The Sedalia Democrat has welcomed a new sports editor in the newsroom.
Jack Denebeim joined the team as the sports editor in late February. He took over for Bryan Everson, who left the Democrat in February to take on the sports editor role at the Oakland Press in Oakland, Michigan.
“Jack has only been with us for two months, but he has already proven to be a valuable addition to the team,” Editor Nicole Cooke said. “He has been great at starting to build relationships with coaches and administrators throughout our coverage area and is incredibly hard-working in his approach to the Democrat’s local sports coverage.”
Denebeim graduated from the University of Kansas in December with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism and Mass Communication and a minor in Sports Management. While at KU, he worked as a sports reporter and sports editor for the Eudora Times. He also spent a semester working as a multimedia journalist for KUJH News in Lawrence, Kansas.
Denebeim is a lifelong resident of Shawnee, Kansas. Football has always been his favorite sport, but Denebeim enjoys basketball, baseball, softball and bowling as well. In his free time, he enjoys cheering on the Minnesota Vikings, watching Marvel movies, bowling and being outside.
“I was very excited when I got the call to become the sports editor here in Sedalia,” Denebeim said. “Something relatively close to home with a community that cares deeply about its sports teams was very intriguing to me. I feel like in my two months here already, I have learned so much about Sedalia and the area’s sports teams and I’ve met several great coaches and athletes who I can’t wait to build relationships with during my time here. I’m excited to continue my career and continue to grow as a journalist in Sedalia.”
Denebeim is an award-winning journalist who has received several awards from the Kansas Press Association. Just this month, it was announced that the Eudora Times won 32 awards from KPA, with Denebeim taking home 12, including third place in the Kansas-wide New Journalist of the Year competition.
Over the last two months, Denebeim has already put his local sports journalism experience to good use in Pettis County, visiting many of the Smith-Cotton, Kaysinger Conference and State Fair Community College teams for game and feature story coverage. He has also worked to revive the Sedalia Democrat Sports channels on Facebook and X/Twitter, posting stories, photos and videos on both platforms.
Denebeim can be reached at jackd@sedaliademocrat.com or 660-530-0142. Coaches are encouraged to email game results to Denebeim during the season. Readers can also follow him on X @jack_denebeim for live updates on area sports throughout the week.
