Ohio coach Bob Boldon earned his 200th win Saturday at Ohio, snapping a five-game losing streak. Even though the Bobcats aren't having a winning season, they continue to look at the big picture.
Ohio Athletics partners with the Turn It Gold organization to raise awareness for childhood cancer. Saturday was a "Turn it Gold" game in The Convo, and the Bobcats chose to speak about what this means to them.
“... we are playing for something more than just ourselves,” sophomore Bailey Tabeling said. “I think that had a big impact on the game, we’re playing for ourselves, we’re playing for our teammates, but we are also playing for the people who can’t play the game right now.”
When asked about his 200-win milestone, Boldon redirected the attention to the cause that Ohio learned more about over the past week: childhood cancer and 'Turn It Gold’.
“Obviously, I’m happy that we won, it was a nice win,” Boldon said. “More importantly, it's the week that the kids got the chance to meet Hunter Holter.”
Boldon laid out the timeline that led up to the victory over Eastern Michigan. On Monday, the Bobcats met Holter, a child who is fighting cancer, along with some of his friends and family. After the loss against Buffalo and before the win against Eastern Michigan, Ohio heard Friday from the Turn It Gold Foundation.
Boldon spoke with emotion as he shared about hearing about the challenges and barriers families face when battling childhood cancer.
“Spending yesterday with Michelle (Payne) and Angela (Dina, founders of Turn it Gold), and learning about that and our kids being able to play this game today, that's something really special,” Boldon said. “And when you get a chance to do something bigger than yourself, obviously you want to do that. I thought our kids did a great job of doing that. Obviously, we're all trying to win, but I think today is far more important than the score.”
Boldon looks beyond his own accomplishments and focuses on what is most important. In addition, he is team-oriented and acknowledges how others contribute to his success. The 200th win is a marker of what has made Boldon the program’s winningest coach, but to earn it in the "Turn it Gold” game means so much more.
