2002 Dixon Volleyball Invitational

Cutter's Log - Stardate 2102.03.80
Current Song - Dream On (Aerosmith)


When it comes to the most-cherished sports teams that I have covered in journalism:

1. Rock Falls Softball 2004 - for obvious reasons.

2. Rock Falls Volleyball 2002 - a team that I haven't written about as much. But I will now:

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I recently wrote a column marking my 10th anniversary in journalism. While thinking back at the origins, I started to find that moment that would become the true turning point in my career.

It happened at the 2002 Dixon Volleyball Invitational.

I was working for Prep Sports Online, publishers of the high school sports websites for Sterling, Rock Falls, Dixon and Newman high schools. My duty was to work with the football and volleyball teams at Sterling, but for overtime purposes I would do the occasional Rock Falls game.

I had known several girls on the Rocket volleyball team from the summer league softball days - the ones a year ahead of me in high school (juniors). Marilyn may had also been on varsity as a sophomore, I can't recall right now. I had introduced them to this new website thing and so on.

In an effort to get as much content as possible on our PSO websites, I came up with the idea to bundle some things together at the Dixon Volleyball Invitational, where 3 of our schools were competing. I wanted to shoot three birds with a single stone here.

Because I was an official manager for the Sterling Volleyball team at the time, I rode to Dixon on their bus. I would focus on Sterling's matches, while quickly going over to either Rock Falls's or Dixon's matches to catch a little of them on video as well.

The Invitational wasn't a great one for Sterling. I think Sterling went winless and had an early exit. This meant I had to go back with the team. For insurance purposes, if you ride with the team to the game, you ride back with the team unless special permission from the parent is recieved. This, of course, spawned a huge conflict. Rock Falls was competing for either the title or 3rd place (I can't remember which), and it would be a shame if I didn't get that particular match captured.

I remember my coach finding me and telling me "we're ready to go!" I couldn't go. I told her that PSO had told me to tape this Rock Falls match as well, and so forth. We debate this for a while in the Dixon athletic office and making phone calls and all that. Finally, she came up with the idea that I never actually came down here with the team.

I was going to call my parents afterward for a ride back. I didn't bring my cell phone because I didn't need it, but I had rounded up enough change to find a pay phone. I was going to walk across the bridge into downtown and find a payphone to call my parents from.

After taping the game, I took a little break on a bench just outside of Dixon's gym. The Rock Falls team was ready to go board the van when one of them came up to me and offered me a ride back into town. (I'm thinking it was either Kelly or Bree).

Something like this was unheard of at the time. The first thing I thought was, "did you ask Sheila first?" Soon enough I was riding shotgun back to Sterling. Keep in mind, to get from Dixon to Rock Falls, it was easier to drive down Dixon Avenue/Rock Island Road. We went through Sterling. They were going to drop me off at my house ... well, now a bus-full of girls knew where I lived.

Riding in the front seat of the van back into Sterling, I was trying to piece together this act of generosity and why this all came about. I couldn't quite figure out why, but in the end this moment meant a lot to me. I wanted to cover Rock Falls a little more often after that.

It was after that when I began splitting my work time between Sterling and Rock Falls, but for that fall I remained Sterling's volleyball manager.

Perhaps the climax of all of this took place at Rock Falls's senior night against Dixon. I had a commitment with the Sterling girls that night and couldn't make it. The other PSO writer, Rocky, had covered it. The next day Rocky and I were at the office and he had told me about his assignment. Apparently one of the senior girls, Chelsea, had asked Rocky, "Where's Cody at????"

This meant a lot to me for many reasons. Primarily, it let me know that my work was appreciated by another side of the river in addition to Sterling. I was apparently doing something right when another audience, instead of the one I'm supposed to work with, appreciates my work. I also put myself in a position where I was working with more people than usual. I started keeping tabs on both schools, and one thing led to another.

Another gratifying comment happened with my work with the Dixon Girls Basketball team that winter. They had upset Sterling (AT Sterling) for the regional title. The star of the team, Tara, had thanked me after the game for all I did with the Dixon site. (On a side note, my work with Dixon led to my falling from grace at SHS).

Looking back now, if I had never been offered that ride back home from Dixon by the Rock Falls volleyball team, I'd have a different journalism future right now.