My name is Travis Anderson and I am the new sports reporter for your Richmond Daily Journal.

I’m from Lumberton, and currently live there on our family farm that was first established in 1734.

Moving to the Lumberton area was a culture shock for me, as I moved from Randleman, which always had something to do or somewhere to go. I played softball in the community league, wrestled with my high school, and was always hanging out with friends from school as we all lived pretty close together.

However, when I moved to Lumberton on the farm, I found that life was a little bit slower around Robeson County than in Randolph County.

Living on a farm in the middle of what seemed like the desert at the time was difficult to adjust to.

Before joining the Daily Journal, I attended the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, where I majored in public relations.

While at the university, I was involved with various student associations, including PRSSA and the Pine Needle student newspaper.

While with the newspaper on campus, I was responsible for the baseball beat and found that I enjoyed writing sports more than I enjoyed public relations.

That led me to pursue a career in journalism.

My sports background includes auto racing, football, basketball, baseball, and hockey. I have a genuine love for any sport that is played in North Carolina, as I have played a majority of them, and coached youth basketball and baseball in Lumberton through the recreation department.

My favorite sport has to be football, either professional or college. I love the sights and sounds that you can gather while either watching a game in person or on TV.

My favorite professional team is the Carolina Panthers, even though we had a bit of a slump in the past year, and my favorite collegiate team is the North Carolina Tarheels.

Butch Davis has done amazing things with the program and they look to be in contention for another bowl game this year.

The thing that really draws me into the sporting world is the rivalries that exist in each venue.

I am a Tar Heel fan and my brother is a Duke fan. We are normally fairly easygoing — until it’s February and Carolina and Duke are playing.

We will go days without talking to each other, depending on the outcome of the game, even though we live five minutes from each other.

As you can see, I take my teams to heart. Whether it is the Tar Heels playing Duke, the Yankees playing the Red Sox, or the Hurricanes playing in the playoffs.

I look forward to meeting you at a game soon, as I familiarize myself with a busy sports scene in Richmond County!

Contact sports reporter Travis Anderson at 997-3111 ext. 44 or via email at tanderson@yourdailyjournal.com.