Springing into action

Published 11:03 am Tuesday, March 11, 2008

I always have a hard time letting go of the winter season, mainly because basketball is generally my favorite sport to cover (and to play).

It’s extra-difficult this school year because it was my last chance to write about two of the best girls basketball players I’ve ever seen: Jackson’s Kristi Kingma and Meadowdale’s Eryn Jones.

This is my fourth year as The Herald’s full-time prep sports writer. That means I had a chance to watch Kingma and Jones, a pair of extremely well-rounded guards, evolve from talented freshmen into star college recruits. I was fortunate to cover the final high school games of their respective careers.

Both Kingma and Jones finished as the No. 1 career scorers in school history. It will be fun to see how they do at the next level. Kingma is headed to the University of Washington and Jones signed with Portland State University. Maybe they’ll cross paths again someday in a non-conference game.

Now that basketball is done, it’s time to move on to spring sports. The spring season feels more laid-back than the fall and winter. Maybe it’s because the weather is nicer and it stays light longer. Maybe it also has something to do with the particular sports. They include baseball, softball, boys soccer, boys and girls track, boys and girls golf, and girls tennis.

I better get busy. There are games to watch and new stories to tell.