Rob Ketcham smiles and props his argyle-covered feet up on his desk at The Cullman Times while working on a story.

My parents taught me from an early age to treat every task I do like it has my name on it.

Mowing the yard. Taking out the trash. Doing the laundry. It was all the same.

I never knew how literal their lesson could be, though, until I became a sports writer at The Cullman Times back in June 2011. Every day since, my name has actually been on every piece of work I’ve done — and I’ve always kept that in mind when writing even the shortest of stories or snapping what most might deem an insignificant picture.

At the time I was hired, I told managing editor David Palmer he’d have me for a year and a half. Two tops.

Five and a half unforgettable years later, I’m finally saying farewell to The Times, and it’s an extremely bittersweet experience.

On one hand, it’s hard to think of myself as anything but the sports guy, the dude who tweets stories, pictures, stats, factoids and terrible puns like they’re all going out of style. But on the other, I’m excited for my future just five blocks down the street at the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce, where I start Monday as communications manager.

The thought of normal hours and mostly freed nights and weekends is a definite plus, but the best part about the switch is that I’ll still be heavily involved in the community. Because at the end of the day, this community and its treasure trove of awesome student-athletes, coaches, parents, fans, athletic trainers, administrators, officials and any other groups I’m surely forgetting (sorry!) are what’s made working at The Times rarely ever feel like actual work.

Now, it didn’t take long after arriving in Cullman to notice people from around these parts aren’t always big on outsiders. And as a southern California to Wyoming to Tuscaloosa transplant, I was no doubt an outsider.

But, over time, I started to feel accepted, both as a writer and as a person. The latter was never more apparent than the way the community blanketed me with love after a column I wrote about my mom’s sudden passing in 2013.

I can never thank you enough for that.

In dark times and even just OK ones, though, there’s always been sports to fall back on as a distraction. Sure, sports are a serious business and winning is obviously better than losing. But, stripped down to their most basic form, they’re purely entertainment.

To say I’ve been entertained during my tenure would be a massive understatement.

In just more than five years, I’ve had the fortune of covering at least two baseball stars (Keegan Thompson and Owen Lovell) I’m confident will one day grace the major leagues, the infamous Kick-Six, a couple of heartwarming touchdown runs by Jordan Downs and Parker Odeneal, the remarkable resiliency of Andrew Winfrey following a 2012 car accident, more MVP moments than you can count (Rachel Finley’s for Holly Pond at the 2014 Northeast Regional Tournament remains one of my favorites), a pair of basketball phenoms (Lawson Schaffer and Triston Chambers) who’ve since taken their talents to the Division I stage, the all-around greatness of Fairview’s Luke Bailey, a special 2011 football season by Diamond Simmons and Hanceville, and compelling state title runs by Cullman baseball, Addison volleyball (can you say four-peat?), Cullman soccer, Cold Springs and St. Bernard cross country and track and field, and Cullman Christian six-man football.

And that doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of all the county titles I’ve witnessed, the epic baseball and football battles between Cullman and Hartselle, the numerous oddball features I’ve been proud to dig up, or all the events and people I’m inevitably — and regretfully — forgetting to mention.

That’s about as far as my regrets go, though. Outside of the way I wrote up and packaged a 2012 game story on a tough softball outing by Cullman’s Emily Watts, I don’t have many. The difference between me then and me now, however, is that I’ve come to truly understand community journalism and the important role it can play in a sports-crazed community like Cullman.

It’s not about home runs, touchdowns, slam dunks or any other sporting action. It’s ultimately about the people performing them — which eventually shaped how I approached every aspect of coverage, be it in the paper, online or on social media.

Of course, there are some names who’ve seen more print than others, and rightfully so. But I want every kid, coach or person I’ve met, gotten to know or included in a story to genuinely understand they’ve been just as much a part of my wonderful memories at The Times as anyone else.

The same goes to my amazing co-workers, both past and present. It’s also absolutely essential to squeeze in a shoutout to my loving fiancée, Jessica Ulmer, who’s so graciously shared me with the local sports world all these years.

I find it oddly fitting that the last game I covered as sports editor was at Cold Springs and that it included one last ride on the Trevor Express.

What a ride it was Thursday night, and what a ride it’s been at The Cullman Times.

Thanks for having me along, and don’t be a stranger. I’ll be just down the road.