Sports stories.

While the terminology might evoke images of the simple process of recording who won or lost, and which player scored the points, sports reporting is not that simple.

Sports is as good as any drama that can be dreamed up by the best Hollywood scriptwriters. It is far from a sterile story of statistics. There are stories full of characters, from those playing the game to those watching from the sidelines.

This week, the Packet celebrates Clarenville's Herder championship, with most of our news revolving around this sporting event.

We have aimed to give you, in the limited space we have available, the flavour and colour of this sporting event, going beyond the 5-2 final score to tell you the stories of some of the people involved.

There couldn't be a hockey game without people to watch. So we felt it important to tell the stories of the fans, the people who have supported the Caribous since their return to the province's senior hockey scene. People like Monroe Greening, Paula and Bert Roberts - who have loved hockey since they were old enough to lace on a pair of skates or go out to the rink to watch a game - and people like Craig Haines who is a newcomer to the thrill of a good hockey game and who added his own colour to the championships at Mile One.

Of course there are the players and we couldn't resist a chat with Jason Churchill's mother, Madonna, to hear of the little boy who, at the age of four, decided quite emphatically that he wanted to play in goal.

Then there is the game itself, the Saturday night at Mile One that will forever live in the minds of those who were there to watch, who tuned in to their radios to hear the exciting play by play and final moments of the game, or logged on to the Internet to see the action.

And mixed with the euphoria was the sad news on Sunday morning that Ernest Pearcey, father of coach Randy and grandfather of forward Andrew Pearcey, had died just a few hours after the Caribous won the coveted trophy.

Our condolences to the Pearcey family on their loss. We are certain, however, that just as their fans shared in their joy on Saturday night, they also share in their sadness today.

And that is how it is with sports - the team is not just the players on the ice, it involves the whole community and every individual who feels a heart and mind connection to the game and its players; sharing in the agony of defeat, and the excitement of victory.

And because of that, the Herder is just as much a reward for the fans and supporters, as it is for the young men who laced on the skates to battle for it.

Well done, b'ys, well done.

Barbara Dean-Simmons