Telling stories across the country

Tyler Martineau
Posted 8/17/21

Hello, Lusk

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Telling stories across the country

Posted

Hello, Lusk. My name is Tyler Martineau, and I am the newest reporter for the Lusk Herald. 

My journey here started on the other side of the country. I grew up in southern Maine in the city of Sanford. It is known less for being one of the largest cities in Maine with 21,000 people and more for the surrounding areas such as Wells and Kennebunk. 

Sports were always at the forefront of my life. I tried almost every organized sport in town, but baseball was always my favorite. If I wasn’t on the field, then I was watching the New York Yankees despite being in Boston Red Sox territory. 

My brother and I had the same passion for sports, but for different reasons. He was the more athletic one who loved the competition. I loved the story aspect of sports. There are limitless possibilities to what can be told, and it is up to us to tell those stories. If I had to choose between standing in the batter’s box to face a 90 mile-an-hour fastball, or the commentary box calling the play, I would choose the ladder every time. 

Early on, sports and journalism were intertwined for me. As a kid, I had my favorite baseball players and my favorite play-by-play announcers. In high school, I started to enjoy writing about sports as well. Journalism to me is such a unique style of writing because it is about being creative while also covering the facts.

I attended Hofstra University in New York to pursue a degree in journalism. I immersed myself in all forms of media from calling basketball games on the radio to writing postgame recaps for the school paper. While college gave me more opportunities to cover sports, it also enabled me to learn about all types of journalism. 

I learned the most important part of journalism is always the story that is being told. No matter what topic is being covered, the two things that never change are the style and the purpose. Just like with sports, for any topic there are endless angles for each story to be told.  For me the purpose is always to tell someone’s story. Now that purpose has extended beyond just sports. 

After college, I was led here because I found a place with stories to be told. Sports will never leave however, because often times it is a great way to connect with others. 

When I am not writing or watching baseball, I like to spend my free time playing disc golf. Maine was a perfect state for me to learn the sport because essentially it is a walk in the woods with an objective. When I get the chance to travel to somewhere new, I am always eager to learn where the nearest disc golf course in the area because I think it is the best way to understand what it is like there. I make sure to keep my bag of discs in my car just in case I stumble upon a new course and want to play a spontaneous round of disc golf.

Overall, I am excited to get started and I can’t wait to tell the stories around my new home. Want to reach me or have an idea for a story? You can contact me at tmartineau@ludkherald.com.