Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Inside NoVa/Prince William Entry Title: Early Start, Back on the Diamond, New Name Entry Credit: David Fawcett Judge Comment: The standout story in the portfolio was an interesting story about local junior high baseball players committing to a college program before even starting high school. But is is just as much an inside look at the recruiting process for college baseball.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Richmond Free Press Entry Title: W19 Sports Writing Portfolio 2023-Darlene M. Johnson Entry Credit: Darlene M. Johnson Judge Comment: The standout story was about how parents work to keep their athletes involved.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Suffolk News-Herald Entry Title: Title, impersonation, and a ring Entry Credit: Matthew Hatfield Judge Comment: An interesting odd-ball story of a coach impersonating a player in a junior varsity girls basketball game.
Competition Comment: Portfolio competitions almost require variety in the submissions. You may have great game stories or sports feature stories, but in a protfolio contest the judge will look for more variety than just writing about different sports.
Nearly everyone wrote about high school championship games; it was variety and unusual stories that stood out. Entries that stand out typically had at least one story that transcends the typical game story/feature topics.
