Here at the Rampage, we strive to be as professional as possible.  We have assigned roles, topics of focus, a set release schedule, and regular meetings discussing improvements. However it’s truly inspirational to hear from one of the local greats.   I was fortunate enough to have a brief interview with Jeff Stover, a sports writer from The Mercury.

Stover has quite a reputation in the community– he’s been writing articles on high school sports for the past 35 years!  He started writing in high school, and later picked up a job writing news and sports for the weekly paper.

“As long as you’re doing it, keep doing it,” Stover remarked.

Stover certainly has kept doing it.  If you’ve ever been to a game or a match here at Spring-Ford, chances are Stover may have been there.  This is a true testament to his craft. The dedication shown by Stover is an inspiration to us all in the paper industry.

The newspaper is often noted as being the face of a changing world, as keenly referenced in the Full House theme song (“Whatever happened to predictability? The milkman, the paperboy, evening TV?”).

Newspapers have moved away from the daily, printed, hand-delivered media to instant online articles.  Social media, which didn’t exist 20 years ago, is transitioning into many people’s primary news source.  Given Stover’s experience in the field, I asked him his thoughts on these changes.

“There’s been so much change over the years,” Stover says.

He noted the struggles of having to learn new social media as he got older.

“It’s a lot easier to pick up when you’re younger,” Stover said.

In spite of all of this, Stover excels in modern print.  His articles are published regularly on the Mercury’s website and on PAC sports.

“Online is more prominent over print, a day will come when it’s primary,” he said.

Stover may be right.  It might be time to change to more modern media.  But he’s shown that how the news is released never compromises the quality of the article.

Fans may live to see a day when Stover stops writing for the Mercury, but his contributions to the news and to this community will not be forgotten.