Feeling your heartbeat in your throat

When sports writers say they “like sports” chances are they mean they like the excitement of the competition. Even as a bystander, photographer or writer, that excitement can trickle down to where there are off the court or field.

Saturday in Huntingburg, I turned to my friend and photographer Shad Cox during the fourth quarter of Linton’s game with Providence and said, “I can feel my heartbeat through my throat.”

Every year, there are moments where being a sports writer is worth it. I call them the moments where you can feel your heartbeat through your throat. Where your brain starts to spin with the pressure of the moment even though you are not in the game.

Postseason basketball is good for many moments like that every year. It’s why we like March Madness.

Covering Trayce Jackson-Davis at Center Grove game me a number of moments where I said to myself, “This is why I do this.”

When WRV beat Clay City on a three at the buzzer, that was another moment this postseason.

There are games where it is the exact opposite. For every Linton in the regional there are three other county games I cover where the outcome is decided before tip. It’s why sports writers muddle through those games because we know something good is coming up.

COVID-19 did a lot to try and take these moments away. For about six months it succeeded. When Linton football beat Sullivan in overtime in 2020 though I knew that was over. I felt my heartbeat through my throat that day and I had no connection to the area. I was just close to the competition of a thrilling moment.

If you are sports fan, take stock of those moments while watching the NCAA Tournament. It’s why we love what we do.

Nathan Pace is the Sports Editor of the Greene County Daily World and can be reached at npacegcdw@gmail.com. His “Low Budget Sports Show” airs weekly on Facebook Live.