Much of my professional writing career has been in the field of sports, particularly motorsports. Almost by accident, I fell into a job covering high school sports for The Herald, a medium-sized daily in Everett, Washington.
Working with some truly gifted and supportive folks, I was able to move up to become a copy editor and blogger.
Below are some of my best (and favorite) articles, featuring a former meth-addicted Figure 8 racer, a youngster with NASCAR dreams, a fullback-drummer and former beauty contestant with motor oil in her veins.
On a New Track
On a Saturday night in late July, as he had so many times in the past, Ricky “The Kid” Deitz packed up his car after racing at Evergreen Speedway.
Unlike other Saturday nights, this time Deitz did not hang around in the infield talking to other drivers from the Figure Eight Auto Racing (FEAR) club, reliving the night’s events or races from years gone by. Keep reading
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Racing Toward the Top
(Third place in the features category of the 2009 National Motorsports Press Association writing contest)
EVERETT — It’s been said some of the best race-car drivers in the country are at home on Sundays, driving a TV remote instead of a NASCAR Sprint Cup car.
Talented but missing something — money, passion, ambition, work ethic — they stall out in their climb to the top of the racing ladder. Keep reading
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Keeping fast company
Brent Anderson had a problem.
In February 2007, Anderson was several months into planning for the launch of his own business specializing in auto racing designs. He came up with the idea in late 2006, and figured it would take about a year to get everything into place. Keep reading
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The Percussionist Strikes
Ray Purviance is all business on the football field and has a plan for the future, but there is a time when the Snohomish High School fullback lets his guard down.
When he’s drumming. Keep reading
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Natalie Sather is Pretty Good
Evergreen Speedway driver shows you can still be feminine and succeed in a male-dominated sport
Ability, toughness, a driving desire to win and a distaste of losing. If you were writing down the attributes of a successful NASCAR racer those certainly would be near the top of the list. Keep reading
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Drag Racer Busy On and Off the Track
Nikki Cannon is always busy.
Although the 19-year-old 2007 Lynnwood High School graduate is a champion drag racer, the fact is lost on most people because, as she put it, “It’s tough to find time in my schedule to sit down for interviews.” Keep reading
Scott Whitmore, writer 