As a sports writer for a local community weekly like the Redmond Reporter, the summertime is often the most fun, yet unpredictable, part of my job.

From September to mid-June, there’s always something to cover, from previews of all the local sports teams, to rivalry matchups featuring some of the top local high school athletes.

Once school gets out, however, it gets a little difficult.

No longer is there a guaranteed football or basketball game on Friday night, nor is there a squad like the Redmond baseball or Bear Creek basketball team that I can follow closely as they pursue their dream of a state title.

This means I really need to get in touch with what’s happening in the community and seek out my own story ideas, and you just never know what kind of gems you will unearth.

A few weeks ago, our office manager, Ellan Feldman, told me about a local golf pro named Tom Sovay, who is a teaching professional at the Golf Club at Redmond Ridge. He had just qualified for the U.S. Senior Open, which is not easy to do – sectional qualifiers for that tournament are normally on tough golf courses with big fields of players, with only the top two or so advancing.

Knowing nothing more about Sovay than that, I arranged for an interview with him in the clubhouse. But as soon as we started talking, I knew this story was much deeper than I ever thought it would be.

First off, the tournament was in Toledo, Ohio, where he was born in 1961, and he said he had at least 70-80 extended family in that city.

Also, his father Jim had just passed away last December. While he was in the hospital, Sovay’s brothers told him that they wanted to take him back to Toledo for the tournament.

During the qualifier at Bear Creek Country Club in Woodinville, Sovay was at even par and barely holding on to one of the two spots to advance to the Open, and it all came down to a 15-foot par putt on the difficult par-5 18th hole.

Sovay said he felt his father’s presence with him the entire day, “an angel on my shoulder” as he put it, and admitted that he had some help from above as that last putt dropped in the hole. Just listening to his recollection of that moment sent shivers down my spine.

Sovay ended up missing the cut at the Open, ending the Cinderella story, but his journey was quite an inspiration.

I was also fortunate to cover Marymoor Park’s annual track cycling championship, the Grand Prix.

In my three-plus years here at the Reporter, I’ve never actually been inside that velodrome, and I was treated to some of the most exciting live action I’ve ever witnessed on two wheels as some of the sport’s best sped around the banked track at Marymoor doing more than 40 miles an hour.

I was also fortunate enough to get to meet and interview locals Jennie Reed of Kirkland (national champion and two-time Olympian) and Tela Crane of Sammamish, as well as Kevin Mankser from Portland, all three of whom are very capable of medaling at a future Olympic Games at their chosen sport.

Big kudos to Grand Prix director David Mann for being very hospitable and inviting me, and our photographer, to the infield so we could see all the action up close, and lining up interviews after a long race day.

Finally, summer allows me the chance to shed some light on some very worthwhile organizations, like the July 7 feature I did on One League for Everyone (OLE), a nonprofit that helps kids from low-income families play soccer.

Everyone at OLE, including the kids and their families, were so thrilled about the coverage – cheerful moments like that are what make my job fun during the dog days of summer.

Stay safe, and enjoy the sun while it lasts!