Reader Around Town: Kim Baxter

Kim Baxter is a 30-year-old freelance sports journalist who also teaches three communications classes at Kapiolani Community College and Hawai'i Pacific University. She recently moved to Hawaii, the final stop of a road trip after being ESPN online editor for men’s college basketball. Her eyes light up when she talks about Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry, one of her favorite books – and also when reminiscing about being courtside covering the men’s basketball NCAA Final Four in 2003 during her first year as a journalist.

Where did you grow up?
I grew up in a one-stoplight town called Basin, Wyoming.

Did you like to read as a child?
My two favorite activities as a child were reading and playing sports. I played outside until dark, and then read until bedtime. I wore out a path to the local library, plowing through each book to escape the doldrums of small-town life. Reading is still one of my favorite activities – I figure that I have read, on average, at least one book a week since I was five.

Did you always think you would be a sports journalist?
When I first went to college, I wanted to specialize in sports medicine. But after three years of science classes, I realized I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life in a hospital. Shortly thereafter, I stumbled upon a book called Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom, in which he talks about life as a sports writer. Getting paid to travel, watch sports, talk to people and write seemed like a dream, not a profession.

Have you always loved sports?
At a very early age, I was drawn to sports. I often played a one-person game of catch, throwing a ball off the roof. I played basketball and football for as long as I can remember, joined the track and field team in middle school, and started playing volleyball in high school.

How are reading and athletics connected for you?
One of the greatest Christmas presents I ever received was Sports Illustrated for Kids. Now, when I pick up a newspaper, I read the Sports section first, from features to box scores of Major League Baseball games. Also, when athletes and coaches travel, they spend much of their time scanning the local newspaper or burying their faces in books to pass the time.

You say you’re a huge advocate of childhood reading. Why is that?
I feel like children who read are children who do well in school, setting the groundwork for a successful life. Reading broadens your mind and increases the boundaries of your world. Reading is a form of communicating, and being a good communicator makes life – professionally and socially – so much easier. There are only positives from reading.

Do you remember any picture books you really liked as a child?
I remember giggling in elementary school as we read Shel Silverstein’s books aloud. I particularly recall “Where the Sidewalk Ends” and loving the quirkiness of his unique imagination and stories.

What words of advice would you give a kid who loved sports but didn’t think reading was important?
If you love sports and want to succeed in the sports world in any way – as an athlete or coach or trainer or journalist – you need to be comfortable reading. Athletes receive detailed scouting reports on opposing players and coaches. Coaches, many of whom are quoted in the media and read every story carefully to ensure accuracy and fairness, write those scouting reports.