The old saying is that one person’s loss is another person’s gain. The Lake County Record Bee is about to get a taste of the former. The Cloverdale Revielle will soon get a taste of the latter.
Who does that involve? Brian Sumpter, who is leaving the Lake County Record Bee after 32 years as sports editor. Sumpter delivered this announcement on his Facebook page Saturday, Dec. 3:
“Lake County friends, my last day at the Record-Bee will be Friday, Dec. 30. After more than 32 years on the job in Lakeport, I am stepping down as the sports editor. Beginning in early January I will be the new editor of the weekly Cloverdale Reveille newspaper in Cloverdale. I will be covering local news as well as the sports beat for Cloverdale in my new position. Additionally I plan to continue on as a freelance sports writer in Lake County, though I will not be traveling to the county nearly as often from my home in Cloverdale. I have been commuting to Lakeport from Cloverdale since 1985, a round trip of 70 miles each day over the Hopland Grade. How long I am able to freelance for Lake County sports I cannot say, but hopefully a long time. I can't begin to tell you about all the good friends and acquaintances I've made since taking the sports editor's job at the Bee in late August of 1984. The industry and the job have changed so much since then, I hardly recognize the 23-year-old who former managing editor Ellen Leifeld took a chance on way back when. I've covered some great athletes and teams (yep, the Upper Lake girls basketball teams of the early 1990s were THE best) and worked with a handful of great coaches, not all of whom are still with us. Thanks for letting me serve you all these years, but it's time to be moving down the road a ways.”
I lasted 18 years in the newspaper industry before making a career change to route sales representative for Alhambra Water. That said, I have nothing on Sump.
The great thing about the sports reporting industry is that it is like a fraternity. Sure there’s a competitive aspect when I randomly crossed paths with other sports reporters while covering events. However, the joy of getting to know them as people far overrides the competitive aspect. I have enjoyed getting to know Sumpter throughout the years. Though we may not get together socially due to family lives and distance, I consider him a friend.
There is only one Brian Sumpter.
The Healdsburg High and San Francisco State University graduate is vacating the Record Bee after 32 years. Sumpter is a picture of dedication and resolve. The dedication part is commuting from Cloverdale to Lakeport (70 miles round trip) five days per week and in his role as Record Bee sports editor, he is a man of many hats — reporter, editor and page designer for five high schools in all of Lake County. He did that for 32 years. The windy Hopland Grade is no joke.
The resilient part came watching his daughter, Sarah, lose her life at 25-years old as a result of brain cancer. The younger Sumpter courageously fought the battle for five years before succumbing in Sept. 2015. No parent should ever have to endure such a fate. My wife and I have three kids (ages 10, 8 and 8). I continually say, “I hope our kids are pallbearers at our funeral, not us being pallbearers at theirs.”
The first time I met Brian was in 1999. I made the trek to Upper Lake from Napa for a Saturday afternoon football game between Calistoga and Upper Lake.
As former Napa Valley Publishing sports editor Randy Johnson can attest, Upper Lake is one of the few places where late October feels like mid-July. The Wildcats won that game 34-19 on the way to a CIF North Coast Section Class B title.
However, the next season (2000), I had more interaction with him since St. Helena High rejoined the NCS, specifically the North Central League I.
Since 2004, when I took over the Upvalley beat, I have crossed paths with Sumpter very regularly.
Like every journalist, Sumpter has written something that has rattled a few cages. Heck, we all have. At his core, however, Sumpter is the quintessential community-oriented journalist that tries to accentuate the positive in a team’s achievements rather than trying to find fault.
He gets it that you can’t cover the Lower Lake Trojans the same way you cover the USC Trojans.
He gets it that you can’t cover the Clear Lake Cardinals like you cover the St. Louis Cardinals.
Other than freelance writing and online journaling, I have no desire to return to the newspaper industry but I can see the appeal of staying in Lake County for 32 years like Sumpter. They appreciate commitment. Good luck finding someone that defines such a term like Sumpter.
The big challenge for Sumpter in his new job will wearing even more hats. Sure, he will still get to cover sports but he will also have to mix in covering city hall along with managing a staff.
If anyone is up to the task, it is Sumpter. The best news is, he only has to commute 15 minutes round-trip per day rather than at least an hour one-way.
For Lake County’s sake, I hope they find a viable replacement. As for Cloverdale, you have a home run hire.
Here’s the beauty of Sumpter’s career move, unlike many newspaper employees that are dispatched because of archaic technology, he has a chance to continue his passion on his own terms.
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