Anyone who knows me in the least bit knows my three favorite hobbies are sports, writing and conversing with others.

Luckily for me, my career allows me to partake in all three of my most esteemed pastimes on a daily basis. In late February and early March, I was blessed with the opportunity to cover the Mat Classic state wrestling tournament, regional basketball games and the state basketball tournament.

I watched the Bellevue Wolverines girls basketball team complete a perfect 29-0 season with a convincing 69-40 in the Class 3A state girls basketball championship game against the Arlington Eagles. Also, I watched Issaquah wrestler Kacie Moorehouse register a pin in the third round to capture a state championship in the girls 170-pound weight class at the Mat Classic. Watching these impressive prep sports feats was an incredible experience but it wasn’t solely the reason why I enjoy covering those events. Covering high school sports state tournaments is the equivalent of a 10-year high school reunion for me. The only difference is this reunion takes place multiple times a year.

I look forward to seeing familiar faces each year at the respective state tournaments. The last few weeks was no exception. During the state hoops tourney, I had the opportunity to visit extensively with former Sammamish High School Athletic Director Pat McCarthy, Tacoma physician Charles Weatherby, ATI Physical Therapy Director of Sports Medicine Josh Waltier and various members of the media at newspapers across the state.

When you work in the sports world, you consistently see the same faces year in and year out at these venues. At the Mat Classic I routinely see coaches I covered during my seven-year stint as a sports writer at the Puyallup Herald from 2007 through 2014. I genuinely look forward to conversing with wrestling coaches David Johnston (Rogers), Justin Rambow (Rogers), George Wilfong (Puyallup), Aaron Lee (Puyallup) and Steve Hoyt (South Kitsap) during the two-day tourney.

One of the people I look forward to seeing the most at these tournaments isn’t even an individual affiliated with the athletic events taking place inside the Tacoma Dome. During the state championships, parking is consistently sparse. The parking lots are usually close to capacity throughout the day. This is especially true during the first day of my favorite event, the Mat Classic.

Luckily for me, I can always count on a parking attendant named Cliff (I don’t know his last name) to secure me a solid parking spot. I have been covering high school sports for 10 years and he has been working there ever since I became a journalist. He is always the first person I see at the state championships.

Sometimes there are no spots available but he always does the best he can to help me out, for which I’m grateful. Cliff is one of the most hardworking guys I know. He is there all day long from morning to night. When I arrived in the parking lot for Bellevue’s state title game at around 8:30 p.m. Cliff was still at his post in the lot. I told him I will see you in about nine months at the state football championships.

These constant mini-reunions are not only what sports is all about, it is what life is all about.