Some of you know me, some of you have seen me before, but most of you do not know who I am. So please let me introduce myself. My name is Carl Pepin and I’m the new sports editor for Current Publishing’s eight weekly newspapers.
I spent the last eight years as the sports editor for the York County Coast Star newspaper. With that weekly publication, I covered the high school varsity teams at Kennebunk, Wells, York, Biddeford and Thornton Academy.
In 1997, I stumbled upon a part-time opportunity that allowed me to write game stories as a stringer for the Coast Star. I thoroughly enjoyed these weekly changes from my regular job – and it soon dawned on me that maybe I should try working as a sports reporter on a full-time basis. I was hired as the full-time sports editor in November of 1998 and that in turn has led me to Current Publishing where I hope to enjoy just as long a run.
My point in telling you all this is not to reminisce about old times, but rather to let you know how much I enjoy covering the local athletic events. And much of the time – this past Saturday was a prime example – I wish I could be in more than one place at any one time.
I covered the state cross country championships at Leavitt High School in Turner on Saturday and two of the schools we cover won state crowns – the Scarborough boys took the Class A title for the second straight year and the Cape Elizabeth boys won the Class B title for the second straight time as well.
It would have been great to get to the state soccer championships and the state field hockey championships and the football playoff games, but the MPA doesn’t schedule those events so I can attend any or all of them. I may make that suggestion to them when I run into an MPA representative, but I don’t believe that’ll alter their future plans.
We did have reporters at most of Saturday’s competitions and we’ll cover as much as we can during any given week. The two sports reporters who I’ll be working with are enthusiastic and very capable and we’ll try to provide the readers with interesting and enjoyable stories.
We’ll do our best not to make mistakes and we hope you’re understanding on those occasions when we do make an error.
Let me give you a little more background on myself:
I was born and raised in Maine and I graduated from the University of Maine at Orono in December of 1980. (This is where everyone starts figuring out how old I am.)
I’m a Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins fan. I love college football and basketball and I always try to get to an NCAA first and second round site during March Madness. I help coach my son and daughter’s Little League teams and travel basketball teams.
And, of course, I enjoy going to our local high school athletic events. Some of the most memorable sports moments I’ve witnessed were the ones that happened right down the street.
I’m always amazed at the entertainment value local sports fans get for their $3 to $5 admission charge. And those of you who never thought of attending a game at your nearby high school should reconsider. You will not be disappointed with the hour or two you spend at your town’s athletic fields or your neighborhood gymnasium. The kids always compete and they always put on a good show.
Please let me know about other sports happenings in your community that may not involve the high school. While most of our coverage is devoted to high school athletics, we’ll also continue bringing you things like road race results, news about college athletes, and feature stories about athletes of all ages.
Rich Obrey, who’s done a terrific job as the interim sports editor, will continue with Current Publishing as the staff photographer.
I’m looking forward to the upcoming games and the conversations I’m sure to have with many of you. This should be fun…
Send questions/comments to the editors.
