March 28, 2024

Parting is indeed ‘such sweet sorrow’

I have to admit, things are going to be weird for me in the Daily News office for awhile.

Just last month, sportswriter Dustin Turner and I celebrated our one-year anniversary at the Daily News together. Dustin started one day before me and his desk is directly behind mine.

Dustin and I have grown extremely close this last year and it’s going to be different not having him right there, cracking jokes with me in the morning.

You see, Dustin recently got a great opportunity and accepted it and is now going to be the sports editor for the Boone News-Republican.  At only 24 years old, and with just a year under his belt, my friend gets a chance to essentially be his own boss and do what he loves best: cover sports.

I’m thrilled for him and I know how bad he’s wanted to grow in this industry and this is the perfect opportunity for him to do so.

Ironically enough, and just one day after he got his great news, I received some great news as well.

Starting last Thursday, I am no longer just staff writer Ty Rushing, but I’m senior staff writer Ty Rushing.

I was more than happy to accept this promotion and I’m ready to start Chapter 2 of my career here at the Daily News. This new title gave me the security that I’m on the right track, that there is room for growth for me at the Daily News and most importantly of all, that my hard work hadn’t gone unnoticed.

It feels good to have this new title, but it’s still pretty bittersweet that I won’t have DT sitting right behind me to talk sports, down pots of coffee, tease our coworkers, or debate about silly things like drink names or “The Golden Girls” every morning.

I actually made a sports metaphor out of the whole thing. The Daily News is the team that drafted both of us from college. After our rookie deals were up, he tested free agency and found a new franchise and I renewed with the home team.

But I don’t want it to seem like I’m not happy for him — I’m thrilled. I know how hard he works and how dedicated he is to his craft and just like at last month’s INA awards, I’m glad to see him reaping the benefits of his success.

When you and a person experience your first taste of this industry together, going through both the ups and downs of it, it’s rather difficult to let them go. But in the same sense, you’re so happy to watch them grow and succeed.

I’ve told him before, “I can’t wait to see you on ESPN one day.” Because once he’s on ESPN, I can tell people, “Dustin and I got our start in the industry together, he’s really down to earth.”

Working in this field, you get to work with a lot of great people, but on the flipside, you see a lot of them leave for various reasons, as well. It sucks every time you lose a coworker/friend, but I know this is what’s best for him.

Dustin likes to joke that “Every day is Ty Day in the office,” and although this is Ty’s Take, I just wanted to congratulate you and let you know I value having you in my life.

See Dustin, every day isn’t Ty Day. Good luck to you, bro.