Avoid 'newsletter' approach when covering high school sports

Now that almost every newspaper sports section in America devotes considerable space to high school sports, one unfortunate fact remains: Too many of them still cover high school athletics at the level of the local boys and girls club newsletter.

How can these stories have more impact? Here are some thoughts, based on my 18 years of covering sports for The Washington Post, many of those years devoted to high school athletics:

Remember that not all people are created equal. Contrary to that old American document, when it comes to high school athletes, there is a difference. Pro athletes get paid. College athletes get scholarships, or at least a few good road trips and meal money. They get credit when they succeed and must accept criticism when they fail. High school athletes generally play for pride and fun. Keep that in mind when you're tempted to point out by name who made the big mistake. There's no need to name the cornerback beaten for the game-winning touchdown pass or the opposing center who allowed some other center to score 35 points. Was the winning run scored on an error by the shortstop? In most cases, so be it. However, the high school athlete who can be named for making the big mistake is the star. If you have been writing about some goalkeeper who is the best in the area, and she lets the winning goal bounce off her hands, she has to take some of the bad medicine with all of that good stuff you had been feeding her for three years.

Tell readers why you are writing this story. Readers will always gravitate to the story about their old school. The real quest, however, is to attract them to a story when they do not give a damn about either team involved. It is not enough to write, "Ellenville defeated Liberty, 20-14, as John Smith rushed for 140 yards. " Every story must carry a lead that quickly says why the assigning editor sent some stringer out to this particular game. The few words that make the story work might be as simple as "in a game between two of the top teams in the Virginia AAA Northern Region " or "in a game between long-time rivals " or "in game that featured two of the top running backs in the nation. "

Give them streaks, records and firsts. These things really give a high school story some zing ? especially to interest readers who care little about the schools involved or in the 16-year-old subject of a feature story who lives in a neighborhood the reader has never visited. Streaks and records, in particular, are eye-catching. Writing about them can be like hooking the reader on a soap opera. Play them up and keep the streak prominent on your page until it ends. You may get sick of it, but the readers will not.

The better story might be off the field. Players averaging 20 points per game, rushing for 1,000 yards or scoring 20 goals in a season are everywhere. No matter how many schools your paper covers, there are a dozen of them every year. That's why it is imperative that you tell something about the kid away from the sport. Yes, when asked what they do when not playing sports, most kids are automatic in giving the trifecta of responses: "I listen to music, play video games and hang out with my friends. " But someone invented investigative journalism for a reason. Keep asking. Almost every kid has something (favorite school subject, favorite movies, hobbies) that makes him or her more interesting than all other kids with similar sports stats.

Ban the kid, coach, parent story. Who in this group could possibly be objective? But these are the only sources quoted in so many high school stories. Demand a quote from someone outside the clique, such as an opposing coach or player. Or find a college recruiter, who, under NCAA rules, cannot go on the record but would be a good source "who could not be identified by name. ")

Never compare a high school athlete to a pro or college athlete. No, just no. Let me emphasize: No, no, no, no, no.

Use end notes. Save the last inch of every story for isolated notes. This makes the reporter work a little harder but can add some human interest. The best notes may only mildly refer to the event's outcome: The Falcons wore new uniforms for the first time. ? It was a cold night and the concessions ran out of hot chocolate. ? Because of the big turnout, some spectators had to park more than a mile away from the school down Oak Drive.

Run rankings and ratings. Most writers and editors dread them, but readers love them. Creating rankings for "minor " sports that you rarely cover actually is a great way to generate interest. A good method is to organize a trustworthy group of coaches and have them do the rankings. This gets them involved and gets some of your work done. Every week or two, subjectively rate the top three wrestlers in each weight class. Run the best performances in each event in swimming or track and field. I guarantee that after the first week, coaches and parents will be calling you with updates. These things make your pages fun and get people interested in your coverage. And after all, isn't that the whole idea?