Sports Photography Trends: Summer - The Best Time For Booking High School Sports!

Photo by Cincinnati Sports Photographer Vincent Rush

RIGHT NOW is the BEST TIME to book high school sports…do you have your marketing kits ready?  The grads have thrown their hats in the air, and the coaches are taking a sigh of relief, FOR THE MOMENT.

Many schools require staff and personnel to work for a week, or several days, past the last day of the classes for students, so NOW is the time to act!  These couple of weeks following classes are PRIME TIME for speaking with any high school coach.  During these weeks most coaches are more accessible and more willing to meet – and listen – to what you have to offer.

Take advantage of this calm time, as a lot of coaches are hard to locate during the school year.  When they are busy it is tricky to find a “best time” to speak with them, and finding the “best time” that they are willing to listen can be even trickier!  Very often they are busy, and will only give you a few minutes of their time, if that.  You want to approach them at a time when they have more time to listen to you.

Plan ahead.  Do you have your marketing kits together and ready to go?  Be sure to have samples of unique products that will make you stand out among your competitors.  Have a calendar with you for scheduling.  Have testimonial letters from other schools and coaches.  Be prepared to leave detailed information with the coach/decision maker so they can refer back to what you discussed.

One HUGE advantage to approaching school coaches now is that more than likely there areMANY coaches there at the same time.  Once you’re in the school, track down other coaches of other sports.  Now is also the best time to show up unannounced and visit with as many coaches as possible.  Make the most of YOUR time and the coaches availability.  Don’t miss these lucrative couple of weeks…the BEST TIME FOR BOOKING SCHOOL SPORTS!

Posted by Monroe Ohio photographer Vincent Rush, Cincinnati Sports Photography and Dayton Sports Photography of Monroe Ohio. Vince Rush can be contacted by phone at (877) 858-6295 or by email at vrush@rushintl.com or visit http://CincinnatiSportsPhotography.com Check out my about.me profile!

Dayton's News Source :: Sports - Miami University Softball Team Breaking Records

 Photo by Ohio Sports Photographer Vincent Rush of Cincinnati Sports Photography

Dayton's News Source :: Sports - Miami University Softball Team Breaking Records


Posted by Monroe Ohio photographer Vincent Rush, Cincinnati Sports Photography and Dayton Sports Photography of Monroe Ohio. Vince Rush can be contacted by phone at (877) 858-6295 or by email at vrush@rushintl.com or visit http://CincinnatiSportsPhotography.comCheck out my about.me profile!

Miami University star Simpson has Crawford County connections

 Jessica Simpson delivers a pitch for Miami (Ohio) University this spring. / Vincent Rush of Cincinnati Sports Photography

Written by Dan Messerschmidt Telegraph-Forum

OXFORD -- Jessica Simpson has drawn quite a bit of attention over the past few years.
No, not the singer/actress who cavorted with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. But this Jessica Simpson turned some heads, just the same, as a star pitcher for the Miami University Redhawks' softball team.

Simpson has roots in Crawford County. She is the granddaughter of Bill and Barb Kaple of New Washington. Her mother, Karen, is a 1980 graduate of Buckeye Central High School.
As her grandfather, Bill is rightfully proud of Simpson, a 2008 graduate of North Canton Hoover High School.

"As a freshman in 2009, she was (Mid-American Conference) tournament MVP with a 4-0 record," Kaple said. "For eight years, at North Canton Hoover and now this, it's hard to top."

The "this" that Kaple referred to was another MAC tournament MVP and a trip to the NCAA tournament for his granddaughter.

Simpson had a love of sports and played a number of them before narrowing her focus to softball.

New sport

"I really was into sports when I was younger," Simpson said. "I played basketball, softball and volleyball. I always knew I wanted to play a sport in college. It turned out that softball was my sport."

Was it ever.

Simpson became a dominant pitcher, as indicated by the Miami and MAC records she accumulated in her four years in the circle for the Redhawks.

She holds MAC records for career wins (102) and career shutouts (46). Simpson also established Miami records with 32 wins and 358 strikeouts this season and career complete games with 117 and 1,021 career strikeouts.

This year, especially the post-season, demonstrates what an iron woman she has been.
To get to the NCAA tournament, the Redhawks had to battle their way out of the losers' bracket to win the MAC tournament.

The Redhawks lost 1-0 to Central Michigan to open the tourney. The next day, they beat Kent State at 11 a.m. and defeated Ball State -- the No. 1 seed -- at 7 p.m. The following day, Miami beat Western Michigan in an 11 a.m. game, before facing defeating Central Michigan twice, at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. with Simpson toeing the rubber in each. She pitched 42 innings in three days, giving up just three runs.

"Thursday we went to Knoxville and had to play Tennessee," Kaple said. "They were like the fourth ranked team in the country and Jess shut them out, 1-0. The next day, she lost to Virginia Tech in 100 degree heat. The team started to run out of gas."

Ready for college

Simpson was well prepared for Division I college after having played on state championship teams her sophomore and senior years at Division I Hoover.
"A lot of things stand out," Simpson said, looking back. "I loved my career, both high school and college. Shutting out Tennessee was big. We were only the third team to do that. It was a huge upset. It's something I'll remember for a long time."

Her athletic prowess is not surprising, considering her pedigree. Grandpa Kaple was a multi-sport athlete at New Washington (Class of '58) and her uncle, Brett Kaple, was a prolific scorer in basketball at Buckeye Central and now coaches at Colonel Crawford.

For her efforts, Simpson was mentioned in Sports Illustrated's Faces in the Crowd in the June 4 issue.

Next step

Though her playing days are over, Simpson has no intention of leaving behind the sport she loves.
"I can't imagine my life without softball in it in some way, shape or form," Simpson said. "I plan to be an English teacher and coach softball, along with giving pitching lessons."

Simpson will graduate in December and, as she put it, "Try to find a job wherever life takes me." She did indicate she would prefer to go somewhere warmer, which would be better for her softball coaching aspirations.

With her resume, it's easy to believe that Simpson will succeed wherever she goes.
dmessers@nncogannett.com

Posted by Monroe Ohio photographer Vincent Rush, Cincinnati Sports Photography and Dayton Sports Photography of Monroe Ohio. Vince Rush can be contacted by phone at (877) 858-6295 or by email at vrush@rushintl.com or visit http://CincinnatiSportsPhotography.com Check out my about.me profile!