Off the Reels

Welcome back to the Spring Edition of Off the Reels. This week, I am featuring a junior who found her way back to the sport she loves. Meet SHS Softball Player Riley Davies… Softball story: When Riley was 5 years old, she started tee ball because her older sister Lizzy played, and Riley looked up to her. (Check out Lizzy’s interview from the 2021 Spring Edition!) By the time she was eight, Riley advanced to play travel softball, but she quit when she was just 12 years old. She was mentally exhausted and didn’t think she would ever play again. After some thinking, Riley decided to try out for the Springboro team her freshman year with hopes of playing on the same team as her sister Lizzy. Unfortunately, an ACL injury from basketball pushed this plan back to her sophomore year when Riley tried out and made varsity. Last season, she played in the outfield, and she is playing third base this year.  Riley’s favorite memory from playing with the Panthers: Riley’s favorite memories are the an

Welcome back to the Spring Edition of Off the Reels! This week, I am featuring a senior (almost graduate!) who you can catch out on the baseball field.  Meet SHS Baseball Player Gabe Bjork… Baseball story: Gabe’s dad encouraged him to give baseball a try by tying a tennis ball to a string on a tree in their backyard. Gabe practiced hitting for hours. Ted Williams once told The New York Times that “hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in sports.” For Gabe, this challenge was where he found his inspiration for the game. Gabe also loves the competitive side of baseball, saying, “it’s always been fun for me to compete.” Gabe’s position: Gabe is a pretty versatile player on the field. You’re likely to catch him playing a position in the middle infield or in the outfield. Most often, he plays one of his favorite positions: short-stop or second-base. How Gabe leads his team: Seniors often have insight and advice that many younger players have yet to develop. As a senior on the team,

Welcome back to the Spring Edition of Off the Reels! This week, I am featuring an athlete who loves her pressure-filled position in front of the net. Meet SHS Lacrosse Goalie Katie Ling… Lacrosse story: In third grade, Katie’s neighbors encouraged her to try lacrosse, and she has been playing ever since. She said lacrosse “has given me a life focus.” Katie trains, practices, and competes year-round. She works hard to fulfill her lifelong dream of competing in Division I college athletics. In the meantime, you can find her protecting the goal for the Panthers.  Katie on being a goalie: I was curious as to what Katie likes and dislikes about being a goalie. Katie loves being the last line of defense for the team and all the pressure that comes with it. In addition to performing well under pressure, Katie likes that she has the opportunity to make big saves and change the direction of a game. Her only complaint about being a goalie is all of the bruises from shots.  What goes through Ka

Welcome to the Spring Edition of Off the Reels! I am so excited to wrap up my senior year by sharing the stories of some great athletes. To kick it off, we’re starting on the softball diamond.  Meet SHS Softball Player Addi Burdick… Softball story: Addi started playing softball when she was five, competing on a team by the time she was eight. As she grew older and teams became more competitive, she chose to focus on pitching, saying, “I thought it’d be fun, and it looked challenging.” As the starting pitcher on the Springboro Varsity team, Addi stands by her decision from years ago. Early in middle school, coaches from local teams started recognizing Addi and inviting her to play for them. Then, it wasn’t just local; Addi pitched for a team out of Chicago. Unfortunately, this experience was mentally taxing and led Addi to take a season off, wanting to quit the sport entirely. After support from the people closest to her, Addi got back on the mound and joined a national team as well as

Welcome back to Off the Reels! To wrap up the Winter Edition, I am featuring an athlete I’ve watched grow up on the ice.  Meet SHS Hockey Player Ryan Pohlkotte… Hockey story: When Ryan was young, his friend Keegan’s mom invited him to watch Keegan’s hockey practice, and there was no going back. He said, “when I went, I just fell in love with the sport, and the next season, I signed up to play.” Now, Ryan is nearing the end of his junior season with the Panthers where he plays defense.  Ryan’s preseason injury: In a preseason game in November, Ryan took an illegal hit from behind and to the head that left him with a bad concussion. He missed a month of the season and returned to the ice for the Mayor’s Cup in December. I asked him about what it was like to start the season like that and how he was able to come back from the serious injury. Ryan explained that it was difficult to watch his team play, knowing that he wasn’t able to be on the ice, helping them out. Instead, Ryan focused h

Welcome back to the Winter Edition of Off the Reels! This week, I have a fascinating story about how a physical education requirement turned into a collegiate athletic offer.  Meet SHS Bowler Emma Large… Bowling story: Emma is a senior at Springboro High School, currently competing in her fourth varsity bowling season. Emma moved to Springboro in eighth grade, with no expectation or plan to play a sport in high school. She had already been through her sports days at her old school where she cheered, played basketball, played softball, and more. But when Emma was planning out her high school courses, she opted to start bowling to fulfill her physical education requirement. Emma started training with a coach in eighth grade and fell in love with the sport. Emma told me that she is passionate about bowling now, saying she “got into it for kind of a selfish reason…but it’s become a really big part of my life.” Emma’s leadership role: Emma is the Captain of the Panthers bowling team. As a c

Welcome back to the Winter Edition of Off the Reels! This week, I am featuring a young, but strong, athlete at Springboro.  Meet SHS Basketball Player Chloe Downing… Basketball story: When Chloe and her brothers were younger, they often played basketball outside with their neighbors. This was where Chloe found her love for competing, and she was also inspired to play basketball by her parents who both played in high school and college. In second grade, Chloe officially started playing basketball, and she is currently competing in her sophomore season for the Panthers. Chloe’s favorite basketball team: The University of Connecticut women’s team! Player Chloe looks up to: Chloe’s favorite team is the UConn women’s team, so it is not surprising that the player she looks up to the most is Paige Bueckers of UConn. Bueckers is a sophomore guard with a long list of amazing accolades. But more important than these accomplishments, Chloe loves how hard Bueckers works, saying that she is “always

Happy holidays, and welcome back to the Winter Edition of Off the Reels! This week, I am featuring an amazing and hard-working athlete.  Meet SHS Cheerleader Bella Hurley… Cheer story: Bella is a senior in high school, and she has cheered on all of Springboro’s Varsity teams: Sideline Football, Sideline Basketball, Competition, and Game Day. Bella’s cheer journey started in second grade. Her mom cheered when she was in high school and knew Springboro had a strong cheer program, so she encouraged Bella to take advantage of her gymnastics and dance skills and try cheerleading. Bella started as soon as she could, but she didn’t immediately fall in love with cheering. She said, “at first it definitely wasn’t my biggest interest,” noting that she tried other sports and activities. However, Bella realized cheer was where she belonged. The friendships and the community she became a part of were unlike those of any other sport she tried.  Bella’s leadership: Bella is a natural leader who inves