Bobby Bingham placed second in the Nicholas Wilson Memorial Scholarship 5K, held in New Richmond on July 9, 2016.

By Garth Shanklin
Sports Editor

A sunny summer day awaited walkers and runners who made the trip to New Richmond for the Nicholas Wilson Memorial Scholarship 5K on July 9.

Nicholas Wilson graduated from New Richmond High School in 2009. He was a member of the Lions’ football, baseball, basketball and track teams as well as a member of the Freshman Chorus and a three-year member of the Troubadors.

At four years old, Nicholas Wilson underwent brain surgery, which according to his mother, Patricia Wilson, brought on many obstacles in his educational career.

Nonetheless, after graduating from New Richmond, Nicholas Wilson went on to continue his education at Nashville Auto Diesel College, where he graduated with honors as a mechanic with a heavy equipment emphasis.

Nicholas Wilson was killed in a single-car crash on Dec. 24, 2013 at 23 years old. In the years since, fundraisers have been held across New Richmond in his name. Previously, donations had been sent to the neurology department at Cincinnati Children’s hospital, as they had saved his life when he was younger. That would change after the owner of Fatboy’s Dream restaurant in New Richmond approached Patricia Wilson with an idea for a fundraiser.

“They asked if they could have what they now call ‘Nick Nights,’” Patricia Wilson said. “They wanted to make it a fundraiser and asked me if the funds should go to Children’s Hospital. I had some time to think about it and I said ‘No, I want to get with the school and see about opening a scholarship in his name.’ [The scholarship goes] to an athlete to continue the memory of [Nick] by giving to others and helping them further their education.’”

In order to be eligible for the Nicholas Wilson Athletic Scholarship, potential recipients must meet three criteria: they must be a graduating senior from New Richmond High School, they must show evidence of acceptance to a trade school or any two or four year institution of higher learning and they must have earned at least one varsity letter in at least one sport. In addition, there is a required essay on overcoming a difficult or significant obstacle in life and a letter of recommendation from a coach is also required.

So far, two New Richmond students have received the scholarship: James Mahan in 2015 and Maren Hance, who received the award this past year.

As for the 5K itself, that event was born from Patricia Wilson’s desire to raise additional funds for the scholarship.

“After I got permission from the school to do the scholarship, I wanted to raise more money for the fund,” Patricia Wilson said. “We decided to have a 5K. This was the second annual event…We’ve had very strong community support. We’ve been lucky, it’s been very successful with all the support we’ve received.”

This year’s event drew 110 walkers and runners to downtown New Richmond. Felicity-Franklin junior Jared Boeckmann posted the fastest time, finishing the course in 18:31 to win the overall title. Bobby Bingham was right behind Boeckmann, crossing the line with a mark of 19:11.

Althea Davis posted the fastest time for the women runners, finishing in just over 20 minutes. Hope Boshears led all the participants in the walker division with a time that was just over 40 minutes.

Patricia Wilson said the event would like to expand.

“Because the event was in it’s infancy stage, last year we only gave [awards] to the first female and the first male, ” Patricia Wilson said. “This year we gave to the first three runners in those categories. We’re talking about next year adding another category for walkers. A walker isn’t going to beat a runner, so they don’t get an award. We’re discussing adding a category for the top three walkers. Hopefully participation will increase so we can add something different every year, make it bigger.”

Patricia Wilson said the event will likely continue to be held on the first Saturday after the Fourth of July. It took roughly 40 volunteers to make this year’s event possible, and more help would be appreciated in the future. Donations are also accepted, with Patricia Wilson noting people have donated gift cards, Reds tickets and even themed baskets that were used as door prizes. She also added there is a tax ID available for donation.

For more information or to donate to the fund, contact Patricia Wilson at Patricia.Wilson@cchmc.org. Donations can also be made directly through New Richmond High School via the treasurer’s office.