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Tag: Katie Kapusta

  • NFL player meets students at his alma mater who designed his cleats

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    HAMILTON, Ohio — Every year during the NFL season, players have a chance to wear and design cleats to benefit an organization that is important to them.

    For one Atlanta Falcon from southwest Ohio, he took it a step further and allowed students from his alma mater to design his cleats.

    What You Need To Know

    • Malik Verdon graduated from Hamilton High School in 2021 and is now a linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons

    • Verdon allowed students from Hamilton to design his cleats for My Cause My Cleats 

    • The cleats were designed for the cause Just A Pair of Shoes- an Ohio nonprofit that gives shoes to underprivileged youth 

    Malik Verdon is in the Big Leagues.

    “I’ve been dreaming about this since I was about 5, so it’s definitely a dream come true,” Verdon said of being in the NFL.

    But he’s never forgotten his roots.

    “It’s a long journey,” he said. “You can’t forget where you come from.”

    The Atlanta Falcon graduated from Hamilton High School in 2021 before playing at Iowa State. Now, the linebacker is back in his hometown, meeting with the students who helped design his cleats for My Cause My Cleats this season.

    The cleats help tell Verdon’s story, from Hamilton to Iowa State and now to the Atlanta Falcons. (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)

    “It’s a dream come true,” Verdon said. “I mean, not just for me but for them as well. Being able to show someone that we’re all from there, like just because we’re from Hamilton or Cincinnati, Ohio, it’s not something that can be take for granted.”

    Students like Hunter Burford, who dreams of going to the NFL one day.

    Burford poses with Verdon. (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)

    “It’s really awesome that he actually noticed mine,” Burfurd, an eighth grade student in the Hamilton School District, said. “That’s really cool that he got to wear it.”

    While allowing the students to design the cleats, the cause was important to Verdon too. Just a Pair of Shoes is an Ohio non-profit that gives shoes to underprivileged kids.

    Verdon picked several designs from nearly 10 students. (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)

    “To be able to partner with an NFL player and, you know, really bring the community together,” Matt Cline, the founder of Just a Pair of Shoes, said. “It’s just a win for everybody. So and it’s very inspiring to see these kids.”

    And at the end of the meet-up, these students got to take a pair home themselves.

    Verdon said he’s already looking forward to working with the students next year on a new pair of cleats. (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)

    Verdon said he’s already looking forward to next season, where he hopes to allow more students to design his cleats as a small way of saying thank you to Big Blue Nation.

    “It’s amazing,” Verdon said. “You know, I wouldn’t be where I’m at if it wasn’t for here. So being able to come back and and get the love that I get and be able to return is it’s huge to me.”

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    Katie Kapusta

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  • Legislation could ban NIL for high school student-athletes

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    CINCINNATI — Recent legislation has been introduced to ban Name, Image and Likeness deals for high school and middle school students in Ohio. This comes just months after the OHSAA passed the bylaws to allow students to benefit from NIL. For one of the athletes who is making millions of dollars thanks to the new rules, he says his family relies on it.

    What You Need To Know

    • House Bill 661 would ban NIL for high school and middle school athletes in Ohio

    • Kam Mercer is one of 30 high school athletes in Ohio who has an NIL deal 

    • Mercer said he transferred back to Ohio once NIL was voted in by member schools of the OHSAA because his family relies on the money he makes 

    Kam Mercer is just 16 years old but stands tall at 6-foot-5-inches, and counting.

    “I get some growing pains here and there,” the sophomore said. 

    Kam Mercer practices at Princeton High School after transferring to the school in December. (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)

    The fifth-ranked player in the country in his class calls southern Ohio home. But he left his family and friends his freshman year to play at Huntington Prep in West Virginia and started his sophomore season at Overtime League in Atlanta, both prep schools where he could benefit financially from his game.

    “More of like a family decision as far as, like, I had to help my family out financially,” Mercer said.

    But then, everything changed.

    “Ohio passed NIL, and it gave me the opportunity to come back home,” he said.

    Just a few weeks later, Mercer transferred back to Princeton and began raking in NIL deals, like with Panini trading cards.

    Mercer says he’s happy to be back home. (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)

    “It’s a multi-million dollar deal,” he confirmed.

    It’s life-changing money that is making a big difference for his family.

    “It is a decent amount of pressure,” he said. “But I know that if I wasn’t built for, I wouldn’t be here. So I’m just happy to be here with my family.”

    But now, that could all change. Earlier this month, two Ohio State Representatives announced legislation to ban NIL deals for high school and middle school students.

    “High school sports are an extension of the classroom,” State Rep. Adam Bird, R-District 63, said. “They teach character, discipline, leadership, work ethic and fitness. This bill is about protecting kids, keeping the focus on learning and development and ensuring students across Ohio compete on a level playing field.”

    “The OHSAA is aware of the introduction of House Bill 661 and looks forward to continuing to provide information on the process taken to develop the proposal and safeguards that went to our membership for a vote last fall,” OHSAA spokesperson Tim Stried said. “It is important to note that NIL at the high school level in Ohio is very different than what we see at the college level, and that Ohio is one of 45 states that allows some version of NIL for high school student-athletes.”

    Mercer listens to head coach Bryan Wyant in a huddle at practice. (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)

    Mercer understands the controversy of NIL for student-athletes like him.

    “It does make you more mature than you are,” Mercer said. “At the end of day, I know I’m a 16-year-old kid, and I don’t try to act any more mature than I am. But just being in a situation I am now, I have to grow up a little bit more.”

    But he’s hopeful the new bill doesn’t go into effect, because that could mean leaving his family once again.

    “If it does, I don’t know what I’ll do,” he said. “I know I’ll be fine, but I’m just I’m not too worried about it, but, like, who knows what could happen?”

    The next hearing for House Bill 661 to ban NIL for high school and middle school athletes is set for Tuesday.

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    Katie Kapusta

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  • Former Ohio State great remembers first meeting between Bucks and Ducks

    Former Ohio State great remembers first meeting between Bucks and Ducks

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    COLUMBUS, Ohio — The No. 2 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes take on the No. 3 ranked Oregon Ducks in Eugene in one of the top games of the entire season. 

    What You Need To Know

    • Dick LeBeau was on the Ohio State team when they played Oregon for the first time

    • The 10-7 win in the Rose Bowl cemented the team as the Coaches Poll National Champion

    • LeBeau says he can’t believe the two teams are now in the same conference 

    While this matchup will become more common with the Ducks now in the Big Ten, it was typically only in bowl games the two teams would play each other. One Ohio State great who played in the first-ever Ohio State Oregon game shares what he thinks about the west coast team being in the same conference as the Buckeyes.

    It was 67 years ago that the Buckeyes and Ducks first played each other.

    “We won that game by a score of 10 to 7,” Dick LeBeau said. “I remember the game like it was yesterday.”

    The first matchup between Oregon and Ohio State was the 1957 Rose Bowl. (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)

    LeBeau, a former OSU cornerback and a member of NFL Hall of Fame, said it was a game he’ll never forget

    “At that time, to be totally honest with you, being a Rose Bowl champion was more glorifying than being a national champion because the Rose Bowl, the granddaddy of bowls,” he said.

    The Rose Bowl win in Pasadena cemented the Buckeyes as National Champions.

    The Buckeyes won the 1957 National Championship for the Coaches Poll after that Rose Bowl win. (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)

    “Absolutely a dream come true,” he said.

    And now, LeBeau is wrapping his head around the two teams being in the same conference.

    LeBeau caries the ball during a game at Ohio Stadium. (Photo Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics )

    “If anyone would try to tell me that Ohio State and Oregon would end up in the same conference, I’d say (you’re) absolutely, completely out of your mind,” LeBeau said. “It’s never going to ever happen.”

    The team, led by legendary coach Woody Hayes, was 9-1 that season. LeBeau says Hayes was a tough coach.

    “There’s an old saying in life, if it doesn’t kill you it’s good for you,” LeBeau said. “He didn’t kill me because here I am standing here. But he got me ready for life.”

    LeBeau is from London, Ohio, where he grew up a Buckeye fan.

    LeBeau in his Ohio State Varsity sweater. (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)

    “If you cut me, I actually do bleed scarlet and gray,” he said. “Everybody in Ohio almost is an Ohio State fan. My dad was a strong Ohio State fan and several walk, as is my older brother.”

    While he remembers and cherishes all the games in his Ohio State career, he’s most thankful for his time as a Buckeye.

    “It’s still unquestionably, the most impactful thing that I ever got to experience in my life is playing for Ohio State,” he said.

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    Katie Kapusta

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  • ER doctor singing national anthem at Bengals preseason game

    ER doctor singing national anthem at Bengals preseason game

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    CINCINNATI — As the Bengals play in their final preseason game Thursday, one local woman’s dream of singing the national anthem on the big stage is coming true. She shares how she is able to pursue both her dreams as a singer and as an emergency department doctor..

    What You Need To Know

    • Saie Joshi is an Emergency Medicine Resident Physician at UC Health

    • She’s also been a singer for most of her life

    • She will soon sing the national anthem on the biggest stage yet, at a Bengals preseason game

    • She hopes to inspire others to pursue multiple passions

    A time of day Saie Joshi looks forward to is spending time in music to decompress.

    Lately, that’s meant preparing for the biggest performance of her life.

    Joshi sings and plays some piano (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)

    “Ever since I sort of got this opportunity with the Bengals, I have been only singing the national anthem over the last two months,” Joshi said.

    Joshi was chosen out of a pool of applicants to sing the national anthem at the Bengals final preseason game against the Colts.

    “I was so excited at that time,” she said. “I was like, oh, I got to prepare for this. Like, I got to make it perfect. So, yeah, I actually submitted the video just immediately after coming home from a night shift, and didn’t really think I would come of anything.”

    But Joshi is balancing singing with her full-time job.

    “I am a third-year emergency medicine resident physician,” she said.

    Joshi is an ER resident at UC Health (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)

    “Patients that are experiencing the most difficult moments of their lives and I wanted to be their source of comfort,” she said.

    She says while her two passions may seem totally opposite, they actually help balance her.

    “At my job I make a lot of decisions that are game time decisions where it really matters what I do in the moment for that person, it’s very high stakes,” she said. “And then I feel like singing lets me express the fun, kind of lighter side of things.”

    Now she’s using every free moment outside of the hospital to perfect her rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner with help from her voice coach.

    Joshi works with her voice coach for final preparations ahead of her performance (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)

    “It’s a big song to sing,” Joshi said. “It requires a lot of preparation. I have sung it before, but nothing to the caliber of, like, Paul Brown Stadium.”

    Whether she’s seen as a singer or as a doctor, she hopes she can inspire others that they can chase multiple dreams at a time.

    “Women can really be whatever they want to be,” she said. “They can be both things at once.”

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    Katie Kapusta

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  • Gene Smith reflects on career at OSU

    Gene Smith reflects on career at OSU

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    COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State Athletics is about to have a new leader for the first time in almost 20 years as Athletic Director Gene Smith is retiring after this weekend. 

    What You Need To Know

    • Gene Smith is retiring after 39 years as an athletic director, including 19 at Ohio State

    • Under Smith’s tenure OSU has won 32 team and 117 individual NCAA championships as well as 115 team and 369 individual Big Ten Championships

    • Smith says he’s most proud of changing the culture of the classroom for student athletes

    • Smith is moving to Arizona after his retirement, but hopes to still keep tabs on the Bucks from afar

    After 39 years as an athletic director, including 19 at Ohio State, Smith is saying goodbye as the leader of OSU Athletics and his prolific career.

    “There’s just so many student athletes whose names just run through my head,” Smith said, as he reflects on his career.

    In those years, Smith has seen the Buckeyes win 32 team and 117 individual NCAA championships.

    During Smith’s 19 years OSU has won 32 team and 117 individual NCAA championships as well as 115 team and 369 individual Big Ten Championships. (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)

    “Of course, the football championship was huge, and did so many other championships,” Smith said. “You know, the wrestling championship was significant.”

    But the thing Smith is most proud of is the change in culture in the classroom for student athletes.

    Smith hugs Keith Diebler, OSU’s men’s basketball head coach’s dad. (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)

    “I’m proud of a lot of things, but, most proud that we’ve changed the culture with our student athletes,” he said. “We recruit character, we recruit athletes who want to compete in the classroom.”

    In 2005, 324 student athletes maintained a 3.0 GPA. This year, it’s up to 811. And while Smith leaves behind quite a legacy, he says the hardest part about leaving is not seeing the student-athletes each day.

    Smith is often seen on the sidelines of football games and other OSU athletic events. (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)

    “I think it’ll probably be more emotional as I follow our teams from afar. It’ll just be new for me,” he said. “I won’t be able to just, you know, say, ‘oh, we got a tennis match today. I’m gonna run over or, you know, we got a swimming meet or whatever.’”

    Smith and his wife are moving to Arizona after his retirement to be closer to family and allow new AD Ross Bjork to make his own decisions. But Smith is hopeful to see his Buckeyes out west.

    Ross Bjork takes over as AD on July 1. (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)

    “Fiesta Bowl holds the quarter final this year in football,” Smith said. “So, you know, fingers crossed.”

    Smith, a Cleveland native, says finishing his career in his home state has been the honor of his life.

    “To be able to end my career in a state that I grew up in, it means a great deal to me,” he said. “I love Ohio, will always love Ohio. You know, I’ll slide back into Ohio at the right times.”

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    Katie Kapusta

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  • Women’s sports-focused bar could come to Cincinnati

    Women’s sports-focused bar could come to Cincinnati

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    CINCINNATI — It’s no secret women’s sports have become more popular which means more people are wanting to watch women’s sporting events at home and out at local bars and restaurants. One local sports lover is hoping to make it easier by bringing a women’s sports-focused bar to the Queen City, the first in Ohio.

    What You Need To Know

    • Jackie Reau is a sports enthusiast and hopes to bring the first women’s sports-focused bar to Ohio

    • The Sports Bra, in Portland, is the first sports bar focused on women’s sports in the country

    • Now, The Sports Bra is franchising and Reau is pursuing the opportunity

    • Reau believes the concept will be embraced by Cincinnati sports fans 

    Imagine walking into a sports bar and seeing women’s sports on every TV. Well, that’s something Jackie Reau is hoping to bring to Cincinnati soon.

    “People are really embracing women’s sports like they haven’t in the past,” Reau said.

    Jackie Reau hopes to be able to watch women’s sports at more places in Cincinnati (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)

    Which is why when Reau, the CEO of Game Day Communications, found out about an opportunity to bring a sports bar centered around women’s sports to Cincinnati, she immediately took a chance.

    “[I] raised my hand for Cincinnati, you know, without any research or anything,” she said. “I just thought this would be really cool for Cincinnati.”

    The bar- called The Sports Bra, which originated in Portland, is dedicated to showing only women’s sports. When Reau was there recently for a work trip, she made sure to see it in person.

    The Sports Bra is the first women’s sports-focused sports bar in the country (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)

    “I think the Sports Bra concept is really a place for people to gather,” Reau said. “When I was there in Portland, you know, a dad and daughter walked in and they were watching Notre Dame lacrosse, women’s lacrosse on TV, which I thought was so cool.”

    While Reau was in Portland, she found out the Sports Bra is franchising and she put Cincinnati’s name out there. She envisions it somewhere like Hyde Park- a neighborhood that has a town square- that is easy to park and get to. She has a feeling Cincinnati sports fans would embrace it.

    Reau looks through her pictures of The Sports Bra from her visit in Portland (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)

    “I think it’s a really cool opportunity to bring a concept like the Sports Bra to Cincinnati, which we all know we’re a huge sports town, so let’s embrace it and do a new concept,” she said.

    So what’s next in bringing the concept to Cincinnati? It’s still very much in the beginning phases.

    “The owner emailed me back and said, just getting affairs in order and just know you’re on the list and we’ll communicate,” Reau said. “So it was it was great.”

    But Reau is confident it would be a hit in the Queen City and help grow the already booming sports environment.

    “I’ve always been a fan of women’s sports,” she said. “I think it would be, just taking women’s sports and the support of women’s sports to the next level of what Cincinnati can do. And I love living here. I know we’re such a huge sports fan, so I know it would be successful.”

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    Katie Kapusta

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  • Miami University celebrates alumni entrepreneurs

    Miami University celebrates alumni entrepreneurs

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    OXFORD, Ohio — Being a start-up business can be challenging, but owners don’t have to go through the growing pains alone. Across Ohio, there’s a new collaboration that is bringing businesses together and celebrating their success stories.

    What You Need To Know

    • Miami University announced its inaugural RedHawk50 list of the fastest-growing companies started by Miami graduates 

    • The hope is to celebrate these businesses and get them involved with students 

    • The owners of Rooted Grounds say they are honored to be included in the list

    • COhatch is the ninth fastest-growing company on the RedHawk50 list 

    Patsy and David Knopf have perfected the cup of coffee. It’s nine years in the making, and they’ve come a long way after starting in their garage.

    “It was great; we’d come home from work and then we’d be like it smells so wonderful in our garage!” Patsy said. “And now we have to come here to smell the smells.”

    And a lot of Rooted Grounds’ success is thanks to their alma mater, Miami University, like first jobs and communities that paved their way.

    David and all employees of Rooted Grounds do blind taste tests on coffee batches to make sure everything tastes just right. (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)

    “I think that gave me my experience that enabled us to survive being entrepreneurs. It’s hard,” David said.

    “That kind of helped me understand the importance and the roots of being involved in a community,” Patsy said. “And that’s a lot of the basis of our company where we’re rooted in the community in every market that we serve.”

    And thanks to their experiences and success, Rooted Grounds was named one of the 50 businesses in the inaugural RedHawk50, which celebrates the 50 fastest-growing companies built by former Redhawks.

    Rooted Grounds roasts their coffee in small batches in-house. (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)

    “We felt honored and excited and we, you know, we were curious, like who were all the other companies,” Patsy said. “And we just kind of thought, that’s such a neat thing to be able to meet all these other Miami alums just to see what they did and what they’re doing.”

    With 360 companies nominated in the first year, leaders at Miami are excited to see how this program can grow and help current students succeed.

    “Bringing alumni back who have succeeded at taking a risk and starting something new provides the opportunity for students, a 20-year-old, to look and see what seems like, an impossibility become possible,” Tim Holcomb the chair of the department of entrepreneurship at Miami University and director of the John W. Altman Institute for Entrepreneurship said.

    Alumni like Matt Davis, the CEO and Co-Founder of COhatch out of Columbus. The co-working business has grown so much in the last eight years, with 30 locations and more in the works. He’s glad to be an example to students.

    Matt Davis has grown COhatch to 30 locations and counting. (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)

    “I think the more examples you give people and obviously the network allows them to connect and we want people to be a part of what we do, but the more visibility it can create to the programs that they’re doing, the more success stories you can have in entrepreneurship will inspire the next generation for sure,” Davis said.

    While Davis is proud of the growth of his company, he’s even prouder to be a RedHawk and named to the RedHawk50 list. He sponsors a scholarship program and goes back to Oxford to speak to the senior capstone class each year.

    COhatch is more than a co-working space- it’s a community to connect with others. (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)

    “It’s probably one of the more rewarding things that we do,” Davis said. “Especially if I can drag my kid and make them listen too!”

    The inaugural RedHawk50 list included both COhatch and Rooted Grounds, along with 48 other companies. It’s a way to pave the way for current RedHawks.

    “It’s really, really important to us, almost on a selfish basis, to have that engagement, to bring the alumni back to campus and have them get involved with our program,” Holcomb said.

    Miami University has already announced that they will make this an annual list and will start accepting nominations for the second list in June.

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    Katie Kapusta

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