Wow. I have almost officially made it through my first school year as sports editor.

It's been a blast. Sure, there have been some bumps in the road (okay, a few mountains here and there), but it has gone pretty well, thanks to a lot of help from everyone in the community, the schools, and our staff.

There probably isn't enough space here to thank everyone, so I will be brief, and probably leave someone out, but...

Special thanks to the four area high schools -- North Moore, O'Neal, Pinecrest and Union Pines -- and the principals, athletic directors, coaches and especially the student-athletes. All of you have made it a joy to cover sports again, and have made my job a ton easier.

I appreciate your all taking the time to talk before and after games, and understanding that our coverage of all sports improves greatly with a little help and cooperation from you.

I know I said I wasn't going to single people out, but I wanted to say a great big thanks to my second family out at North Moore. I am glad that I could be there as often as I was to chronicle the success of the programs. Seems like it was just Tuesday that North Moore A.D. Bob Collins was giving me a hard time about my ability to, first find North Moore High School, and second, find it more than once. And then I remembered, it was Tuesday.

Thanks, Bob for all the help and forcing us to do a better job. And as I have told many of you up there, we aren't where we want to be with our coverage, but we are working hard to get there.

And much of that improvement in coverage was due to the able assistance from North Moore senior Holden Caviness. Holden was a huge help, providing good photos of all the sports, and he never failed to entertain me with his stories about hunting, fishing, or his family.

And a great big thanks to current sports staffers and contributors for your time and effort, Charlie, Frank, Dean P,  PT, Donna and Wes, and of course, my predecessor, Hunter. Thanks to all for putting up with me, and for putting the work in to make my life easier and our pages better.

Looking back, the year seems to have flown by.

And for those of you who have story ideas, let me hear them. I know there is a ton of great stories out there just waiting to be told. Send us your ideas by e-mail at sports@thepilot.com.

And a big congratulations and thanks to all the student-athletes who made this year unique.

Which brings me to the summer. Time to kick back and unwind.

This is the perfect time for you to show your support for the athletic programs in Moore County. Golf tournaments are the popular fundraiser followed closely by team and individual skills camps for youngsters.

All fundraisers are key to helping all the athletic progams and school extracurricular programs to raise the necessary funds they need to thrive and survive, especially in this tough economic climate.

I hesitate to use an example, for fear of alienating all the other sports and programs in the area, but I will.

Take, for example, the Pinecrest Patriot Gridiron Golf tournament slated for Monday at Pinehurst No. 8. This is an opportunity for folks to support the resurgent Patriot football program, while enjoying a fun, yet competitive round of golf on one of the area's finest courses.

The tournament is one of numerous opportunities you have to support athletics in the area. And maybe you, like me, aren't a golfer. There are still plenty of ways to help; sponsor a team or a hole, Or just contact your favorite school and make a donation to the band, the cheerleaders, the football team, the soccer teams, or whatever your favorite program is. You will make the high school experience a bit brighter for thousands of youth in Moore County.

I think PHS football coach Chris Metzger summed up the feeling of all the coaches when I asked him about his tournament.

"We need the support of the community and we know they are going to come through big like they always do."

For information on the phs football fund-raising golf tournament call 695-5137 or e-mail pcfootballboosters@nc.rr.com.

If you are looking for the perfect golf tournament, camp or way to donate to a great cause in Moore County, please check out our sports calendar that is running at the bottom of this page.

And get out there and enjoy the weather and support a great cause!

Contact Tom Embrey at 693-2477 or by e-mail at tembrey@yahoo.com.