Sports photography - how did you get started?

[CapnBloodbeard]

There's a few threads talking about how people got started in wedding photography, studio photography and the like - how about sports photography?

I know there's a few sports photographers on here - so how did you get started in your field?

Interested in hearing from anybody doing a bit of work for newspapers, with an agency, freelance etc.

Sports photography is probably my main interest, so it's something I've always wondered about.

My curiosity was aroused after viewing the rather ordinary images taken by a colleague's wife who runs a bit of a business who somehow seems to have a press pass for a number of major sporting competitions :P