President’s column: Hey, APSE members: Don’t tell me you can’t make a difference

Sometime since the holidays, it dawned on me that my run as an APSE officer is drawing to a close as swiftly as it began. If you’ll recall, I was elected as second vice president to fill out the remainder of Todd Adams’ term (and now Todd is second VP again, so hooray for Todd, and APSE, and symmetry).

Two-and-a-half years instead of three might not sound like much of a difference, but my experience says otherwise. My first year or so in office, I helped out a bit here, offered an opinion there and more or less kept my head down until I was called upon.

Big mistake.

My final year, which started in New Orleans last June, has been a nonstop chain of commitments and duties the likes of which I’ve never before experienced. And that’s just within APSE. Outside of APSE, our daughter went off to college, the importance of maintaining better health gained new focus, and responsibilities at work increased exponentially.

If it sounds like I’ve regretted my decision to run for office, though, nothing could be further from the truth. During this time, in spite of all the hustle and bustle, I’ve actually strengthened many of my relationships both at home and within the organization. I’ve carved out time to watch one son play basketball, or meshed schedules with the other so we could roll up our sleeves and replace his radiator. I’ve lived life to the fullest, is what I’m saying.

Perhaps this is because I’ve started to sense the fading away of my presidency. I think of all the things that I wanted to get done during my term, events I had hoped to attend and people who I wanted to meet, and I see a checklist only partially completed.

With two months to go, I’m on a mad dash to the finish. I’m reaching out to nearby campuses in hopes of establishing some student chapters. I’m rediscovering the simple yet often shrouded truth that one person really can make a difference in others’ lives, and most certainly in this organization, if he or she will only try.

I imagine that most of my predecessors went through a similar time of reflection as the curtain began to fall on their respective tenures as APSE president. The allure of emeritus status starts to look at once both appealing and frightening.

That’s the underpinning of my message to you today. Yes, you’re swamped. But no, you shouldn’t wait until the sun is setting to make a difference. Reach out to a colleague you know (or suspect) needs some encouragement. Follow through on your resolution to be a greater presence on a nearby campus. High school, college, it doesn’t matter … though we’re always looking to expand our roster of student chapters, hint hint.

I guarantee you that your very life experience is of value to those just starting out in this industry, and that your simple presence and words of advice will be greatly appreciated by their educators.

A few other things on my mind this month:

The schedule for this summer’s national conference in Nashville is done, and it’s spectacular. Look for it to be posted in coming days. The dates are June 17-20, and you will have a fabulous time if you attend. We have an all-star cast aligned, and the sessions in which they participate will be immediately useful: We’re talking with The Athletic and unpacking its new-school business model; examining the impact of the potential legalization of sports betting outside Nevada; hearing from the women among us about how we can better support their journalism; discussing the rise of Esports and how to cover it; and on and on. Don’t miss it.

The Commissioners Meetings, held April 19-20 in New York, were super as always. Thank you to Philly’s Gary Potosky for setting up a knockout two-day schedule around midtown Manhattan. Appreciation goes as well to Bill Eichenberger and Ben Osborne for giving us a tour of the Bleacher Report offices in Times Square, and Michael Giarrusso for showing us around AP’s downtown digs. I didn’t make it to last year’s Commissioners Meetings and this month’s sessions were a good reminder of what I’d missed. Come to New York next year if you can.

No update at the moment on USA Wrestling’s tin-eared new credential policy requiring reporters to take a training class and submit to a criminal background check, except to say that we still urge fellow sports journalists to abstain from signing up for the electronic course or handing over their Social Security numbers. Stay tuned on this fast-developing situation.

I’m saddened to report that attendance at some of APSE’s regional meetings has been alarmingly low this spring. We’re looking at ways to get more members to participate in our annual or twice-yearly regional sessions, starting with helping those who organize these events assemble top-notch, practical curriculum and perhaps introducing a digital “hangout” approach alongside the traditional drive-in format. Your APSE officers welcome your suggestions and feedback on this and anything else leading up to our time together in Nashville.

That’s about it for this month.

Remember, and I feel a bit like Smokey Bear saying that only you can prevent forest fires, the betterment of APSE begins with each one of you.

Go out there and make a difference today.

You will be glad you did.