When I started Ohio Valley Athletics in 2008, my goal was to make a really cool website that had a message board where people could talk about OVAC football and basketball. I knew very little about making a website, and even less about journalism or running a business – my intention and interest wasn’t in either.
Fast forward a few years, by 2011, we were recognized as a sports media outlet that was fully credentialed by OHSAA, WVSSAC, Wheeling Nailers, West Liberty, Ohio State, West Virginia University, the Pittsburgh Pirates, Steelers, and Penguins. Still, knowing little about journalism, I found myself running a legitimate media company.
At the time, one of the things that set us apart from other outlets was how nontraditional we were in our coverage. When covering an event, we put less focus on the play-by-play details or overall game recap, with more emphasis on what we could learn about players, coaches, or the organization to capture more specific and featured content. In a way, we kind of covered a game like a well mannered fan would if they had the chance to have behind the scene access.
It worked, but I must admit, it wasn’t a totally unique concept. Locally, we had another writer that put some of that same type of individual passion and detail into his work. While working as one of the main sports writers at the Wheeling Intel, Shawn Rine was known for being outspoken, direct, and targeted in his thoughts and writing. Having had the chance to work beside Shawn at several sporting events, I admired the focus and preparation that he put into covering events. Every detail mattered to Shawn, and he wrote a story how a fan would want to read it.
A few years ago, Shawn and I started discussing the potential of working on a project together with Ohio Valley Athletics. Shortly after, “life just happened” to both of us. Shawn found himself taking a break from writing, and I almost abandoned Ohio Valley Athletics. It was a company and website that I spent years developing and building – but I essentially walked away from it for about three years.
Thankfully for Mark Joseph, the first team member to ever be part of Ohio Valley Athletics, the message board stayed somewhat alive and moderated. In early 2021, Mark and I discussed the state of Ohio Valley Athletics and what the long term strategy was. More simply said, were we going to shut the website down, or take it serious again. Ultimately, we knew that we worked too hard to give up, but we needed someone that could offer the community something different, something that we couldn’t.
That’s when Shawn Rine entered the conversation, and ultimately decided to join Ohio Valley Athletics.
“I was ready to get back into writing. I’ve missed it, I’ve missed it a lot. For me, it’s not about being at the game or event – it’s experiencing the story that’s being written right in front of me. I’ve seen people have their dreams come true, and others have their dreams shattered right in front of my eyes. It happens right in front of you, on the same court or field. There is only one winner, and at the end of the event you’re going to have half of the people there happy, and the other half upset. I can feel their excitement and pain all the same.” Shawn continued, “It’s a privilege to tell the story. Often times, players and coaches don’t have words to articulate their feelings when they are in the moment, and I’m able to capture it for them, and retell it with the same passion.”
While Shawn wanted to get back into writing, he was selective about his decision.
“I didn’t want to join another traditional paper organization at this point in my life, the politics are a lot bigger than people realize. Don’t get me wrong, I’m so thankful for my time with the Wheeling paper, the experience and memories are incredible, but it’s not the right platform for me anymore”. Shawn continued to elaborate “I remember back during the Steubenville rape incident, Ohio Valley Athletics was the first outlet around to have coverage on it. That was so frustrating for me because I had a story written, edited, and ready for publish, but it was never given the greenlight. I’m excited to be part of an organization that’s going to let me write and tell people the truth of what’s happening with our kids, coaches, and athletic community around the Ohio Valley.”
In addition to writing feature sports stories, Shawn will also be participating in our newly created weekly sports podcast. You can catch the first episode here, and make sure to follow us on facebook and twitter for the latest breaking news and sports features.
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