2012 In Review

Another year in the books and I can firmly say 2012 was a good one. For that, I present some of my notable work from the past 12 months.

Traxler's Take

In February, we dissected the Jackrabbits' BracketBusters debut as ESPNU visited Brookings and, as it turns out, it will be the last visit related to that particular event.

After the new grandstand at Erv Huether Field was completed in April, we chronicled the history of the capacity of the new version of the park.We also looked at the potential for success of Brookings' new NAHL team in town, the Blizzard. A followup story is on the to-do list for 2013.

In May, I voiced my displeasure about the move of student seating at South Dakota State's Frost Arena. I still think they blew it but here's the original piece that drew some attention.

Over the summer, I interned with the Daily Republic in Mitchell. My stories are in the archive and can no longer be accessed but I recapped some of the action here. I went to a Sioux Falls Pheasants game and couldn't find the programs. I toured the great state of South Dakota in two separate blog posts.

In October, our friend Travis Kriens started guest posting and added good stuff on the FCS media poll. I set up the "second season" for SDSU's football team.

In November, I ripped Jim Delany and had my most popular post ever, on FCS first round playoff attendance, of all things.

To close, we had good fun in December with three Vikings centric posts to start and end the month.

The Collegian

SDSU shows mastery of D-I move to USD (January 13)

From St. Cloud to State stardom (February 1)

Gutting it out with Griff (February 29)

Surreal finish seals Summit title for Jacks (March 7)

SDSU men are a hot upset pick (March 14)

Upset chance comes short in tourney debut with Baylor (March 21)

Something to prove: Pitcher returns to the mound after two-year injury (April 18) 

Arrival of Chick-fil-A still on schedule (August 29)

SA debates Chick-fil-A (September 5)

SA votes to endorse Chick-fil-A (September 19)

Hobo Day traditions stand test of time  (October 24)

Examining the peer institutions of SDSU (October 24)

Jackrabbits take out Coyotes in rivalry return (November 17)

Jacks romp Panthers (November 28)

Repeat defeat: Jacks' season ends (December 5)

Other projects

In the highlight of my career so far, I had the opportunity to write about the Jackrabbits for the New York Times' website. A memorable occasion and I'm grateful for the chance. Here's the piece.

The NCAA Tournament also opened up a new venue for writing for me for a website called Stadium Journey. I've long been a fan of stadiums and arenas, so this was a natural fit. My 2012 work is located here. 

--

Lots of fun was had in 2012. Let's do it again in 2013.