To: OPSWA Members
From: Tim Stried
Re: Updates and Announcements – ID Badges, Contest, Judges, Officers, Statewide Meeting, Hall of Fame
January 14, 2017
Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association Memo
Greetings OPSWA members. Your membership count has now reached 150 writers and photographers for the first time in your history, which goes back to 1972. Congrats! Please see below for several updates and announcements finalized recently by the OPSWA officers and OHSAA.
New ID Badges Available
The OHSAA can now produce ID badges that include the headshot and the media outlet logo of OPSWA members. Any OPSWA member that wants a new ID badge should email their headshot (and media outlet logo, if desired) to Tim Stried. There is no cost for the ID badge.
Call for Judges
The annual OPSWA writing and photography contest is judged by your peers – and we need a lot of judges! Any OPSWA member interested in being a judge should notify Tim Stried. Once again this year, every category will have at least two judges, with the final results being the average scores of the two judges.
Annual Writing and Photography Contest
The postmark deadline is Feb. 15, 2017, to submit entries in the annual OPSWA writing and photography contest. The contest includes articles and photos about Ohio high school sports published between Jan. 1, 2016 and Dec. 31, 2016. Details regarding the cost ($15 per person), categories, divisions, entry limits, etc., are on the contest application posted at:
http://www.ohsaa.org/news/OPSWA/contests - Tim Stried’s office coordinates the contest (copies, mailing, tabulating results). OPSWA members serve as judges.
Call for New Officers
Being an OPSWA officer is not difficult or time consuming! Officers meet at the OHSAA office twice per year for a meeting lasting a few hours. Any OPSWA members who have an interest in being an officer should submit brief bio information (three or four sentences) to Tim Stried for inclusion on the ballot, which will be distributed during the statewide meeting on Wednesday, April 19. Officers select the Hall of Fame, make any changes to the contest and discuss other current and future OPSWA issues.
Statewide Meeting is April 19
The 2017 OPSWA statewide meeting is Wednesday, April 19, beginning at 10:30 AM at the OHSAA office (4080 Roselea Place, Columbus, OH 43214). Please RSVP to Tim Stried. The meeting is free to attend and lunch is provided. The tentative agenda is as follows:
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10:30 to 10:45 – Introductions and welcome remarks from OHSAA and OPSWA officers
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10:45 to 11:45 – Updates from OHSAA Commissioner Dr. Dan Ross, followed by media Q&A
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11:45 to noon – Writing contest results and writers of the year announced
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Noon to 12:45 – Lunch (complimentary)
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12:45 to 1:00 – New Officers Voting
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1:00 to 1:30 – Workshop Session (TBD)
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1:30 to 2:00 – Workshop Session (TBD)
Hall of Fame
The OPSWA officers have selected three individuals to be inducted into the OPSWA Hall of Fame. The new Hall of Fame class will be inducted on Saturday, March 25 during the boys basketball state tournament. They include
Columbus Dispatch sports writer Mark Znidar,
Dayton Daily News sports writer Marc Pendleton and
Defiance Crescent-News sports editor Bruce Hefflinger. The press release of their announcement is posted at:
http://bit.ly/2jj6Z99
Membership Reaches Record 150
As of January 2017, there are 150 registered OPSWA members, which marks the most in the history of the OPSWA. Membership in the OPSWA is free. Current members do not need to resubmit a registration form every year. New members shall submit a membership registration form, which is posted at:
http://www.ohsaa.org/Portals/0/News/OPSWA/OPSWAMemberRegistration.pdf
Keep Growing!
Please forward this email to your colleagues who are not yet members of the OPSWA and encourage them to join!
OPSWA Website and Officers
The following OPSWA officers elected at the statewide meeting on March 29, 2014, whose terms expire on April 19, 2017, include:
President: Randy Heath, Jackson
First Vice President: Eric Frantz, Dayton
Second Vice President: Rob McCurdy, Mansfield/Marion
Secretary: Todd Stumpf, Medina
Treasurer: Jamie Baker, Findlay