For me, this was a dream come true

I got my dream job.

At 16-years old sitting in a Journalism 1 class at Ridge View High School, the teacher opened one of the early classes by talking about jobs available in the newspaper industry. He started discussing beat writer and my ears perked up.

Wait, you mean I could collect a paycheck while following around a sports team and watching games? From that day forward, I wanted nothing else professionally.

To be clear, the last 17 years have been the biggest con job in recorded American history. I grew up in a doublewide in rural South Carolina. We planted a three acre garden every spring, raising 95 percent of the vegetables we ate. We were five miles from the nearest gas station and almost eight to the closest grocery store. My high school was 15 miles one way.

Sports had little to no place in our house. I have one childhood jersey – a Cedar Creek Baptist Church adult league slow pitch softball T-shirt. You had to be 15 to play. At 13, I lied on the registration form.

I didn’t go to a sporting event of any kind until fifth-grade when I won minor league baseball tickets at the state fair. Because of the price, we discovered that Capital City Bombers games could be a regular summer activity. It was cheap, lasted a long time and served as an easy way to keep my sister and I entertained.

Three years later, I attended my first South Carolina football game thanks to the S.C. Southern Baptist Convention, a 38-0 loss to Mississippi State.

I was hooked.

The environment, the thrill, the passion, it was something I’d never seen. For years, Williams-Brice Stadium was just this big gray structure we parked next to on trips to the state fairgrounds. Suddenly, it came to life. I wanted more.

So, I chased the dream. I had no clue what being a journalist meant. It just sounded like fun.

Turns out I was right.

I got to live in places I probably never would’ve even visited (thank you Waxahachie, Texas, and Cheyenne, Wyoming, for letting me call you home). I met countless players, coaches, fans and administrators who allowed me into their world and let me tell their story, a responsibility I’ve never taken lightly. I read every email and listened to every voicemail. I appreciate every piece of feedback, good or bad.

Without this job, I never would’ve met my wife. Along the way, I've crossed paths with folks I’m proud to call friends, people who came all the way to North Carolina just to see my wife and I walk down the aisle.

I’ve been in Wilmington for five years, but the last two and a half have been covering UNCW athletics. That short time gave everything a beat writer could ever want – championships, coaching changes, breaking news, big moments, heartache. I went to the NCAA Tournament in basketball, baseball and soccer. I wrote about records crumbling. I witnessed buzzer-beaters, walk-offs and overtime winners. I saw the country. I diversified my skills. I challenged myself.

Now, it’s time for a new challenge.

Working for Pender County Schools will certainly be a change. Hopefully there will be a few less sleepless nights trying to meet deadline or the dire need for a caffeine jolt to get through another day. Maybe I’ll finally have a structured schedule and get to start running again (Battleship Half 2019?).

I got live my dream. Not everyone can say that. I’m one of the lucky ones who can.

Alex Riley covered sports for the StarNews for five years. You can continue to follow him on Twitter at @ByAlexRiley.