The locally beloved Cincinnati Rollergirls were on the move once again in 2020, and this time they’ve skated into their best home yet. In March the roller derby team was slated to kick off their 2020 season in some swanky new digs — at the Cintas Center on the campus of Xavier University, which is also home to the Xavier Musketeers basketball and volleyball teams. (The coronavirus had different plans, delaying the season, but they’ll be in their new arena at some point.) Founded in 2005, the Rollergirls have hosted matches on Xavier’s campus since 2017 when they moved to the 3,000-seat Schmidt Memorial Fieldhouse after their former home, Cincinnati Gardens, was sold (and later demolished). Cintas Center is a major step up — the state-of-the-art arena not only offers top-notch accommodations across the board, it also has 10,224 seats. All together, it should greatly help the team’s efforts to grow its rabidly loyal fanbase. Cincinnati Rollergirls, cincinnatirollergirls.com.

Bat-licker Yasiel Puig didn’t have as big of an impact on the Cincinnati Reds as many fans had hoped, ultimately getting traded to the Cleveland Indians before the end of the 2019 season. But the slugger did leave Reds fans with a few memorable moments — including a pair that involved fighting with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Early in the season, when the benches cleared after a Pirates pitcher threw behind batter Derek Dietrich, Puig rushed out of the dugout and began throwing hands. An image posted by Fox Sports of a solo Puig lurching toward a wall of angry Pirate players (with other Reds players rushing in to assist) was so artful, many declared it museum-worthy, comparing it to a great Renaissance masterpiece. Puig was also beefing with the Pirates later in the season — on the day news surfaced that he’d been traded, during Puig’s final game as a Red, the Pirates again appeared to try to hit Dietrich during an at bat, which caused both teams to empty on to the field once again. Despite it being his last game as a Red, Puig was again in the middle of the action and standing up for his teammates. Fortunately, no one was hurt; unfortunately, no one got a good meme out of the second fight. Cincinnati Reds, reds.com.

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden welcomed a new baby bearcat in October. Born at the Nashville Zoo, the super cute binturong arrived in Cincinnati nameless and destined to be the University of Cincinnati’s next living bearcat mascot. The school’s beloved former bearcat Lucy retired from public life last August. So leading up to UC’s bicentennial homecoming celebration, the zoo asked the public to name the new baby. And the zoo narrowed the recommendations down to two: “Lucille” or “UCelia” (get it?), asking fans to pick their favorite. In the end, the 42,000 people who voted opted for the non-punny choice — Lucille — by 70 percent. We’re sure Lucille appreciates that. Binturongs are native to Asia and can grow to be between 20 and 30 pounds. They’re also rumored to smell like buttered popcorn. But why is this little civet the UC mascot? The origin of the program’s nickname dates back to 1914, when UC newspaper editor and cheerleader Norman Lyon deemed football captain Leonard Baehr a “Baehr cat” during a face-off against the University of Kentucky Wildcats. Shortly after the UC victory, a cartoon in the school paper depicted their team as a quadruped bear-cat hybrid chasing a scrawny kitten. The name stuck. The Bearcat’s first on-field mascot — a person in a bearcat costume — suited up in 1950. And Lucille will be the school’s fourth living bearcat mascot. University of Cincinnati, 2600 Clifton Ave., Clifton Heights, uc.edu.

2. Pure Barre (Oakley)

3. DEFINE: body & mind

With remarkably consistent play over the past few seasons, running back Michael Warren II earned himself a place in the hearts of UC fans and the Bearcats football record books. So it was disappointing when he announced at the beginning of 2020 that he would forgo his final year of eligibility to enter the NFL Draft, becoming the first player in the history of UC’s football program to leave early for the opportunity. Still, fans — more hyped about UC football than anyone has been in quite some time — had plenty of reasons to be hopeful for the coming season, after two bowl-winning years with a combined 22-5 record. That excitement was replaced with anxiety when news surfaced in February that Michigan State was interested in poaching UC head coach Luke Fickell, just as they’d done in 2006 when they stole away Mark Dantonio (whose abrupt retirement from Michigan State put the job up for grabs again). After a few nervous days, fans let out a massive sigh of relief when it was clear the coach who has led the team through their major turnaround had decided to stay put. You lose some, you win some. UC Bearcats, gobearcats.com.

2. Miami Whitewater Forest

3. Devou Park

After going winless in its first eight games of the 2019 season, the Cincinnati Bengals sought to shake things up at the quarterback position for the first time in nine years. Veteran Andy Dalton was benched in favor of rookie Ryan Finley when the team played the Ravens in November. It was hard to blame the Bengals for wanting to see what they had in Finley, but the timing was a bit awkward (and typically Bengalian). The news of the benching came out on Oct. 20 — Dalton’s 32nd birthday. Suffice to say, Finley didn’t play well enough for him to keep the starting job — Dalton was back under center to help the team win its first game of the year, one of only two wins all season. Cincinnati Bengals, bengals.com.

Exercise can be lonely if you don’t have friends or family who share your desire to get into better shape. Why not surround yourself with some of the city’s finest folks in a gorgeous environment? Bonus: they’ll keep quiet, being six feet under and all. Spring Grove Cemetery is not only a massive sprawling expanse of immaculately manicured grounds, but it also has been a beautiful final destination for Cincinnati families for 175 years. Spanning 733 acres, the cemetery/arboretum is recognized as a U.S. National Historic Landmark and rightly so. If you’ve never visited, do yourself a favor and take a stroll through Spring Grove Cemetery, but leave your doggos at home. (They do allow furry pals inside one day a year for their annual Dog Day of Summer, with 2020’s planned for June 28.) Also, while you visit, be respectful of those in mourning: no loud music, keep your voices down and maintain a respectful distance from any processions that may be taking place. Remember why the cemetery was established (hint: not specifically for joggers) and be appreciative that our city is home to these beautiful grounds. If you don’t want to walk alone, Spring Grove offers frequent docent-led tours including Twilight Tours, early morning bird walks, native plant identification tours and the ever-popular An Afternoon with the Beer Barons event (beer + guided tours of historic brewery figure graves). Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum, 4521 Spring Grove Ave., Spring Grove Village, springgrove.org.

2. Mosaic Climbing

3. The University of Cincinnati Campus Recreation Center

2. John Brannen (University of Cincinnati Basketball)

3. Matt Thomas (Cincinnati Cyclones)

In 2019, hundreds of people gathered in Las Vegas at the American Cornhole Organization’s World Championships to watch Matt Guy compete for the world champion and “King of Cornhole” title. The 40-something janitorial supply salesman from Alexandria, Kentucky is the most dominant player the sport has seen. Of the 14 ACO World Championships held, Guy has claimed eight titles, including last year’s. Fun fact: The ACO — the “governing body for the sport of cornhole” — is a Milford-based organization launched by Frank “The Cornhole Dude” Geers. Geers opened Harris Hawk, a promotional products company, in 2002 with zero intentions of starting a professional cornhole organization. With his background in marketing, he was always a good promoter and while tailgating at a Bengals game in 2004, he noticed people playing cornhole and saw an opportunity to add company logos to the cornhole boards. It was then he decided to launch a new company around the game and came up with the name “American Cornhole.” After discussing it with his partner at Harris Hawk, they decided to start a products company that would manufacture boards and bags with company logos on them. From there, the ACO started organizing tournaments and creating a ranking system for the sport. The ACO hosted its first major tournament in partnership with former Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer for the Carson Palmer Cornhole Classic in June 2006. The winner of the classic was none other than Guy. It was his first ACO cornhole tournament he had ever entered. Guy started off pitching horseshoes before cornhole. A similar game and throwing motion, he claims that cornhole just came naturally — at one point he was ranked sixth in the world at horseshoes. And success in cornhole runs in the family: his son Bret has been a pro since he was 12 years old and was the World Singles Champion in 2013. He also won a doubles championship in 2014 with his father. Guy says his proudest moments were watching Bret win his singles championship and sharing the doubles title together. The cornhole king contributes his own success to three main things: “competitiveness, mental toughness and Bud Light.” The ACO 2020 World Championships take place in Columbia, South Carolina in July. American Cornhole Organization, americancornhole.com.

2. Jesse Schultz          

3. Justin Vaive

Galaxie Skateshop owner Gary Collins and Newport Mayor Jerry Peluso are the driving forces behind Newport’s DIY Skatepark, a collaborative spot hand-crafted beneath the I-471 bridge. “The idea (for the park) was conceived by the previous owner of Galaxie, my friend Andrew Martin,” said Collins in an interview with CityBeat. “He just started building under the bridge, like, renegade, with a box, and then a quarter pipe. When I bought the shop, I reached out to the city a little bit more about letting us push it.” In 2008, Martin approached Peluso about clearing the area of mud and debris in exchange for creative control beneath the overpass. Peluso, who also happens to be Galaxie’s landlord, was enthusiastic about the idea — the city had long considered building a park, and the DIY spot’s remote location would provide a space for skaters to ride without being chased off by cops. When Collins bought Galaxie in 2009, he made it his mission to further expand the park with Peluso’s approval. What was originally a few parking blocks and wooden ramps has now become an urban oasis. A former pro skater and founder of the Instrument skate brand, Collins used his vast network to raise funds for the project. Thanks to a $1,000 grant from Citigroup, $14,000 donated by local nonprofit Newport Foundations and contributions from regular customers, the park now boasts an empty pool and an impressive array of ramps — all designed and built by skaters. Even the concrete was hand-mixed. “You can’t even measure the impact it’s had on the skateboarding scene out here,” Collins said. One of just a few fully fledged DIY parks in the country, the spot brings in a steady stream of pros and road-trippers. “Now, every time a pro crew comes through, they want to go to the bridge,” Collins said. “You’ll be down there, and you never know who you’ll see. The most mind-blowing person I’ve seen come through there is (former Thrasher Skater of the Year) Grant Taylor. But the local guys who skate there, they’re fucking ridiculous, too.”  Newport DIY Skatepark, I-471 Bridge, Newport.

In the last year, Cincinnati has edged into the fast-growing market of electronic sports, aka esports. According to Forbes, its global revenue exceeded $1 billion in 2019 with audiences surpassing 443 million. That’s more viewership than IRL American football and rugby combined. A glance at the Queen City’s local esports scene reflects this development. Here are a few highlights: In late 2018, FC Cincinnati signed Cincinnati-native Gordon “Fiddle” Thornsberry in FIFA — a soccer simulation game created by EA Sports — to compete for them as part of the eMLS. Last year also marked their first season not only competing in the MLS but also the virtual arena, too, and in January, Thornsberry took home FCC’s first eMLS title. The inaugural PiviP esports tournament and gaming conference also arrived in the Queen City in 2019. Held at Kings Island, it was the first event of its kind locally and was co-founded by Bill Donabedian (founder of the Bunbury Music Festival, MidPoint Music Festival and Bellwether Music Festival) and Cincy-based esports event organizer AllMid. Newport’s GameWorks unveiled a new fully stocked esports lounge in March 2019 to provide space for more tournaments and events while competitive teams have sprouted locally on both a collegiate and high school level. As stated in Forbes, audiences for such entertainment are predicted to number 645 million in 2020. The esports arena, it seems, is only getting bigger. Let’s see if Cincy can keep up.

2. Tommy McCabe

3. Przemysław Tytoń  

OK, so FC Cincinnati’s first season as an MLS team didn’t go so great. But it was definitely the best first major-league season for a Cincinnati soccer team — there’s never been another quite like it (or at all). After building up one of the most dedicated and loyal fanbases in all of Cincinnati sports, hopes were high as the team entered the majors just three years after debuting in the United Soccer League. As those fans would soon learn, that sort of rapid ascent comes with some growing pains. The team hasn’t had great luck with head coaches. Just two months into the 2019 season, Alan Koch was fired due to the team’s bad record. It didn’t get any better, even after new coach Ron Jans was hired — FCC’s first MLS season ended with a 6–22–6 record, the worst in the league. They also set an MLS record for most goals given up in a season (75). Going into the 2020 season, Jans resigned after he was embroiled in controversy for allegedly using racially insensitive language. Still, the FCC fanbase remains ride-or-die and lots of optimism and excitement is on the horizon — in 2021, the team moves into its new state-of-the-art stadium in the West End. FC Cincinnati, fccincinnati.com.

2. Devou Park Golf Course

3. Aston Oaks Golf Club

2. YMCA                    

3. Mercy HealthPlex

2. Loveland Bike Trail

3. Miami Whitewater Forest

2. Ault Park   

3. Eden Park