I always find December to be a tricky month.
Fall sports have ended and I’m trying to get into the swing of winter sports. There is plenty to do, but I keep thinking about the upcoming Christmas season and how much I need to do in so little time.
There are plenty of sports to cover between now and Christmas. As I look at the schedules, I see games almost every weeknight between now and Christmas with one or two Saturdays thrown in for good measure.
I can’t use the excuse that I have nothing to do because, in the sports business, there’s always a game or other event on deck.
The next few weeks will be filled with trying to figure out how good local teams will be in their respective winter sports.
Can Crestview High School's boys basketball team make another run deep into the playoffs without a proven big man in the paint?
Will Crestview's girls make another playoff run as well?
What does Laurel Hill's boys basketball team need to do to contend for a playoff spot in a tough District 1-1A that's home to defending state champion Malone and an always dangerous Paxton team?
Can Laurel Hill's girls stay with defending state champions and rival Paxton?
How will things shake out at Baker School under first-year boys basketball Coach Janavor Weatherspoon? Can the Gators play dark horse in District 3-1A?
What is the ceiling for a young, still inexperienced Baker girls team under second-year Coach Jamie Kerrell?
There are plenty of questions to be answered in soccer at Baker and Crestview as well.
And I can’t forget girls weightlifting at Baker and Crestview or Crestview High School's wrestling team, which will host three matches this year.
As we turn our attention to winter sports, it seems as if spring sports aren’t too far away.
In a little more than a month, on Jan. 12, softball and tennis practice can start. Baseball, track and boys weight lifting start the following week. Flag football practice opens Feb. 16.
It really seems as if the seasons never end for local athletes and sports writers.
The seasons of life are measured not so much by changes in nature as they are the kind of ball that is being thrown, kicked, hit or shot.
And so it goes as I look ahead to a busy December and more busy months to follow.
Email News Bulletin Sports Editor Randy Dickson, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: SIDELINE OBSERVATIONS: The seasons never end