A former high school wrestler, Kim North has been covering scholastic and college wrestling since 1983 in the upper Ohio Valley for numerous papers: Weirton (West Virginia) Daily News, Steubenville (Ohio) Herald Star, Wheeling (West Virginia) News-Register, and Martins Ferry (Ohio) Times-Leader.

In his first high-school match, he suffered a broken left arm, which was not all that bad because it led to Kim's extended and award-winning career in journalism.

North is also a professional photographer and has been praised for his superb action shots at dual meets and tournaments over the years.

He has covered the prestigious Ron Mauck Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Wrestling Tournament for 20+ years. It is the biggest conference mat sport competition in the country.

In 1985, North covered the Ron Mauck OVAC Tournament, the West Virginia state tournament and the NAIA National Tournament, all of which were held inside the Wheeling WesBanco Arena.

He has also covered various West Virginia state tournaments and Ohio state tournaments. Last year, North covered the Ohio Team Duals in Columbus and has covered various sectional and district tournaments in the Buckeye State, as well as sectional and regional events in the Mountain State.

As a sports columnist, North spotlighted many area wrestlers and schools with storylines that have promoted wrestling throughout the Ohio Valley for decades.

In recent years, North has been instrumental in publishing a special wrestling preview issue featuring over 30 area wrestling teams for the Martins Ferry Times-Leader.

For his efforts highlighting wrestling in the Mountain State, Kim North was named the "Snyder-Miller West Virginia Media Person of the Year" in 1990 and 2017.

This distinguished award is especially gratifying for North who stated that "This honor means a lot to me because it is the state wrestling coaches who make the selection. My passion and love for the sport of wrestling has been unwavering ever since the first day I stepped on the mats as a middle school grappler. What I enjoy the most about wrestling, no matter how heated a match may be, the competitors end the match with a handshake."

North also promotes wrestling as a regular on a weekly area wrestling radio show, spotlighting local wrestlers' successes on the mats.

A 1977 graduate of Troy High School in Troy, Ohio, North received his bachelor's degree in physical education at Salem College in West Virginia.

Kim is a widowed father of three: daughter Meika and sons Skyler and Tyler. He has five granddaughters: MaeLynn, Sydney, Lyndsay, Aria and Kaia. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Jones.