Welcome to “Attending to know Pounding the Rock’s writers”! Through the All-Star break, we thought it we be enjoyable to get to know a little bit bit extra about our writers right here at PtR, starting with Marilyn Dubinski.
A bit about myself
I used to be born and raised in San Antonio, TX. My ties to town return a number of generations on either side of my household, making my Spurs fandom set in stone. I grew up taking part in soccer and basketball, however when it got here time to select a sport (because the two overlap in highschool sports activities), I caught with soccer and ended up making varsity goalkeeper all 4 years. Together with the Spurs and soccer, I’m additionally a giant fan of school soccer (Gig ‘em, Aggies!) however not the NFL, most likely as a result of San Antonio does not have a group.
I grew up a geography nerd, taking a look at map atlases and watching The Climate Channel whereas different children have been studying regular books and watching 90’s cartoons. Consequently, I went to Texas A&M College hoping to meet my lifelong dream of being a meteorologist and that one who gave you your weekly forecast, however I ultimately realized that diploma simply wasn’t for me. So I switched to a newly-created main referred to as “Spatial Science” (principally the research of the earth’s floor from area), and finally bought a job mapping pipelines, which fulfilled the map nerd in me. Some 13 years later, I’m with the identical firm as a Senior Pipeline Integrity Analyst and have moved to Houston each for work and to be nearer to my two nephews. (However I nonetheless am and at all times might be a San Antonian at coronary heart!)
How I turn out to be a Spurs fan
Spurs fandom has at all times been in my blood. I grew up idolizing David Robinson however solely started watching the group frequently when Tim Duncan got here alongside, primarily as a result of the timing aligned with my twin and I turning into sufficiently old that my mother trusted us to get our homework achieved earlier than watching the video games. We particularly cherished watching with our grandmother, who was an enormous fan, and we have been thrilled that she lastly bought to see them win a championship in 1999 earlier than she handed.
In all probability the second I really realized what the Spurs meant to me got here in 2008. I used to be nonetheless at Texas A&M (altering majors added a 12 months) whereas my similar twin, Alice, had graduated and moved to Houston as a math trainer. It was two days earlier than our twenty third birthday and in addition the opening day of the Spurs’ 2008-09 season. I bought residence from class to seek out my mother and father ready for me, having traveled from San Antonio to Faculty Station, and I immediately knew one thing was horribly improper. Certain sufficient, Alice had unexpectedly handed away in her sleep the night time earlier than. We headed to Houston to cope with that and inform my older sister, who was an English trainer on the time.
After the whole lot had settled that night time, I spent among the night going to different rooms to have a cry by myself or name our pals to inform them what had occurred, however I additionally discovered myself checking the Spurs rating from time-to-time. These little cases took my consideration off the horrors of the true world that day and put my thoughts on one thing else. The Spurs remained a therapeutic outlet for me from then on, and my love for them has by no means waivered.
How I ended up at Pounding the Rock
I found Pounding the Rock as a fan in 2012 in the course of the Spurs’ resurgence into (true) title rivalry and immediately discovered a house locally. Then, in the summertime of 2016, J.R. Wilco, PtR’s Editor-in-Chief, contacted me and requested if I used to be involved in contributing. The LaMarcus Aldridge drama of that summer time had bought me going (as a result of I nonetheless believed the Spurs have been infallible) and I suppose J.R. preferred my ardour. I already had a little bit little bit of writing expertise, having coated the Spurs for Bleacher Report again in 2010, so I mentioned sure.
Now, virtually eight years later, I’m nonetheless right here loving my second calling as a lot as ever, even when I’ve solely coated one really “good” season in 2016-17. (It could not at all times present in my writing, however behind the scenes I can get fairly mad about dropping.) I’ve risen the ranks from contributor to steer editor and deputy supervisor (not actual titles, simply no matter you need to name second behind Editor-in-Chief). I’m nowhere near being uninterested in it, however successful the lottery and drafting Victor Wembanyama has definitely introduced a brand new life to the job and has been the spotlight of my writing profession to this point (not even getting referred to as out by Shaq comes shut).
I don’t plan on going anyplace anytime quickly, and I’m past grateful to J.R. and your entire PtR Group for persevering with to belief and imagine in me. I wouldn’t nonetheless be right here with out your whole help, so thanks once more from the underside of my Silver and Black coronary heart!
