I want to start off this column with a huge “thank you” to everyone that shared my post online, commented on said post or that has reached out to me with happenings related to sports in the Galion area this summer. Here at the paper, we’re always looking for things to bring to light, especially when it pertains to local folks doing big things in the community; be it sports or otherwise. So, thank you! I know that I appreciate it and hope that I can get around to at least mentioning the things that have rolled through our Facebook or my email’s inbox! By all means, please keep things coming! I am open to most anything: camps for kids, happenings with the YMCA, things related to disc golf or even upcoming events involving the high school sports that I cover come fall, winter and spring! A lot of what gets put into the Galion Inquirer would not be possible without the help of athletes, coaches and you, the readers!
Now that I have that out of the way, let’s talk sports things!
On the professional sports spectrum, which I wish that I could mention even more but unfortunately is not part of what I can do here at the paper, two new champions have been crowned.
The St. Louis Blues recently clashed with the Boston Bruins in an epic, seven game series to decide the winner of the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup. St. Louis, until this season, had never won the cup but were able to earn the right to call themselves champions in 2019, the first time in their 52 year existence. As much as I despise St. Louis sports teams (I’m looking at you Cardinals), congratulations on your feat!
That pretty much exhausts what I know about the NHL, so, let’s talk about another professional champion.
On Thursday evening, the Toronto Raptors, playing in their first-ever National Basketball Association Finals, upended the dynasty that is the Golden State Warriors. It took six games but the Kawhi Leonard-led Raptors downed an injury-plagued Warriors squad to upend the champs, shooting delight through pretty much any fans outside of the California area. Now listen, I don’t want to hear any excuses why Golden State lost. Sure, Kevin Durant went down but that team is still full of all-star caliber talent. That’s all that I’ll say about that other than my obligatory congratulations to Toronto.
So, we’re up to speed on the “other” professional sports because, after all, if you’ve ever read any of my columns, you know that my heart belongs to the baseball diamond. I won’t get into Major League Baseball at this time but the midsummer classic is happening soon so, go vote! Just a reminder, and I don’t care if I catch any slack for this: you don’t have to like a team based solely on your geography!
Now let me boomerang back to the beginning of this column with the local stuff…if that’s okay?
Looking forward, I’ve began to make a list of all things that have been passed along to me. I hope to get to each and everyone of them as you all have taken your time to reach out to me and again, please continue to do so via social media, email or the classic voicemail. Other than satisfying your eyes with Galion Graders coverage, I hope to sprinkle in any and everything that I can to make (and hopefully keep) the sports section of the Galion Inquirer something that you enjoy reading.
As sort of preview on things to come, I will be doing my best to keep you all posted on Kerrigan Myers’ performance at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor meet happening currently. In addition and still related to Galion High School athletics, there are quite a few coaching changes coming for the 2019-2020 school year that I will be touching on. I have been in contact with Kyle Baughn on the changes and look to do a thorough welcoming of all the new leaders moving forward. That being said, any other schools in our coverage area, please reach out to me. I already have the information for the new coach of the Crestline Bulldogs’ football squad but I want to know all of the shakeups involved. Finally, there are kids going to and through different camps related to sports and the like, as well as community sports-related activities that I look to bring to the (web)pages of the this publication…which is stuff that I usually don’t have time for or the space for throughout the actual school year.
Finally, I’d like to do some things (hopefully) involving athletes from the area after they have moved on from the high school ranks. I really only hear about a small portion but I know that many of the kids that I’ve had the privilege of covering have continued their careers at the collegiate level and would love to do a “Where are they now?” kind of thing…That sounds pretty awesome, in my humble opinion.
