The new sports editor of the Whidbey News-Times had no trouble familiarizing himself with the town — he’s from here.
“After graduating from Oak Harbor High School in 1997, I would have laughed in the face of anyone who would have said I would be living on Whidbey Island in five years,” said Kevin Endejan. “Isn’t it funny how things change over time?”
During those five years, Endejan attended Central Washington University in Ellensburg where he recently graduated with a degree in print journalism with a minor in English. During his college days, he was a sports reporter, sports editor and editor-in-chief of the school paper, The Observer.
Endejan also completed a six month internship as a sports writer for The Daily Record, which covers the Kittitas Valley.
After five years in Ellensburg, Endejan was happy to return to the other side of the mountains. “My love for sports, writing and a degree in journalism have taken me full-circle back to the community I vowed to escape from as a teen-ager,” he laughed. “I couldn’t be more happy with the situation.”
Endejan has only one regret. “It looks like I missed an unbelievable Wildcat football season,” he said, referring to the team’s first trip to the state playoffs in 20 years. “One can only hope the success will carry over into the winter sports.”
Win or lose, Endejan will closely follow the Wildcats and Wolves. “I know sports is taken seriously in this area and I will do my best to inform the communities of Oak Harbor and Coupeville as fairly and accurately as possible,” he said.
Endejan takes over the position from Matt Moss, who was sports editor for one year before being injured in a swimming pool accident last July. The switch was made with Moss’s blessing. After three months in rehabilitation at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Moss is back at home on South Whidbey. But he still has a lot of rehabilitation ahead of him and won’t be able to return to work for the foreseeable future.
Endejan will be covering high school sports as well as recreation and some general news. His beat will include the North Whidbey Parks & Recreation District and the Fire District 2 board of commissioners.
If you have any sports information call Kevin Endejan at 675-6611 or email at sports @whidbeynewstimes.com
