letter
To say that I have tears in
my eyes as I write this is an
understatement. It’s not often
that people close doors on
projects that are successful, and
this has been a successful one.
In January 2015, we purchased
the publication and went to print
with our first issue in April. It was
well-received. The features were
vast, we had time to dedicate to
exploring in-depth stories, and
we worked hard to ensure junior
golf was a major focus of the
publication.
Later that same year, Jake
took on the head coaching job
at Southeastern. It is his dream
job. He loves those guys, and we
have really put effort into making
that new opportunity to work.
As other head coaches know, the
work doesn’t stop after the season
or when the athletes go home for
the holidays.
It just starts with recruiting.
There is also reporting, planning
and fundraising. Both Jake and
I dove in. And it immediately
demanded that we turn the
publication into a digital one. We
could no longer devote the time
to delivering and mailing 15,000
copies of Backspin every month.
In April 2017, my job offered
a new opportunity – I now
coordinate the efforts of online
learning at Southeastern, and
again, we had to shuffle. Our
son had been a major part of
the publication, and he was
graduating and going to get a
big boy job, our daughter got
engaged, and 24 hours in the day
were seeming to get harder and
harder to obey. Unfortunately, I
can’t be the boss of that.
We thought about hiring help,
but at this little publication,
dealing with employees and
supporting them at the same
time was probably going to be
just as time consuming as doing it
ourselves. And because both Jake
and I are in love with Southeastern
Louisiana University, changing
that direction was not an option.
Our loyalties were divided
... and still are. We needed to
make a decision. Either I would
step back from this fantastic
opportunity to represent my
school, or I would need to
readjust other responsibilities.
For me, the decision was pretty
easy. I’ve always been in love with
the green and gold, and while
Backspin has certainly been
worth every minute and offered
some fantastic experiences I can
share with my magazine writing
students, I’m recommitting to
them.
In the last four years, I have
grown to appreciate golf more
than ever. I’ve formed some
really cool friendships, and I
have learned a lot about the
magazine industry. I actually
flipped a couple of my classes
upside down and started over. I
don’t regret Backspin at all.
I would like to thank all of
you for subscribing, for reading
and for encouraging us. It’s good
to leave something when you’re
proud of it, and we’re proud of
Backspin. Like Jake said, it was a
labor of love. I miss it already.
Amber
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