By Patrick MacCoonRecord Sports EditorSports.It’s something that distracts us from reality and is often our getaway from obstacles in life that are challenging. Competition spikes our interest level and for those who have played organized team athletics, there are memories formed from certain moments, whether it be throwing a no-hitter or scoring the game-winning touchdown, that we will carry with us for the rest of our lives.For myself, sports have been nearly an everyday part of my life since I first learned the basics of the game of baseball at the age of three from my father in our backyard on Lookout Mountain, Tenn. Now, at the age of 22, I am living out the dream.Constantly I am surrounded by sports and make my living of breaking down statistics, finding an interesting topic in sports to write a column about, writing a compelling feature, and by covering teams, players and coaches.From local sports in Warren County to college football in the Southeastern Conference, there are intriguing stories to be told at every level. For me it’s my duty and pleasure to be able to write these pieces and bring stories to the community that you want to read.Passion.One of the keys to finding happiness revolves around finding out what you love to do, and I was lucky to find my calling at a young age. Soon after attending a sports journalism topics class at American University when I was 14 it was not long after that I began writing for Bleacher Report, which then followed into countless numbers of different publications to where I am at today.While I realized my childhood dreams of playing professional baseball were not going to become a reality, my fallback has provided me the opportunity to be even more involved in sports and to have nearly just as much fun while keeping a professional presence.Without a strong work ethic and passion for sports, I would not be in the desk that I am at today.Overtime.Being in a new place and taking on a previous job that was left by yet another talented sports journalist, Derrick Forsythe, I understand the responsibility that falls upon my shoulders. Not only will I hold myself to a standard of excellence in my writing and my coverage of Warrenton and Wright City sports along with Missouri Tigers football and other athletic events, but it is a goal to improve the sports section to a new level it has never reached before.As a voice for the sports in the community, I am excited about meeting the coaches, players, students and families involved in the sporting scene. Without forming positive friendships and trustworthiness, a local community sports editor means nothing in the grand scheme of things.Reason.Like I was told upon my first day of speaking to one of my past instructors, former USA Today sports writer Gary Graves, to be a successful journalist you can’t be scared to venture out and make new connections. I learned this firsthand while covering the Lady Volunteers’ Elite Eight run this past season when I traveled across the country to Spokane, Wash. Making connections is a part of the business and is also a fun part.From meeting with Tim Schmidt for the first time a couple of weeks ago, there were plenty of obvious reasons for me to join the staff here at a paper that does a great job of serving the community.From my youthfulness and drive to create the best sports coverage I can bring new elements to the table. On social media (@PatrickMacCoon on Twitter) I can engage the community and I can also create multimedia packages for the website. Also feel free to challenge me in the football season on score predictions!Thankful.To have a full-time job in the field of work I studied and worked in over the past four years in college is something I am truly thankful for and blessed to have earned. From my high school journalism instructor Greg Cantrell to all of my professors at Tennessee and friends and family, they have all encouraged me to follow my passion and talents. I’m excited to become a face and name around the town people are familiar with in the local sports community.Successful.Success is not achieved easily, but through hard work and determination I know my impact with the Warren County Record can be well worthwhile.

Patrick MacCoon will now serve as the Warren County Record's sports editor. He is originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee.