Shopper Blog: First girls hockey team hits the ice in Knoxville
BEARDEN
First girls hockey team hits the ice in Knoxville
John Shearer, Shopper News
Approximately 50 years after such defining moments as the passage of Title IX and Billie Jean King’s tennis victory over Bobby Riggs, the Knoxville area has taken its own forward step – or at least glide – related to women’s sports.
In what is due simply to blossoming interest, the area’s first all-girls youth hockey team has recently been formed. Called the Smoky Mountain Lady Wild and currently focused on ages 10 and under with hopes to grow, the team has been practicing for several months at Cool Sports Knoxville’s Icearium off South Watt Road. They also plan to play some games and tournaments in the coming weeks and welcome others from the area to get involved.
“We have had a core group that has been playing, and we have been adding girls with no experience or a little skating experience,” said Jeff Monckton, who has been teaming up with Samantha “Sam” Haase to coach the team. “We have a mixture of all.”
Monckton, who grew up in California and started playing hockey only after becoming involved with a Knoxville program while attending Tennessee Wesleyan University, said the team started last year with about 11 or 12 interested girls. That core group had started after a conversation with former Knoxville Ice Bears coach Mike Craigen, and they felt they were on to something.
“We decided we were going to put the foot on the gas and see where we go, and it’s been outstanding,” he said, adding that the team is connected with the Knoxville Amateur Hockey Association.
One of his players was Reagan Haase, the daughter of Sam Haase, Webb School foreign language teacher and assistant track and cross country coach. She grew up in Wisconsin playing hockey and running and played Division III women’s hockey at Middlebury College in Vermont. “We started talking and he asked if I wanted to help out,” the older Haase said.
The team has players from a variety of sports backgrounds, including Robyn and Brailyn Ayers, the daughters of former UT and NFL football player Robert Ayers, and it welcomes everyone.
While men’s hockey at the NHL level has the stereotype of players getting in fights and losing teeth – to fans' great delight – Monckton said the team they are trying to form involves none of that and they are simply trying to teach good athletic and life skills. And all it takes to get going is some basic coordination, he added.
“Anybody can play the game, you’ve just got to be willing to go out and work at it,” he said.
And plenty of camaraderie seems apparent so far, as with a lot of youth sports teams. Added Haase, “They love being together.”
Although a top-level women’s professional hockey league is being formed, kind of like the WNBA, and the U.S. women have competed in hockey in the Olympics, there are still not a lot of all-girls youth hockey teams around this part of the country, they said.
Besides having some older girls come in and help them and show them what they can accomplish, they have also become involved with the Southern Girls Hockey League. They are hosting league tournaments at their facility on Nov. 17-19 and in early February, with teams from Florida, North and South Carolina, Georgia and Nashville also competing.
And on Saturday, Sept. 23, at about 2:40 p.m. at the Cool Sports facility, they are having a play date with a team out of South Carolina and invite interested people to come watch them.
More information about the team can also be found by emailing Monckton at coachjeffgk@yahoo.com or Sam Haase at haase.sam@gmail.com. Those interested can also check out the team’s website at https://coolsportstn.com/lady-wild-hockey-program/.
The two coaches are confident girls’ hockey will take off here like a slapped puck on the ice.
“It’s a rapidly growing sport at the youth and college level,” added Monckton.
WEST KNOXVILLE
Karns athletes prove Special Olympics are for everyone
Nancy Anderson, Shopper News
More than 100 Special Olympics Tennessee athletes competed in the East Tennessee Regional Flag Football Invitational held Sept. 9 at the RecSports Fields on Sutherland Avenue.
The Special Olympians represent six Tennessee counties: Blount, Hamilton, Hawkins, Knox, Loudon and Wilson.
The competition also includes Unified Teams, which include athletes with and without disabilities working together on one team.
Unified sports help build inclusion on a grand scale in sports, schools, and the community.
The East Tennessee regional flag football event leads into the State Flag Football Tournament set to take place in Nashville in October.
Karns High School is a Unified Champion School. There was no Special Olympics program a few short years ago. Many Unified partners are Peer Tutors at the school.
Kiley Heyward, Special Olympics coach, and assistant basketball coach Rachael Roberts focused on activities, fun and above all, inclusion.
“It’s beautiful to see kids with and without disabilities play sports together. Last weekend we had flag football, but we participate in six to eight sports all year round. They play bocce ball, bowling, basketball, but the biggest draw is track and field,” said Heyward.
That is, until winter games come along, when the Unified teams get to ski and play sports in the snow.
In addition to the Special Olympians from Karns High School, two football players, Warda Apiat and Walker Lockhart, put their all into coaching. They even used an iPad to help out with strategy.
The athletes don’t just run in playing flag football. There’s quite a bit of skills training involved before they hit the field. Twenty women from The Lady Vols softball team ran the four skills stations and were very supportive of the athletes, Heyward said. They seemed to have a great time helping groups of four or five athletes hone their skills before taking the field.
It’s a complicated event with four fields in action and hundreds of athletes giving it their all. Volunteers and Special Olympics coordinators helped keep score and kept the games running smoothly.
Special Olympics was introduced in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver. The organization offers year-round sports competition for people with intellectual disabilities. Unified Partners Special Olympics truly fosters inclusivity, giving participants opportunities to develop physical fitness, find courage and experience joy.
Info: www.specialolympics.org
NORTH KNOXVILLE
Gun book collection highlights Friends of the Library’s fall used book sale
Carol Z. Shane, Shopper News
Get your bags and boxes ready and clear out the trunk – the Friends of the Knox County Public Library fall used book sale starts on Thursday of next week.
Each sale is a little different, with unusual features popping up as the used book inventory follows its own rhythms. This year, sale coordinator J.J. White has an item of interest for fans of history and firearms.
“For those who missed the recent book sale at the History Hootenanny, there will be a good selection of history books.
“Also interesting are a number of books about collectible guns, gunsmithing, reloading, and shooting. They are from the library of Sales and Distribution co-chair Jen Cooper’s father. These include all five volumes in James J. Grant’s series on single shot rifles and several titles by Elmer Keith, who was instrumental in the development of the first Magnum revolver cartridge.”
As before, the sale will be held at Central United Methodist Church at 201 Third Ave. in the Fourth and Gill neighborhood. This is an opportunity to browse a huge inventory, from fiction to nonfiction books, from casual reading to special collectibles, and CDs, DVDs, and audiobooks as well.
Most books, with the exception of the special collections books, will be priced at $2 or less.
On Members Only Day, Friends of the Library members can skip the line and receive access to the full selection of books.
The sale happens at these dates and times:
Thursday, Sept. 28, 3-7 p.m. FOL Members Only, and memberships can be purchased or renewed at the door
Friday, Sept. 29, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. General Public. After 1 p.m. there will be pop-up specials where books and other media will receive further discounts.
Saturday, Sept. 30, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
As any local fan of used book sales knows, the Friends of the Knox County Public Library have been splitting up their traditional annual sale into twice-yearly events. That fateful year of COVID lockdowns is entirely to blame, causing the organizers to re-evaluate the safest way to present the sale.
And, as it turns out, the volunteers who put the sales together are having a slightly easier time of it, having to select, load, transport, organize and present fewer books each time.
The sale is sponsored by the KCPL, Magpie's Bakery, Three Rivers Market, Perk City, WATE-TV, Knox News, Real Good Kitchen, and Central United Methodist Church. Proceeds benefit the KCPL. To purchase or renew an FOL membership, visit knoxfriends.org/become-a-member.
FARRAGUT
Farragut Art Fest draws creative kids in record numbers
Nancy Anderson, Shopper News
“It’s free!” said Rachel Malone, new recreation and event manager for the Town of Farragut. “That’s a real draw for parents looking for something to do with their kids on a Sunday afternoon.”
She’s talking about one of Farragut’s most popular events, the annual Art Fest held at Farragut Community Center Sunday, Sept. 10. The event drew nearly 500 people, which may be a record, Malone said.
The event was held under beautiful skies, the crowd was well organized and there were a number of interesting crafts for kids and adults alike.
Every station was hands-on, interactive with parents welcome to help out. Of the eight stations, the most popular was a mask-making craft where a black mask magically changes to rainbow colors when scratched with a special tool.
“We have about eight different stations with crafts like spin art, which requires a spinning machine most people don’t have at home. We have fan making, bookmark making, easel painting,” Malone said.
“I’m new, I just started in August, but I’ve heard people look forward to this event and come back year after year. It’s just a great fun activity for the whole family. The parents don’t have to lift a finger; we do all the cleanup. We really have to give thanks to the Farragut Arts and Beautification Committee. They put the whole thing together.”
The Art Fest was well staffed with about 25 fresh-faced high school volunteers, some from Farragut High School National Honor Society and some from Hardin Valley Academy Interact Club. The teenagers worked well with the kids. There were smiles and laughter all around. It was hard to tell who was having the most fun, the kids or the volunteers.
The next event is Oktoberfest held at Mind Yer P’s and Q’s at 12744 Kingston Pike Sept. 29 through Oct. 1. The event will feature cold beer, delicious food, and great music over three days.
Info: www.farragutparksandrec.org
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POWELL
Powell plumber offers mentoring and money to trainees
Al Lesar, Shopper News
During his high school graduation party in New Jersey more than 40 years ago, Charlie Crowder got cornered by his uncle.
“My uncle (who owned a plumbing business) pulled me aside and said, ‘You’re going to come work for me tomorrow morning at 7 o’clock,’” Crowder said. “I told my dad and he said, ‘If you’re not going to college, rent is due on Friday.’ And he was serious.”
That one-summer trial turned out to be a lifelong career for the 60-year-old Crowder. Twenty years ago he moved to Powell from New Jersey. Sixteen years ago he opened A Clear Choice Plumbing, which he still operates today.
Finding young adults to mentor in the trade isn’t like it was for him. He recently had a nephew as a helper, but the young man left to pursue a biology degree at East Tennessee State University.
“College isn’t for everyone,” Crowder said. “Being in a trade like plumbing takes a lot of dedication, a lot of long days; and be dedicated to learning.”
Why this plumber offers mentoring
One sobering statistic released by a national trade publication for plumbers is that the average age of a plumber nationally is 57.
“Young people aren’t getting involved,” he said. “In 10 or 15 years, we’re going to have a shortage of skilled workers in all the trades.”
Crowder is trying to do his part by advertising on social media, offering to mentor a young person through the rigorous training it takes to earn state certification.
After the trainee has a year on the job, Crowder will put up the $5,000 it costs to take three years of classes (two nights a week) while maintaining the 40-hour job. The final year of the curriculum is spent working as a journeyman, handling everything in the business with Crowder’s oversight.
After everything is completed, the paperwork is sent into the state for approval. Once the OK is given, the trainee is ready to start a business.
“I give them the same deal my uncle gave me,” Crowder said. “If they get an ‘A’ (in the classwork), they don’t have to pay back any of the ($5,000). A ‘B’ means they pay back 25%, a ‘C’ is 50% and a ‘D,’ they should look for a new job.”
So far, Crowder has helped three start their own business.
A plumber who loves life stories
Crowder said his uncle warned him that he wasn’t going to get rich in the plumbing business, but he’d always have enough money for whatever life sent his way. He put five children through college, has a boat on Norris Lake and has gone on some nice vacations.
“The best thing about the job is the relationship with clients,” Crowder said. “I enjoy hearing their life stories and being there to be able to help them.”
He just laughed when he recalled a young person’s response when directed to dig around a pipe.
“He said, ‘I don’t dig,’” Crowder said.
Obviously, that young person didn’t last.
Dealing with sewer pipes is one of the difficult parts of the job.
“I just hold my breath, put on gloves and go at it,” he said. “I told my helper, ‘That’s the smell of money.’”
Anyone interested in more information about the plumbing trade can call Crowder at 865-292-8755.
OPINION
Learning from the gaze of a stranger
Leslie Snow, Shopper News
Right away I had my doubts. The shoes looked too big and too blue. I couldn’t imagine how they would look on my extra-wide, size 10 feet. I tried them on for my husband and asked a dozen questions he didn’t know how to answer.
“Do I look like a clown? Or one of those Oompa Loompas from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? Does it seem like I’m wearing the shoes? Or are the shoes wearing me?”
Wisely, he stayed neutral. “I think blue is a perfectly acceptable color for sneakers, and Oompa Loompas are much shorter than you. Plus, they have orange skin.”
I laughed and said, “With that kind of glowing endorsement, I guess I’ll keep them.”
The next morning, I got ready to meet my friend Cheri for a walk at Lakeshore Park. I put on shorts and a T-shirt, then after a moment’s hesitation, decided to give my new blue shoes a try. Before I walked out the door, I glanced at myself in the full-length mirror and shook my head. The Oompa Loompa song began playing in my head.
Cheri and I greeted each other in the parking lot with warm hugs and our usual easy banter. She made a comment about my new shoes, but I didn’t share my insecurities. I just nodded and started walking and told her they were very comfortable.
“Did you notice my new shorts?” she interjected. “They’re comfortable too, but they’re way too short. I looked at myself in the mirror today and just said, ‘Oh well! Maybe I won’t see anyone I know. Besides you.’”
We wound our way through the park, talking and laughing louder than most of the people we passed. As we were trudging up one of the larger hills, I noticed a woman standing just to the right of the path. She seemed to be looking at us. As we got closer, she pulled her sunglasses off her nose and stared at us, intently. When she turned her head to watch us pass, we both burst out laughing.
“Did you see that?” Cheri asked, through her laughter. “I guess she couldn’t believe two ladies our age were wearing such short shorts.” I looked down at my white shorts. Were they too short? I didn’t think so.
Then I looked at our shoes. Cheri had bright colored sneakers, too, but not as bright as mine. “I think she was looking at our shoes. They’re too bright and too big!”
We finished our walk an hour later, but we weren’t done talking. My phone rang even before I left the parking lot. “The look that lady gave us was priceless,” Cheri said, still laughing. “I may need to rethink my short-shorts,” she added with a howl. I glanced at my too-blue shoes, but I didn’t mention them.
Later, when I got home, I thought about our reaction to the gaze of a stranger. Both of us homed in on our own insecurities. Both of us assumed she was reacting to our perceived wardrobe malfunctions.
But maybe we were both wrong. Maybe the lady was just enjoying the sight of two good friends laughing and talking. Maybe she wished she could join us. Or maybe she was looking at a squirrel playing in the trees.
Our own worries and doubts have a way of creeping in and altering our perceptions of the world. And I can’t help but wonder if our encounter with the lady at Lakeshore Park revealed more about Cheri and me than it did about her.
Leslie Snow may be reached at snow column@aol.com.
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