I lucked out this season, for two reasons.

First, not once did I have to roam the sidelines cowering from the rain, shielding my camera from the elements.

OK, that final wind-blown soccer playoff in Mount Vernon was a challenge, but at least it didn’t rain.

Another fortuitous happening took place at the very start of the season.

When I do team photos for The Record’s Sports Guide, I ask each athlete to carefully spell their names so I can try to get them right in the paper. I also ask for their grade, position and, as an option, their telephone number.

The reason for the number is simple: I like to call athletes at home to ask their views on a particular game or match. It’s one thing for me or the coach to tell how the game progressed, quite another for the player to describe the action in the huddle or on the court. Or in the woods if we’re talking cross country.

Over the years, I’ve discovered that when students answer questions in a group they tend to lose their focus, deferring to peer-group pressure as they try to one-up their buddies.

But on the phone it’s different. When I call them at home (after their naturally suspicious parents realize who the guy with the deep voice is) they are unfailingly polite, intelligent and knowledgeable.

Using their quotes in sports stories provides readers with a certain verisimilitude and unexpected details, as when Nick Tenuta returned a kick for 80 yards and a touchdown.

What was that experience like for him, who blocked and how did his coaches, teammates and classmates react?

He told me, I reported it, you read it.

Last year only 20 percent offered their phone numbers, not surprising as I was an unknown quantity. But as the year progressed, the word spread and a certain “cool” factor set in.

When school began in September, the number of athletes who gave me their numbers increased to over 90 percent and I’ve been able to reach out and talk to players at all levels and grades.

But not everyone — for unknown reasons, most of the seniors on the girls soccer team failed to give their numbers. I respected their decision and didn’t call them, but I did talk to many of the freshmen, sophomores and juniors on the team.

The one senior I could contact was stand-out soccer star Kelsey Kimmel. After missing several games from an injury, she returned Sept. 28 against Archbishop Murphy.

The Falcons lost 2-1 but the level of play was amazing.

“The team’s aggressive quotient has bumped up several notches with Kimmel’s return from a leg injury,” I wrote that week. “She was a singular force and the other players rise to her unspoken challenge to be better.”

Hey, I call ‘em as I see ‘em and I wasn’t alone in my admiration. But several folks — some players, some parents — were angry I singled her out, feeling I had somehow slighted the team effort.

Now I know that Michael Jordan never won a basketball game alone, Joe Montana didn’t succeed by himself and Mia Hamm never prevailed on the soccer field without her teammates.

The fact is, in every field — sports, politics, education, journalism — there are stars that shine just a little brighter and, as such, get most of the attention.

Soccer coach Paul Arand once told me he played college ball with future basketball great Isiah Thomas.

“The announcers would always single him out as if no one else was on the court,” Arand recalled. “It was pretty irritating but that’s how things are. It was a learning experience for all the players.”

And Thomas would be the first to point out how important his teammates were.

As did Kimmel, repeatedly.

Reading about an athlete that rises above the others at the high school level may seem a little unfair to some, especially when so many kids work so hard to succeed.

In that same article, I noted Karissa Thomas scored the only goal and goalie Amelia Cave had several great saves; the lead photo was freshman Jennifer Barrow.

I really would have liked to talk with some of the seniors about the game. But, as they say, there’s always next season.

Jeff VanDerford can be reached at 221-5300 or sports@southwhidbeyrecord.com.