Never say never.
It’s the saying I have been living by lately.
First, let me introduce myself to the Clermont County community. I am Jake Dowling, the new sports reporter for The Clermont Sun.
Born and raised in Ohio — my hometown is Findlay in the northwest portion of the state — I left the Buckeye State four years ago on a journey for bigger and brighter horizons on the career front. Still, as of late, home has been calling me and returning to it felt like the right decision.
So a little about me, well, there’s a lot.
I’m a two-time cancer survivor who jumped into the journalism field to tell other people’s stories, especially through the life of sports.
As a kid, I loved to play sports — I was going to be the next Brett Favre and lead the Green Bay Packers to multiple Super Bowl championships — but as I got older, the effects of surviving cancer exploited my limitations and forced me to rethink other alternatives. My phrase, “If you can’t compete against them, cover them,” started.
My life has many parallels to sports.
After graduating from Findlay High — former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s alma mater — I attended Owens Community College, earning my associate’s degree in communications before transferring to the University of Findlay. You might have heard of the Oilers if you follow collegiate sports. They were the 2009 Division II men’s basketball national champions, and Ohio State quality control coach Rob Keys was the Oilers head football coach for several years in the 2010s when I was a student covering his squads.
Since then, I began my professional journalism career at the Wapakoneta Daily News, about two hours up Interstate 75 and became the sports editor for its sister newspaper, The Evening Leader, for almost six years. Fun fact: The Roughriders reside in the same region as Batavia in football.
Then, I yearned for a big jump in my career. I was offered a job as a sports reporter near the Gulf of Mexico, or whatever it is called today, in Texas, and I jumped at the chance for something new.
There, I learned how to become a better writer — I eventually earned runner-up honors in the Texas Managing Editors Contest — and how to improve my photography skills. While I studied journalism in college, I also developed as a photographer and loved capturing some of the most special moments in sports. In some ways, my years in Texas felt more like a sabbatical than a place to set down my roots.
Then life came knocking, and Ohio called for me to return to my roots.
I didn’t think I would return to Ohio so soon, but never say never.
So here I am, back in the cold Ohio winter after spending nearly four years in the subtropical, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. My bread and butter, if you will, is being everywhere to cover local sports as a reporter and a photographer. This job is my passion, and I hope it will show in my work as it has in the past. I even started the X, formerly known as Twitter, #WhereisJake, while in Texas so my followers can see my journey. I hope y’all will follow me, too.
I love Wisconsin sports — Go Pack Go, Brewers and Badgers — bowling once upon a time, Bob Evans, Forrest Gump, Reign Energy Drinks, rock music telling stories and my lab-blue heeler dog Lucy is my world.
I’m excited to impact the local sports scene throughout Clermont County, but in the meantime, please feel free to drop by our office and chat or email me. My door is always open.