By JONATHAN HULL

Sports Editor 

Two individual state titles.
A JUCO national championship.
Finally, a softball state title.

These are some of the highlights I've gotten to write about in the past 10 months.

That's what this job is based around. It's a 10-month grind that begins in August and doesn't end until June.

There is little opportunity for time off and plenty of chances to find myself completely worn out and ready to retire at the early age of 28.

And if it weren't for the face that I love my job, I might leave it for someone else to try.

What can I really complain about? I get to attend sporting events all over the country, for free no less. On top of that, I then get paid to write about them. As if that weren't enough, I'm also given a platform to talk about these sports on the radio.

In other words, I believe I have the best job in town.

When I joined the Herald staff a little more than two years ago, I wasn't quite sure what I was getting myself into.

I was about 30 hours short of having a degree from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, but I left that to return to my hometown — a place I swore I'd never live again.

Yeah, I'm sure I'm not the only one to ever make that vow only to see it broken.

Yet it only took me about two weeks to figure out this was the job for me. Of course, once the fall of 2007 came around and I started to cover my first football season as a writer, that opinion was only further ingrained into my head.

Everyone was telling me that I'd eventually get burned out if I didn't slow down. There was no reason for me to be at every game I possibly could if I had coaches who would call in the results.

My response? "I want to be there. I want to watch. I love sports. If I wasn't getting paid to do this by the Herald, then I'd probably be doing it for free on my own."

That's what I did in Wichita Falls. I attended countless football, basketball, softball and baseball games when I lived there. A friend and I started a local sports radio talk show from scratch and I started to get my first taste of being a member of the media.

Only I wasn't getting paid for my services and any expenditures were coming out of my own pocket. Actually, make that the government's pocket since I was basically living off of student loans at that point.

Then I got told I could be paid to write about sports — something else I was already doing for free on various blogs and Web sites — in Big Spring and pretty much do the same thing I was doing in Wichita Falls for free.

I took some time, thought about it, discussed it with my father and made the move. It was the best decision I've ever made.

Still, everyone insisted the burn out would set in. But how could anyone get burned out covering the quality of sports that I covered this year?

I witnessed every team sport at Big Spring High School make the playoffs. I followed Big Spring seniors Jordan Valle (cross country) and Tyrone Clemons (high jump) as they won individual state titles.

The Steers football team might have been one of the best Big Spring has had in the program's history. It was definitely one of the most athletic and the most successful since 2002.

I travelled to two states — Kansas and Colorado — I hadn't ever seen in my adult life courtesy of Howard College athletics.

The women's basketball team took me to Kansas for the national tournament. While the team was one of the first eliminated, it doesn't take anything away from the successful climb the program has made in the past four years under the direction of Earl Diddle.

Then, of course, there's the Hawks baseball team. I don't have to go into its success. All I have to do is mention the word 'Hawks' and nearly everyone in town knows what I'm talking about.

That team captured the heart of this community with its unlikely run to a national championship. It wasn't the fact they won the title that made it so unlikely. It was the way they went about doing so.

Howard finished with a 63-1 record — the best mark for a national champion at any level of collegiate baseball. Even if the Hawks hadn't won the title, they still would have been inked in the history books after winning their first 57 games of the season.

What Howard did is a once in a lifetime experience. I don't believe I'll ever see another team dominate the way that one did.

The Hawks had us all tuned in. Both the Herald and KBST had their phones constantly lighting up throughout their run, wanting to know how the team was doing.

During the championship game in Grand Junction, Colo., my cell phone, which had close to a full battery at the beginning of the game, died to the amount of text messages I was receiving from those either listening or wanting information about the game.

That wasn't the end of my sports season, though.

While making the 12-hour trek over the Rocky Mountains and back to Big Spring, I learned the Forsan Lady Buffaloes softball team had won an epic best-of-three series with Marfa in the Region I finals.

Austin, here I come.

I came back in town for four days and then made the familiar late May-early June drive to Austin that I have traditionally made for the softball state tournament.

I have attended the tourney to end three consecutive seasons. The first two times, I followed Coahoma to our state capital. In 2009, it was Forsan's turn.

As if all the success of Howard County athletic weren't enough, the Lady Buffs brought home a state title.

So I ask the question again, "How can I get burned out covering these type of events?"

Am I tired? Yes. Burned out? No way.

While I don't ever expect this year's successes to be duplicated in number, I am chomping at the bit for football season. After all, the Steers return seven starters to a high-powered offense and appear poised to make a similar deep run into the postseason.

Why wouldn't I want to cover that? Not to mention, I don't only write about these games anymore. I talk about them over the radio as well.

By default, I have become the dominant media presence for sports in Howard County. All I can say is thanks to the powers that be at the Herald and KBST for making that a possible venture.

To my understanding, having this type of relationship shared between the paper and radio station was previously unheard of in Big Spring. Hopefully, you'll be reading my words in the paper and hearing my voice on the radio for at least one more year.

I guess the sports season isn't completely over in Big Spring, either. Let's not forget the 76th Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo is set to start Thursday. Also, little league softball and baseball team will be participating in district tournaments in the coming weeks as well.

Expectations? With the way this 10-month sports season has gone, don't be surprised if the rodeo is the biggest we've seen in Big Spring or if one of those softball or baseball teams claim a championship.

It's just been that kind of year.