The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
When news broke out that I was leaving The Reminder, people were shocked. That's pretty much the reaction I was expecting. I think most people assumed that I would be staying here for a long time. To those of you who have wished me good luck with my new job and said I did a good job, thank you. I appreciate that. I have another shocker for you. I had never heard of the Flin Flon Bombers until coming here. I know, I know. Truth is, I never really followed junior A hockey that close other than the BCHL. I had heard of Flin Flon because of Bob Clarke, so you must give me credit for that. So what am I going to miss about Flin Flon? First I will tell you what I won't miss, and that will be Karen McKinnon, our sales person, calling me "Sunshine". If you have ever watched the movie Remember the Titans you will know why. She called me that because I'm quiet in the morning and that was perceived by some in the office as being grumpy. I won't miss anonymous letters I received from people with negative feedback. Most of that happened when I started. I won't miss the coldness of the north. Okay, I think that covers it. I will miss The Reminder staff with the exception of Karen. (I'm kidding.) I will miss covering the Flin Flon Bombers and the odd road trips I went on. Today marks the first time I watch a game as a Bomber fan as I intend on being there. Maybe someday I will visit Flin Flon and catch another game. Who knows, anything is possible. I'm going to miss the moose leg being tossed on the ice, so guys, win this game against La Ronge for me. Also, good luck to the guys the rest of the season. I will be checking the Internet to see how things are going. I will miss the group of friends I made here. I will miss all the people who have constantly told me they liked my work. As for the ones who didn't, well that's okay, too. I will always remember Flin Flon, much the same as I remember my first pit stop in Wainwright, Alta. As much as I enjoyed covering all the sports here, though curling was the least I had to do only because Gail Baker helped out a lot with that last year, which I appreciate, I feel honoured that I had the opportunity to cover the Bombers. I enjoyed every single moment of it, even the tough times, and I'm not talking about the losses. With the history behind the team, I feel privileged to have covered the team. While I don't really feel any emotions about leaving as I write this, I know the feelings will kick in tomorrow morning. Again, thank you so much to the people who gave me positive feedback and enjoyed my writing. You have no idea how much that means to me. While I don't know what it will be like for response in my hometown, I doubt I will experience such responses anywhere I go because like I said in the article Jonathon wrote, it's not something that happens a lot. That is something I will never forget.
