08/18/2017

OHSAA high school sports media coverage updates

By Tim Stried, OHSAA Director of Communications

Welcome to a new school year and thank you for your continued coverage of high school sports. I am reminded every year that we are blessed in Ohio that high school sports are still such a big part of our culture and our communities.

In my role as communications and media relations director for the OHSAA, I receive so many different kinds of questions regarding media coverage of high school sports. Our media regulations and photography regulations are in place to address many of those issues, but there are always unique circumstances and questions that need answered individually. In those cases, please reach to me directly at tstried@ohsaa.org or 614-267-2502, ext. 124.

Last year, the most significant new media regulation involved the use of drones during high school sports contests, typically for photography or videography purposes. During OHSAA postseason tournament contests, in all sports, the use of drones is not permitted anywhere within the entire athletic facility beginning one hour before the contest is scheduled to begin. This includes both indoor and outdoor contests. The use of drones at regular‐season contests is permitted pending approval from the host institution, which accepts all liability and confirms that the drone complies with local, state and federal regulations.

Speaking of photography, the use of flash photography is always a topic of conversation. As a reminder, flash photography (includes both strobe lights and flashes mounted to cameras) is permitted in all sports except in bowling, gymnastics (including warm‐ups), diving (including warm‐ups), volleyball (only during OHSAA tournament contests), basketball within the free throw lane area (behind the backboard), golf during and a few seconds before the swing, and in swimming immediately before the start of a race (so as to not interfere with the starter’s signal).

The photography regulations and media regulations are posted within the “News & Media” page, which is linked at the top of the OHSAA’s website. The exact link is: www.ohsaa.org/news-media

In addition to photography and media regulations, other items posted on the news page include applications for state tournament media credentials, OHSAA Radio Network information, tournament broadcast rates, record books, historical information, media award winners and much more. Also posted on that site is our “Working with the Media” brochure, which the OHSAA prints annually and sends to all member schools, all media who are in the OHSAA media database, along with all registered officials.

I would also like to take this opportunity to recognize the growth of the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association. That group was strong back in the 1970s and 1980s before slowly falling off in the 1990s and 2000s before it partnered with the OHSAA in 2009. The OPSWA now has a record 158 members and annually conducts a writing contest and selects a Hall of Fame class, which we honor during a halftime ceremony at the boys basketball state tournament every March. There is no cost to be a member and members get a free ID badge and have an annual luncheon, among other benefits. If you cover high school sports (either as a writer and/or a photographer), please join!

Thanks again for your coverage of high school sports and for promoting all the good things that are happening in Ohio schools!