Some people say they wear their heart on their sleeve, but the runners on Ohio’s cross country team wear their state on their thigh — literally.What began as just one runner’s tattoo has turned into a new tradition that is continuing to grow throughout the program.
During the past six years, members of the men’s cross country team have been tattooing a golf ball-sized, black outline of the state of Ohio on their thighs with a star in place of where Athens is located on a map.
But over time, the tattoos have grown to the size of a grapefruit and the runners joke around by saying that eventually it should take up someone’s entire chest. “I think it will turn into a tradition,” junior Brandon O’Malley said. “The freshmen are starting to pick up on it but we told them to wait awhile.”
For current team members, the tattoos come in a variety of different colors, styles and contain personal meanings.
Seven Bobcats, Jake Gentile, Jarrod Genther, Wes Cochran, Jake Stephens, Jack Shaeffer, Chris Alto and O’Malley have each taken part in the tradition of having tattooed thighs with an image where their running shorts end.
Genther, a sophomore Canal Winchester-native, also has a Bible verse inked into his skin above the outline of the state that he believes motivates and gives him strength while he’s running.
Alto, a junior from Akron, also has words to go along with his tattoo, with his mother’s signature etched next to the tattoo.
He said whenever he returns home to visit his family, they give him grief about the star being in Athens and not where his hometown is located in the state.
O’Malley has perhaps the most unique and eye-catching tattoo, as rather than the traditional outline of the state, the Kettering-native has a black, filled-in shape of Ohio on his leg with star not filled in with ink where Athens is located.
“To be honest, I just wanted it to show up from far away so people could see it,” O’Malley said. “I just wanted it to stand out.”
Although the tattoos might just seem like a common bond between the guys, the ink has helped put Ohio on the map, as other schools at various meets and invitational have noticed the tradition. O’Malley said runners from other schools see them before the race and will ask the tatted Bobcats questions, as some
runners at meets in North Carolina, Tennessee and Florida asked if each runner’s’ star was in the place of Athens.
Most of the Bobcat runners told their parents ahead of time what they were getting done with permanent ink, but for those who didn’t, the parents said they
didn’t look as bad in person.
With the Mid-American Conference Championships on Saturday in Bowling Green, the Bobcats have one more chance to show off their tattoos as a team. Despite a preseason ranking by MAC coaches that projected Ohio to finish seventh, the team is optimistic they might finish anywhere from second to sixth.
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