Welcome to HSGN

Hi.  Welcome to what will be the first of many posts on the new source for coverage of high school sports as well as college and professional, the Howilu Sports and Games Network (to be referred to thereafter as HSGN).

In addition to posts on sports, there will also be posts on another subject that Howilu has been a fan of for many years, game shows.  That's why the "G" in the blog's acronym stands for "games."

So why put together a sports blog that also focuses on game shows?  Here's why.  Since January 2011, Howilu has covered high school sports for the website examiner.com.  It has been a very rewarding experience to cover events that he has paid civilian prices for years such as the Prep Bowl and the state boys and girls hockey and basketball tournaments.  Many acquaintances have been made not just with fellow media members but also with state tournament personnel and coaches who have led teams to state championships.  But in July 2016, word came via e-mail that examiner.com was ceasing operations so that led this writer to find another outlet to write about his favorite subjects.  So, a new blog was born and on today, August 1, 2016 marks the debut of HSGN.

Now here's what you can expect on this site.  Continuing coverage of high school sports, including numerous St. Louis Park High School and Groves Academy games Howilu does the public address announcing for as well as numerous state tournaments and other games he decides to cover.  But wait, there's more.  Also included are posts on college sports and pro teams such as the Twins, Vikings, Wolves, Lynx and maybe even the Wild and Saints.  History pieces,  a staple of the examiner.com days will also be included.

What about game show posts?  There will  be reviews as well as historical pieces on the genre and also essays.

Another byproduct of the examiner.com era that also plans on being included is interviews with sports figures.  Over the five years of examining high school sports, there have been interviews with coaches such as Mike Grant of Eden Prairie and Chris VanderHyde of Park Center and fellow media members Gary Thorne, who covered the Class AA state boys hockey tournament in 2014 and long-time tournament color commentator former North Star Lou Nanne.

So, that's what will be covered on HSGN.  Since this is an independent entity, there is greater autonomy and the possibilities for stories are endless.  That's the first post and be sure to log on to howilusports.blogspot.com for more posts as a new era begins in writing.