Well it is now official ...

by 4ever3 on Mar 11, 2010 9:57 PM EST Comment 10 comments

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I just lost my freelance writing gig for The Hamilton Spectator. I used to write a weekly NASCAR Column for them during the racing season. I thought they were just limited with their space due to their coverage of the Olympics but I was wrong, their freelance budget was significantly cut this year and I was one of the first to go.

Oh well, to be honest with you after the market bottomed out last year I thought I was a goner, but they held on to me for the entire season except for a few missed weeks due to illness and the US Open so I consider myself lucky to have been writing for them at all this past year.

With that being said anyone know of any local papers looking for a freelance NASCAR scrib?

There's not many links to my stuff left over at their site, but here is one about last year's All-Star race that I like because I got to talk a little bit about the history of the event itself.

I've really got to thank Rick Hughes over at The Spec for having the vision of bringing a Blogger into the fold. I never had a contract with him, all we had a handshake deal that lasted almost two years - kind of unheard of in this day and age isn't it? But that's what it was.

After my first article for him, Rick emailed me and told me to stop trying to sound like a reporter, "I want your voice not what you think it should be for a newspaper" he wrote. After that I ran with it and aside from a few changes to my original work due to space restrictions he and his associate editors left my work alone.

I really appreciate the opportunity Rick gave me I really enjoyed my time writing for The Spec and you never know I just might end up back there again one day, especially if the Canadian Motor Speedway becomes a reality.

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I really like your All Star article

"Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona." - George F. Will

by RhodeIslandRoxfan on Mar 11, 2010 10:05 PM EST reply actions

Thanks

I had better ones but for whatever reason I can’t find them on the site.

by 4ever3 on Mar 12, 2010 12:04 AM EST up reply actions

Did you save them anywhere else?

"Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona." - George F. Will

by RhodeIslandRoxfan on Mar 12, 2010 1:16 AM EST up reply actions

Oh yeah

I’ve got print copies of everything I ever did for them.

And you can find a lot of the articles on this site under The Hamilton Spectator link located in the lieft column of the main page.

by 4ever3 on Mar 12, 2010 7:37 AM EST up reply actions

Feel bad for you

I do not think that this is a job posting page. If so, I am a porn actor looking for a female Asian counterpart with big jugs.

by pollynole on Mar 12, 2010 2:16 AM EST reply actions

Sorry to hear that...

I work in the news biz myself, and I survived three rounds of cuts last year, though it has done little to ease my mind. Everyone in editorial that was “lucky” enough to make it feels the same, I think, but it has generally destroyed everyone’s morale/work ethic/sense of security.

The motto these days has been, simply, do more with less. But as we all know, you only do less with less. Besides, I probably won’t make it another year…

I've always considered writing the most hateful kind of work ... I suspect its a bit like fucking, which is only fun for amateurs. -Hunter Thompson

by RockyRippleColtsFan on Mar 12, 2010 2:53 PM EST reply actions

I hear you

they significantly cut their staff about this time last year yet kept me around so as I stated in the post I felt pretty lucky to be around for the whole entire race season. Thanks and good luck with your ‘news biz’ too.

by 4ever3 on Mar 12, 2010 10:02 PM EST up reply actions

That sucks. Print media is cutting back so much, and while you can’t really take the trends personally, it still sucks when you get swept up in it. It sounds like it was an enjoyable job while you had it, and I’m glad you still have your day job. I hope the Canadian Motor Speedway becomes a reality, too, and maybe the Spectator decides they need a racing writer again.

"Darling, you say Brooks Orpik 'checked' that guy. He did not 'get under him and put him into the wall'."--Beloved to me, Winter 2007

Cocktails With the Penguins, where Pens fans toast victories and drown defeats.

by GreenEyedLilo on Mar 12, 2010 10:34 PM EST reply actions

Thanks

you know I was just thinking about if the CMS were to open – they’d probably just send NASCAR author Tim Miller who does local racing for them instead of me. That’s alright though Tim does a good job.

by 4ever3 on Mar 13, 2010 8:43 AM EST up reply actions

It’s their loss man. I myself gave up on tryin to get into the newpaper business. I’ve been a (wannabe) writer for some time. I wish you all the best, bro. There is other jobs out there.

by Troy J. on Mar 13, 2010 2:10 PM EST reply actions