Sporting Pumpkin getting ready for 2023-24 school year

Dear Friends,

We set out on a new journey together 10 months ago when I returned to sports writing full time after a two-year layoff due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The task was taking a blog that John Howley and I originally designed as a stopgap to make sure at least some high school sports coverage was available following the height of the pandemic in August 2020 and transforming the blog into an information platform available to all high school sports.

The result was Sporting Pumpkin.

Since the relaunch of Sporting Pumpkin last September, the greater Pickaway County community has embraced us by viewing the website over 295,000 times to enjoy our extensive game coverage, features, Q and A’s, statistical packages, standings, composite schedule and much more. Sporting Pumpkin has produced over 800 assorted pieces since the relaunch.

The support from the community has been overwhelming and it has deeply humbled me. Thank you for the multitude of well-wishes, compliments and spreading the word about Sporting Pumpkin to your neighbors and friends. The greatest endorsement of our work is a recommendation to a family member or friend.

I have been moved by stories from readers who print our stories out and give them to older family members or friends who don’t have access to the internet, so they can stay up-to-date on the latest in high school sports around greater Pickaway County.

It takes financial resources to be able and operate a website and we needed partners who believed in our vision to step up and support quality high school sports coverage.

The daily sports coverage that Sporting Pumpkin has provided since our relaunch would not have been possible without the generous support we have received from Roese Bros. Paving, Health Care Logistics, Ink My Logo, Pickaway-Ross Career and Technology Center, Leist Mercantile, Pickaway County Family YMCA, Kingston National Bank, Anderson Insurance, Rhoads Garden Center and Landscaping and Atomic Credit Union.

Thank you for believing in us and our vision.

I also wanted to extend a special thank you to John Howley, who has been my right hand since a young junior attending The Ohio State University stepped into the offices of the Circleville Herald to become sports editor back in 2005.

Our community has been fortunate to have decades of rich writing that has chronicled the success of greater Pickaway County athletes on the field or hardwood from the likes of Bill McGaffney, Steve Helwagen, John Howley, Ryan Ernst, Travis Hoewischer and many more.

Sporting Pumpkin has also brought you outstanding images of our young men and women competing at the highest level. Thank you to Scott Iles and Gary Wright for lending their superb photography skills to the website and for all of their support.

With the Fourth of July now in the rearview mirror, the 2023-24 high school sports season is quickly approaching, and we are busy preparing once again to bring you the most comprehensive coverage of high school sports in greater Pickaway County.

Part of those preparations includes launching a new advertising campaign for the website. We have expanded the number of advertising packages available, as I have started to learn the business end of this model by necessity. For as little as $50 per month, your business can support high school sports coverage in greater Pickaway County and also reach our rapidly growing audience of potential customers.

Please contact me at bradmorrisjournalist@gmail.com if you are interested in joining our team of heavy hitters who make Sporting Pumpkin possible.

Sporting Pumpkin is also asserting itself in the local high school sports landscape by starting new awards to recognize excellence.

We oversaw the creation of The Dave Truex Award, which is now presented annually to the most outstanding senior softball player in Pickaway County and brought back The Don Rowland Award after a decade hiatus, which is once again being awarded to the most outstanding senior baseball player in the county.

The first All-Pickaway County/All-Area teams were also released for both sports that recognized 49 players.

We have more plans for the 2023-24 school year, but those are being worked on behind the scenes with coaches from across greater Pickaway County.

Once again, let me thank you and especially all of our valued advertisers for your support during the 2022-23 school year and we are looking forward to even bigger things in the 2023-24 school year.

Sincerely,
Brad Morris
Editor and co-founder, Sporting Pumpkin