Sidney wasn't way more to Ryan Harless than a city on the exit indicators on Interstate 75, about midway between his hometown of Hillsboro and Bowling Inexperienced, the place he went to varsity.
Now, he's dwelling.
Harless began as assistant editor and sports activities author for the Sidney Day by day Information in late June. His first designation got here out final week, and he's stored busy in current weeks overlaying Legion and ACME baseball and touring Shelby County.
“I've by no means been to Sidney outdoors, I'm positive I finished at Love's on the best way to BG for a pit cease,” mentioned Harless, who graduated from Bowling Inexperienced within the spring. “Every part may be very new.
“… I'm a little bit bit joyful about it. Everybody I've talked to outdoors of the workplace, by way of the ADs I've despatched, and even the folks on the video games, they've been very nice, actually useful.”
Harless could also be new to the realm, however she shouldn’t be new to journalism. He graduated with a significant in Sports activities Administration and a minor in Journalism and freelanced for the Fremont Information-Messenger as a part of a category within the spring semester.
Lined many basketball video games for the Information-Messenger, together with Castalia Margaretta advancing to a Division III regional ultimate.
“It was sort of a unique animal to go on the market and see groups … with a cohesiveness,” Harless mentioned. “I appear to take sports activities extra severely than outdoors of 'I'm associates with an AD so my child performs' and stuff like that.
“It gave the impression to be an surroundings the place they cared extra about rising folks inside their organizations and fostering an excellent surroundings for college kids.”
Harless has already develop into aware of the success and stage of expectation the colleges have; the street indicators on the important entry factors to space villages with lengthy lists of state championships is one thing he wasn't used to seeing rising up round Hillsboro.
“I'm actually excited to see the extent of competitors,” Harless mentioned. “I do know there's not an enormous quantity of particular person athletes that go on to play professionally, however there are quite a lot of student-athletes that go on and play at increased ranges, which is one thing that's fully international to me.
“So it's going to be actually cool simply to see actually good, aggressive groups and aggressive video games, and searching ahead to postseason runs is one thing I'm enthusiastic about.”
Harless likes many sports activities, however he likes baseball. He’s a Cincinnati Reds fan.
“I feel I began enjoying after I was three years previous, T-ball,” Harless mentioned. “I keep in mind coming dwelling from faculty after I was in center faculty and I used to be actually into baseball playing cards on the time.
“And each day, I’d come dwelling and go to my baseball books and actually learn them time and again and research them. So, for no matter purpose, baseball obtained me.”
Moreover sports activities, Harless grew up as an outdoorsman. He’s a drummer and loves music; participated in lots of reside performances whereas in school. He additionally enjoys enjoying golf in his spare time.
Harless replaces Bryant Billing because the newspaper's sports activities chief. Billing took over as editor of the paper in April.
“I'm excited to have Ryan on workers,” Billing mentioned. “He’s already a robust reporter and author and I feel he’ll thrive overlaying athletics within the space. I stay up for studying the tales he’ll inform in regards to the groups and gamers within the space.”
Harless got here to SDN at a time of transition for highschool sports activities. The OHSAA's enlargement of match divisions for all crew sports activities is predicted to create extra alternatives for deep match runs for all space colleges.
“I'll nonetheless be on the sidelines serving to Ryan,” Billing mentioned. “It's an excellent time to have two sportswriters on workers. There have all the time been days when tournaments are held on the similar time in several areas and I feel that shall be a standard factor now that we’ll have groups competing in three or 4 totally different divisions relying on the season and the game.”
Harless could be reached at [email protected] or at 937-538-4651.