By Mike Sherman, APSE President
The Daytona Beach (Fla.) News-Journal team of Skyler Swisher, Annie Martin, Brian Linder and Chris Boyle took first place in the Associated Press Sports Editors 2014 contest in the breaking news category in the 30,001-75,000 circulation category for their stories on inadequate tracking of concussions by a local school district.
The News-Journal team will be presented a first-place plaque at the 2015 APSE banquet. The banquet and awards dinner concludes the APSE Conference June 24-27 at The Westgate Hotel in San Diego, Calif.
Balloting by six APSE judges ranked the News-Journal entry ahead of runner-up Jesse Newell of the Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal and third-place finisher Lowell Cohn of the Santa Rosa (Calif.) Press Democrat. The contest is open to APSE members. Click here to join.
Sports editors in the over 30,001 to 75,000 circulation category submitted a total of 60 explanatory entries written or directed by APSE member sports departments in 2014. Contest chair and APSE second vice president Mary Byrne numbered each entry, assuring they had been stripped of headlines, graphics, bylines and any other element that would identify the writer or news organization.
In early February in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. preliminary judges selected a top 10 ranked, with each judge listing the stories in order from 1 to 10 separately on a secret ballot. The final 10 were given to a second judging group, which also ranked the entries 1-10 in the same fashion. The winner and final rankings are determined by tallying the ballots, giving a team 10 points for a first-place vote, nine points for second and so on down to 1 point for a 10th-place vote.
The top 10 is listed below with links to writers’ Twitter pages, APSE member websites and winning entries.
- Skyler Swisher, Annie Martin, Brian Linder, Chris Boyle, Daytona Beach (Fla.) News-Journal, 49 points, 1 first-place vote
School concussion records incomplete, riddled with variation
Players say blurred vision, disorientation accompany concussions
- Jesse Newell, Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal, 43 points, 2 first-place votes
Could KU basketball study lead to a change in the way the game is played?
- (tie) Lowell Cohn, Santa Rosa (Calif.) Press Democrat, 39 points, 1 first-place vote
A TALE OF TWO TEAMS AND ONE CITY: PRO SPORTS AT A CROSSROADS IN OAKLAND
(tie) Pete Dougherty, Green Bay (Wisc.) Press-Gazette, 39 points
GPS guides Packers to better injury prevention
- Thom Loverro, Washington Times, 37 points, 2 first-place votes
FBI suspected iconic 1964 Ali-Liston fight was rigged by mob
- Keith Pearlman, The Villages (Fla.) Daily Sun, 34 points
The growing cost of play for Maine youths
- Alex Riley, Wilmington (N.C.) StarNews, 25 points
Ashley senior’s hoops dream alive after 1-year ban over residency
- (tie) Dave Johnson, Daily Press (Hampton Roads, Va.), 16 points
Former Phoebus back Shawne Alston hopes to make things better for college athlete
(tie) Tim Wilkin, Times Union (Albany, N.Y.), 16 points
Riding for their lives in a saddle
(Mike Sherman is sports editor of The Oklahoman and president of APSE. Contact him at msherman@oklahoman.com or 405-475-3164.)
