Passion. It’s a simple word that means something different to everyone.

Some may say it involves caring for the activity they are doing. Others may say it’s caring for a certain level of work ethic. No matter what one’s definition may be, passion is something that has to come natural.

It simply can’t be taught. It stems from a feeling of accomplishment, a feeling of purpose and a sense of belonging. When experiencing it, it can be one of the best feelings in the world. But when it’s lost, you could be, too.

I’ve experienced both ends of the spectrum throughout my career in sports media. I would be lying if I said my passions was at an all-time high when I first began working for the Tribune back in 2018. I would be lying again if I said it wasn’t diminished when I left last summer.

I needed a change, so I went out and sought it.

I landed at a local non-profit that gave me new purpose. The work was inspirational. I was making a difference. But some of the hoops I had to jump through for articles made me once again start to lose passion.

I helped create a startup. For a while it was successful. But in this landscape, it’s difficult to maintain stability. The one thing I can say it gave me was that renewed sense of value in the sports media landscape. I was at practices, games, events and once again fully enthralled in the thing I loved the most for six years when I started my career.

Then, more change. My wife – my rock – got a job opportunity in Colorado Springs. I told her to take it and not look back. That meant I had to leave behind my “comfort zone.”

Up until now, I lived in Arizona most of my life. I didn’t know anything else. But she challenged me to take a chance and, quite frankly, I’m glad I did. We welcomed another baby boy into the world. Our two boys are best friends and it warms my heart. I started a new position with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. I can say with confidence it is the best job I have ever had.

But even with all these positive changes, something was missing: the passion I once had for covering Arizona high school sports. It’s hard to explain what happened to it. Maybe I just wasn’t in the right situation- but that’s nobody’s fault but my own. In early April I had a phone call with Ralph Amsden. He’s someone I have been able to go to for anything, work or personal life related. He’s always been there for me, even as we butted heads a few years ago the first time I joined Arizona Varsity.

So, needing guidance, I looked to him because I knew I could. And what he said to me completely renewed my passion for this industry. Now that I’ve bored everyone with almost 500 words of nonsense, it brings me to today.

April 18, 2025. The day I, along with others that will be announced soon, returned to Arizona Varsity. This isn’t just some one-off venture Ralph and I are on together. There’s an entire team in place. Writers, multimedia specialists, on-air personalities, recruiting experts, the list goes on. We all came together in the last few days to re-launch Arizona Varsity.

Sure, it never truly went anywhere. But it did fade a little bit. The reason behind that is something many of us know, but all of you will never find out. We’ll leave it at that.

But times are different now. Fresh ideas, a constant flow of content and, most importantly, passion. So sit back, relax and watch us revive Arizona Varsity into the premier Arizona high school sports destination. With, of course, some college and pros mixed in. Thank you, Ralph, for this opportunity to return to an outlet I widely consider my home. It’s an outlet I began collaborating with back in 2018. It’s an outlet I took over part ownership of in 2020, then gave up in 2024.

Now it’s an outlet that in 2025 I plan to help take to another level alongside some awesome people.

To quote myself from the first go around, #TeamAZV is top two … and we aren’t No. 2.