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Joey Kittle
Editor's Note: The following is part of a series of articles profiling The Inter-Mountain's staff.
ELKINS -- In the fall of 1992, Joey Kittle joined The Inter-Mountain as a sports writer. Since then, plenty has changed in the newspaper industry.
"I tell my kids and some of the younger (sports) writers that when I started at the paper, there were no such things as the internet or e-mail," Kittle said. "Coaches or team managers would call in games, including track meets, which would take quite a bit of time.
"In today's world it's a lot easier for sure to get game information, but I do miss the calls because you built relationships. I remember back in the mid-90s taking a call from a basketball coach whose team lost a tough game in overtime. He was really down and just wanted to vent to somebody, not on his team or his family. We probably talked for over two hours that night and I think he felt a little better after we chatted."
Kittle started his newspaper career under then-IM sports editor Rick Weise. He also shadowed Patrick Martin, who he was replacing.
"Rick was a mentor to me," Kittle said. "He taught me so much about writing and he was one of the best sports photographers to learn from. Patrick also made my first weeks on the job an easy transition because he was so organized and had great relationships with all the coaches."
Two years later when Wiese moved on to a new job, Kittle became the sports editor at The Inter-Mountain.
"It was a very quick and sudden promotion for sure," Kittle said with a laugh. "Back then we did all the layouts by hand. It was very time-consuming and took plenty of practice to get it down and correct."
Kittle remained sports editor until 1999. He then went to work at The Inter-Mountain' sister paper in Steubenville, Ohio, returning a few years later to the IM sports department and a stint in the newsroom.
"When I moved to the news side, I was covering Barbour and Tucker counties for the most part," he said. "It was a great experience and I really enjoyed covering city council and county commission meetings. I was always invited to go with the Tucker County commissioners to McDonald's after their meetings and it was great. We would talk sports of course, because the late Jerry DiBacco was one of the commissioners at the time and such a big supporter of Tucker County athletics."
After once again moving on to a different job at another paper, Kittle returned to The Inter-Mountain in the spring of 2018, once again as the sports editor.
"I was so thrilled to return to The Inter-Mountain," Kittle said. "To work under two great newspaper minds in (publisher) Steve Herron and (executive editor) Brad Johnson was a great opportunity."
Kittle said some of his great memories of working in sports over the years was seeing area teams win state titles and the excitement it brought to those communities.
"Our region has had so much success at the state level in regard to titles," he said. "From coach Dave Kyle's incredible success with the Tucker County girls basketball team in the 1990s to the girls soccer and cross country teams at Elkins High School, Philip Barbour's volleyball and cross country teams and Buckhannon-Upshur success in girls track.
"I know there are so many more, but those are the ones that stick out to me in regard to state titles."
The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted changes in the landscape of sports, according to Kittle.
"I never imagined in my lifetime there would be something that would shut down everything," Kittle said. "I know sports takes a back-burner to what this pandemic has done to so many, but it was heartbreaking to see seniors miss out, teams eliminated from the football playoffs without playing and the Pocahontas County girls and Pendleton County boys unable to play in the state tournament with the great teams they had."
Kittle added the success of the Elkins High School football team last fall also was special.
"What coach Evan Hott and those boys did -- and not having Wimer Field available for home games -- was incredible," Kittle said. "To play on the road all season and get the first playoff win in school history was great to see."
During his years with the IM sports and news departments, Kittle has won numerous West Virginia Press Association first-place awards.
Kittle spends his off hours with his family, coaching youth sports and staying active in his hometown of Belington.
Kittle and his wife Charity have three children, Cadie, Joseph and Jasmyn. He also has a grown daughter, Lacie, who lives in Maryland.