Greenville’s Ronnie Gillespie was the subject of a Hal McCoy profile, racing (above) at the Darke County Fair in August. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
For the first time in the new year we share your comments on recent posts and commentary on both the culture and the future of amateur sports…and both sides of the issue. Wrote one: “We’re not being honest with kids when we don’t teach them to compete.”
We begin by wishing all of our readers a Happy New Year in 2026, with appreciation for your daily support that’s seen us now through 16 years of local sports coverage on Press Pros.
And, of course we appreciate those who take the time to share their opinions on what you can see for yourself on Friday nights and Saturday afternoons.
“There aren’t many places who write like you do,” someone wrote from northwest Ohio, pertaining to our New Year’s Eve post about teaching kids to compete.
That said, several wrote to share their own opinion. And we’ll share at least a few…along with notes received about harness racing, sports photography, and the outdoors page.
We’ll start with this….
“I like the basketball photos, especially the shots at the other end. Wondered if you’d share what kind of equipment, camera and lens, it takes to do those shots? I’d like to get into sports photography.” … TJ Kellen
(Ed. Note: Most of our work is done with Nikon equipment, and the shots of dunks and blocks at the opposite rim in basketball are made with a Nikkor 400mm F2.8 FL lens. And you know, don’t you…you could pick a cheaper endeavor.)
“I’m the first to admit that I did not play high school sports, so I expect to hear you tell me that “intramurals” is the answer to my disagreement with you over kids and competition. So I see nothing wrong with creating a place for as many kids as possible if it gives the less-advantaged an opportunity to share another, different experience. Frankly, your post from December 31 sounded old school. When you write that ejections and poor sportsmanship were once accepted as an entertaining part of the game I’d like to believe that mindset actually never existed. When you write that a coach watched a kid try to play basketball and then said “I know why his mom wanted him out of the house”, I reject that because I know how painful that can sound to a child. When you write that kids who shake hands and say “good game” don’t know what it means, I believe that it can mean something kind and complimentary, instead of “this guy just kicked my butt and I need to get better so he doesn’t do it again.” If you look at the issues in our country now compared to what they once were, I’d like to believe that there’s a reason. I really don’t care what saying “good game” means to others as long as I know what it means to me. There’s nothing wrong with being nice.” … David Ewell
(Ed. Note: David, I won’t pretend to argue your points, except to say that there was a day when we didn’t have the issues with cultural sensitivity that we have today because we didn’t overthink everything. There was also a day when we fought wars to win them, too. We understood that everything in life was something for which you competed. And to those with a competitive background there’s always been an understanding that ejections and sportsmanship weren’t necessarily related. A lot of people saw Bobby Knight toss a chair and thought “gamesmanship”, and not sportsmanship…trying to fire up the competitive passion of his own team, and at his own expense. People who have played have always known that not every 6’4″ kid can play basketball. And when coaches said that mom wanted him out of the house, in jest, we used to laugh. And I agree with you when you say that there’s nothing wrong with being nice. But personally, I’d get tired of going through the handshake line knowing that I just got my butt kicked, and that it could have been different.)
“First time writer to Press Pros and here’s what I think. Thank you for supporting strong values and standards in such a public manner. There’s no reason not to say it. We’re not being honest with kids when we don’t teach them to compete, and how important it is.” … Darryl Spears
“For whatever reason, Press Pros was the only coverage of the state football tournament that mentioned the seven divisions and that five of the seven title games being played with a running clock. I don’t know why others missed it, but I appreciate your bringing it to light.” … Ray Perdue
“Gentlemen, to your point about high school players being cut (Dec 31st), I was cut from my high school basketball team in the ninth, tenth, and eleventh grades before I finally made the team as the last man on the bench my senior year. And I deserved to be cut because I wasn’t good enough. But I wanted to prove to that I could eventually make the team, and I did. I played for less than two minutes in my only year of high school basketball and never scored. But I worked hard in practice and earned the respect of my teammates as a scout player, and our team eventually made it to the regional round of the tournament. My point is this. I’m more proud of what I proved to myself than receiving recognition or a trophy for something that I didn’t deserve. And when we get together now it’s still a proud accomplishment. From personal experience, learning how to compete is one of life’s great gifts.” … Frank Rucco
On Press Pros coverage of harness racing…and the outdoors page:
Olde English Outfitters proudly sponsor area sports on Press Pros Magazine.com.
“Thank you so much for the coverage of harness racing on the Press Pros site. The stories are wonderful, and appreciation for your respect of the equine community and racing.” … Linda Kassale
“I enjoy the racing coverage on Press Pros, and hope you’ll have it again next year. Is there a chance that you can expand and do more of the bigger races like the Little Brown Jug ?” … Timothy Eagan
(Ed. Note: Honestly, Tim, we kind of felt our way along in the first year and are still learning the relationships that could eventually lead to an expanded relationship with the racing community, no different than covering sports of any kind. We owe a lot of the Ohio Harness Horseman Association and Executive Director Frank Fraas for pointing us in the right directions. As for doing more of the bigger races, it’s a possibility that we’ll have to grow into to, like anything else. But what we learned in year one…is there’s nothing more fun than racing at the county fairs.)
“I have enjoyed your stories about pheasant hunting this fall, but your outdoor columns seem to be kinda’ hit and miss. Is there a reason for that?” … Charles Leslie
(Ed. Note: Appreciate the kind words and will share with you that Ray Reilly is constantly traveling and works additionally with other outdoor writing outlets. If you’re a fisherman stay tuned because I think he’s in Florida currently chasing bass and dodging gators. Ray averages about a column per month.)
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