Names in the paper

One of the perks of working for a newspaper is knowing when items of interest are going to appear within its pages. That's why today's edition was extra special.

News of the Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning Squirt A team's championship at the Labor Day Challenge tournament was included in several sections community sports column.

For the kids, it was a big deal to see their names in print -- in bold type, no less -- for their accomplishment. I'm sure, too, that a few parents (myself included) puffed out their chests in pride after reading the item.

A team photo was submitted with the item. A lack of space on the page, however, limited the news to only the text shown here. Still, no complaints. It's like I told the kids, too: If they win another tournament, maybe we can get a team photo published for that.