Alright so yesterday I decided to tackle updating our local hockey fans about the South Shore Conference. Figured it’d be a quick job. Boy, was I wrong.
The Grand Plan (Or Lack Thereof)
First thing after choking down my lukewarm coffee, I grabbed a notebook. My thinking? Just scribble down the latest game scores and news fresh in my head from chatting with coaches last weekend. Simple, right? Ha. Opened the notebook to a fresh page and realized my “quick notes” looked like chicken scratch after a tornado. Messy abbreviations, question marks everywhere, and dates that might be from last month? Or maybe this week? Who knows.
So I dug deeper. Started rifling through the pile of crumpled papers on my desk – game slips from the rink, random texts from parents, and emails buried under newsletters I never read. Took forever just to sort the pile. Found last Tuesday’s scores mixed in with my grocery list. Seriously.
The Wrestling Match with Formatting
Finally got the scores straight. Or so I thought. Sat down to type it out nice and organized. My plan:
- List teams clearly (A vs B, not “those guys in green” vs “coach Mike’s team”)
- Put scores BIG so anyone skimming sees it
- Add a quick news nugget about players or upcoming games
Tried making a table first. Epic failure. Columns went crooked, text spilled over, looked worse than my notebook scribbles. Spent an hour fighting it before giving up. Settled on plain ol’ bullet points. Felt like admitting defeat, but hey, it works. Typed it all out:
- Northport Eagles vs. Harborview Hawks: Final score 3-2 (Eagles squeak by in OT!)
- West Bay Lions vs. Cliffside Comets: Lions dominate 5-1
- Southport Sharks vs. East Shore Mariners: Unexpected tie, 4-4 after a wild 3rd period!
The “Latest News” Disaster
This is where things got messy. Tried recalling that thing about the Harborview goalie getting scouted. What was his name again? Ryan something? Searched my texts. Found fifteen messages about practice cancellations but not a peep about scouting. Remembered the coach mentioned it after the game last Friday. Or was it Saturday? Ugh.
Scrolled back through texts like a detective. Found it! Buried under messages arguing about who brought stale donuts. “Ryan Davies got watched by D1 scouts Fri. Night. BIG deal!” That was it. No details, no nothing. Typical. Had to call Coach Miller directly to confirm. Got his voicemail. Twice.
Finally reached him while he was driving his kid to practice. Yep, Ryan Davies. Northeastern scouts watched him during the Northport game. Coach thinks an offer might come soon. Slapped that news right at the top: Harborview Goalie Ryan Davies Draws D1 Scout Attention! Felt good to get something concrete.
The Final Push (And Screwing Up)
Almost done. Decided to add the upcoming schedule. Found the league calendar online – different year on the website. Seriously, how hard is it to update a calendar? Eventually found the correct dates printed on a flyer stuck to my fridge with a magnet shaped like a puck.
- Friday: Eagles vs. Comets @ Riverside Rink, 7 PM
- Saturday: Lions vs. Sharks @ Harborview Arena, 2 PM
- Sunday: Mariners vs. Hawks @ Southport Ice Complex, 11 AM
Typed it all in. Reviewed the whole thing. Looked decent! Hit publish. Immediately realized I misspelled “Southport” as “Sportport” in the tie game result. Facepalm. Fixed it. Coffee was officially cold. Mission… somewhat accomplished?
Why Was This Such a Big Ol’ Mess?
Basically, trying to track local sports info is chaos. It lives on sticky notes, mumbled voicemails, and group texts where someone is always complaining about the refs. Zero central system. Trying to pull it together feels like herding cats on ice skates. You depend on people remembering stuff, writing stuff down, or actually updating online info. Which rarely happens.
Made me wonder why leagues don’t just use simple shared spreadsheets. Probably because half the coaches wouldn’t open it. End result? A tangled web of info bits I spend hours untangling just to give folks a straight answer. Big shoutout to Coach Miller for actually answering my call!
