Round Two: The time I interviewed the legendary Lou Holtz
- Tom Hardesty. When I heard the news earlier this week that Lou Holtz had passed away at the age of 89, my mind immediately drifted back to a spring evening 32 years ago.
Sports
Special Olympics Ohio Portage County makes a difference in athletes' lives
- Lauren Cohen. At any given Special Olympics Ohio Portage County cheer practice, coach Ashleigh Lawrence and the athletes can be seen goofing around and dancing, but most of all, working hard.
A world-class throwing facility has a home in Rootstown
Tucked into the rural countryside of Rootstown is the home of Rodhe Sport, a shot put-, hammer- and discus-throwing facility, where Olympian and inventor Justin Rodhe coaches world-class throwing athletes and handcrafts training gloves used by professional athletes around the world.
Round Two: Crowdfunding pay-to-play
- Tom Hardesty.
What happened? Where were all the football players? That’s what Novell wanted to know. Joe Adolph had some answers – and together they have come up with what they hope is a solution.
Zoey St. John earns International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation pro status
Windhamite Zoey St. John, 20, won the overall bikini category at the NPC Worldwide Pittsburgh Natural Pro Qualifier and has officially earned pro status within the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation [IFBB].
Round Two: Why Shedeur Sanders is a good draft pick for the Browns
- Tom Hardesty.
I was all set to write this as soon as the 2025 NFL Draft ended, but I figured: A. I’d let the dust settle a little bit, and B. Browns fans were crowding the ledge after the Shedeur Sanders pick so better to make sure everyone had gotten safely back inside.
Kent kickboxer Sinisa Jovic is the 2025 U.S. kickboxing champion
- Jeremy Brown.
Kent local, Sinisa “The Sniper” Jovic, has participated in martial arts since he was 7 years old. He started out in karate, boxing and Sambo, a martial art with Soviet origins. Now, at 24, he’s become the 2025 U.S. national kickboxing champion, earning himself a spot on the World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (WAKO) USA National Team.
Round Two: Thanks, Coach Murphy
- Tom Hardesty.
Late July, 1983. I was camped out on the bed in my mom and dad’s room, my leg sporting a cast from the foot to the knee and propped up on some pillows, and sweat dripping from every pore in my body in the sweltering heat of the little bedroom, which, thanks to the fact our house didn’t have air conditioning, was like sitting in a blast furnace.
Round Two: The Buckeye road to victory
- Tom Hardesty.
Buckeye Nation has been basking for a month now, Ryan Day has made the rounds on the talk show circuit, and the national championship trophy sits in Columbus, Ohio.
Round Two: Sifting through the rubble of Ohio State’s debacle against Michigan
- Tom Hardesty.
A lot of you probably spent the afternoon of Saturday, Nov. 30 like I did: watching the Ohio State-Michigan game.
Rootstown teen gets a banana ball birthday surprise
- Jeremy Brown.
Rootstown’s Alexia Van Snick was first introduced to baseball when her uncle gave her a tee-ball set when she was 4. Her love for the game snowballed from there.
Round Two: Early lessons in college football writing
- Tom Hardesty.
So I’m right in the middle of reading Gerry Faust’s 1997 book “The Golden Dream,” detailing his tumultuous time as head coach at Notre Dame and the University of Akron, and it’s turning out to be quite the nostalgic experience for me — as well as a lesson in human nature.
Round Two: No medals for Kent State, but Conners ties for 9th in golf
- Tom Hardesty.
The 2024 Paris Summer Games didn’t net Kent State’s seventh Olympic medal, but Corey Conners of Team Canada showed once again that he’s one of the world’s elite golfers.
Around Windham: Wrapping up the end of summer and looking forward to fall events in Bomber Country
- Nicole Sweet.
Hello Windham Family! August is one of my favorite times of year in Bomber Country. Fall sports are kicking off, back to school is on its way and signs of autumn are on the horizon.
Round Two: An update on how Kent State’s Olympians are doing
- Tom Hardesty.
Checking in on how our three Kent State Olympians are doing at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris …
Round Two: Kent State athletes to compete in Paris Olympics
- Tom Hardesty.
The Kent State University athletic program has a long and rich history with the Olympic Games. And when the 2024 Summer Olympics get underway today in Paris, the Golden Flashes will once again be well represented.
Kent native Kayla Fischer enters her second season in professional soccer at Louisville
- Luke Jenkins.
On the day of the 2023 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Draft, Kayla Fischer was in scrubs completing a twelve-hour nursing clinical at Ohio State University. Her mom drove down and picked her up, and the two watched the event with friends and snacks.
Windham teenage bodybuilder wins Northcoast Championships and gains a following
- Jeremy Brown.
Last December, Zoey St. John of Windham joined Dean Caputo’s Powerhouse Gym in Streetsboro with the intention of simply getting fit. But after she met her then soon-to-be coach, Cecilia Izaurieta, things changed.