I’ve spent my entire childhood watching and participating in high school sports around Western Massachusetts, so to now be on this side of things is fitting.

I grew up in Bernardston, spent an important near-decade (ages 3-12) of my life in Deerfield, and now currently live in Northfield. With split parents on opposite ends of Franklin County and family and friends all over Western Mass., I don’t think there’s anything else to say other than this area has shaped me into the 22-year-old who is now the newest sports reporter for the Daily Hampshire Gazette.

My name is Garrett Cote, and it’s nice to meet all of you.

Sports are all I’ve ever known, and, really, all I’ve ever done. I played four sports (golf, soccer, basketball and baseball), five if you count ultimate frisbee, at Pioneer Valley Regional School in Northfield. Since I was a little kid, I had always dreamed about working in sports in some capacity. Obviously the dream was to play professionally, but in middle school — when every kid my age was a foot taller than me — I recognized that that option was just a bit unrealistic.

I attended Springfield College, where I started my undergraduate journey as a criminal justice major, somehow thinking my job could mirror TV shows like CSI and NCIS. Two weeks in I realized that those two shows were on television for a reason, and that line of work was clearly not for me. For a kid that grew up with hobbies that literally only pertained to sports, choosing an alternative major was an easy decision.

After gutting it out for the remainder of my freshman year, I switched into sports journalism and immediately fell in love with it.

I met (former Gazette legend) Marty Dobrow, Aimee Crawford and Kyle Belanger, three professors in the major. It’s because of them I’m able to sit here and write to you. Marty helped me land my first internship (with a little newspaper up the road called the Greenfield Recorder) and showed me the ropes of sports journalism, Aimee fine-tuned my writing and hammered AP Style into my brain, and Kyle sharpened my interviewing skills while helping me learn search engine optimization and other key internet journalism tools.

I interned with MassLive.com’s high school sports department my junior and senior years, where I became even more familiar with the sports landscape in the area. Also while at Springfield College, I contributed to The Springfield Student newspaper, increasing my workload each year. I went from staff writer (sophomore year) to news editor (junior year) to Editor-in-Chief (senior year). That experience has made the transition from school to full-time job effortless, and I’m eager for this fall sports season to get underway.

I love to play golf, listen to music and eat out at restaurants (if you have any suggestions, send them my way). I guess my only other hobby other than sports would be taking care of my 14-year old pug who has been by my side since I was seven.

I truly believe Western Mass. is a one-of-a-kind region. Everyone cares deeply about their sports, the small size allows for strong relationships to be built easily and there is a laudable mutual respect between people in the area.

If you see me at any games, please feel free to come up and introduce yourself — whether you’re new to the community or have been a part of it all your life. If you know anything that may make a great story, don’t hesitate to reach out.

My job is to shine a light on those who deserve it, and with your help, I’ll be able to do just that.

See you around!

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