[August 13, 2009] Tribune expands Varsity Xtra coverage Tweet Aug 13, 2009 (The Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The East Valley Tribune has undergone many changes in the last few years. One thing that has remained constant: our commitment to high school sports. That's not going to change in 2009-10. In fact, we're upping the ante even more. Beginning this month, we're adding two major features to our Varsity Xtra brand. First, we're expanding our coverage to again include the entire East Valley. When the Tribune narrowed its print coverage in January to the southeast Valley, our high school coverage followed the same model. Readers in cities such as Scottsdale, Tempe, Ahwatukee and Paradise Valley voiced their disappointment, and we have listened. Those readers still want to follow us online at varsity.evtrib.com, so we're expanding our coverage back into those E.V. markets that want the in-depth prep coverage that only we can provide. That means when schools like Desert Vista, Chaparral, Saguaro and Corona del Sol, etc., are playing in big games, we'll be there. Our second enhancement to Varsity Xtra will be the debut of "VX Live" on Friday nights during the football season. VX Live will be your source for high school football on Friday nights. Through an expanded interactive chat box, we'll offer more than 100 updates of games in the East Valley every Friday night. You'll get constant score updates, plus highlights and commentary from our Tribune writers at the games. Photos, videos and polls also will be part of the live chat. And you can chime in with your own thoughts, questions and observations. "Mom" -- with whom regular Varsity Xtra online readers are already familiar -- will play host to the live chat. So whether you're at home on Friday night or sitting in the stands at a game and following along on your mobile phone, VX Live is the place to be. Here are a few more improvements to look for at varsity.evtrib.com. --Weekly videos with our writers' analysis of the upcoming games. --More blogs. --A featured athlete from one of our player profile pages. --A weekly Q&A with high school athletes about pop culture topics. --Reader-submitted photographs. --And much more. Beginning Friday, you can even follow Varsity Xtra on Facebook. Find us at . Varsity Xtra has already received national recognition for the breadth of coverage we provide on East Valley high school sports. But that doesn't mean we're going to stop trying to make it better. Nothing builds a sense of community like high school athletics. Competing alongside classmates, and in front of family and friends, teaches great life lessons and builds memories that last a lifetime. It's important in your community, so it's important to us. -- Contact writer: (480) 898-6538 or [email protected] To see more of The Tribune, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.eastvalleytribune.com. Copyright (c) 2009, The Tribune, Mesa, Ariz. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]