Admit it. When APSE announced that the winter conference for judging would be held in Indianapolis there was some snickering out there.
Indianapolis is a great city. I’ve been there twice since April and soon it will be four trips in a year.
But in February?
APSE judging has taken place for the most part in warm Florida cities such as Orlando and St. Petersburg and out West in Las Vegas, Long Beach, Calif., or Redondo Beach, Calif. The long-range forecast for this month in Indianapolis won’t match those cities. Not even close. In fact, we’ll be lucky to see 40s when APSE arrives Feb. 12 at the campus of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis for five days of intense work to start honoring the best sections and writing by members.
Instead we’ll substitute it with a keynote address by NCAA president Mark Emmert, a panel discussion on the state of the industry, a workshop with Gary Roberts, who is the nation’s foremost expert on sports law and if that’s not enough we’ll give you a little Heat. On the final night, judges have the option of attending the Indiana Pacers game against the Miami Heat.
And if you like the cold — and want to run in it — the APSE 5K is scheduled for the final morning of the conference. Jeff Kuehn looks to defend his title after winning the inaugural race on a warm day in June during the convention in Salt Lake City. Jeff has the advantage, having played hockey (in case of ice) and is from Michigan.
It’s the most ambitious schedule ever for APSE judging. We’re confident we’ll have time for all of it because of the overwhelming support by APSE members. More than 90 judges have signed up, a total that hasn’t been reached in many years. Much of the credit goes to the hard work of first vice president and contest chair Michael Anastasi of The Salt Lake Tribune along with our host, Tim Franklin of the National Sports Journalism Center and APSE executive director and wine connoisseur Jack Berninger.
We have 28 states represented and Canada, too.
And we have APSE’s two largest circulation newspapers — The Wall Street Journal and USA Today — and also the two smallest with the Madison Daily Leader and Lahontan Valley News.
And because of the great turnout, we will again critique daily sections in the D and C divisions.
What we’re seeing in the interest in coming to judging is a reflection of what’s happening with the membership spike at APSE.
We finished January with 320 primary members an increase of 17 from the first week of March in 2010.
Total membership passed 500 this month after dropping to 451 a year ago.
Why is that?
It’s not because there’s more people working in sports. It’s not because newsroom budgets suddenly ballooned. It’s because of our membership. And it’s because of what we stand for.
In the October invitation to join APSE, the last reason listed was a new one and apropos. Jack Berninger wrote No. 6 was to “Find camaraderie with the nation's sports editors as you never had it before.”
For myself, I hit the phones to talk to members who had not renewed, sent countless emails to old members and found plenty who never joined. Michael, Jack, second vice president Gerry Ahern and third vice president Ben Brigandi all played a vital role in spiking membership.
Most telling in all of the correspondence and phone conversations was this response from Keith Chartrand, sports editor of the Villages (Fla.) Daily Sun: Thanks again for the special attention to us. Keith wasn’t going to renew membership with APSE. He received plenty of reminders. He just hit the delete button.
Keith told me the phone call I made to him was the difference.
There are other sports editors like Keith. I've talked to many, but apparently not enough.
Progress will continue and more positives will happen for APSE.
Our cold snap is over.
Welcome to Indianapolis.
