The winds of change are once again blowing through the Delta Optimist.
After 36 years, sports editor and community news reporter Mark Booth has called it a career.
As our staff paid tribute to Mark on his last day at the paper at a lunch on Aug. 24, publisher Pierre Pelletier estimated that Mark had written more than 20,000 stories in the pages of the Optimist and our sister publication the Richmond News.
That is an impressive collection of work – exceptional work I might add.
Mark is one of the last true community sports editors in the Lower Mainland.
Community sports, despite its importance to the communities in which that newspaper serves, is sadly dying out as the newspapers change and evolve with limited staff resources.
Mark was dedicated to the Optimist, providing our readers with countless stories about athletic achievements. He told the tales of athletes who are now parents in this community and now has told the tales of their kids and their sporting triumphs. Talk about a career that has come full circle.
I’ve had the honour of working alongside Mark for only a few short years, but I share his passion for this industry, for this community and the power of sports.
So, yes, I and our staff certainly have big shoes to fill and we hope we can continue to provide the sports coverage that you all have enjoyed these many years.
Please continue to send me your tips and story ideas. Submissions are greatly accepted as we won’t be able to be on the sidelines or in the gymnasiums as frequently as Mark was, but we will certainly do our best.
I want to wish Mark Booth all the best in his retirement. You have certainly earned it.
