Covering Bucks sports

There are basically three types of sports stories we do in the Centurion:

game stories - coverage of a specific game

features - articles that profile a coach, look ahead to the coming season of a particular team, or summarize the season just ended

columns - the writer gives his opinions on a team

Game stories and features are what we need the most. Columns are fine, but a writer should cover a team at Bucks on a regular basis before trying to write a column.

REMEMBER - TAKE PICTURES WHENEVER YOU CAN

Features: these stories involve an in-depth interview with either the coach or one of the players talking about the team. This can be written in a feature-like style and should be a minimum of 500 words, and probably more. See the example below:

Kevin Yorke
Centurion Staff

In sports there is an old cliche, defense beats a good offense. What is meant by this cliche is while the amount of scoring can fluctuate depending on many factors, there is always that ability to make the opposing team work hard for every opportunity. That saying holds true for Bucks men's soccer.

The Centurions men's soccer team looks to complete another successful season this year, and while the outlook is promising, Coach Justin Burroughs knows the team can play better than they have during the beginning of the season.
"Finishing is our biggest problem," Burroughs said.

"Right now we're in the middle of the pack as far as the standings go. We're in every game and our defense is the strength of our team, but when we have a chance to put away teams, we just can't find the net. Sometimes, the frustration of the team is apparent," Burroughs added.

The team has dominated the opposition in many games this season but has just not been able to score the go- ahead goal. Trouble with scoring aside, Coach Burroughs knows the team is still one of the best in the area.

"The way we're playing right now I know will help us down the road. The team's determination has really shown through this trying period," he said.

An example of this frustration can be identified with a Sept. 15 loss to Manor Junior College, when the Centurions lost 1-0 in a hard- fought match.
 
The team will deploy an offensive scheme that will hopefully combat this lack of scoring. With two strikers on the offensive side, Coach Burroughs seeks to take as many shots as possible from where ever possible.

"We want to overwhelm the other team," said Burroughs.

To take as much pressure off the players as possible, no spot on the offensive side of the field is off limits. The players have been instructed to shoot early, and often.

Game stories - must include the score, the records of both teams, the leading scorer(s) and an account of some of the key plays. There should be some quotes from the coach and, if possible, some of the players. Game stories should be at least 300 words.

The lead can basically follow format like this:

John Smith scored 22 points and had 11 rebounds to lead the Centurion men's basketball team to a 82-78 win over Northampton Community College on Tuesday.

Notice the lead includes:

The name of the leading scorer; what he or she did; the final score; the name of the opposing team.

Obviously, for game stories it's best if you can be there for the game. But you can also put together a game story by interviewing the coach afterwards and getting the necessary information.

Here's an example from the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Burnham, a 6-foot-3 senior, now has nine touchdowns on the year - five on receptions, two on interception returns, one on a kick return, and one on a punt return.