Memory is a funny thing.
They say hindsight is 20/20, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Actually, memories are nothing but deceptive. Our good memories always seem to be a bit more fun than it actually was and our bad memories always seem more agonizing.
But right now, as I write what is my last column as an Alligator sports writer, I want nothing more than the nostalgia that comes with hindsight.
I've been at UF since June 2004, and it has been nothing less than the greatest 4 1/2 years of my life.
I came in as an 18-year-old excited by the possibilities that lay ahead of me.
I didn't know where I was going, but I didn't care. I just wanted to have fun along the way. And hindsight being what it is, I'd probably say I didn't do everything I wanted as a UF student, and I'd change a few things if I could go back and give life a quick edit.
But the one thing I would never change is my time at the Alligator, which is the best student paper in the country with the best damn student-run sports section. Like I said before, I came in to UF not knowing what the hell I wanted to do with my life. It wasn't until the spring of 2006 that I realized I wanted to be a sports writer, which is pretty late to try to work your way up the alligatorSports ladder.
Somehow, despite not being a journalism major, through hard work, dedication and plenty of help along the way, I've managed to get pretty good at this covering sports thing.
That's not saying I'm where I want to be as a writer and reporter, but I feel I've gotten the foundation I need to reach my goals. And I have big goals and big dreams because I'm still a kid at heart.
And if there's one thing to know about me, you should know that. I'm the sleepy-eyed day-dreamer in the back of the class. My special little lady, Rose, and I always joke that I have delusions of grandeur.
I like to play the role of a calm, cool, mature dude, but that couldn't be further from the case. I often operate on impulse and my emotions often dominate me.
That extends to my writing as well. I've discovered that writing big Sports Illustrated-style features and books is what I'd like to do long-term.
And that's because I like tapping into the emotions of a person and a story. It gives me the opportunity to write with my heart on my fingertips, and I feel every word as it pours out of me and onto the screen.
Before I sign off for good, I have several people I'd like to thank for helping me get here. Eric Doise, my ENC1102 teacher who dabbled in sports reporting in college, who was kind enough to edit the first articles I wrote on my own.
Gainesville Sun Features Editor Jeff Tudeen, who gave me an opportunity to write features in the summer of 2006 when all I had was unbridled enthusiasm and those clips Eric edited.
Gainesville Sun Sports Editor Arnold Feliciano, thank you for giving me a shot to write sports features just a few weeks after Jeff gave me my first break.
Former Alligator staff writers and sports editors Louis Anastasis, who hired me 2 1/2 years ago despite my severely limited experience, and Nick Zaccardi, under whose guidance I probably improved the most. Watching and reading you two on a daily basis gave me something to aspire to. All of your tips have helped me more than either of you can imagine.
And to my current colleagues Brian Steele, Evan Drexler, Phil Kegler and Mike McCall, it's been a blast covering football with you guys. I wouldn't pick four other guys I would have wanted to do it with, and for the rest of my life I will stand by my belief that no student staff has a better sports crew than the one we had this year. I feel privileged to work with a group like that. Reading you guys always pushed me to be better.
To the next generation of Alligator staffers, Mike DiFerdinando, Kyle Maistri, Bobby Callovi, Adam Berry, Eugenio Torrens and Ryan Levick, help us keep that tradition going.
And to anyone who has ever read my articles over the past few years, I thank you and hope I helped make your bus ride to school or Man's Food section a bit more enjoyable.
This column has run much longer than I expected, so with that I'll sign off knowing I gave UF and the Alligator everything I had and was given back so much more.
