Off the Reels

Welcome back to the final feature of the Fall Edition of Off the Reels! This week, I got the inside scoop on school spirit and cheerleading. Meet SHS Cheerleader Maya Preston…  Cheer story: Ten years ago, Maya’s mom encouraged her to start tumbling classes. That eventually led to cheerleading, and the rest is history. Maya is now a senior in high school, and she cheers for Varsity Competition, Varsity Gameday, and Sideline Football.  What it takes to be a cheerleader: Being a cheerleader is more than just practicing the cheers that hype up the fans on Friday nights. Maya explained to me that cheerleaders have to be very conditioned. In addition to practices, Maya and her teammates attend tumbling and flexibility classes to enhance their skills. Maya’s favorite sport to cheer for: With no hesitation, Maya told me that her favorite sport to cheer for is football. She loves cheering in front of all of the fans and connecting with the student section. She said the environment is “...

Welcome back to the Fall Edition of Off the Reels! This week, I interviewed one of Springboro’s runners. I loved talking to this athlete and hearing about how she sets goals for herself and works to be better every single day.  Meet SHS Cross Country Runner Cara Mooney… Cross Country story: Cara started cross country in junior high at the request of her parents. She never had any interest in giving it her all until she realized her potential. There was a race in junior high in which the top 50 runners medaled. When Cara finished 49th, she started setting goals for herself and seeing how much further she could go. She competed at state with her team as a freshman and then again individually as a sophomore. She won districts her sophomore season and won the Milford race this season. I can’t wait to see how far Cara goes in the post season! How Cara pushes herself: Cara is motivated to improve from the ambitious goals she sets for herself. While running, she challenges herself to...

Welcome back to the Fall Edition of Off the Reels! This week I sat down with a four year varsity athlete at Springboro who is an important member of the girls soccer team. Meet SHS Soccer Captain Kaylee Pham… Soccer story: Kaylee started playing soccer at the age of three when her parents signed her up for a rec league. It didn’t take long before she fell in love with the sport and wanted to improve. Then, she started playing club soccer, later switched to a bigger club, and now is being recruited to play at the collegiate level.  Kaylee’s accomplishments: In addition to the fact that Kaylee made Varsity as a freshman, she has earned much recognition for her playing and leadership on and off the field. This includes being named 1st Team All-Conference, 2nd Team All-Dayton South, and the team Defensive Player of the Year.  She is also a two-year Captain of the team and a two-year member of the Panther Athletic Council. Professional player Kaylee looks up to: The professional so...

Welcome back to the Fall Edition of Off the Reels! This week, I am featuring a sophomore golfer from SHS! Meet Springboro High School Golfer Danielle Stinson… Golf story: Growing up, Danielle knew her dad played golf, but she found it boring to watch and was uninterested in even trying it. In sixth grade, Danielle quit softball, and her dad signed her up for a golf camp. To Danielle’s surprise, she found golf interesting during this camp. Just three years later, she earned her first Varsity letter as a freshman for Springboro. She consistently reaches the top scores on her team.  Danielle's high school accomplishments: It is evident that Danielle is going to earn so many more great achievements before her high school career is over. Some of Danielle’s accomplishments include making Varsity as a freshman, the Second All Team GWOC Award, and second and third place finishes at tournaments this summer. We can’t wait to see what amazing achievements lie ahead for Danielle! Danielle’s pe...

Welcome to the Fall Edition of Off the Reels! Follow along each week for my behind the scenes interviews with some of the top fall athletes at Springboro High School. To kick off the Fall Edition, I sat down with one of my teammates and a fellow Captain.  Meet Springboro High School Tennis Captain Claire Sullivan…  Tennis story: Soccer was one of the first sports Claire played, and she quit when she was eight years old. Always wanting to be an athlete, Claire decided to pick up another sport. Tennis ran in the family, as her mom and uncle both played, and that was all the convincing Claire needed to give it a shot! Since then, Claire has competed for the Panthers and as an individual. When she plays for the Panthers, Claire can be found at first doubles crushing her opponents with her net game. This is Claire’s fourth year as a Varsity player, and she is a two-time district qualifier.  High School match Claire is most proud of: Claire is most proud of winning a really tou...

Welcome back to the Spring Edition of Off the Reels! For the final interview piece of the spring athletes, I chose to feature someone who has competed at State every high school season he has played.  Meet Springboro High School Tennis Player Sai Dore…  Tennis story: Inspired by his cousins and grandfather, Sai first picked up a racket when he was four years old, but he quickly lost interest and considered tennis “boring.” He experimented with piano, soccer, swimming, and other activities to try to find something he enjoyed more. Three years later, he gave tennis another shot, and the countless practices, matches, and tournaments since have made him the great player he is today. This season, the Panthers went 10-1 overall and won the GWOC title led by Sai, who went undefeated in GWOC. He won all his matches at Sectionals and took first place. He won two matches at Districts and competed at State for his second time in two seasons. In a match spanning nearly three hours, Sai fe...

Welcome back to the Spring Edition of Off the Reels! This week, I am featuring an athlete of both the fall and spring seasons. Keep reading to learn more about one of Springboro’s best runners. Meet Springboro High School Cross Country & Track Runner Keegan Freyhof…  Track story: Keegan started competing in track and cross country as a seventh grader, and he hasn’t looked back since. The two primary reasons he joined the teams are because he loves running and because much of his family runs. In his words, “I’ve got some pretty fast cousins to look up to.” Since then, Keegan has definitely made a name for himself in the cross country and track programs at SHS. In the cross country 5K, Keegan’s best time this past season was 16:22. His PR mile time for track is 4:25. He set this time against Miamisburg early in his junior season and ran a 4:29.6 mile in GWOC where he placed fourth. He also holds the SHS school record in the 2K steeplechase with a time of 6:39.  Track versus ...

Welcome back to the Spring Edition of Off the Reels! This week, I am featuring a recent graduate of Springboro High School and a four year varsity player for the Panthers Softball team.  Meet Springboro High School Softball Shortstop Lizzy Davies… Softball story: Lizzy just wrapped up her fourth year on the Varsity Softball team. This season, she played shortstop, at which she started 23 of 24 games. Lizzy concluded her final high school season with an on base percentage of 0.200 and the second most stolen bases on the team. But how did she get here? When Lizzy was seven years old, her parents signed her up for a recreational league, but she lost interest. Later, Lizzy and her father were watching college softball on TV, and this fueled her interest in the sport again. Before long, she was back out on the diamond. What softball has taught Lizzy: In successes, failures, practices, and everything in between, there are always lessons that sports teaches us. This was no different for L...

Welcome back to the fifth week of the Spring Edition of Off the Reels! This week, I interviewed Sutton Case, Captain of the SHS Girls Lacrosse team.  Meet Springboro High School Lacrosse Captain Sutton Case… Lacrosse story: Sutton started playing lacrosse in first grade. She said, “I basically grew up with a lacrosse stick in my hand.” She told me that she also played soccer and basketball, but they paled in comparison to lacrosse. Sutton’s older brother, Titan, also started playing lacrosse in first grade and routinely asked her to practice with him. At first, she couldn’t keep up, but she wanted to be better than him, so this was her inspiration to start playing. Now it is eleven years later, and Sutton just wrapped up her junior season as a midfielder and Captain on the lacrosse team where she scored 46 goals with 16 assists and 89 draw controls and won First Team All Region and Most Valuable Player! Lessons from Lacrosse: One of the most valuable things about sports is how the...