Beach Ball

As the rain continues to fall in Seattle, I wish I was on a warm, crisp beach somewhere chasing down this gorgeously green tennis ball.

(Photo by Jon Hawkins via flickr.)

I, however, am sitting in my living room with two pairs of pants on, a hooded sweatshirt and a wool scarf while drinking tea. It's 59 degrees in my house. Yes, I know, but, we're college students; and, for that matter, stewards of the environment.

For all of you wondering where this post is going, this is your friendly reminder about The Chatters. My amazing year-end awards post will feature the best and worst of the tennis world in 2007. Don't miss it on December 14th!

The Chatters

After being up and running for nearly a year now, I'm excited to say I've enjoyed most of my blogging experience.

Last winter, while home in Montana for some family time and much-needed rest, I decided that my love for tennis and writing didn't need to wait for a marriage until a degree was in my hand. I logged onto Blogger and started navigating my way through the Create-A-Blog tutorial, and soon enough I had my first-ever post up bidding Lindsay Davenport a fine farewell.

In January of this year, I took a class called "Online Journalism" as a part of my major's re-vitalized curriculum. It was taught by a brilliant young producer named Tiffany Campbell, who started her career with CNN and now works for the Seattle Times.

Tiffany was a guiding hand in a lot of what I learned about blogging. She taught me rules on linking, crediting photos, layout, posting consistency and much, much more.

A lot of people scoff when I tell them I'm a journalism major. They say that journalism doesn't require a college degree. And while I might agree with them some days, I think that so much of what I've learned in my four years of school will be extremely beneficial as a professional - and I can already feel the benefits as a blogger.

As the year comes to a close I'd like to introduce a new feature that will end 2007 with a bang on AIPT: The Chatters. The Chatters are our awards for the tennis year that has just past. We'll award in categories like "Player of the Year" and "Most Compelling Match" while also having fun with "Why Did You Actually Say That Out Loud?" and "Please Don't EVER Wear That Again".

Can you guess what this match might be up for?

(I'll give you a hint: It has to do with the third set and the opposite of being exciting. Get your thinking caps on! Photo by The Otta via flickr.)

We'll preview The Chatters categories throughout the next six weeks before our presentation post on Friday, December 14th.