I, Gregory Jeff Golden, joined The Daily Times one year ago in June 2008. I cover three of the four local school districts and San Juan College. I also fill in for the sports department when I'm needed, particularly during the Connie Mack World Series and high school football season.

I graduated from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in May 2008 with a bachelor's degree in English and minors in journalism and sociology. I attended high school in Charlotte, N.C., but spent my formative years in Ft. Myers, Fla.

Other than writing, my major passion is for sports, and my dual homes have led to an eclectic state of fandom. I ravenously follows the Carolina Panthers and the Florida Marlins, but my heart is rent by a love for both the Florida Gators and North Carolina Tarheels collegiately. I'm also a fan of the Carolina Hurricanes, the Charlotte Bobcats, and yes, even soccer.

I've spent most of my life at the beach, and I miss it, but I've adjusted well to the high desert. I had to trade in my surfboard for a snowboard, my single-speed cruiser for a mountain bike, the ocean for the rivers. There were sad moments during the transition, no doubt, but you know what? I'm having a great time.

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