A new playing field for Clay County sports

Clay County’s annual playoff roller coaster ride has finally come to a stop, and what a rush it has been.

Ya’ll will have to excuse me if I appear a bit wobbly coming off the cart, but I get a front-row seat to Clay’s February Frenzy (move over March madness), and, truth be told, coasters and I have been known to undigest hot dogs at a projectile pace.

But what a ride! State champs in wrestling and soccer, and several other teams that made serious runs into the regional playoffs. I don’t know what it is Clay, but when the weather turns cold, you churn out champions, or at the very least, big-time contenders.

Congratulations, Lady Spartans. Congratulations, Cory Baudendistel. And congratulations to all you guys who went out and put it all on the line. No matter where your particular season ended, remember, you still got the best part: the ride. Sure, wearing that gold medal or hoisting that state trophy has got to rule, no doubt, but without the ride, it don’t mean a thing. And you all had tickets to ride.

I thought last year’s February Frenzy was wild, having just started work at the Clay County Line. But this year’s Frenzy was even more challenging as My Clay Sun hit the racks smack dab in the middle of it. And, while the Frenzy usually keeps me busy enough, the excitement of a new challenge and new people to work with just won’t let me sleep too long in the morning these days. New ideas and opportunities pop into the brain and sleep just doesn’t stand a chance.

One of the most exciting things to me is the internet side of this new rising Sun. That might confuse my co-workers, since I’ve barely posted my name on it yet (please note aforementioned Frenzy). But trust me, I can’t wait for it to get going full speed. The Clay County sports world is a truly a wide world of sports: From the northern-most edge of The Orange Park Kennel Club to the southern-most blade of grass on Keystone Heights’ football field. And I am but one humble sports reporter with a whole lot of mileage on my car.

The myclaysun.com Web site as the potential to shrink this vast region ąnd to crystalize it, if you will, into one magical space where it can be viewed, in all its glory, as the whole, living, breathing and fascinating world that I’ve come to love over the past 12 months. I’ll be there. But more importantly, little Mary Ann Brown, Clay’s running phenom, will be there. And people like Fleming Island quarterback Ryan Aplin will be there, or Orange Park running back Marcus Pulliam, or Ridgeview’s state triple jump champ Tomika Story.

Speedy little Middleburg wide receiver Chase Weiskopf could be there, or maybe even members of next year’s state championship soccer team. And hopefully, as it grows, people such as Brian Sumlar and Joe Everett will return there to give us glimpses into the sports world beyond Clay County’s borders.

But the most important person that has to be there is you. You bowlers, golfers, and tennis players. You sky divers, fishermen, and sailors. You Blue Devils, Broncos, Golden Eagles, Indians, Panthers, Raiders and Spartans. Without you and your contributions, the magic will not appear. This is not my Web site, nor my bosses’ Web site. It’s yours. Let’s use it to bring Clay County sports together like never before.