FROM THE PRESS BOX: VALLEY SPORTS REPORT CELEBRATES SWEET 16TH (2025-08-10)
Sweet 16!
Today marks the 16th anniversary of Valley Sports Report, and as I've said in the past the only reason my little venture has been as successful as it has been is because high school sports is king in the Valley.
I've been blessed to have covered four school districts whose teams and individual athletes have won countless league and district / section titles, as well as a dozen team state titles, and a host of individual state gold medals, and countless other state medals.
On top of that, the communities surrounding these school districts have avidly supported their sports programs with followers that border on lunacy — and I say that in the best possible way.
The fact we could turn Valley Sports Report into five sites in The Sports Reports' family is still something I struggle to get my mind around. It also shows high school sports is also the king in the Twin Tiers.
Of course, the success of the other sites can be attributed to the hard work and dedication of Brian Fees (Southern Tier Sports Report), Chris Manning (Northern Tier Sports Report), and Lance Larcom (Northern Tier West Sports Report).
All three are highly-skilled as writers and photographers, and each bring something different to the table that makes their respective site successful.
Tim Taylor ran Tioga County Sports until last summer when he "retired." Of course, few sports writers ever really fully retire, and Tim has been working part-time tor TCSR since shortly after his retirement.
I also have several photographers whose abilities to capture the moment are vital to our success. I cannot thank Matt Patton, Sarah Hall, Cristina Rossi, Miranda Szymanski, Amanda Bailey, and Christina Kreykenbohm enough for their efforts. Without them, we wouldn't have nearly as many photos as we do.
I'm not sure people realize the time that goes into these sites. It would be impossible for me to do what I do without the support of my family — led, of course, by my wife Nicole.
She is the epicenter of the Birney Family, as well as The Sports Reports' family of Web sites — none of which would have been possible without her.
Nikki is intelligent, quick-witted, and beautiful. She is a great mother, a great teacher, a great wife, and, more importantly, a great person.
She gets annoyed that I keep repeating this each year, but Nikki is not only my muse, my harshest critic, and biggest fan, but she is my sounding board, my voice of reason, and the smartest person I know.
And then there are the kids. Andrew and his wife Jessica, whose daughter Natalie celebrates her ninth birthday this week, son Nathan will be 7 in December, and son Nolan will turn 4 in November. ... Alex and his wife Rebecca, who have yet to add to the Birney lineage, but have a couple dogs and a couple more horses ... Emily, a graphic design specialist at Rainbow Lettering ... James, a recent graduate of St. Bonaventure, who will begin his full-time teaching career at Tioga this year ... Cassie, a grad student at St. Bonaventure, and Patrick, a senior at St. Bonaventure. They are the reason I do what I do, and they all have great things ahead of them.
I can't forget the newest addition to the Birney clan, Emily's little one — Winona Rea, who is 10 1/2 months old and the apple of her grandfather's eye.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my parents — Elizabeth and the late Jim Birney, who played a crucial part in helping me get started with this venture in 2009.
My father passed away eight years ago, and not a day goes by that I don't think about him and the life lessons I learned through his actions, while my mother's zest for life at 90 years of age continues to be a source of inspiration.
As I said, high school sports is the king around here, but everyone loves a winner, and I’ve been blessed to cover highly successful teams and individuals. The number of Division I athletes the four "little Valley schools" have produced in recent years is truly mind-boggling.
All this has made my job quite a bit easier, and resulted in rabid fan bases in the four Valley school districts, which has led to consistent, and constantly-expanding viewership numbers for the site.
So to the student-athletes, the coaches, the athletic directors, and readers I’d like to say "thank you."
I’ve also been blessed with a tremendously loyal advertising base. Even during the Covid shutdown, VSR lost just one advertiser.
I’d like to thank the Valley Bowling Center and John H. Murray & Sons — both with us since Day 1, as well as longtime supporters Williams Auto Group, Dandy Mini Marts, First Citizens Community Bank, Gannon Associates, Sutryk & Sons, Croft Lumber, Austin Excavation, Guthrie Community Credit Union, Beeman’s Restaurant & Lounge, The Club at Shepard Hills, and Visions Federal Credit Union.
In the first few years, we've added loyal supporters like Owen Insurance Agency, Coaches Pizza, Waverly Wine & Liquor, Kinsley Chiropractic, CVS, Leprino Food, and Camco Manufacturing.
In the last several years, we've added Guthrie Sports Medicine, Decatur Automotive, Allstate (Aaron Lounsbury), Hal Fish Heating and Air Conditioning, Sam's Bar & Grill, 2 Rivers Insurance, At Your Door Dog Grooming, Naglee Moving & Storage, Simmons-Rockwell, Arnot Health, Shores Sisters, Bodine Motors, I-R FCU, LaneEdge (Jim Lister, vehicle broker), Taunya Knolles Rosenbloom Law & Real Estate, Bishop Brothers Construction, Smith Brothers, and Rainbow Lettering.
Bottom line is, without the support of our local businesses there would be no Valley Sports Report or any of its sister sites.
One thing I can't stress enough is the importance of doing business locally. We are very fortunate to have the options we have in the Valley, and spending your money in the Valley is the best way to ensure we maintain our quality of life.
For me, this site is mainly about the student-athletes and the fans, the majority of whom view the site multiple times per day, so I offer another huge "thank you" to both.
Every time a school year ends and I look back at the storylines from the previous 9 1/2 months, I think "there's no way next year can match that." Yet, the following year usually matches or tops the previous in terms of team or individual accomplishments.
The 16th year of high school sports coverage for VSR begins Monday, and I’m looking forward to another historic year, wondering how it will top 2024-25.
One final thought: I am constantly amazed by the support this site continues to receive. I look forward to the future, and I hope to see a lot of familiar faces on the sidelines, and in the stands this fall, winter, and spring.
Thank you, one and all.
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