They say the sequel is rarely better than the original. I think that’s the best way to sum up how I feel about my 2nd year on the site.
First, let me start off by saying THANK YOU. Thank you to David Hart, Brian Thomas, Jayden Gensweider, David Bradbury, and Wyatt Bolinger for all their contributions. This is a project done out of love for these guys. This is a project they do because they love covering and promoting Southeast Kansas high school sports. This is not their first, nor second, job. The time they put in covering the teams and results in during their free time and for that I am grateful to work with a group of passionate individuals.
To all the athletic directors, coaches, student athletes and parents who submitted results, quotes, pictures, tweets, videos for us to share, THANK YOU! Thank you for enjoying our platform and trusting us to get the word out about your team and taking the time to submit content to us to use.
To the members of the media THANK YOU! For the partnership, collaboration, and the job you do. We have some VERY talented broadcast journalists and sports writers in our area who are under paid, under appreciated and over worked.
Thank you to the visitors of the forums and the site who continue to correct mistakes, ask for information, and frequent the site for content. You’ve proven there’s a need for the information we provide, even when it drops off.
Saying all of that I want to personally say I’m sorry. We definitely missed the mark in terms of coverage, site content, and more compared to our first year. For that I take responsibility.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. I personally battle depression and anxiety. I am a recovering perfectionist. I used staying busy as a status symbol. I worried more about what others think and their approval than accepting I’m doing the best I can. I battled with accepting that I am enough. That this project is enough at the end of the day.
This past year I had some personal issues that needed me to pull away from the site as well as other areas of my life and seek help.
To be frank, I wanted someone to come rescue me instead of seeking out help or admitting I needed to talk to someone. I regret not talking to a professional sooner, but I’m glad I did. It has not only changed my life, but saved it.
I’m not here to make excuses. Instead to say this past year was a wake up call professionally and personally on many fronts. To find a better balance of accepting of being enough and work and play. I’m lucky to have a platform like this to spread awareness of not only the accomplishments of our student-athletes and area teams but also things such as mental health.
Burnout is real. Not feeling enough is real. Perfectionism is real. Seeking external validation is real. Depression and anxiety is real. They are all real and dangerous, if left untreated by a professional. Whether you’re a visitor, student-athlete, parent or coach, please if you feel not like yourself seek help. Reach out to someone. Anyone. You’re not alone in your battle and you don’t have to be.
If you need to talk to someone during an emotional distress, or suicidal crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255
While year 2 of this site missed the mark, I promise you year 3 you will see the adjustments we’ve made to run more efficient and closer to the bullseye on our mission, expansion and coverage. I’m excited for our team to provide that to you.
Thank you for visiting SEK-Sports.com in 2018-2019 and we will see you in 2019-2020.