By Mike Sherman, APSE First Vice President/Contest Chair
Joe Walljasper of the Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune swept all six first-place votes from judges to win the Associated Press Sports Editors 2013 contest in Column Writing for the under 30,000 circulation category.
Walljasper, whose five-column entry included pieces on the night of Mike Anderson’s return to Missouri as Arkansas coach and the night Missouri football announced it was “a very SEC team,” will be presented a first-place plaque at the 2014 APSE Banquet June 28 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Va.
Walljasper was followed by runner-up Tim Trower of the Mail Tribune in Medford, Ore., and third-place finisher John Bednarowski of the Marietta (Ga.) Daily Journal. The top 10 is listed below with links to each columnist’s Twitter pages and entries.
Sports editors in the under 30,000 category submitted 56 Column Writing entries. Contest catchers numbered each entry, assuring they had been stripped of headlines, graphics, bylines and any other element that would identify the writer or news organization.
In early March, preliminary judges at the APSE Winter Conference in Indianapolis selected a top 10, with each judge ranking the entries in order from 1 to 10 separately on a secret ballot. Entries were given 10 points for a first-place vote, nine points for second and so on down to 1 point for a 10th-place vote. The final 10 were given to a second judging group, which ranked the entries 1-10 in the same fashion. The winner and final rankings are determined by tallying the ballots.
The Column Writing category is judged based on style, writing quality, originality and local appeal. There is no restriction on subject matter and no requirement that the column appears regularly. Each news organization is permitted two entries in this category.
The contest is open to APSE members. Go to this link to join.
2013 APSE Contest: Column Writing, under 30,000 circulation
(First-place votes in parentheses)
1. Joe Walljasper, Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune, (6), 60 points
Anderson puzzled by bitterness
He's someone else's problem … or solution
Guilty or not, a fortunate end for Haith
Tigers prove they have SEC substance
2. Tim Trower, Mail Tribune (Medford, Ore.), 45 points
Paying it forward on the golf course (Pay Wall)
Air supply keeps golfer Bailey in the swing
Giving back to those who served
Former Medford golfer hits it big with aces
Putting ban not a big hit with some
3. John Bednarowski, Marietta (Ga.) Daily Journal, 38 points
KSU needn’t go far to find its first football coach
Koester deserves chance to coach
Overcoming early jitters, Mason wins for Bulldogs
Bohannon has Cobb coaches’ seal of approval
4. Ryan Howe, Twin Falls (Idaho) Times-News, 36 points
I'll Trade You a Devin Kunz for Your Jared Price!
Time's Right for Petersen, Boise State to Part
'Twas the Night Before Christmas When All Through Boise State…
Twitter a Challenge for College Sports Programs
5. Rachel Crader, Southeast Missourian (Cape Girardeau, Mo.), 33 points
Press release more surprising than Samuel's release
Taking my nephew to his first Cardinals game
New Southeast coach Tom Matukewicz makes most of first impression
Otto Porter's message for kids
Otto Porter stays true to form all the way to NBA
6. Steve Heiser, The York (Pa.) Dispatch, 27 points
Dover's Kuhn saves season for Green Bay Packers
Five men who face daunting task
PIAA right to institute heat policy
Father, son have super Super Bowl
Don't become too invested in O'Brien
7. Cecil Hurt, The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News, 25 points
Let Manziel play (Behind Rivals pay wall)
UA, accused better off cutting ties
Mal Moore, Alabama a match made in heaven
Super 6 features the best of football, and not just in terms of talent
8. Mike Szvetitz, Opelika-Auburn News (Opelika, Ala.), 24 points
Bo Jackson the greatest athlete ever? It’s hard to argue otherwise
Perspective key when assessing Barbee’s future
Louis’ catch, Auburn's turnaround stuff of legends
Eyewitness to history: What I think I saw after Auburn's Iron Bowl win
Pawlowski's firing proves once again that winning is most important
Remembering Melanie, and the 2004 Red Sox
Brady, Patriots left with nothing but disappointment
Facing the music, and the future, in Foxboro
Reflections on a week unlike any other
10. Chris Stevens, Midland (Mich.) Daily News, 20 points
Time to be set free, Lions' fans
Steroids in pro sports? Maybe it’s time to say ‘yes’
Who's showing more courage — Broussard or Collins?
Tigers need to be bold and trade ….
(Mike Sherman, APSE first vice president and contest chair, is sports editor of The Oklahoman. Email him at msherman@opubco.com, follow him at @MikeSherman or call 405-475-3164.)
