'Xs and Arrows' has a new home

"Xs and Arrows" has a new home. I won't get into the details here, but if you are interested, some of the backstory can be found on my website http://www.CostelloeMedia.com. It's a fascinating case study on the current state of media. You can read the rejected column that led to this decision; it addresses hypocrisy in professional sports and our state. 

So, here we are, on to new chapters with good friends. The team at The Loop newspaper are community-minded and continue to possess the independent small-town newspaper vibe I signed up for 24 years ago when Bill Mead was the owner-publisher of the Tehachapi News.  He was convinced after running a few of my high school articles in his paper that he should hire me as an intern. We were a family; we believed in this community because we lived in this community. That was lost long ago when the Meads sold the newspaper; now I feel I have gained it back by moving "Xs and Arrows" to The Loop. I am very excited about the direction moving forward.

For those of you new to my column, I have two decades of experience as a radio host, sports writer and a NCAA Division I play-by-play announcer. I left most of that life behind when I decided to have a family; life on the road is no way to raise young kids. I called my final game at Madison Square Garden in New York City, hailed a cab and rode off into the Manhattan evening. Well, that's the adapted for screenplay version, but it's close enough to the truth, although I did call a baseball season after my final basketball broadcast. Now my time meddling in sports is done for the love of community, to promote the kids the same way I was promoted with the help of the media when I was playing various sports in this town many moons ago.

Of the things I didn't think I would ever be doing, you can place "writing a sports column in the midst of a pandemic when few sports are being played" at the very top of my list. It has however forced me to find new content, draw on previous experiences and life lessons and search deep to when we can all remember what sports truly mean to us, and will once again, whenever that may be.

I know we will get through this virus, this divisiveness, this year and one day return to realize the importance of the genuine athletic contest. More and more we yearn for these activities, especially for our children; and while plenty of mom and dads like to complain about the hours spent at the fields, gyms and pools, they probably miss it more than their kids right now; it's ingrained in our social behavior. Until those days return I'll continue to remind you about what makes the world of sports fascinating, a part of our local and national fabric and I'll probably tell you more than you'd care to know about our beloved Tehachapi Warriors.

I've picked up a lot of life lessons, experiences, culture and have run across a rainbow variety of great people along my journey – that will continue to be the heart and soul of "Xs and Arrows," right here in its new home.

Corey Costelloe has covered NCAA, professional and local sports for more than 20 years as a reporter and broadcaster. He can be reached at [email protected]. Read more content at http://www.CostelloeMedia.com.