Dover, Ohio - The Tornadoes are joining another athletic conference beginning next school year, but district officials say it won’t impact any regular-season competitions.

Superintendent Carla Birney says the school district will be joining the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference for the 2019-2020 school year, but she says that doesn’t mean they are leaving the ECOL.

“Currently, Dover is a member of the East Central Ohio League, and we are not leaving the ECOL. We have the ability to join the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference as well as remain in the ECOL. We’ll be in both conferences,” she says.

Birney says their membership in the OVAC will give Dover students the ability to compete in high-level competitions in athletics, academics and the arts. 

“The Ohio Valley Athletic Conference provides some additional conference-level competitions for our student-athletes as well as our fine arts students, our scholar challenge students, and so we believe it provides a higher level of competition when you’re competing at the conference level,” she says. “It’ll be great opportunities for our kids.”

Birney says the OVAC does not provide a season schedule, so Dover's student-athletes will continue to play against ECOL and local teams during the regular season. 

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