Ever since I started this job on Aug. 5, I've heard from countless people about how there wasn't enough sports coverage around these parts. If you've read the Sun-News recently, you'll know that's changing.
My name is Nick Coppola, and I'm the new sports reporter at the Las Cruces Sun-News. First, I want to say how excited I am to be here and be a part of this community. Many exciting things are happening around New Mexico State and high school sports here, and I'm looking forward to being the one who shares that with all of you.
Secondly, I'd like to tell you a little bit about myself. I grew up in Lubbock, Texas, and for those who've never been there, imagine an island in the middle of nowhere. But instead of oceans surrounding it, it's vast swaths of empty land. I've heard others describe it as its world, and it felt like that in a good way. Lubbock is the spirit of West Texas. It's a great college town, and it's a wonderful place to grow up, learn traditional Christian values and be a part of a good community before heading off to the real world. I even interned at the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal for a summer.
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It was in high school that I discovered my talent and passion for writing. Throughout my life, writing has always been the best way for me to express my thoughts, feelings, goals and motivations. I always had a passion for sports too. I played football in high school, still watch and consume sports whenever I have free time, and have always had an obsession with learning more about my favorite sports like football, soccer and basketball and staying up-to-date on every team and player. I enjoy things outside of sports like traveling, playing the guitar, watching movies and exploring the outdoors, but I knew I wanted to involve sports in my future career.
I figured the best way for me to marry the two was through sports journalism, and it's what led me to leave home and attend the University of Oklahoma in Norman. The campus was lovely, the city was a great place to live, and OU has one of the best student newspapers in America, the OU Daily. I wrote for the Daily from 2020-23, working my way up from a newbie writing about cardboard cutouts to becoming its senior sports reporter covering the Women's College World Series, a myriad of Sooners sports and launching our high school sports beat. I won two awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors in 2022 and 2023 for my work, and now I'm one of the many OU Daily alumni embarking on a (hopefully) successful career in the business.
Covering high school sports for the Daily is where I learned the importance of community journalism, something I'll value here in Las Cruces. Everyone has a story to tell, and it's my job to tell those stories and shine a light on what makes them special. I also strive to be a trustworthy, informative voice for people to follow, especially at a time when trust in media is declining.
I'm very ambitious and have lofty goals for myself. I hope this isn't my only stop, as I eventually hope to do greater things in my career. But while I'm here, I hope to be a consistent, informative and thoughtful voice in the Las Cruces community. I hope this is a new era for sports coverage here, one I'm excited to lead.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: 'Exciting things are happening': Las Cruces Sun-News welcomes new sports reporter
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