I recently heard a quote that has stuck with me for the last month. I’m not sure exactly what it was, but it went along these lines: “Writers write. If you can do anything else, do it.”

I suppose there is a reason someone said that. The journalism industry, like many other career paths, is not an easy one. Being a journalist requires long hours, working on holidays, and it is not going to make you rich. In the world of social media, your work is often criticized publically. Most of all, it is not a very secure careerpath. Layoffs are occurring more and more each year due to budget constraints. In the last year, I have witnessed many talented journalists lose their jobs to budget cuts.

But what I have discovered over the years is journalism is my passion and I truly believe it is what I was meant to do in life. I find joy telling people’s stories, covering sporting events, and I like the adrenaline rush I get from constantly being on deadline. Most importantly, I’ve enjoyed the relationships and friendships I’ve developed during every stop I’ve made along my professional journey. And those aspects make up for the negatives that are a part of this industry.

I should introduce myself. My name is Josh Hall and I am the new sports editor at the Uinta County Herald. 

I hail from Springfield, Mo., and attended Drury University, where I earned a degree in integrated media and was a pitcher for the baseball team. I graduated from college in 2011 and took my first job as a sports editor at a small newspaper in Paris, Ill. I spent two years there, before becoming part of a four-person sports-writing team at the Jefferson City News Tribune in Jefferson City, Mo. 

After spending a year in Jefferson City, I decided I wanted a “normal job” with regular business hours. I took a marketing position in St. Charles, Mo., and after four months, I decided that was not the right fit for me.

I ended up working on the maintenance staff at a country club in St. Charles. I have always had an interest in turf management, so I happily accepted the job. I started out as a spray technician, something I knew nothing about, and worked my way up to become the assistant superintendent after a year. 

In the two years I lived in St. Charles, I continued to write on a freelance basis for the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Working at a golf course made me appreciate writing more than I ever had. Dragging around an 80-pound hose for 11 hours a day during the summer to keep greens alive and healthy was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

I decided that was a lifestyle I could not maintain for years to come, so I moved back to Springfield in February. My plan was to go back to school and continue working in the golf-course industry until I earned another degree.

Shortly after moving back home, a position opened up at a television station. I applied for the job and accepted the position of sports web producer. It was a dream come true. Since I graduated from college, I’d always wanted to work as a sports journalist in Springfield. I was finally given that opportunity. 

But on August 18, five days before closing on my first house, Gray Television threw me a curve ball. I was part of a 37-person layoff at the station I worked at. It was a knock down, but not a knock out. I knew I had to press on with my life. 

I could have found a different occupation closer to home, but I had been down that road before and it wasn’t for me. Instead, I accepted the position at the County Herald, 1,155 miles from Springfield.

Change is a hard thing, and I’ve gone through my share of them in my 28 years. But I believe getting laid off and getting out of my comfort zone could be one of the best things that could ever happen to me. 

In the short time I’ve lived in Evanston, I’ve witnessed some of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen. I look forward to seeing many more as time becomes available.

I’ve learned something new at every job I’ve ever worked at. I plan on using those experiences while putting forth my best effort to make the County Herald sports section something the community looks forward to reading.

As a one-man staff, I will do my best to provide coverage for all sports in this area. Because the County Herald is a semi-weekly paper, it is my goal to get game stories and photos published on our website as quickly as possible – this includes events that are out of town. You may have noticed this already from the links I’ve been posting on Facebook. 

Of course, you will still get to enjoy a hard copy of the paper every Tuesday and Friday. Because of timeliness, the stories you see in the newspaper will be slightly different and more in-depth than what you see online. 

If you have any suggestions for story ideas, or anything else, please feel free to contact me. My email address is jhall@uintacountyherald.com. I’m also on most social media sites. I especially encourage you to follow me at JoshHallTall on Twitter, where I will be providing live updates of events I’m covering. 

I look forward to meeting more people in the community over the next several months. If you see me, please feel free to stop and introduce yourself. I’m a little shy, by nature, but stand out at six-foot-seven.

Best regards,

Josh Hall