Tag: David Miller

U. S. News: Best High Schools in Ohio
U. S. News has released its annual report on the nation’s high schools.

Ohio had 732 school districts supporting 902 high schools in the 2017-18 academic year. Students are assessed via mathematics and English proficiency tests.

Loveland High School is ranked 55th within Ohio out of 902 schools.

Ohio high school students must earn at least 20 credits in various subjects, including four credits of English language arts, four of math, three of science, and three of social studies. High schoolers in Ohio must also learn economics and financial literacy to graduate, as well as take two or more semesters of fine arts, according to the Ohio Department of Education.

How U. S. News Rank the Best High Schools »

Quick Stats for Loveland H.S.

Grades

9-12

Total Enrollment

1,443

Student-Teacher Ratio

18:1

Overview of Loveland High School

Loveland High School is ranked 55th within Ohio. Students have the opportunity to take Advanced Placement coursework and exams. The AP participation rate at Loveland High School is 50%. The total minority enrollment is 7%, and 11% of students are economically disadvantaged.

#1,745 in National Rankings

Overall Score 90.19/100

Top Ranked Cincinnati Metro Area Schools
Top Ranked Ohio Schools
1. 1. #1Ottawa Hills High School
  2. #2 Walnut Hills High School
  3. #3 Bexley High School
  4. #4 Solon High School
  5. #5 Indian Hill High School
  6. #6 Wyoming High School
  7. #7 Chagrin Falls High School
  8. #8 Mariemont High School
  9. #9 Dublin Jerome High School
  10. #10 William Mason High School
  11. # 14 Turpin High School
May 3, 2020
Autism Society recognizes Loveland Schools’ Mary Frees as “Unsung Hero”

Mary Frees (front center) was recognized for her work serving individuals with autism and their families at “Faces of Autism” on March 5. Left to right: Heidi Terselic, Donna Ernst, Jane Miller, Lara Ferrer, Joe Frees, Taylor Reid, Mary Frees, Dr. Kathryn Lorenz, Dr. Amy Crouse, Helen Jones, Michelle Grafflin and Jennifer Forren.

Loveland, Ohio – The Regional Autism Advisory Council (RAAC) of Southwest Ohio celebrated its 20^th anniversary in March with “Faces of Autism”- an event presented in collaboration with Autism Society Greater Cincinnati to recognize autism “ambassadors and unsung heroes” in the region. Mary Frees, an intervention specialist at Loveland Elementary School (LES), was among those honored for their work serving individuals with autism and their families.

“When I learned about this special recognition, I was shocked, but felt so valued for doing what I love,” said Frees. “This just motivates and energizes me to continue to accomplish more for my students with autism and other special needs. My students make my job enjoyable each day and push me further to continue to learn more about this ever-changing field of special education.”

The Faces of Autism Unsung Hero nominees were selected for going above and beyond the expectations of their jobs in advocating for acceptance, community inclusion, relationship building, and community impact. 12 educators were recognized, two of whom represent public school districts – Loveland and Sycamore Schools.

“Mary is an outstanding educator who works tirelessly for her students, going above and beyond on a daily basis,” said LES Principal Jen Forren. “She works to ensure that her students and their families have an excellent experience at LES, both academically and socially. She established an ambassador program that matches her students with other students in the building to help them work on their social skills and it has been very impactful for everyone involved.”

Faces of Autism was presented by RAAC and the Autism Society Greater Cincinnati in partnership with several other organizations, including Cincinnati Children’s, Linden Grove School, and the Heidt Center of Excellence by The Children’s Home, among others.

About the Autism Society Greater Cincinnati and the Regional Autism Advisory Council (RAAC)

The Autism Society Greater Cincinnati is a leading resource and advocate for the local autism community, working to improve the lives of all who are affected by autism through education, support, and services. RAAC leads community partnerships to plan, develop, and implement a vibrant continuum of services that meets the lifelong needs of individuals with autism, their families, and those who serve them. The Advisory Council facilitates task forces on a range of subjects, such as early intervention, educational identification, and adult services.

May 2, 2020
Loveland Magazine TV: Mihaela Manova is Part of Loveland’s DNA!

Each citizen in Loveland makes up an important piece of the community, but in saying that it’s up to the citizen as to what they do with their role as an important piece of that community. This is what makes up a community’s “D.N.A.”

Over the past two years, Loveland Magazine has been in search of community members that truly play an important role in Loveland’s D.N.A.

by Cassie Mattia

Loveland, Ohio – Many people from all over Ohio in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic have had to find “virtual” ways to communicate with their friends, families, and co-workers. The “Zoom” application (allows you to connect and hold meetings with anyone that also has the application virtually) has skyrocketed in popularity over the past couple of months as it has proven itself to be quite a useful tool for workplaces, schools, media outlets, and local governments to connect with one another.

Due to the social distancing regulations and the Stay At Home Order, here at Loveland Magazine, we decided to try Zoom for ourselves and conduct our first virtual interview for our Loveland Magazine readers! Our segment, “What’s In Loveland’s DNA,” has featured several amazing Loveland community members over the past year and the feedback from the community about the segment itself has been overwhelmingly positive. Instead of our typical sit down one-on-one interview in our LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV studio we decided to conduct our latest DNA interview using Zoom!

Mihaela Manova

We would like to take this time to introduce our newly selected DNA candidate, Mihaela Manova. Mihaela is not only the 2nd youngest DNA candidate we have ever selected she is also the first to be interviewed using Zoom at Loveland Magazine! Mihaela is a big part of the Loveland High School culture and an even bigger part of the Loveland community. Mihaela recently joined the Loveland Magazine team as a staff writer, quickly gained her very own climate column, and was recently promoted as Editor of our Covering Climate Now series, a global journalism initiative committed to bringing more and better coverage to the defining story of our time. Mihaela is a native of Bulgaria and visits her homeland often, making her the ideal choice to cover international stories. She has already begun impacting her adopted small-town home of Loveland with her inspirational voice! Mihaela is a member of Loveland High School’s Class of 2020 and has chosen to study Journalism at Miami University-Oxford in the Fall.

Mihaela recently did her own “What’s in Loveland’s DNA” segment on Madeline Killion which you can read HERE.

Loveland Magazine Publisher David Miller had many great things to say about Mihaela!

“Being from Bulgaria, Mihaela brings a unique perspective to our newspaper and has made an enormous impact on us,” Miller said, “Her youthful honesty, respect, and complete dedication to her craft are invaluable. It’s as if we have an international reporter on staff now. She has certainly altered Loveland’s and Loveland Magazine’s DNA.”

So without further ado, LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV presents “What’s In Loveland’s DNA: Mihaela Manova!”

Click below to see the exclusive Zoom interview with Miss Mihaela!

Read more of our, What’s in Loveland’s DNA” stories…

May 2, 2020

Check out the Most Popular Baby Names of 2020!

by Cassie Mattia

Loveland, Ohio – Although many people around the United States are expecting birthrates to skyrocket due to the COVID-19 pandemic, currently that just isn’t the case, in fact, it’s quite the opposite! Birthrates thus far in 2020 are remaining very consistent. Names.org decided to release their latest predictions on what the most popular baby names would be this year.

Veronica Parsons from Prism PR shared with us that the names Henry and Alexander have newly entered into Names.org’s top 10 this year for the boys and the name Mila has made its way into the top 10 this year for the girls.

“The rankings were determined by analyzing the most recent data from the Social Security Administration, trends from the past five years, and current user interest from millions of visitors to our site,” Parsons explained.

So without much further ado here are Names.org’s Top 10 boys and girls Names for 2020!

Top 10 Boys Names for 2020

2020 Ranking	2018 Ranking (2019 not released)	2018 Actual Totals	2020 Projections
1. Liam	No. 1	19,837	20,740
2. Noah	No. 2	18,267	16,980
3. William	No. 3	14,516	13,270
4. Oliver	No. 5	13,389	13,040
5. Lucas	No. 8	12,585	12,510
6. Benjamin	No. 6	13,381	12,300
7. Elijah	No. 7	12,866	12,260
8. James	No. 4	13,525	11,960
9. Henry	No. 16	10,649	10,690
10. Alexander	No. 11	11,989	10,480

Top 10 Girl Names for 2020

2020 Ranking	2018 Ranking	2018 Actual Totals	2020 Projections
1. Emma	No. 1	18,688	16,250
2. Olivia	No. 2	17,921	15,850
3. Ava	No. 3	14,924	13,400
4. Isabella	No. 4	14,464	12,790
5. Charlotte	No. 6	12,940	12,500
6. Sophia	No. 5	13,928	12,430
7. Amelia	No. 8	12,301	12,290
8. Mia	No. 7	12,642	11,530
9. Mila	No. 14	8,126	10,790
10. Harper	No. 9	10,582	10,700

Want to learn more about the meaning of your name and its origin? Visit https://www.names.org/ for all the fun details! Stay tuned for more Loveland Salad With Cassie Mattia!

May 1, 2020

LHS’s Head Football Coach Shares What his Athletes are Doing to Stay in Shape!

by Cassie Mattia

Loveland, Ohio – Summer will be here before you know it, which means football season is right around the corner! Many LHS athletes have been working hard during the Stay At Home Order so that they are prepared when competition starts up again. Coach Andy Cruse and his football players are one of the Tiger teams that have made sure that they are staying in shape for the 2020 upcoming season!

Coach Cruise told us that his players have not only been working hard but they have also been very creative with their workouts.

“One of the things we have tried to do as a football program to make sure we continue to make progress in the off-season is using the Team Buildr App. This app is great for bodyweight workouts and it also includes videos that show the proper technique for each exercise,” Cruse explained, “The app also has both dumbbell workouts and home gym workouts. We also created a 3k push-up challenge for the month of April, in which each player completes 100 push-ups a day. Many of our players are doing it with family members and often record themselves doing it to have a little fun with it. They are doing this on top of their regular workouts,” Cruse said.

Andy Cruse when he was introduced as the Tiger Head Coach in February of 2019 (File Photo)

Coach Cruse said that twice a week he is holding Zoom meetings with his players in order to get to know them better and discuss football.

“The Zoom meetings have been very positive. I think the players are really enjoying having interaction with their teammates and coaches during this time,” Cruse said, “We have encouraged our players to do position-specific drills as well. As a program, we are retweeting our players working out and spreading positivity as much as possible during this time,” Cruse added.

Due to all of the gyms being closed and of course, LHS athletes are not able to use any of the LHS facilities, Tiger athletes have been forced to get creative with how they are staying in shape. A few Tiger football players shared with us what they have been doing at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gabe Ogdan was a Captain of the 2019 team. (File Photo)

Gabe Ogdan said, “I’m lucky enough to have my own home gym, but still have had to get creative for certain things! It’s been interesting but with not as much school I’ve been able to devote more time to speed and agility training as well as weight lifting and bulking.”

Max Huddleston said, “My home gym is minimal, and for some exercises, I may not have the right equipment. For example for pull-ups, since I don’t have a pull-up bar, I’ll do them on a steel beam in my basement.”

Mason Moore said, “I don’t have a home gym and the heaviest dumbbells I have are eight pounds, so I have to do my best to get my workouts in with what I can make do. I use paper plates as ab sliders, I do pull-ups on a metal beam on my ceiling, and I do lots of cardio along with the bodyweight workouts our coaches have us do.”

My dad is a landscaper so he had some stuff I could get creative with. I used bricks and stones to do various things and made a bench out of stones and a board and used a tube and metal bars to make a bar. – Weston Manske

Zach DeWitt said, “I am thankful to have many opportunities to maintain and build upon what we have been building this offseason. The absence of a field, however, has made me turn the front yard and driveway into everything I need for speed and agility training.”

Luca Aquilino said, “Since I only have a couple of things of workout equipment I’ve been sticking to lots of bodyweight workouts from our TeamBuildr app. I’ve had to use wooden shelving in my garage to do pull-ups and I have had to put bands around trees and around my basketball hoop to add a little bit of weight to workouts.”

Weston Manske said, “My dad got a bench this past weekend so now I can use that but before I had to get creative. My dad is a landscaper so he had some stuff I could get creative with. I used bricks and stones to do various things and made a bench out of stones and a board and used a tube and metal bars to make a bar. At my mom’s, I have resistance bands and then I found cinderblocks in my shed I use. I’ve also found basketball hoops are good for pull-ups.”

Be sure to tune in to Loveland Sports 411 With Cassie Mattia for Loveland’s latest sports news and updates!

Apr 28, 2020
LHS’s Head Women’s Volleyball Coach Tells us What his Athletes are Doing to Stay in Shape!

by Cassie Mattia

Loveland, Ohio – With May arriving in just a few days, many LHS students are still trying to process that they will not be stepping foot back into their schools for the remainder of the academic year. LHS student-athletes also received some devastating news last week confirming that they would not be competing in their designated Spring sport for the remainder of the school year. With all of the unfortunate news, LHS coaches have been trying to place a positive spin on everything by providing their athletes with workouts that they can do at home as well as a variety of other motivational tools!

LHS’s Head Women’s Volleyball Coach, Brian Baugh, is one of the LHS Coaches that has really been dedicating a lot of his time during the Stay At Home Order to his team in order to keep them both motivated and dedicated to their craft.

“For Women’s volleyball, the Spring and Summer are extremely important for getting the girls ready for the season. Typically we would hold open gyms and lift throughout the week,” Baugh said, “Many of the girls would be participating in club season as well, but like every team, we have had to adapt. We are fortunate that at Loveland we have Strength and Conditioning Coach, Derek Berry, on staff. He puts together workouts that are pushed out to our players through the Team Buildr app. It’s a great way for the athletes to work out at home and for me to track their workouts.”

Coach Baugh told us that many of his players have gotten very creative with their volleyball training, creating things around the house to help them work on their skills. Many of the team’s siblings and parents are helping them at home with their skill sets as well!

LHS’s Head Women’s Volleyball Coach, Brian Baugh

“To me, the most important thing is to come together as a team, so that whenever we get back on that court, we are building each other up and have each other’s backs when things get tough,” Baugh explained, “We are fortunate that our future seniors are really leading the charge. We have great leaders in Maya Jepson, Diana Clark, Abbie Miller, Alex Miller, Faith Meece, and Ellie Egan. They are high character girls. They have created different competitions for the team to complete during the quarantine. For example, they did a baking competition where they baked and decorated cakes and then put them on Twitter to have fans vote for the best. They also created a virtual pepper video that they put on Twitter. We have been sharing baby pictures of each player and are having fans guess which player or coach is featured in the picture. We also have been holding Google Meets weekly to check-in on one another.”

Coach Baugh says he has been challenging his players weekly. One of the ways Coach Baugh has been challenging his team during the isolation period is by asking them once a week how they have improved as a player and a person. After the player comes up with their answer Coach Baugh has them share their response with the team.

“It has certainly been a challenge not being on the court, but I am so impressed with how the players have responded during this time off,” Coach Baugh said with pride, “I cannot wait to see how they go for that fourth straight ECC title this coming season!”

For more LHS sports updates stay tuned to the Loveland Sports 411 With Cassie Mattia!

Apr 26, 2020
LHS Honors the top Winter Sport Student-Athletes!

by Cassie Mattia

Loveland, Ohio – Over the past couple of months many Loveland High School student-athletes have been patiently waiting for an answer as to if and when school and sports would start back up. Unfortunately, it was announced last week by Governor Dewine that Ohio students would not be attending school for the remainder of the school year meaning there would be no continuation of sports for the time being as well.

Due to the Stay At Home Order stipulations LHS wasn’t able to host their annual Winter Athletics Awards Ceremony, where the top student-athletes are honored for their Winter sports achievements. Here at Loveland Magazine, we couldn’t bear the thought of LHS student-athletes not being honored and recognized by the Loveland community for their fantastic sports seasons so we reached out to LHS’s Athletic Director, Brian Conatser to get a list of all the LHS Winter Sport Athletes that were recognized for their outstanding achievements.

Without much further ado here are your 2019-2020 LHS Winter Athletics award winners! Please don’t hesitate to give these student-athletes a virtual pat on the back or congratulations for amazing achievements!

Eastern Cincinnati All-Conference Awards

Honorable Mention

– Men’s Basketball – Collin Hedgepeth

– Women’s Basketball – Sophia Raby

– Wrestling – Jarod Mendoza

– Men’s Swim 100 Yard Butterfly – Evan Lucas

– Women’s Swim 100 Yard Breaststroke – Sarah Lolli

– Men’s Bowling – Ben Westley

– Women’s Bowling – Annelise Dartnall

– Academic Team – Clare Daumeyer

Second Team

– Men’s Swim 200 Yard Medley Relay – Brandon Day, Colin Blackburn, Evan Lucas, and Cade Jenkins

– Men’s Swim 500 Yard Freestyle – Brandon Day

– Men’s Swim 100 Yard Breaststroke – Colin Blackburn

– Men’s Basketball – Brenton Foust

– Academic Team – Ben Rupe

– Women’s Basketball – Tess Broermann and Kate Garry

– Wrestling – Michael Soupene, Kobi-D Milam, Jonah Rubio, and Semi Ozarslan

– Men’s Bowling – Alton French

– Women’s Bowling – Ashley George

– Dive – Riley Bullock

First Team

– Men’s Swim 200 Yard Freestyle – Brandon Day

– Men’s Basketball – Ian Cox

– Academic Team – Simon Grome and Alex Laman

– Women’s Basketball – Jenna Batsch and Jillian Hayes

– Wrestling – Brett Hogan and Jake Cotsonas

– Men’s Bowling – Matthew Rychlik and Jeffrey Scott

– Women’s Bowling – Ashley Gilker, Yanni Kahrs and Grady Pettit

4 YEAR VARSITY-WINTER SEASON 2019-2020

Men’s Basketball – Collin Hedgepeth and Alec Soth

Swim – Brandon Day, Nami Cannon, Audrey Lund, and Amy Deem

Women’s Basketball – Kate Garry and Jillian Hayes

Wrestling – Jacob Cotsonas and Kobi-D Milam

Dive – Riley Bullock

SPORTSPERSON OF THE SEASON-WINTER 2019-2020

“Every year one Varsity Student-Athlete from each Winter program is chosen as the Sportsperson of the Season by their Coach. This award goes to athletes who demonstrate respect and responsibility for their community, school, team, and above all their character.”

Jeffrey Scott (M Bowl)

Riley Bullock (Dive)

Kayla Adkins (Cheer)

Ashley Gilker (W Bowl)

Jacob Cotsonas (Wrestling)

Kate Garry (W Basketball)

Joey Jeffcott (Academic Team)

Collin Hedgepeth (M Basketball)

Cade Jenkins (Swim)

EDWARD JONES – COMMUNITY STUDENT-ATHLETE AWARD

“We have a business in our community who has partnered with LHS to honor not just the outstanding athletic contributions but also good character and leadership within their sports team and school. Edward Jones, located in the business district of Old Loveland and owner Jeff Atkinson is honoring student-athletes for the fall, winter, and spring seasons. The LHS Athletic Department submits accomplishments for many of LHS’s student-athletes based on the criteria of LHS’s 4 CORE VALUES. Those 4 CORE VALUES are Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, and PRIDE. 1 female and 1 male athlete are chosen to represent Loveland High School Athletics as the Outstanding Student-Athlete for the 2019-2020 Winter Season.”

Jaden Walton (Swim Team) and Emma Christian (W Basketball / Athletic Photography)

STUDENT-ATHLETES and Teams who were ECC Champs and STATE QUALIFIERS FOR THE 2019-2020 WINTER SEASON

Dive State Placers:

Riley Bullock – 5th place

Swim State Placers:

Brandon Day – 2nd in the 200 Freestyle and the 6th 100 Backstroke

Wrestling State Qualifier:

Liam Hamill

ECC 2019-2020 CHAMPIONS

Women’s Bowling Team

Women’s Basketball Team (OHSAA SECTIONAL CHAMPS)

2019-2020 ECC Women’s Basketball Athlete of the Year

Jillian Hayes

2019-2020 ECC Women’s Varsity Basketball Coach of the Year

Darnell Parker

Stay tuned for your latest Loveland Sports news with me, Cassie Mattia!

Apr 25, 2020
Have you ever visited Loveland’s South Island?

David Miller is the Publisher and Editor of Loveland Magazine

by David Miller

Loveland, Ohio– I’ve always called it the South Island because just north of Nisbet Park there is a similar island I call the North Island. During dry spells, you can walk across dry creek beds formed by erosion to get onto the islands, but during higher river levels the water channels merge into one wider, Little Miami River.

Both channels of water may someday form into permanent and complete oxbow ponds, but for now, they only occasionally do.

Both islands are one of nature’s ways to prevent downstream and localized flooding. Because of their unique soil composition, they can absorb rainfall from the hills high above and hold water when the Little Miami rises. River floodplains are low, flat areas that periodically flood, collecting water that would otherwise rush downstream, threatening people and property. They temper the river flow.

According to American Rivers: “A single acre of wetland, saturated to a depth of one foot, will retain 330,000 gallons of water – enough to flood thirteen average-sized homes thigh-deep. Wetlands also help provide clean rivers and drinking water by naturally filtering out run-off pollution.”

The channel of water flowing through the east side of the South Island.

The topography of the approximately 12 acres South Island benefits from both the erosion caused by the flow of the Little Miami and the deposits of silt left during flooding. It’s an ever-changing physical environment, but the flora and fauna remain pretty consistent. The emerging spring-time growth and the natural decay of the ancient tree trunks, including those trees that fall prey to the eroding effects of spring rains and fast river current are the seasonal changes you will notice.

The South Island is the City of Loveland owned property just south of the Linda Cox Parking lot on Broadway in Historic Downtown. When you enter the lot, head to the last parking spaces and walk south between the Loveland Bike Trail and the Little Miami River. The path you begin on is the abandoned section of Lower River Road. You will be walking towards Branch Hill.

This is a remarkable spot in the City and perfect for solitary exploring, dog walking, or picnicking with friends or family. Use caution and good judgment during periods of rain or storms and waterproof boots are recommended although occasionally you will find that some fellow explorer has placed convenient river stones to keep you dry and less muddy.

You will enjoy the large lawn-like open spaces, however, it is not a place for throwing a ball or frisbee – beware of the hidden groundhog holes.

These photos have been taken over the past 14 years. Most of them in the springtime.

Perhaps because of the insane beauty of the South Islands, I always called the second set of mages below “Spring Rorschach Photos” because one day on one of my many treks I started noticing what I imagined stick-like animal figures entering my camera lens. A “wide-opened” telephoto lens that blurs the background can help you discover things you will not ordinarily notice. You have to look for eyeballs.

Some psychologists used to use the Rorschach Test to examine a person’s personality characteristics and emotional functioning. It was employed to detect underlying thought disorder, especially in cases where patients are reluctant to describe their thinking processes openly.* So there you go… I confess.

Feeling a little insane right now? This insane beauty might be your balm.

Another place to visit in our resort-like town is the Simpson Farm

Parents and children should explore Loveland’s Simpson Farm

“Spring Rorschach Photos”

Feeling a little insane right now? This insane beauty might be your balm.

Apr 23, 2020
Ricky Mulvey and David English – 4/21/2020 A quarantine episode…

Ricky Mulvey is a stand-up comedian, radio producer, and a mid-range threat in any pick-up basketball game. Mulvey loves talking about saving money on tickets, business news, and how e-commerce changed inflation as we know it. He graduated with a finance degree from THE Ohio State University in 2018.

David English is a Kentucky Wildcat, soccer fanatic, and a credentialed financial professional. He loves spending time with his wife, Amy, and tweeting at people who will probably not interact with him back.

Loveland Magazine’s favorite Podcasters are back with a special Quarantine Episode.

Our favorite ones on the Internet of Radio because Ricky Mulvey worked at Loveland Magazine for five years and David English – well, just because we like him. David has been to the Loveland Magazine TV studio for an interview with Cassie Mattia, and we like David… well… because he sometimes gives our friend Ricky a hard time!

Business news, but better

Business news is boring. Let’s make it interesting, fun, and understandable. Ricky Mulvey and David English cut through the headlines and talk about how business news affects you.

Listen to “A Quarantine Episode”

Updates on remote work, CARES Act, recent unemployment claims, local business struggles, and MORE!

“Full of Cents” co-hosts Ricky Mulvey and David English interviewed by Cassie Mattia…

Apr 29, 2019

Apr 22, 2020
LHS’s Women’s Soccer Coach Weighs in on What his Athletes are Doing to Stay in Shape!

by Cassie Mattia

Loveland, Ohio – Loveland High School is staying “Loveland Strong” by keeping both their students and athletes motivated through virtual classes and workouts! This year during these unfamiliar times, LHS coaches are dedicating a lot of their time to making sure their athletes are staying in shape.

This week we chatted with LHS’s Women’s Soccer Coach, Todd Kelly, to see just what his team is doing to stay in competition shape during the COVID-19 Stay At Home Order! Coach Kelly told us that in late February the coaching staff designed a series of workouts that are released to the team every couple weeks.

LHS’s Women’s Soccer Coach, Todd Kelly (Loveland Magazine file photo)

“These workouts are specific to what we do as a program so they focus on things we believe are inherent to the success of the women’s soccer program,” Kelly explained, “Anyone that has been in the program knows this and passes on the importance of the workouts to our incoming freshmen. Each day the girls can choose between a beginning workout, intermediate workout, or an advanced workout…so they have three choices each day depending on how they feel.”

Coach Kelly said that in order to encourage unity within the team, the coaching staff asked the 9 returning varsity juniors and seniors to be group leaders. The group leaders are responsible for following up with 6 to 7 players every day about how their individual workout went.

Maria Bashardoust during the 2019 season. Maria has committed to play for Cleveland State this Fall. (Loveland Magazine file photo)

“Each individual player in their respective group sends a snapshot of themselves after the workout each day, also indicating how they feel and which workout they completed,” Kelly said, “As you can imagine, the snapshots have continued to get more creative with text, emojis’, etc. They have even come up with taglines on their snapshots and also on twitter like #Beastssss, #LetsGetIt, and #WinTheOffseason to name just a few. The 9 leaders are assigned to one of the varsity coaches who they connect with every day by sending their group’s snapshots. These snapshots are compiled every two weeks and sent out to the players and parents in a video for them to watch so they can know what each of their teammates is doing. This has also created a little bit of a rivalry on which group or individual can come up with the best snapshots,” Kelly added.

LYSA COVID Relief

LYSA Challenge Grant to our soccer community DONATE NOW

The LHS Women’s Soccer coaching staff provided the women’s team with shirts in early March to keep them motivated to keep pushing themselves. Kelly said most of the team wear the shirts during each of their workouts.

The shirts above are the workout shirts the LHS Women’s Soccer Team has been wearing during the COVID-19 outbreak to stay motivated!

“In addition, the leaders have gone to the houses of their group members and left chalk messages on the driveway to help support and motivate them. We have the coaches and girls answering 12-15 questions about themselves on a slide with pictures, designs, etc. that represent them, kind of a “Get to Know” them or an “In the Spotlight” feature so they can learn more about their teammates while we are away from each other,” Kelly said, “We will put all these together into a slide show that we will send out each week with 7-10 new entries. We also have former players including some as far back as 2010 (and earlier) and some from our State Championship team that reached out and sent a 1-2 minute video message we are sending the current players to encourage them. These former players know the importance of what we do in the workouts and they wanted to encourage the current players during this difficult time to make sure they are staying focus and doing what needs to be done. They all view each other as one big family regardless of when you graduate…once a Tiger, always a Tiger,” Kelly said.

The 2017 State Champion Ring (Loveland Magazine file photo)

Coach Kelly really wanted to focus on the team connecting during these tough times so the coaches decided to hold a Zoom call every 2 weeks with all the team leaders and their groups. This has allowed each player in the Women’s Soccer program to get an idea of what is going on and has allowed the coaches to see how each player is doing, if they have any struggles, and how they can help support each player.

LHS’s Women’s Soccer Coach, Todd Kelly (Loveland Magazine file photo)

“As a result, we are connecting with either our leaders or our players each week on a video call. Since the leaders have access to a coaching staff member, we are interacting each day to ensure they have what they need to get through these unchartered times,” Kelly explained, “These are just a few of things we as a staff and program are doing to stay connected with our players and encourage them. It is important we all stay connected and supported and we want the girls to continue working out for their physical and mental health…and ours too.”

Thank you to all the LHS staff, coaches, administrators, and parents for keeping the students motivated and dedicated to bettering themselves as students and athletes! Here at Loveland Magazine, we will continue to bring the latest updates on COVID-19 and the effects it’s having on the community of Loveland as well as the latest LHS news!

Stayed tuned for the next “What are LHS Athletes Doing to Stay in Shape” segment!

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Apr 22, 2020