Time Out with Brian Sumpter (Lake County Record Bee sports editor)

Vince D’Adamo: What have you enjoyed most about being connected with athletics throughout your life either as an athlete or journalist?

Brian Sumpter: As both an athlete and a journalist, I think the pursuit of winning has always attracted me. Certainly winning is not life or death, but it beats the alternative that is losing. I've been competitive my whole life in just about everything I do, more so when I was younger but I appreciate all the hard work it takes to put together a winning team and program. It just doesn't happen by accident and it requires more than most athletes are typically willing to give. That's where good coaching comes into play as well.

D’Adamo: Which sports did you play competitively in high school?

Sumpter: In high school I played my favorite sport now as well as then, that being baseball. Growing up in a one-parent family, I worked most of the year because I needed to do that if I wanted spending money. My mom raised three boys pretty much on her own, so she taught us that if we wanted extra things, we had to work for them. While tough then it was a life lesson that served me well. Of course, while I only played baseball competitively, my friends played all of the sports in our free time depending on the season. We had some epic mud football games at Healdsburg High School's practice field and at Recreation Park in Healdsburg.

D’Adamo: Even with the declining state of the newspaper industry, what keeps you coming back every year?

Sumpter: Whether it's print or internet, I'll stay in the business as long as there is a job for me. There will always be a need to cover games, who wins and loses, and tell someone's story regardless of the times. If there's one thing I've learned in 30-plus years of doing the job is that you have to be flexible and change with the times. The nice thing about print is there is a permanent record that one can always have at his or her fingertips.

D’Adamo: What have you enjoyed most about covering athletics in Lake County throughout the years?

Sumpter: What I enjoy most is the personal interaction with athletes and coaches. I've made some very good friends and I'm now covering the kids of those athletes and coaches I first started out with. If I'm still doing this job in a few more years, I may even cover some grandkids of those original athletes. I've also covered some of the great moments in Lake County history, its best athletes. One memorable run occurred in Upper Lake between 1990-94. The same group of Upper Lake basketball girls reached the NorCal Division V championship game twice in that span, putting them one win away from the state championship game. Covering the rise of Middletown football under coach Bill Foltmer, who like me is still around after 30-plus years, is another career highlight.

D’Adamo: Within your family who have been the most influential people?

Sumpter: Within my family, the most influential person has easily been my daughter, Sarah. A late bloomer as far as athletics go, she began running cross country her sophomore year at Healdsburg High School and two years later (2007) won the California State Championship in Division IV. She received a full ride to UC Davis, won the Big West Championship in 2009 and a year later, in 2010, was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. She underwent two surgeries and non-stop chemotherapy for five years while finishing college and remaining a competitive runner throughout. She finished second on two other occasions in the Big West Championships. She trained hard constantly, daily and rarely complained about her condition. She trained in hot weather, cold weather, bad weather and never ever let up. Her last competitive race was July 4, 2015 when she won at Kenwood. Her cancer spread later that summer and she died on Sept. 21. I guess  you could say that Sarah made me appreciate just how much she loved running to do what she did. I know I lost something I can never replace and I struggle with it daily. As a journalist, I can only chuckle now when some athlete and his/her parent tries to relate to me how unfair life is because of some minor slight they feel has affected themselves or their poor baby. They don't  know what unfair is and I hope they never do.

D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports, that you would most like to meet. What would intrigue you about meeting him or her?

Sumpter: As a U.S. history major in college, I guess I would have to say the historical figure I would most like to meet is Abraham Lincoln. I don't know of any president who had a tougher job than Abe during his time in office while he watched a country divide itself, much like our country is doing now. And neither party has anything remotely close to a Lincoln today, especially his own party. I would just like to sit down with him and ask him a few questions.