The Faces of the Press & Dakotan – James Cimburek With those in charge of our “Her Voice/His Voice” magazine deciding to do profiles on our staff, I knew that I would be on the list. Since they went by seniority, I was very high on that list. Instead of forcing one of my coworkers to have to interview me, I decided that it would be more interesting for you to take you through my day … with some commentary, along the way. First off, if you don’t know me, I have been the sports editor of the Press & Dakotan since 1996, and have been a member of its staff since 1992. I started as a part-timer while I was a student at Mount Marty College, went full time the Monday after I graduated in December of 1994 and was promoted to sports editor a year later, a few months after Kelly Hertz (last issue’s profile subject) was promoted from SE to managing editor. I am a 1990 graduate of Veblen High School. For those of you who don’t know (which is most of you), Veblen is located in the northeast corner of South Dakota, 24 miles north and west of Sisseton. In high school, I ran cross country and track, and played basketball. (Not well, mind you, but I was out.) I originally went to MMC with the intent of becoming a teacher and coach. I was turned on to journalism by my freshman composition teacher, who suggested I help with the student newspaper. Two years later, I accepted an offer to join the P&D sports staff and, six months later, I changed my major to mass communications. The rest, as they say, is history. 9:45 a.m. – Out Of Bed When you have had your work day finish around midnight for your entire adult life, you tend not to be an early riser. I am not incapable of getting up early but, unless I need to for an assignment or a personal appointment, I try not to make a habit of it. My early morning usually involves a peek at my emails, and at social media. If I’m not in a rush, I’ll normally do that while watching “The Price Is Right” with my wife, Kari. On this day, I’m just a little rushed, as I am meeting with MMC softball coach Tate Bruckner for a season preview on the Lancers. 11:30 a.m. — Keeping The Balance One of the things about my job is keeping the balance. For most papers, most of the resources would go towards the Division I school, the University of South Dakota. But our market is unique: the D-I school is 20 miles down the road, and we have a NAIA school (MMC) and a big high school here in Yankton. We also cover over 30 high schools in two states. Besides the school-related sports, Yankton is home to the National Field Archery Association headquarters and the Easton Archery Center, drawing some of the top talent in the world to Yankton. (Yes, I said “world.” Yankton was playing host to the World Archery Indoor Championships on the “day” that I chronicalled.) We also are in a town with three different radio ownership groups — believe me, you don’t know how rare that is in a town Yankton’s size — as well as a weekly publication. It’s a different market, and it requires a different balance of coverage. Noon — Lunch With My Wife As you can imagine, my schedule doesn’t allow for a lot of free evenings or weekends, so I do my best to make time for my wife, Kari, when I can. Often that means lunch before I go to work. I try to make lunch with her a regular occurence. Unfortunately — especially this time of year — that does not always happen. There is no way I would be able to handle it without my support system: yes, Jeremy, Ben and Bryce Ladwig (the new guy), but especially my wife. Kari came into my life nearly 19 years ago, and we will celebrate our 16th wedding anniversary later this year. Sometimes We make the service personal... You make the tribute personal... When we arrange a personalized funeral service, we take special pride in going the extra mile. We offer a wide range of compassionate, individual and flexible options so your loved ones service is as unique and special as they are. Call us or stop in today. We are here to help. Guiding and serving families with compassion and trust. 14vHISVOICEvMARCH/APRIL 2018 Ron Mugge Funeral Home & Crematory, Yankton Memorial Resource Center, Tyndall Memorial Chapels, Tabor, Menno & Tyndall 665-9679 • 1-800-495-9679 www.opsahl-kostelfuneralhome.com