Times-News correspondent Mike Gore celebrates 40th year of sports writing

On Saturday, I will celebrate a unique anniversary.

It will be the 40th anniversary of my foray into journalism. Forty years ago then Times-News Sports Editor Pete McDaniel decided to give a 19-year-old broadcasting major a chance to cover a high school basketball game. Pete assigned me to cover the Little MAC battle between Hendersonville and Madison at HHS. He wanted me to primarily cover the boys’ game but make sure I get a few paragraphs on the girls’ game and a JV boys score.

It was an exciting assignment for me as I had just graduated from Hendersonville two years earlier and had served as a manager on the boys’ basketball team my senior that had went 25-1 and advanced to the state playoffs.

But I was also a little nervous about writing up a game story. I was a broadcasting major at Appalachian State and while writing was important, I was more focused on broadcasting and all the elements that went with that field.

But I had gotten to know Pete when I was a manager. We had stayed in touch over the years and he was looking for some help covering some high school sports and thought I could help the Times-News out a little bit.

There were also a couple of other things about which I was worried. HHS was coached by legendary Jim Pardue and while I had worked for him, he still cast an imposing figure to me. I was a little nervous about interviewing him.

The other thing I was nervous about was after the game I would be typing my story on a manual typewriter. That’s right a manual typewriter. Computers hadn’t gotten to the Times-News yet but there were rumors about them coming. I had learned to type on an electric typewriter (Millennials look it up) and a manual was going to be a lot different than being on an electric typewriter.

Pete instructed me to write my story simply — no Sports Illustrated flowery leads, just a simple game story. Write about who won the game. Who scored in double figures. Maybe a little play-by-play and some quotes from Coach Pardue.

Story continues

I got there early, in time to watch Bobby Wilkins’ JV team win handily. I was able to get the score and the Bearcats who scored in double figures. I watched the girls’ game and got the same information afterwards.

Now it was time for the game I was to cover. This was not one of Coach Pardue’s greatest teams. My senior year in 1980 had seen us go to the state playoffs for the 10th time in 13 years and things had fallen off just a little bit. HHS would still finish in second place in the conference and advance to the semifinals of the district playoffs, a fine season for most programs but in Hendersonville it was just a decent season.

Though Coach Pardue’s team had some talent, everybody was chasing a great Owen team that was led by future Tar Heel and No. 1 NBA draft pick Brad Daugherty. Daugherty was 6-10 and incredibly talented. He had a good supporting cast and the Warhorses would advance all the way to the 3-A state championship game later that season.

Hendersonville had an interesting team that year. They were starting a freshman center named Tony Templeton. This was almost unheard of by Coach Pardue. Most players played on the JV team for two years and then made the varsity team when you were a junior. Some talented sophomores had made the varsity but only players who could help right away. Coach Pardue’s thoughts were if you couldn’t help the varsity as a freshman and sophomore, get experience playing on the JV team.

A close friend of mine’s parents knew Tony well and they were concerned that there might be too much pressure on him as a freshman. They suggested I asked Coach Pardue about that. I was not crazy about that suggestion.

The game with Madison was a bit of a revenge game for Hendersonville as the Patriots had beaten the Bearcats twice the previous season. I hoped for a rout as that would be a lot easier to write. A close game would be tougher to write and I was afraid I would leave out some vital details.

Thankfully, HHS jumped out in front early and cruised to a victory. They had dominated the game from start to finish and now it was time to interview Coach Pardue. I headed down to his little office that I had sat in a bunch of times when I was a manager and heard him be interviewed by Pete and Buddy Chapman. Now I would be interviewing him.

He knew what I wanted, needed, and answered about all my questions with his first statement. But there was the question about Tony. I really wasn’t sure I should ask but as a budding journalist, I thought I should ask. So I asked him if he was worried about Tony feeling pressure starting as a freshman.

Coach Pardue looked at me a little strangely but just simply said: “I think the less we talk about something like that the better. He’s getting some great experience each game and will be better for it as his career develops.”

I couldn’t think of any follow up questions from that answer and realized that didn’t need to go in a game story.

Now for the tough part, typing on a manual typewriter. I knew how to type but had never used a manual typewriter. The good thing going for me I was so worried about how I would do typing a manual typewriter that I certainly didn’t have writers’ block.

I typed the best I could in an empty Times-News’ newsroom (we were an afternoon paper back then) and hoped it would be OK. We didn’t have a paper on Saturday so I had to wait to Sunday to see my byline. And I must say it was exciting to see the headline and below the headline was my name and that I was a Times-News Correspondent.

My dad was incredibly proud and took a photo of the story and sent it to every relative we had. When I received my $10 paycheck for the story, he wanted a photo of the check stub that said New York Times. He would brag that I was working for the New York Times. I tried to explain while I might be helping the New York Times company, I wasn’t working for the New York Times. He didn’t care because the check stub showed New York Times. So a lot of the Gore Nation that was still living in Buffalo got to tell people that their grandson, nephew, or cousin was working for the New York Times.

I was a part of the Times-News for another five years and even became a full-time sportswriter in 1985. I left to become the Sports Information Director at UNC Asheville and a few years after I retired, Dean Hensley was nice enough to ask me to come back and help a little bit.

A lot has changed in 40 years. I can cover a game now and come back to my home and send it to Dean electronically from my laptop. There’s no more manual typewriters or even electric typewriters and sadly there’s a lot less reporters and correspondents, too. And the Times-News is not owned by the New York Times anymore

I’ve interviewed a lot of people since I first talked to Coach Pardue 40 years ago and seen a lot of games that has produced some incredible memories. I appreciate Pete McDaniel taking a chance on a 19-year-old broadcasting major in 1981 and I thank Dean for bringing me back to cover some more games and create some more memories.

A few of the coaches I talk to now weren’t even born in 1981 There was even a parent of a player who wasn’t born in 1981 … Talk about feeling a little old. But watching and covering high school games has been a lot of fun.

Not bad to get paid for something you really enjoy — ven if it’s not for the New York Times.

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Times-News correspondent Mike Gore celebrates 40th year of sports writing