Ariy-El Boynton

A few weeks back, someone asked what my last column would be. I had no answer.

I guess I didn’t want to face the reality of a life without The Collegian. But kind of like facing a life with a realization that girls are attractive and not full of cooties, life must go on.

I really didn’t want just one last column, so this will be my first of two “last” columns.

And I will tell you what I have learned.

1. Writing is one of the most active processes I can think of, unless one does not want to be a good writer.

2. Just because a person is a good writer in essay form does not mean that person is a good newspaper writer.

3. If you ever interview an object and display the said interview in print, people will never allow you to forget it. Never.

4. Always know how to correctly say a coach/athlete’s name when conducting an interview.

5. A three-day state basketball tournament for young men aged 16 to 18 displays a lot of emotions for the ball players, some of which you wouldn’t expect from young men.

6. If you are ever going to have a story jump three times in a four-page section, you better start writing early.

7. Show me how good a campus newspaper sports editor is, and I can show how good his/her writers are.

8. Some of your greatest memories can be made in a small office in the basement of The Union.

9. Without Collegian alumni Brian Kimmes, Heather Mangan, Jeremy Fugleberg and the 2006-07 staff, I would not be writing this column. Thanks for your hard work.

10. I’d like to think that this group of editors has tried their best to pick up the torch and further the excellence showcased in years before. And that’s all you can ask for.

11. Being a biased sports writer towards a team blinds an individual’s writing, and it more than often shows.

12. I believe I was lucky to interview an extremely talented and nice student athlete like Megan Vogel for my first interview.

13. A sports section should not only inform but also present forms of dialogue.

14. Going into the press box at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium for the first time was one the most eye-opening experiences I have had in college.

15. A journalism degree is not required for one to be a confident newspaper writer.

16. There would be many things I would change in my time with The Collegian, but because I must live with them, it makes the “wins” that the section got that much more special.

17. When my column writing was given a regional blue ribbon, it was one of the proudest moments of my life.

18. I give a lot credit to my other staff members for making my time memorable with The Collegian.

19. Having a lot of freedom in the sports section given to me by the two editors-in-chief in my time at the paper was a gift that I can never pay back.

20. I’d like to thank my family for all the prayers and my vast extended family who gave their time to make me who I am.

21. This is the last issue in which I am the captain of this ship dubbed “The Collegian sports section,” and I’d like to think I made a difference. Knowing that a student/someone that was affiliated with SDSU would pick up the paper for the first time and read it made me work that much harder.

22. Well, for the last time ever, I can say I will see you next week, when Chris Mangan will take the baton from me as sports leader. I will more than likely stand in the background and be jealous of the awesome experiences ahead of him.

So until the second part of my “last” column, I’ll reflect and give the best column I can possibly write, like I have tried to do week in and week out.

Ari out.