Sports are integral to community pride
By Ron Moses
Times Sports Editor
Community involvement can range from stopping in the rain and helping a stranded car to donating time or money to a cause which one believes may add to the greater good of the county, but the simpler act of standing and cheering for community sports can resound deeply in the hearts and minds of the children that dedicate themselves to those sports and the county in which they are being played.
 DeKalb County has a rich history of athletics. The games of youth are an event and an opportunity for the people of DeKalb County to intermingle and become a part of something that is a staple in the circuitry that drives the county. They volunteer time and often money to provide the youngest citizens support and the opportunity to see that what they do is important and that their efforts help the county grow, come together and become a community.
Mayor Mike Foster understands the importance of athletics to this community.
"I think it is extremely important," Mike Foster said to Times Sports as to the importance of the youth leagues. "We have a lot of kids that play and it gives the parents a place where they can go. It really strengthens this community. It also helps strengthen the high school system. If you look, when we have really good little league and senior league teams it feeds right on up to the high school system."
Foster says overwhelmingly, the response he gets from parents and people involved with sports in this community is positive.
"When you get 300 or more kids together, playing like that , occasionally there will be someone who is disgruntled," he continued. "But, overall the response is very good."
But, Foster says that little league is more than just sports.
"It unites the community," he said. "The community takes a lot of pride in it. When my kids played it was something we did religiously and I always thought it was a positive thing for everybody. We would take the kids on trips to Cincinnati, or wherever, to see a game or two a year. It was an opportunity for a lot of kids who might not have the opportunity to have a chance to go to one of those places to go."
On Friday nights in the fall, the lights always shine brightest on 120 yards of grass in the middle of the county. The Football field is freshly painted and the smell of hot dogs and grilled burgers combine with the smell of the grass to provide the perfect backdrop for a community event and, that is what a Friday night football game is. It is an event with dedicated fans and spirit that is limitless. After last year’s successes and a trip to the playoffs, the crowds have grown substantially, but the passion of Friday night football in DeKalb County has always been strong.
When the weather turns cold, the gyms heat up and, again, old friends congregate to cheer on the boys and girls of the hardwood and when winter turns to spring all eyes move toward the diamonds.
As is the case with all high school sports, Football, basketball, softball and baseball gives families an opportunity to come together and fans an opportunity to discuss how they would have done things differently if they were coaching.
From the middle school to the high school, sports and everything surrounding it is the glue that binds the community.
Together, Sports and education is a vital tool in the growth of not only DeKalb's youth, but the country’s as well.
"They go together," said Foster. "You have to learn team play and sportsmanship in life. I think sometimes it is as important that you lose as it is that you win. It gives you a little dose of life. You don't win all the time. In the overall scheme of things academics are more important, but there are kids who might have dropped out of school if it weren’t for sports and you get support for the whole school system because of athletics. When I am talking about sports, I am talking about all types of sports: soccer, baseball, football, band and cheerleading."
Foster says that one of the most important things about high school athletics is how they push some kids to do better in the classroom.
"A lot of these kids do well academically and make good solid citizens. I know from first hand knowledge that a lot of the kids that played together even as far back a little league have remained strong friends throughout their lives."
Foster says not only does athletics produce lifelong friends but it is also a source of pride for this small town.
"There is some pride to it," he said. "You are proud when your team goes to the state playoffs. You can see it in the crowds and in the town. We should be that same way with our kids that do well academically."
Along with the junior pro, middle school and high school athletics, DeKalb County offers limitless water sports on one of the most beautiful lakes in the area and Foster says that without the Lake this community would not be the same.
"There are about 3.7 million visitations to the lake every year," said Foster, "and, 85 to 90 percent of that lake is located in DeKalb County. We have 7 or 8 boat docks that are in DeKalb and it contributes a lot economically, a lot of jobs and again a lot of Pride."
Foster says that the Lake is a hotbed of activity for fishing tournaments.
"I think if you really knew how many fishing tournaments happened her it would shock you," he said. "There is not a weekend here that there isn't a tournament of some kind. We have a lot of stuff from as far as Knoxville that you don't even realize is going on."
From the Lake to the kids on the little league diamonds, athletics are an important thing in this community and Mayor Foster said it best when he said, "All in all, I think we would be worse off as a society if we didn't have athletics."
Board approves new football facility
By Ron Moses
Times Sports Editor
The DeKalb County Board of Education approved a new football facility for the DCHS Football program last Thursday.
 Two weeks ago, the Board postponed their approval of said facility citing possible questions about the legality of the field house in regards to Title IX and the affect it would have on girls’ Soccer, which is played at the same time in the fall. At the time, some members of the Board stated that they deemed it more responsible to await further legal counsel on the subject.
Last Thursday however, Director of Schools Mark Willoughby stated that he contacted an attorney from the Tennessee School Boards Association and that the response was positive.
"I was asked to get back in touch with our attorney and find out about the use of the old facility (field house) and if that could be used as a ladies soccer locker room, should that be necessary," stated Willoughby. "The answer was yes. There would be a problem with it also being used with the middle school football and the girls’ soccer team, but that's the information you asked me to find out about and I found out about it. One thing I would just advise us to do is to make sure that all local, state, and federal guidelines are followed and to cross all T's and dot all I's with insurance, engineering, stamps of approval from the fire marshal and all that. I felt obligated to bring it to your attention on the Title IX issue and should that come up in a year or two years we'll end up dealing with it."
This meeting marked the third time the proposed facility was placed in front of the Board.
The facility, once constructed, will be a 50 x 70 foot block exterior structure. It will have a metal roof. Plans are to construct the facility near the existing facility in an area between the current practice field and the playing field.
It will be for the DCHS Tiger Football program and will include a dressing room, locker room, training room, utility room and bathrooms.
There will also be a new office for Head Coach Steve Trapp, as well as two dry storage rooms which will be used by both the high school football team and the youth football league.
Darrell Gill, of DeKalb County youth football, realizes the importance of the new facility, not only for the community, but for the student athletes.
"I think it's going to be an uplifting experience for the boys to have a new facility," he said to The Times. "I felt that the Board had the best interest of the kids at heart. They were sincere in the questions they had earlier, but I feel like they made a good decision."
Countdown to kickoff
So, on the University of Tennessee web site they have officially started the countdown to kickoff clock for the Volunteers’ opener with Western Kentucky.
At last check, it read 81 days, 14 hours, 11 minutes and 8 seconds.
What will the University of Tennessee have to do between now and then to be successful in that game? Not a lot, I am assuming. After all, it is UT versus Western Kentucky. Although Western Kentucky has improved in the Sun Belt over recent years, they are not yet the caliber of program of Tennessee.
But, that being said, lets sit and figure out what UT will have to do. They will first need to stop shooting themselves in the foot with violations. I understand that Kiffin is new and young, but perhaps he should step back when he has the slightest inkling that something he is doing is a violation. That is just good business. If you aren't sure Lane, step back and take another look at the situation.
They will also need their offensive backfield and receivers to step it up, starting with Johnathan Crompton. Last season Crompton completed 86 of 167 passes for 889 yards and 5 interceptions. Gerald Jones was their most productive receiver, grabbing 30 balls for 323 yards and only 4 touchdowns. Arian Foster led the team’s rushing attack with 570 net yards for the season.
With the change of coaching staff, the biggest obstacle for this Volunteer team will be their ability to adapt to changes and try to establish an identity early. That identity will need to be established against Western Kentucky.
The Vols are expected to beat the Hilltoppers, but they need to do much more than just defeat WKU, they need to show the rest of the NCAA and the SEC that they are truly a team to reckon with in the increasingly toughening division that is the SEC.
Last season the Hilltoppers showed some explosiveness on the offensive side of the ball racking up 1,706 passing yards, but they also gave up 2,554 passing yards and 1,949 rushing yards.
Perhaps the Vols will be able to exploit them early in the first quarter so they can open up their play book to that creativity everyone is expecting from them this season.
Defensively, the key will be to pound on the Hilltopper’s quarterback and perhaps show some of that swagger and confidence the new coach has displayed throughout the offseason. They will need to mix it up a little bit. The Vols have been anything but creative over the past few years (that is the main reason Kiffin was hired, after all) and the best way to show that it will not be the same old dog and pony show is to mix up the coverages and confuse the Hilltoppers.
Western Kentucky has played in some big games and big stadiums, but the excitement level will be off the charts once that countdown to kickoff reaches all zeroes and the sea of orange has spent the last two nights tailgating and preparing for something they have all been waiting for for a long time; fresh ideas on the gridiron.
There is never a lack of excitement at Neyland stadium and for a school like Western Kentucky, it is the chance of a lifetime to play on such a grande stage. But, the poor Hilltoppers may have been saddled with being at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Now, all the Volunteers have to do is step up their offensive production and become more consistent, while experimenting a little on defense. Oh, did I mention they somehow have to make it all the way through the countdown without breaking so many rules they are disqualified.
That may be their biggest challenge as the clock ticks away. |
