In many ways I know very little about change. As a life-long resident of the Tampa Bay area, and one of the very few who come from two parents that are also Tampa natives, I’ve never undergone the experience of something like moving across the country. I’ve never even known what it’s like to move across the city or to move across the state.
I went to elementary and middle school in Temple Terrace, where I grew up and where I still live to this day. When I was young I played baseball at the Pony fields on U.S. 301 and continued playing baseball throughout my time at King High School.
After high school I attended the University of South Florida, following in the footsteps of my father and my uncle where I earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communications with a focus in news editorials, or “journalism” for short because the full description always felt so wordy.
At USF I began my career as a staff writer for Bulls Daily under Scout Media, now a subsidiary of CBS. In my time with Bulls Daily I gained experience covering football, baseball and even hockey for a major Division I program. I later widened my scope as a multimedia journalist with play-by-play and color commentary experience for USF football and baseball through the student government-run Bulls Radio.
Halfway through my senior year I took an opportunity to work with Pewter Report in Tampa as an intern. I would eventually work my way from intern to beat writer and spend five wonderful years living out a dream of covering my hometown football team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Five wonderful years that ultimately culminated in covering the Bucs’ second Super Bowl victory in franchise history.
I was able to grow both as a person and writer with Pewter Report and I’m endlessly thankful for the experiences and time spent as a member of their staff. But alas, there is nothing permanent except for change.
Sports have shaped my life and it’s similarly shaped my career as I start my journey at the Observer. I like to golf when I can find time to get on the course and I play in an adult softball league with some of my best childhood friends once a week, but you can almost certainly catch me cheering on the Rays, Lightning, Bucs or my beloved USF Bulls whenever they’re on.
So as I have accepted an offer to become the newest staff writer, sports writer and member of the Plant City Observer’s team, I do so with excitement. An excitement for change, an excitement to explore and to meet the wonderfully unique community that is Plant City and an excitement to tell your stories.
Taylor Jenkins can be reached at tjenkins@plantcityobserver.com