When my editor in chief offered me the assistant sports editor job at the Daily back in December, I can’t say there were fireworks going off in my head.

It was more like an electric shock.

After spending two years reporting and copy editing, I had asked for a position with the Daily that wasn’t reporting. From my experience, editing seemed like the right decision.

Sports, however, was the last thing on my mind.

Not to say I never participated in sports; I just wasn’t familiar with the technical terms and the statistics. And the names. And maybe the positions.

But that, I was ready for. What I wasn’t ready for was moving into “Guytown.”

For a moment, picture a junior high dance. Guys on one side, girls on the other. That’s what it was like in the Daily newsroom. Guytown, they called it; three arts and entertainment editors, two sports editors and, for part of the semester, an opinion editor. They were the citizens of Guytown. I can still remember the first week I started working in sports, when Greg Jerret, the opinion editor, would play “It’s Raining Men” every time I walked in.

Ahh, Guytown. It was a side of the Daily newsroom where topics of conversations ranged from sports to girls, music to girls, and occasionally, they’d talk about . girls. I’d have to say it was the atmosphere of Guytown that differed so much from the environment way over in Newsland. The music: Bare Naked Ladies and Backstreet Boys in Newsland, and Limp Bizkit and Sonic Youth in Guytown. The language: Well, we won’t go there. You can use your imagination. The smell: There always seemed to be this smell lingering in Guytown. For a while I thought it was a half-empty Burger King drink that sat on the desk for a few months, but after that was tossed, the smell still permeated the area. I blame it on the residents.

And Nerf basketball. A small addition was made to the sports department after the Big 12 tournament. A Nerf basketball hoop. Was it a coincidence that the hoop was placed less than a foot from the computer on my desk? From 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. every day, vigorous games of Nerf basketball took place between the sports editors and writers – play-by-play commentary provided.

Despite the differences, I did learn a few things from Guytown this semester.

I learned a sports department, when male-dominated, will run a half-page picture of Anna Kournikova, even if she lost the tournament. Hmmm .

On the other hand, I learned pictures of Pete Sampras are not well-received by the sports editors.

I also learned when my phone rings, 99.9 percent of the time, it is a prank call from my fellow sports editors, and a Nerf basketball to the head is just another daily occurrence.

And I learned a true sports masterpiece sometimes takes hours to write (ahem, Paul Kix).

All in all, I had a great semester in Guytown. To the guys, thanks for letting a girl into your territory. Good luck to all this semester and next year!

Nina Fox is a senior in journalism and mass communication from Glen Ellyn, Il. She is assistant sports editor of the Daily. She’s been a savior in the sports department and will be missed. Thanks Nina and good luck.