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2006(June/July) Summer
GG:
(Table
of Contents)
Our Final Issue:
When the first issue of this
magazine was published in 1999, there were plenty of naysayers.
“You’ll never succeed,” they said. To many,
we weren’t hardcore enough—which was exactly the
point. Hooked on the Outdoors aimed to be everybody’s
outdoor sport magazine. The editorial staff always used the
word “accessible” when describing it. We wanted
readers to be able to find themselves in our pages. We wanted
people to feel like they belonged in our magazine. Using a
staff and budgets that were miniscule compared to those of
our competitors, the editorial team slowly built Hooked into
an award-winning magazine. The naysaying got a little quieter.
But sadly, seven years after our inaugural
issue was published, the Boulder-based editorial office of
Hooked is closing its doors. As of press time, efforts are
being made to keep the magazine going under new ownership,
this remains to be determined. Although this issue is made
with no less love than those that have come before, it was
made by fewer of us. That’s why many familiar names
are missing from the masthead. And so, I would like to take
this opportunity to thank the following people, who have been
integral to the editorial success of Hooked on the Outdoors:
John Byorth, founding editor, got the ball
rolling back in 1999, and has remained on staff for the past
five years as editor-at-large, continuing to make excellent
journalistic contributions to the magazine. Chris Thompson,
our former director of photography, took the magazine’s
photography to a new level, shooting a majority of gear himself
(he returned from Bozeman, Montana, to photograph this last
issue for us). When Chris left, Seth Hughes stepped into Chris’s
shoes as in-house photographer while Steff Woodward took over
as photo editor. This duo both brought quiet professionalism
and friendly attitudes to our team as they, too, raised the
bar on photography another notch. Gina DeMillo joined us from
Backpacker at the start of 2004. She had a knack for systems
as she helped to bring new order to the office and editorial
packages as she took over and fine-tuned the regional highlights
and the Sport-by-Sport sections. Marshall McKinney joined
us from Rock + Ice magazine, and after having worked at Outside.
He was our first in-house art director and through Marshall’s
guidance we were able to give the magazine a bold, new look
that enabled us to capture “Best Redesign” from
the San Francisco Honorary Publication Awards in 2005. Lesley
Suppes was the first editor to get ruhooked.com up and running
while James Dziezynski helped to refine and polish it in recent
years. Jill Gerow has always been our behind-the-scenes tech
wiz. Finally, Doug Schnitzspahn has been my right-hand man
for five years. As the features, feature column and news lead
editor, he has been the guiding force behind many of this
magazine’s best stories. Thanks to his energy and dedication,
the magazine has won such awards as the Houston Press Club’s
Katie Award for “Best Magazine” in 2004, and the
San Francisco Honorary Publication Awards for “Best
Feature” and “Best Interview” in 2005. Thank
you, Doug.
So many contributors and photographers
have contributed so much—too many to list here. Thank
you to all of you who have worked with us and stuck with us
over the years, helping us to produce an award-winning publication
that kept things real. Your work has been greatly valued and
appreciated by our team.
I would be remiss if I didn’t thank
Abe Hayes and Tim McManus for their hard work as the staples
of our sales team. Along with Jeff Espy, our publisher and
fearless leader. But most importantly, the edit team would
like to thank you, the reader, for believing in us and supporting
this magazine. Nothing has thrilled me more over the years
than receiving an enthusiastic letter from a reader or meeting
someone who likes the magazine.
And so, I thank you and in the words of
the late Johnny Carson: I bid you a very heartfelt good night.
Nancy Coulter-Parker
p.s. Don’t forget to get outdoors—work
is over rated.
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