhawkpryd@yahoo.com. I'm glad to have found a niche to help make this community what it is today. We all have a role to play. We will always be so thankful for that community giving to us. One good deed after another is what helps keep community pride going.
Thank you very much from the bottom of our hearts for the generosity. We look forward to providing even BETTER pictures for years to come.
It has taken days to come up with the right words, the perfect sentiment for one of the most generous gifts ever bestowed upon us. Those perfect words and sentiment still aren't there, but here goes...
When I became the Managing Editor for The Adrian Journal, little did I know how much it would impact me, Mike and the kids for the long haul. I fell in love with a family who taught me about the newspaper business and more importantly, the true meaning of community. I learned from the very best! Steve and Linda Oldfield and Lila Gunn will always be near and dear to me. Not only did I learn, but so did Mike. He wasn't on staff but he did anything he could to help us out. Being the sports guy that he is, and a former Blackhawk athlete, Mike thoroughly enjoyed doing what he could for the paper and the Blackhawks.
When The Journal changed ownership, the focus of our local paper also changed to cover the entire county. We support these changes as they are necessary in an industry that is fighting fiercely to compete with the internet. Small town newspapers are really struggling to stay afloat and broadening from a town to county paper helps with long-term survival. We moved on from the newspaper, but the desire to cover the Blackhawks was ingrained in both Mike and I. He tossed around the idea of starting a blog and to be honest, I wasn't all that interested. Mike decided to go ahead and give it a trial run just to see if anyone would care. It was slow going at first but once he got started, Mike realized that his passion for this community, the school and most definitely the kids was stronger than ever, and that people did care.
For his blog, Mike began covering the Blackhawks under Friday night lights. Being the All-State football stud that he was in 1987, Mike has a huge interest in Blackhawks football. It branched out to volleyball and other sports when possible. Like the Journal, it's impossible to cover every team, every event, every anything, so he did what he could, all the while working full time and making it to all of our kids events and activities. It didn't take long for me to help him when needed, but make no mistake about it, the heart of the Adrian News Leader is Mike's. The blog has grown since those early days to include more information, more pictures, etc. It is truly a community service and neither of us have ever expected (or will expect) anything in return.
After an off-the-cuff comment about needing a better camera lens on Facebook after a football game when many of Mike's pictures were blurry, Randy and Tina Reed began a crusade to get Mike that new and improved lens. What followed before a recent home basketball game is the most humbling, overwhelming, absolutely shocking reveal ever. Much to our surprise, MS/HS Principal Abe Lewis called us to half court for a presentation from Randy and Tina and a whole bunch of people - a new lens! As the announcer read a very sincere message from Mr. Lewis and the Reed's, we were standing in front of Blackhawks fans, who rose to their feet and erupted into cheers, with no clue what to say or how to act. All I could think about was rushing off the court to hide the tears that I couldn't hide anymore. Wow.
Mike is slowly learning how to use the lens and we are slowly adding pictures to the blog (and to the Adrian News Leader Facebook page). With a new lens comes a whole lot more pictures, which is taking awhile to sort through, edit, and post, especially with basketball tourneys last week! We'll get there!
Receiving the list of donors (for thank you notes to be written) brought tears to my eyes all over again and warmed our hearts more than I can say. Blackhawks parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles and people in our community gave generously along with the Reed's for this lens. The only way Mike and I truly know how to say thank you is to continue covering the Blackhawks and giving Adrian kids as much well-deserved recognition as possible.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you so very much. God bless you all.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From Mike:
I want to say something myself so that I do not alter her words. Michele is as genuine as they come and what she said is truly heartfelt.
I'd like to echo her sentiments that it has taken a while to put into words how appreciative we are of the generosity extended to us. I started this blog not on a whim. Michele and I were approached by some people to do something on a smaller, local level to give Adrian the coverage it had been accustomed to for over 100 years. Financially and logistically it made zero sense to try to put together something in print form. But, being the 21st century and everybody's access to the internet, doing a blog would provide us the opportunity to bring back a local flavor to coverage of things going on in Adrian.
I wanted to give it a look and feel like a local "paper". Since I had been taking pictures and writing sports stories for years I stuck to what I knew best. We've done a few other stories since then. Most, if not all, pertain to activities revolving around the school. It's the largest employer in town with most people in town having an interest in an activity on any given night.
I take 200+ pictures per ballgame. Not all are good. Many are repetitive so they don't make the cut. The good thing about the blog and Facebook is that there is an endless amount of space to post these pictures. Instead of 2 or 3 good ones getting placed in the layout of a paper we can throw up hundreds. Parents and players love to see pictures of them in action. Links to the blog get shared. Instead of clipping out articles people can just send the story to every family member with the click of a button.
Nothing validates what we are doing more than seeing the pictures we've taken become somebody's profile picture or background photo. When we see our photos copied and shared it makes us smile. We do not watermark the photos because these belong to the people we are covering and their families. We are also happy to share special moments with the local papers if/when the occasion arises where they weren't able to cover it themselves. There is no competition between us and the local paper. We want the kids to be recognized for their achievements. Being called upon by other publications is an extension to the service we are providing the community.
What Michele said is true. I was frustrated with the (lack of) quality of football pictures late in the season. As the fall days get shorter and the amount of sunlight becomes less, it makes it increasingly difficult to get good clear photos of the games. Unless I was standing under one of the light towers with the action coming my way it was very hard to get a good picture. It was easier when George Bruto was head coach to position myself for the shot. "Run a 313" would be the call. I would move down 12-15 yards and await the play. I remember telling the photographer for the Butler paper one time to stand next to me and be ready for the pass to come our way. After the play he asked me if Bruto tipped me off. I told him "No, it was a play we ran when I was playing for him!"
I was feeling really bad about the pictures I was providing for the parents. Frustrated with the pictures one night I made an off-hand comment apologizing and making excuses. I wasn't saying it to elicit the response that grew from the comment.
Randy Reed took the bull by the horns and put out the idea of people donating to the fund to get the lens purchased. We saw it on Facebook and were floored. So many people were offering to donate. There were even people we don't know donating. Just unbelievable to us that people would do that for us!
I knew the effort to get the lens had been made but I also know the price of that type of lens. I figured it would be a stretch for it ever to come to fruition. We were at the home games in early January anxiously awaiting Bailey Reed's 1000th point. That milestone wasn't reached so we were very confused as to why Abe Lewis would ask us to come to mid-court. I take the pictures but Michele always organizes the subjects of the photo. "What's going on?" I asked. "Who are we taking pictures of?" Each time I asked and each time Abe blew me off I got a little more confused and a little more exasperated he wouldn't tell me why we needed to be out there. Then I saw the gift bag that I had seen Tina Reed walk in with before the end of the girls game. That's when it dawned on me. It hit Michele about the same time because she told Abe he better not make her cry.
The words that were said are a faded memory. I stood out there a bit in shock and trying to play it cool. I can't recall, without assistance, what was said. But what will stick with me forever is the thunderous applause and cheers when the lens was presented in appreciation for all that we do. It was very humbling to say the least. Sometimes I still can't wrap my head around the fact that an idea conceived on a whim grew into the final presentation.
One of my favorite quotes is one from George Bernard Shaw. I have it on my Facebook profile page. "I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and as long as I live it is my privilege - my privilege - to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. Life is no brief candle for me; it is a sort of a splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations."
We have a great community. I am proud to be a Blackhawk. So much so my email address is blackhawkpryd@yahoo.com. I'm glad to have found a niche to help make this community what it is today. We all have a role to play. We will always be so thankful for that community giving to us. One good deed after another is what helps keep community pride going.
Thank you very much from the bottom of our hearts for the generosity. We look forward to providing even BETTER pictures for years to come.
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