Loveland Magazine

LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

Without fear or favor

Since 2004

Tag: sports

  • OHSAA Studying Expansion of Tournament Divisions in Several Sports

    OHSAA Studying Expansion of Tournament Divisions in Several Sports

    A press release from the Ohio High School Athletic Association

    Columbus, Ohio – The Ohio High School Athletic Association Board of Directors and staff have been discussing expanding tournament divisions in several sports, Executive Director Doug Ute has announced. The OHSAA will hold statewide meetings in January to present data and gather feedback on the topic, which seeks to address the wide enrollment differences from the top to bottom of the current divisional structure. Changes could mirror the OHSAA’s current football model, which puts a smaller number of the state’s largest schools in Division I.

    Of note, the proposal does not add any additional tournament games and would be expected to be a revenue neutral expansion. The Board of Directors could act on a proposal as soon as early 2024. The sports currently being discussed include the sports of girls volleyball, girls and boys soccer, girls and boys basketball, softball and baseball.

    Currently, more than 200 schools enter the postseason tournament in some divisions to compete for a state championship.

    “Almost since day one when I became executive director (in September 2020), many administrators and coaches have expressed interest in expanding tournament divisions in several of our sports,” Ute said. “As everyone knows, we have seven tournament divisions in the sport of football, so why not give student-athletes, schools and their communities the same, or at least comparable, opportunities to compete for a state championship in some of our other sports.

    “The Board of Directors has been very supportive when discussing this, and I have been pleased that we seem to be on the same page and could possibly have a proposal in front of the Board in the very near future,” Ute said. He added that the OHSAA will discuss adding tournament divisions in other sports in the future.

    While the OHSAA Board of Directors has not recently been asked to act on formal proposals specifically on expansion, the Board has heard proposals that addressed the enrollment disparity between the schools at the top to the bottom of Division I in both 2006 and 2019. The only modification the OHSAA currently has in place addressing that issue is in football, where Division I is comprised of the top 10 percent of schools based on enrollment and the other six divisions are divided as evenly as possible. Currently in the sports of baseball, basketball, soccer, softball and girls volleyball, the enrollment difference from the top to the bottom of schools in Division I is an average of 939 students, with highs of 955 in boys soccer (an enrollment range of 346 to 1,301); 954 in boys basketball (346 to 1,300); 944 in baseball (356 to 1,300) and 940 in girls volleyball (319 to 1,249).

    The OHSAA has studied the number of tournament divisions and formats in other states and has found that several states, including many that have fewer schools, have more tournament divisions than Ohio. Other than football, the OHSAA has not expanded divisions in team sports since the 1980s. Ute also said that as many schools throughout the state have lost enrollment, the trend has been for those schools to leave their conferences or leagues and join ones that more closely resemble them from an enrollment standpoint. Placing schools into tournament divisions with those that have similar enrollments is one of the key elements that would be addressed by expansion.

    “Our No. 1 goal is to do what’s best for the student-athletes,” Ute said. “We believe our member schools and their participants would support this. From a financial standpoint, we would not be playing more contests overall, we simply would be putting the same number of teams into more divisions. So, our initial thought is this would not have an impact on the OHSAA financially one way or the other.”

    School administrators will be sent information on the statewide meetings in January, and the OHSAA will also continue to collect input from the various state coaches associations.

    Any proposed changes in the number of tournament divisions would need to be approved by the OHSAA Board of Directors, as those guidelines are part of the OHSAA General Sports Regulations, not the OHSAA Constitution or Bylaws. Any changes to the OHSAA Constitution or Bylaws would require a vote of the membership.

  • [Photo Album] Big basketball doubleheader tonight at Loveland High School

    [Photo Album] Big basketball doubleheader tonight at Loveland High School

    Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland High School Varsity basketball teams play in a rare doubleheader tonight. The Women’s team tips off at 6 PM and the Men’s game will begin at 7:30 when the Turpin Spartans travel to the Tiger fieldhouse.

    Go HERE to review the stats for how both Loveland teams are scoring so far in the young season.

    Here are photos from recent competition.

    Photos by David Miller/Loveland Magazine © 2023

     

     

  • [VIDEO] Ian Ciric and Nick McHenry sign letter of intent to continue athletic career in college

    [VIDEO] Ian Ciric and Nick McHenry sign letter of intent to continue athletic career in college

    Loveland, Ohio – Loveland Magazine TV was there yesterday in the gym at Loveland High School when Ian Ciric and Nick McHenry signed their letter of intent to continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level. Athletic Director Rich Bryant introduced the young men and read a short bio about them.

    Ian Ciric – Soccer – Ohio Northern University
    Nick McHenry – Soccer – The Ohio State University
  • [VIDEO INTERVIEW] Ben’s Way a new initiative of the Ben Morrison Fund

    [VIDEO INTERVIEW] Ben’s Way a new initiative of the Ben Morrison Fund

    David Miller is the Managing Editor of Loveland Magazine

    Listen to the emotional account as Tori Morrison tells you how she finally summed up the emotional courage to meet the man who received Ben’s liver and kidneys

    by David Miller

    On September 22, Tori Morrison and Kate Jackson came to the LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV studio at the Simpson Farmhouse to talk about a new initiative of the Ben Morrison Fund. Morrison is the President and Treasurer of the Fund and Jackson is a member of the Board.

    The fund was established after Morrison lost her son Ben and his battle with his hidden mental health problems. Ben took his life by suicide in 2021. To honor Ben and help erase the stigma of pain and struggles with mental health, the fund was established to fight for others and fight against that stigma to help make sure no one feels alone.

    __________________

    “Ben’s continuing legacy will not be one of loss, but as a lifesaver through organ donation, as a loyal friend and stalwart teammate and a man of deep compassion for others.  His legacy will go on through the Ben Morrison Fund and through those of us who serve that cause and carry him with us to take care to light the way out of darkness for others and spark hope to always continue your story.”

    __________________

    The Ben Morrison Memorial Fund is committed to providing scholarships to graduating seniors from Loveland High School. They are dedicated to erasing the stigma of mental health struggles, opening conversations, and offering lifelines to help save the lives of young people in crisis.

    The Ben Morrison Memorial Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

    In this interview, my guests will tell you about Ben and the life of giving and kindness he led, most of it not obvious to his mother Tori. She tells how “onery” Ben could be, typical of teenagers not allowing parents to know their true selves.

    Tori tells you that when Ben got his driver’s license she encouraged him to sign up to be an organ donor and asked him if he would. Ben would never answer her, his cantankerous nature was a tease. Tori and Ben’s father never knew he had signed the form until in the hospital after Ben took his life they asked them if it would be OK to harvest some of Ben’s organs. Realizing then that to their surprise Ben wanted that too, without hesitation they agreed.

    Listen as Tori reveals for the first time how the donor process works and how she became emotionally strong enough to agree to meet the man who received Ben’s liver and kidneys.

    Tori has now determined, because of the suggestion by Kate, that the current Loveland High School students don’t know what attributes Ben had that so enamored his class and teammates to him, and Ben’s Way would be a good vehicle to keep his legacy alive.

    • Ben spoke up for others.

    • He was unselfish.

    • A leader, and protector.

    • A young person who led by example and modeled hard work and resilience.

    • Ben treated others with acceptance, kindness, and encouragement.

    These attributes were revealed to them through the applications and actual words of the students who applied for the 21 scholarships the fund has awarded. Kate tells a story about being inspired after witnessing a young student one day that reminded her of Ben in the kind way he was treating a “special needs” child. Kate says, “Well number one, this is something Ben would do, and number two, this child should be recognized for doing something so positive in a world that’s not always so positive.” The child had done something, Ben’s way.

    Watch Tori and Kate tell you how Ben’s Way will transform life and lives at Loveland High School.

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    Ben may have been one of those unrecognized/uncounted victims of the COVID-19 Pandemic

    Covid was hard for Ben, as for all those seniors. He didn’t get his final lacrosse season, prom, graduation, or grad parties, and life changed in so many ways.  He didn’t know what his next chapter should be. But later that year, he decided to become a Firefighter and go to community college. He didn’t get to start those chapters. For some reason we will never know, maybe a bad day, a moment of self-doubt, an offhand comment that cut too deep, some inner turmoil or unspoken conflict, our Ben, a boy who never expressed depression nor showed signs of any form of struggle with mental illness, was suddenly and without explanation gone from our lives forever.

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    Kate Jackson was a football “Team Mom” and her son was a teammate of Ben when they played for Loveland High School. Ben also competed in lacrosse. Jackson said, “Ben was an important part of my son’s life and an important part of my life and Tori became likewise an important part of my life.”

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    Become a Ben’s Way Sponsor

    As a sponsor of Ben’s Way, you will help us bring this initiative to more schools. Students that are chosen will receive a $25 gift card.

    if you would like to sponsor Ben’s Way at a school, or you would like to bring Ben’s Way to your school, please send an email to BensWayInitiative@gmail.com

    On Saturday, September 29 Cappy’s Wine and Spirits is hosting a fundraiser for the Ben Morrison Fund featuring the Chuckies in Love band playing the “ultimate throwback tunes, bringing you the iconic sounds of the 70s & 80s”.

    Watch Chuckies in Love…

    Become a Ben’s Way Sponsor

    As a sponsor of Ben’s Way, you will help us bring this initiative to more schools. Students that are chosen will receive a $25 gift card.

    if you would like to sponsor Ben’s Way at a school, or you would like to bring Ben’s Way to your school, please send an email to BensWayInitiative@gmail.com

    Follow the Ben Morrison Memorial Fund on Facebook

  • Your Loveland High School Homing Parade Highlights

    Your Loveland High School Homing Parade Highlights

    Loveland, Ohio – This LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV video is the highlights of the Loveland High School Homecoming Parade held on September, 21.

  • Loveland Athletic Boosters Homecoming Parade is September 21

    Loveland Athletic Boosters Homecoming Parade is September 21

    Loveland, Ohio – This year’s Homecoming Parade will be Thursday, September 21 at 6:30 PM. The Homecoming game will be Friday, September 22 against Walnut Hills. The parade starts at the Moose Lodge Hall on East Loveland Avenue and proceeds to West Loveland Avenue, to Rich Road, and ends at Loveland High School at #1 Tiger Trail.

    The annual Powder Puff football game will be held in Tiger Stadium immediately following the parade.

    If you want to participate in the parade click HERE or contact:

    Tori Morrison, the LAB Parade Coordinator.

    Email

  • Loveland Athletic Boosters Homecoming Parade is September 21

    Loveland Athletic Boosters Homecoming Parade is September 21

    Loveland, Ohio – This year’s Homecoming Parade will be Thursday, September 21 at 6:30 PM. The Homecoming game will be Friday, September 22 against Walnut Hills. The parade starts at the Moose Lodge Hall on East Loveland Avenue and proceeds to West Loveland Avenue, to Rich Road, and ends at Loveland High School at #1 Tiger Trail.

    The annual Powder Puff football game will be held in Tiger Stadium immediately following the parade.

    If you want to participate in the parade click HERE or contact:

    Tori Morrison, the LAB Parade Coordinator.

    Email

  • Course change for 114th Thanksgiving Day Race 10K Run and Walk

    Course change for 114th Thanksgiving Day Race 10K Run and Walk

    Cincinnati, Ohio – The 114th Western & Southern Thanksgiving Day Race, one of the oldest and largest 10K’s in the country, is making history again. The popular family tradition for thousands of runners and walkers is adding the TQL 5K – the perfect distance for just about anyone and changing the 10K course to run entirely in the city of Cincinnati. Both events will finish on the field at TQL Stadium.

    Learn more…

     

  • Miami vs. Miami? That’ll be confusing on Sept. 1st

    Miami vs. Miami? That’ll be confusing on Sept. 1st

    Written by Donna Boen, Miamian editor

    OXFORD, OH – Heaven help the announcer when Miami University plays the University of Miami in football on September 1st.

    “Miami is within sight of Miami’s end zone with two downs to go. Miami calls a timeout.”

    Huh?

    The game will be played in Coral Gables, Florida and you can listen on the ACC Network Radio and the Miami Radio Network.
    The confusion isn’t our fault. We tried to persuade the Florida school to change its name after it was chartered in 1925 — 116 years after Miami University’s charter. When I say “we,” I mean the Miami University president at the time, Raymond M. Hughes, Class of 1893, and several Miamians.

    In a Feb. 10, 1927, letter to President Hughes, alumnus George Shuman shared a letter of protest that he was sending to the president and trustees of the Florida institution. Shuman went on to propose that President Hughes “have Miami students all over the country send in their protest against the use of the Miami name by any other university.”

    In his protest, Shuman stated that he felt the University of Miami was “doing a very great injustice to my alma mater in stealing the name.” He suggested changing to Everglades University or the University of Southern Florida.

    Shuman doesn’t explain what motivated his protest. However, a letter sent to President Hughes six days later by another alumnus referenced a protest by Alfred H. Upham, Class of 1897 and 1898, in the February 1927 Bulletin, the alumni magazine of its day. At the time he submitted his letter to the editor, Upham was president of the University of Idaho. He would become president of Miami University a year later.

    In his introduction, Upham wrote, “Since the first announcements, more than a year ago, regarding the new University of Miami in Florida, I have looked in vain for even the mildest protest from the alumni and friends of our own Miami University.

    “Presumably names of collegiate institutions are not copyrighted and these good citizens of Florida have the legal right to adopt such a name as they choose. But they certainly have not much moral right to usurp the name of a university which has established itself by more than a century of sound scholarship and effective educational service.

    “Generations before the now famous winter metropolis of fashion was even heard of, Miami University was established, taking its name from the rivers which in turn had been named for a local Indian tribe.”

    Near his conclusion, Upham wrote, “There are so many perfectly good names for a new and aspiring university. What justification or justice is there in appropriating one that has made its place in the academic world through more than a century of achievement?”

    Phillip Shriver, president of Miami from 1965-1981, and forever the historian, kept the series of letters in his papers. They eventually ended up with President Shriver’s son, R. Scott ’78 MEd ’95, who located them last month and shared them with Tom Fey ’68 of Oxford, Ohio.

    In a Feb. 21, 1927, letter to another frustrated alumnus, President Hughes wrote, “I have voiced the sentiments of the alumni to the president of University of Miami. As I told you, I do not think we have any right in the matter, but undoubtedly large confusion will arise from this joint use of the same name, which will be very embarrassing in the educational field.”

    The University of Miami’s leader, Bowman F. Ashe, president from 1926-1952, was both sympathetic and apologetic. In a March 5, 1929, letter to Miami University’s new president, A.H. Upham, he wrote:

    “I had some correspondence two years ago with President Hughes about the matter, and the Board seriously considered changing the name to the University of Southern Florida. The difficulty in that is that it would again raise some confusion in connection with our state university, and it might also have some effect upon municipal appropriations which we receive from the city of Miami.

    “We are now, so far as possible, in our own publications, using the full name ‘The University of Miami, Florida.’

    “May I assure you that I will do everything possible to prevent the confusion of the names, and it is possible that at some future time there may even be a change in the name here which would end the confusion for all time.”

    And here we are, nearly 100 years later, and the confusion continues.

  • Get protective equipment for your youth sports, all free of charge

    Get protective equipment for your youth sports, all free of charge

    Loveland, Ohio

    How Superspecs grant equipment

    The Superspecs / Play Hard. Don’t Blink. sports eye safety program works with organized Ohio youth baseball, softball, basketball, and soccer leagues to prevent eye injuries by donating protective equipment free of charge. In addition, we offer sports safety goggles on an individual basis for children participating in a variety of athletic activities.

    Our goal is to serve as many leagues as possible. We give careful consideration to each application we receive. Participating leagues applying for additional equipment to add teams or replace equipment will be served based on helmet availability. We hope that if you’ve already benefited from our program, you’ll support sports eye safety efforts by purchasing additional protective equipment through league funds.

    This year’s applications are now open and close by October 2023 or until we run out. If your league qualifies, your equipment will be mailed to you for the upcoming 2024 season.

    Types of eye protection

    Soccer and basketball goggles: REC SPECS unisex goggles designed for maximum protection and comfort. All goggles donated through our program meet or exceed ASTM F803 impact resistance standards. Can also be used for squash, badminton, racquetball, paddleball, handball, or tennis. Download our sports goggles spec sheet here to find the goggles that will work best for your program or child.

    Baseball batting helmets: Rawlings batting helmets with a protective face mask. Five helmets are provided to each participating team. Helmets are one-size-fits-all and come in black. Helmets meet NOCSAE safety standards.

    Softball batting helmets: RIP-IT Vision Pro softball helmets provide a wider field of view and better peripheral vision than any other fastpitch helmet. Helmets are ultra lightweight, eliminate glare, wick moisture, and have 21 strategically placed air vents keep you cool.

    Softball fielder’s masks: RIP-IT Fielder’s Masks are ultra-light weight, and have steel construction for maximum visibility and durability. They also include moisture management padding (that’s replaceable and washable) to absorb sweat. Four fielder’s masks are provided per team.

    Guidelines for Application

    Super easy to apply

    Applications are now open for the 2024 season.

    APPLY

    Apply for sports gear, here.

    Apply for prescription goggles, here.