We’re Here! “We applaud the efforts of those contributing to this magazine. Our student-athletes deserve to have their stories told.” – Bernard Childress, executive director TSSAA
Those two little words mark the beginning of big changes in the way sports stories are reported in Middle Tennessee By Jim Muir
A
“MTSM will focus on amateur athletes who need to be recognized and raised up as the future leaders of our community. “ – Trigg Wilkes, executive director, A-Game Sportsplex
20
fter months of painstaking planning, marketing, promoting and far more ups than downs the inaugural issue of Middle Tennessee Sports Magazine has hit newsstands. MTSM Publisher Jane Hutson, the driving force behind the new monthly publication, said a new era has been launched in Middle Tennessee sports coverage and emphasized that the MTSM goal is a simple yet powerful one. “Our mission at MTSM is to publish a positive, non-confrontational, non-controversial magazine about high school and college sports in Middle Tennessee,” she said. “We will tell the stories about athletes, coaches, fans, officials, teams, sports writers, and much more. Our purpose is to inspire our readers with positive stories surrounding sports from our own schools and teams.” With a front cover displaying a map of the Middle Tennessee coverage area and two little but powerful words – ‘We’re Here!’ – MTSM will deliver an innovative new concept in sports reporting,
Middle Tennessee Sports Magazine • May 2010 • www.midtnsportsmag.com
according to Hutson. “We have been overwhelmed with the positive responses we have received so far about the magazine,” said Hutson. “People throughout Middle Tennessee have shared with us how excited they are about the publication and website and the story ideas and suggestions are endless! Our contributing writers, photographers and partners have joined together with a common cause to create a new publication and website that we hope you truly enjoy – and on top of that we are having a blast putting it together for you!” MTSM is a free publication and will be distributed at all YMCAs and various fitness centers throughout Middle Tennessee, A-Game Sportsplex, in Franklin, Dick’s Sporting Goods and hundreds of other locations in Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Maury, Wilson, Cheatham, Robertson, Sumner, Montgomery, and Dickson counties. Additionally, complimentary issues of Middle Tennessee Sports Magazine will be sent directly to 75 high schools and seven area colleges that include Vanderbilt, Trevecca, Middle Tennessee State, Lipscomb, Belmont, Tennessee State and Austin Peay. A native of Southern Illinois Hutson was a basketball standout at Benton High School before taking her athletic skills to Western Kentucky where she played four years for the Lady Hilltoppers. Hutson, her husband John and daughters Madelyn and Kathryn, live in Brentwood. After more than two decades in the wireless communication business
Hutson tackled a career where she said “I hope to make a difference in people’s lives.” Noticing a lack of positive feature stories about athletes from throughout the region Hutson said she opted for change rather than complaints. “I believe MTSM will fill a void by telling great high school and college sports ‘stories behind the stories’ happening right here in Middle Tennessee,” Hutson said. “There are great stories walking the halls of our schools right now that aren’t being told. We plan to change that.” According to Hutson each issue of MTSM will feature a monthly “MTSM Standout” athletes of the month and during the calendar year will also highlight sports that are oftentimes overlooked by the news media. MTSM will also have monthly columns on sports activities at Vanderbilt, Trevecca, Lipscomb, Middle Tennessee State, Belmont, Tennessee State and Austin Peay. MTSM will also have a monthly contribution from a variety of columnists/sports enthusiasts that include Kathy Steakley’s “Sports’ Mom Spotlight” – a look at the sometimes hectic and oftentimes wacky world of raising young children that are involved in multiple sports. Middle Tennessee Sports Magazine will also feature a monthly column by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes entitled “Faith on the Field” and another recurring monthly column called “Shut up and Serve” written by well-known sports figure Dave Derocher. While Hutson is quick to point
out the gap that MTSM will bridge in covering sports in Middle Tennessee an impressive group of well-known sports figures are lining up to tout the mission of the new monthly magazine. Bernard Childress, a 1973 graduate of Columbia Central High School where he was an all-state basketball player and a 1978 graduate of Belmont where he led the conference in scoring back-to-back years, said he’s excited about what MTSM has set out to accomplish. Childress, who currently serves as executive director for Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletic Association (TSSAA), said many of the greatest athletic stories are going untold. “There are so many positive and inspirational stories surrounding the coaches and student-athletes that participate in our programs,” said Childress. “As a matter of fact 98 percent of the things we are involved in are very positive. Unfortunately, we only hear about the other two percent.” Childress said MTSM’s mission is to showcase the great stories that many times only those who coach and oversee high school sports hear about. “Now the entire state will be able to share and read about some very courageous young athletes,” said Childress. “Many of them stare adversity in the face and rise above it. They enhance their education through participation in athletics and go on to become successful citizens in life. We applaud the efforts of those contributing to this magazine. Our student-athletes de-
“I think the positive and powerful value of having a magazine like MTSM is that it represents what is great and valuable about high school sports in this area.” – Rudy Kalis, sports anchor, WSMV-TV
“There are great stories walking the halls of our schools right now that aren’t being told. We plan to change that.” – Jane Hutson, MTSM publisher –
www.midtnsportsmag.com • May 2010 • Middle Tennessee Sports Magazine
21