I’m a competitive guy. It’s readers like you who keep my eyes on smashing my goals | Opinion

I’m often asked how I got into journalism. The easy answer is, I love to read and write. In college, I studied journalism and creative writing. But my affinity for the written word is deeper than that. And in this new year, I resolve to rediscover the passion that turned me into a news junkie in the first place.

In 1987, I was a 13-year-old middle school student at Eureka Junior High in suburban St. Louis when I first picked up the local daily newspaper. I read the sports pages first, followed by the entertainment section, metro news and the front page. I rarely read the comic strips and back then had little use for the business and financial information found in newspapers.

Still, my day would not be complete if I didn’t read up on the latest happenings in my hometown.

This love for news was unearthed innocently enough. And I have to thank my middle school social studies teacher for introducing me to a game called current events.

Each Friday, the teacher — I can’t recall Mr. Sharp’s full name — would split a classroom of students into groups of about five. We sat in desks that were affixed with game show-type buzzers. He would ask questions pertinent to social studies class. If a student knew the answer, they would hit the red button on the buzzer to answer.

Best I recall, the first time I played the game, I did not know any of the answers. I got the two questions I thought I knew wrong. I was embarrassed. In front of my peers, I felt like a dunce. I sulked and sank in my seat.

After class, I made a beeline to Mr. Sharp. I wanted to find out how to find the answer to these questions he posed. The info wasn’t in my textbooks, homework assignments or notes, I told him.

“How am I supposed to know this stuff?” I said.

Mr. Sharp gave me a stern look. I shrank inside. He then told me something that would forever change my life.

“Son, the name of the game is current events,” he said. “Go home, read the newspaper and watch the news.”

That day and each one since, I did what Mr. Sharp said. I consumed news at a feverish pace. Back then, I could recall most of the things I read or learned on the evening news with relative ease. My thirst for knowledge and information was unearthed.

The next time we played current events, I owned the game. I answered or knew almost every question Mr. Sharp asked. My classmates, more than 20 of them in all, looked at me with amazement. I was in a zone and they knew it.

I may have set a record that day for most points scored in one game. Later that year, Mr. Sharp told me I was scoring champion for the year. That’s right, I was crowned Eureka Junior High current events champion for the 1987-1988 school year.

By nature, I am competitive. If there are points to get, I will go after them. Put a tangible goal in front of me and I will go after it with all that’s in me. I’m wired that way.

As opinion writer for the Kansas City Star, my job performance is weighted by several metrics, including page views and subscriptions.

In 2021, I smashed my goals on columns or editorials I wrote for The Star.

The next year, I set a new goal that doubled the previous year’s. I fell woefully short. In fact, I didn’t even hit the previous year’s. I was deflated. The dejection harked back to those early days in Mr. Sharp’s middle school social studies class

In 2023, McClatchy national opinion editor Peter St. Onge and I set a more reasonable goal and returned to my 2021 numbers. By Halloween, I had surpassed it. And I have you, the reader, to thank for that. Every click, subscription and like and share on social media mattered. As do the stories my colleagues and I write.

As the new year approaches, I remain committed to personal and professional growth. I will set goals that challenge me as an opinion writer. More importantly, I vow to continue to use the fuel inside of me to tell the stories that matter to Kansas Citians most.

And you can bank on that.