Yes, it's true. I'm not that creative (shock and horror pans across the horizon).

My favorite, hands down, is Big Bill Broonzy's "Key to the Highway."

"Key to the Highway," is an epic blues staple that's been covered from the likes of Eric Clapton and B.B. King, to my personal favorite, The Steepwater Band. The song speaks of a man moving on down the road, presumably because a woman misled him.

Don't worry, ladies. I'm not referring to any of you.

You didn't break me...this year.

But the lyrics really tend to help me absorb what takes place in the final few days of an event like the Women's Championships.

There's the relief of being able to go back home and see the family and friends who I miss dearly. There's the procrastination of not wanting to start a 1,600-mile drive. There's the feeling of regret for not spending enough time or getting to know people as well as I would have liked. There's the feeling of satisfaction for helping produce a successful event and hopefully-bright future.

And then there's saying goodbye.

(Go ahead and insert your favorite cliche about saying goodbye here. I don't want you to feel left out. We made this run together. Make it your own.)

I'm not good at saying goodbye, so I'd rather take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all of the great people who made this tournament memorable.

First and foremost, thanks to the Women's Championships staff. The strides made from last year to this year are quite phenomenal when you sit back and look at it. The transition from the traditional bowling centers and the National Bowling Stadium to the one-of-a-kind convention-center setting certainly had its bumps along the way, but everyone came together as a team so well.

I'm glad I was able to share this experience with each and every one of you. It was an absolute privilege to work alongside all of you.

Thanks to the city of El Paso, the El Paso Convention and Visitors Bureau, El Paso CVB Communications Manager Pifas Silvas, El Paso Times reporter Dave Burge and El Paso Times photographer Mark Lambie. 

The city and CVB were beyond hospitable to not only our staff, but to each and every bowler. They've been looking forward to having the tournament since they won the bid more than four years ago, and it certainly showed. Thank you for treating every one of our bowlers like a queen. I certainly believe you achieved your goal of creating 30,000 new ambassadors for Sun City.

Pifas was instrumental in helping me promote the tournament to the city, which led to a fantastic amount of local media coverage.

The El Paso Times dedicated a weekly column to the tournament, and Dave was here every week to let El Paso know what the tournament is all about. He was as eager to learn about the tournament as I was to tell him about it, and I think that made for a lot of great stories.

Mark helped us out big time during the USBC Intercollegiate Team Championships and USBC Queens by photographing the televised finals. Plus, he's been here on assignment so many times that I think he may know the building better than I do.

Thanks to Matt Cannizzaro and Emil Williams Jr., for keeping me occasionally sane all the way from Reno.

I'd say more, but WORDs really can't express what we've been through since February. Get on the horse, ball.

And finally, thanks to the bowlers of the Women's Championships. I'm glad I was able to share your stories with the world, and I'm happy to know that so many of you truly care about this tournament.

Having the opportunity to see the smile and excitement when congratulating a bowler or team for taking a lead made every 14-hour day worth it. Seeing the appreciation and respect shown in the squad room for a bowler competing in her 40th, 45th or 50th tournament made every holiday spent at the convention center worth it. Seeing the joy and ability to completely let loose during the team march out made every sleepless night worth it.

Thank you for giving me a memory that I'll surely never forget, and hopefully, you won't either.

"When the moon, creeps over the mountain, I'll be on my way. I'm going to walk this old highway, until the break of day."

We hope to see you in Syracuse.