WestChesterBuzz.com

Greater Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky Women’s Sports Association welcomes Olympic gold medalist

PHOTOS FROM YOUTH CAMP IN WEST CHESTER IN JULY OF 2012

Shannon Russell reports:

Three-time Olympic gold medalist Heather Mitts planned to end her illustrious soccer career after the 2012 Games in London, but discovered she couldn’t quite walk away from the sport.

Her ailing body finally convinced her to retire just last month.

“I had every intention of being done after the Olympics, but I just still loved playing. I wanted to start a family, but I also wanted to continue playing until that happened,” said Mitts, 34. “I went to (U.S. National Team) camp in March and had a slew of injuries. I thought, ‘OK, this is my body’s way of being done.’”

Mitts and her husband, former NFL quarterback A.J. Feeley, are now both retired and living in Philadelphia. But the St. Ursula Academy grad and recent University of Florida Hall of Fame inductee will be back in her hometown Tuesday as the keynote speaker at the Greater Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky Women’s Sports Association’s 20th anniversary awards dinner in West Chester.

Other area Olympians and Paralympians will be honored at the banquet, including Jenny Kemp (swimming), Barbara Weinstein McGrath (diving), Mary Wineberg (track), Keli Smith Puzo (field hockey), Emmy Kaiser (tennis) and April Kerely (swimming). Event officials will present awards to 26 local athletes, coaches, sponsors and administrators.

“I’m happy to be the speaker at the 20th anniversary awards dinner. It’s a great honor,” Mitts said. “I’m excited to meet other Olympians, too.”

Mitts said her retirement thus far feels like a long vacation with great opportunities, like the sports banquet and the two Philadelphia Union soccer matches she worked as a sideline reporter. She’ll conduct her annual CBTS Heather Mitts Soccer ProCamp at Lakota West Aug. 3 and 4, and for the first time will also have an evening-session elite camp for high schoolers.

Mitts’ retirement means she won’t compete in the new National Women’s Soccer League, but the former defender is optimistic that the fresh foray into women’s professional soccer will take root. Unlike previous short-lived leagues – the Women’s United Soccer League and Women’s Professional Soccer – the eight-team NWSL is supported by the United States Soccer Federation, Canadian Soccer Association and Federation of Mexican Football.

“Because of the fact that (U.S. Soccer) is taking the initiative to be involved, I do think it will succeed longer than leagues of the past. And by investing in a women’s professional league in the U.S., our players can train here on a daily basis,” Mitt said.

Mitts said it was bittersweet to finish her own career in London but “couldn’t have asked for a better way to go out.” Asked if she envisioned a return from retirement, Mitts promptly laughed.

“I will not be pulling a Brett Favre or Michael Jordan,” she said. “I want to start a family, and hopefully that happens here sooner rather than later.”

For information about the GCNKWSA banquet, which begins at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday at the Savannah Center, visit cincywomensports.org. To learn more about Mitts’ soccer camps, visit procamps.com/heathermittselite.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports, Youth sports |

Tags: Tags: Heather Mitts, Heather Mitts Olympics, Heather Mitts photos, Heather Mitts soccer camp Cincinnati, Heather Mitts soccer camp West Chester, Heather Mitts Team USA, Heather Mitts Team USA photos, West Chester photos, West Chester soccer

To let West Chester and Liberty Township residents catch up with the news that they need to know, WestChesterBuzz.com will list and link to all of last week’s top local stories every Monday.

Lakota athletes dubbed Enquirer spring prep all stars- The Cincinnati Enquirer released its list of spring all stars in last Tuesday’s print edition, honoring 25 Lakota student athletes. The Enquirer named seven Lakota athletes as first teamers in their respected sports and selected 18 others as honorable mentions.

Mellow Mushroom and Jack in the Box updates – According to people close to the new Mellow Mushroom and Jack in the Box locations currently being constructed in West Chester, the two anticipated chains may not open until late summer. Mellow Mushroom is expected to open in late August, as Jack in the Box is expected to open in early September.

LOFT coming to The Streets of West Chester – West Chester Township recently announced that a well-known women’s clothing and accessory chain is coming to The Streets of West Chester. LOFT, a part of the Ann Taylor brand and a division of Ann Inc., will join J. Jill and Chico’s as other women clothing stores at the outdoor shopping and entertainment destination.

Police detectives recognized for putting away child abusers – A pair of West Chester Township detectives, who helped put two child abusers in prison earlier this year, have received certificates of recognition from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Heather Mitts hosts youth camp before Olympics- Less than three weeks before her first match in the 2012 Olympics in London, Hyde Park native Heather Mitts called it her “top priority” to host her fourth annual youth girls’ soccer camp in her hometown. The two-day camp took place over the weekend at Lakota West High School.

Liberty Township man killed in Indiana crash – A Liberty Township man was killed in a four-vehicle crash last Wednesday evening on eastbound U.S. 50 at Interstate 275 in Greendale, Ind. Greendale police said William M. Ensor, 55, of Liberty Township, driving a 1991 Toyota two-door passenger car, rear ended a 2010 Ford Focus driven by Juanita Haas, 41, of Aurora, Ind.

Butler-Warren Road widening project forces closure – The Butler County Engineer’s Office reports that two separate closures will take place in July on Butler-Warren Road north of the Liberty Way/Mason Road intersection. The closures are affiliated with the third phase of the Butler-Warren Road improvement project. The first closure (between Hampton Cove Ct. and Sweet Briar Ct.) began Friday morning and is scheduled to end Monday at 4 p.m.

John Boehner speaks at opening of the Republican Party’s Butler County campaign office – Dan Horn of The Cincinnati Enquirer reported Saturday that House Speaker John Boehner encouraged supporters to help get fellow Republicans to the polls if they are serious about beating President Barack Obama in November.

Posted in: Crime, Election, Government, News, Schools, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Butler County Republican campaign office, Enquirer Players of the Year, Enquirer spring all stars, Heather Mitts, Heather Mitts Olympics, Heather Mitts photos, Heather Mitts soccer camp Cincinnati, Heather Mitts soccer camp West Chester, Heather Mitts Team USA, Heather Mitts Team USA photos, Jack in the Box West Chester, John Boehner, John Boehner Cincinnati, John Boehner photos, John Boehner West Chester, Liberty Township Republican campaign office, LOFT, LOFT The Streets of West Chester, LOFT West Chester, Mellow Mushroom West Chester, Republican Party’s Butler County campaign office, Streets of West Chester, The Streets of West Chester, West Chester business, West Chester business news, West Chester photos, West Chester Police, West Chester Police Department, West Chester soccer

Less than three weeks before her first match in the 2012 Olympics in London, Hyde Park native Heather Mitts called it her “top priority” to host her fourth annual youth girls’ soccer camp in her hometown.

When the two-day camp opened Saturday with temperatures more than 100 degrees at Lakota West High School in West Chester, Mitts addressed the group of more than 200 young girls – telling them about the impact soccer camps had on her growing up.

“I remember those (camps) like they were yesterday. I had so much fun,” Mitts said. “I loved the competition and just the fact that you are out there to learn a little bit and play soccer everyday. It can’t get any better than that.”

While many young girls were getting their first taste of soccer at the camp, the 34-year-old Mitts said she is going to call it a career and retire after this summer’s Olympics games.

“This is probably the fittest I have ever been, so to be able to walk away right now is kind of surreal, but I feel like this is the right time to do it,” said Mitts, who has endured numerous injuries throughout her soccer career. “I want to go out when I am still at the top of my game and there are other things that I do want to do in life.”

“This is the way it is going to end and hopefully it is with a gold medal around my neck.”

Once she retires, Mitts said that she wants to start a family with her husband A.J. Feeley, who has been a quarterback in the NFL since 2001. With Feeley currently a free agent, there are many unknowns about where the couple will put down their roots. However, with family still in Cincinnati, Mitts made it clear that she wants to continue hosting her annual event.

“We are still up in the air. They are still so many things to still decide, but I will continue to do this because this is something that is very, very special and dear to me,” Mitts said. “To be able to come home, where my soccer career began, is special and we need some more national team players from Cincinnati.”

While she wants to start a family first, Mitts is also hopeful to return sports television where she has already worked as a sideline reporter, studio analyst and color commentator for various sports networks including ESPN and ABC.

But before all of that, the defender wants one more gold medal.

“This is it for me, so I really have nothing to lose. I just want to go out there and play the best I can, help my team win another gold medal in whatever fashion that may be,” Mitts said. “We have already made it to the Olympics, so from here on out it is just icing on the cake.”

Mitts and Team USA, which is No. 1 in the FIFA Women’s World Rankings, will open Group G play against France at Hampden Park in Glasgow Scotland at 5 p.m. local time (12 p.m. ET) July 25 – two days prior to the Olympics’ opening ceremonies.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Heather Mitts, Heather Mitts Olympics, Heather Mitts photos, Heather Mitts soccer camp Cincinnati, Heather Mitts soccer camp West Chester, Heather Mitts Team USA, Heather Mitts Team USA photos, West Chester photos, West Chester soccer