[0:02] Let's

[1:55] call tonight's meeting, order. Can we take room, please?

[1:59] I'm Commissioner Dio will not be attending tonight.

[2:04] Martin Lee. Here.

[2:05] Stacey Bond, Minaski. Jessica Cannon.

[2:11] Ginny Kiesel.

[2:13] And let's singer.

[2:15] Here.

[2:17] Defrowman.

[2:19] Emphasol here will not be attending tonight.

[2:22] And Steve Snow.

[2:23] On

[2:27] the consent agenda is the last meeting from last month's meeting.

[2:33] We have any corrections to make or if people have a chance to review them,

[2:39] to review them.

[2:41] Motion to accept them as presented.

[2:44] Make a motion.

[2:46] Second that.

[2:48] All in favor?

[2:49] Aye.

[2:53] Public discussion tonight.

[2:55] So we have, we're supposed to have two of our contract instructors here today and you'll see

[3:03] one of them a little bit later, we put her in new business but we do have Mr. Day of Degudis

[3:11] who is our tennis contractor here so have him come up in.

[3:51] We've been doing where we're going.

[4:08] I have to make sure that one

[4:12] for myself.

[4:16] I've been teaching tennis here for the city now for what five years, at least.

[4:24] I've been involved in starting from scratch.

[4:28] I guess I do a little advertising.

[4:32] I'm through the senior citizen stuff.

[4:33] I've done that in the past.

[4:35] Most of the advertising is, of course, out on the website, and stuff like fires, getting them

[4:43] out to the school system, and that's what we've done in the past.

[4:49] And pre-COVID, we attempted, I was going to do a fundraiser with somebody else to try to get

[4:56] some lights on the two courts that we have, which it extend the play, because we've got the

[5:01] public that every time I'm up there, it's like we want to play more, we want to play more

[5:07] and we all know we need some courts. We also have another aim that's in the background

[5:16] that's being pushed pretty hard, too, for more of the senior citizens and COVID pushed it out

[5:22] side from the gym, which is pickleball. Now you got two things that we need to look at.

[5:31] And about three weeks ago I had the clear blue, the assistant principal over at the middle

[5:36] school called me up because I do teach and coach the middle school team. I started their team

[5:42] up last year. And so he kind of picked my brain a little bit on what do we need to do for the

[5:48] future sports for the school and in the facilities.

[5:53] I know that all this is worked together with the city and the school.

[5:58] So I kind of threw that together.

[6:00] The guy's name on top there.

[6:02] Some of you may recognize that name.

[6:04] He grew up in the city of Memphis,

[6:07] in the metro area, playing tennis.

[6:10] And he now owns a sports company.

[6:13] And then another guy is a friend of mine.

[6:15] So some of this information I got, and it's really just ballpark figures on the cost of courts,

[6:22] the cost of undine, pickleball for the future, and

[6:31] possibility of growth, where ever it might be.

[6:34] I'm not getting involved in that.

[6:36] He did throw out some ideas that, and this is by the way, for city, which is Hattie's

[6:42] Mississippi, that's how they have raised their money for their courts, through a gas tax.

[6:50] But long story short, when I teach tennis, I usually do my clinics, I can hand out another

[6:55] one, but I'm going to get one at the end.

[6:57] If you haven't seen my clinics, most of the time they're on Sunday afternoons, I have found

[7:02] that's the best time because we have other sports in the city view, that, where people

[7:09] to get their kids out, they don't have to worry about all the Saturday sports.

[7:13] So we've done that in the past and been successful with it, but I always have people

[7:20] that had lights we could do more and if we had more courts and I'm always very careful

[7:29] as we have folks that want to get on those tennis courts because we only have to make sure

[7:35] that we leave them open as much as possible.

[7:40] For courts, we could do more.

[7:42] Now, we've been successful up to this point.

[7:45] At this point, I've got to put a few notes on just

[7:49] for minor things that we need.

[7:52] I would love to see city and the school system,

[7:56] because I know they kind of work together on other stuff.

[8:01] You did this program grow.

[8:05] There's definitely possibilities with more courts doing tennis tournaments, things like that.

[8:11] I'm a USPTA teaching pro, which means I'm certified.

[8:16] If I don't have the contacts, I've made it to other people.

[8:20] I've been teaching for a long time.

[8:22] I've been playing for ever.

[8:24] But one gentleman over here might now.

[8:26] I've been playing for eight long since I was 10 years of age.

[8:29] And I started in a public facility in Germantown when it was a small little community.

[8:36] I saw a road and I saw all the mad courts, I've seen in the changes, and in the course,

[8:43] this is an upcoming area in Grown, we know what Arlington has just done with their courts.

[8:49] And there's no reason why we couldn't do the same thing, but you want to be very careful,

[8:55] We'll grow things out, that's y'all's job and y'all know that.

[9:02] I do have adults, I do have kids, I had to call the other day and I usually start doing

[9:10] mixers for adults and kids as we get in the summer for players that want to play usually

[9:16] in the lower level, not a higher level.

[9:19] Again, I'm very careful because I don't want to take up all the court time because you

[9:23] people that want to get on the courts and play.

[9:29] Any questions as to what I laid in front of you or my program, because some of you may not even be aware if you're not a tense player, you may not be aware of what I have done in the past and what I've worked with Pat and some of the folks here.

[9:48] I'm assuming your program is always full because of your limit because of you only got two courts.

[9:55] I've got, that is correct, I have two courts, and if, see, a young kids that are playing,

[10:05] because there's enough gap in those courts, I try to make sure that if there's enough

[10:10] gap and it's just a handful of kids, I'll let somebody, you know, the courts over there

[10:15] as long as they're not a really out-of-the-plainer, because I don't want the kids to get hurt.

[10:19] But, yes, if I have something going on,

[10:23] I've got, of course, taken up sometimes.

[10:26] Most of the time, it's just one court.

[10:29] But, again, I want to believe him open as much as possible

[10:33] or the public, because that's what they're there for.

[10:37] Is there a number of courts that you would like to have?

[10:42] I mean, is there, would you, six, eight,

[10:45] you know, I thought about this in our picture

[10:48] Because as a world you really want lands with pickleball courts on it, so you have pickleball.

[10:56] But you don't want to take up all the pickleball time with the tennis players

[11:00] because they get mad and vice versa.

[11:03] So with the two courts you have right now what I've seen in other places

[11:07] is they put the lines up on maybe two of the courts.

[11:11] That gives you pickleball, but they're also tennis courts.

[11:15] It's not right right now we have 10 in underlines, which 10 in under is good for the up and

[11:20] coming players that are playing tennis that are young kids.

[11:24] That was not around when I was a child.

[11:26] We went straight into their normal tennis ball, but you can take those same lines and create

[11:32] 10 in underlines and use them for both one or the other.

[11:39] With the two courts that are existing, you could put pickleball on those two courts.

[11:46] Most of the time, if you play US, E.A.A. Tennis, United States and the Association,

[11:54] they want you to have one court kind of open if possible, or you're being used.

[12:03] A lot of the courts you see are formed, really the ideal situation is six and that's

[12:09] what I told the guys over at the school system I told them is six is ideal because especially

[12:16] for schools, they can get through, they can get their homework done very quickly with

[12:22] four, it's harder for them to do.

[12:24] And I know the very first day last year when I started working with the school system over

[12:30] There only, I wasn't really part of this scenario, because I don't have tennis courts over there,

[12:39] but for everybody else they said, everything after six o'clock and on weekends belongs to the city.

[12:46] Everything earlier belongs to the school system.

[12:50] So if you had six courts over there, you easily, and especially if they were lit, probably

[12:58] be enough if you lift the courts over here and put pickleball and your pickleball players might

[13:06] be over here your tennis players might be over here but I will recommend six and two more

[13:15] over here. Now if you notice I put in here and I think I put in here post tension. Those

[13:22] course that you have, whoever did those courts, they would, at Brownsville, Tennessee,

[13:29] Haywood County. Now they all say and they did it right. Years ago usually, they post

[13:34] tension those courts. And those courts were resurfaced a few years ago because of some

[13:39] programs that I had here. They reached out to me and we got some USDA funding resurfaced

[13:44] those courts. But those courts have very few cracks in them because they were done right.

[13:49] If you don't do them right, you're going to spin your wheels and you're going to keep investing in

[13:56] Acts.

[13:57] And you go to some tennis courts and you'll see them.

[13:59] And now some of them are done correctly because they're done in asphalt, which is totally.

[14:03] That's the old fashion line.

[14:05] Do that.

[14:06] They can crack tomorrow after playing with today.

[14:08] But post tension is what you want because they're going to last you.

[14:12] Every so many years, five or six years you're going to resurface.

[14:15] So when they get a little slit or discolored, the windscreens look wonderful and I truly

[14:24] agree with whoever took them down, or the country we live in, a lot of places they

[14:29] flap them down in the wintertime is taken down because we get too much wind in the spring

[14:35] with the storms and then they pop them back up once the bad weather gets out of the way.

[14:39] that way you save your vences and over because they will, if you get a good win, and the win screens will last longer.

[14:50] Tell us roughly how many kids, how many participants you regularly have that you're working with between adults and kids?

[14:58] I usually have a deal.

[15:00] The adults are slower. They usually start participating once they see their kids and they say,

[15:06] I want to sign up, but I want to sign up. Usually the adults I might have three or four.

[15:11] And it depends on the years, you don't ever know. I've had years where I've had the mixers and I've had a lot of them.

[15:19] And I have times where I don't have that many. But on the kids I usually have eight to ten kids.

[15:26] And that's broken up per age, you got, I have more in the younger group, as they get

[15:32] in the middle school, I'm just gonna get in the high school, usually have less, but you

[15:37] don't want to have too many as they're teaching growth because you can't handle it.

[15:42] Usually anything, over 10, we push in it, as you want to be able to make sure that the

[15:51] is there. It's can listen that they can learn. You can't do it once you get past that.

[15:57] There are times in the past where I've had and we get hot heavy because as it gets warmer,

[16:02] we'll get more people signing up. At that time, I've had the past. I've had somebody come in

[16:10] all through the city's certification stuff and they've helped me out.

[16:15] I said you also helped coach the middle school team.

[16:18] I also coach the middle school team.

[16:20] How many kids are playing at the middle school?

[16:22] I have 15 this year.

[16:24] And every one of those kids can easily be transferred over.

[16:30] And I'm actually, even though I didn't do the high school,

[16:35] I have reached out and asked me questions.

[16:37] I know a lot of the players.

[16:39] So, eventually, if you look at other cities,

[16:43] I can tell you I know the teaching pros and coyerval in German town.

[16:46] It all falls back and the students will come if they see you as a teaching pro for the school system and the city.

[16:59] So it is an advantage.

[17:02] Most of the middle school players are all brand new and that's a lot of it.

[17:06] They're new, they're going to take a lot of instruction as they get more interested in the sport.

[17:10] They'll take even more instruction.

[17:16] The facilities, the information I got here, this was just an estimate, and on this guy,

[17:22] he's building courts.

[17:22] He's about 30 now, I think, and he grew up in the tennis world at the racket club.

[17:28] He married a young lady, and they moved down the hat.

[17:30] He's burned, but he does a lot of courts in this area.

[17:34] He does a lot, and I don't know if I put it on there, you can go and I think it's Instagram.

[17:38] He does a lot for the universities, all throughout the regional area, the high schools.

[17:45] I think he's done some stuff for the business.

[17:48] You brought this to the school board?

[17:53] Again, about two weeks ago, he was the first time I got a call from the assistant principal,

[18:01] and we're kind of quizzing me on the number of calls.

[18:04] And what they thought, and I told them about USDA rules, regulations, and what I thought they needed.

[18:12] You know, I see, and all those facilities over there, because I know they're joined.

[18:17] I mean, actually, I see six or eight courts. You could do six.

[18:22] And again, like they do, the other sports, they're, at least that's what I was told.

[18:26] They're Monday through Friday, until six o'clock, they belong to the school.

[18:32] You're in the day, you know.

[18:34] Yeah, except that's not how it's working and all.

[18:37] It's not how it's working.

[18:38] That's what they told us right here.

[18:39] It's like it was a heavy topic last month.

[18:44] Ah, okay.

[18:46] Two separate issues here.

[18:47] That's fine.

[18:48] Then I won't go there.

[18:49] Yeah, that's where I was told last year that that's what the goal was.

[18:53] But, um, and I know that some private schools are trying to do it that way.

[18:59] They get issues.

[19:00] I know St. George's, for example, they try to have, they do clinics in the daytime for adults

[19:06] to come in there, but then they get adults come at the school yard and that's a security

[19:12] issue.

[19:13] I opinion, I'm not calling it, that's their business, but then afterwards, you know, the kids

[19:20] use them for their whatever classes that they use them for and or for school play.

[19:30] Who's the school play in practice that now?

[19:34] We do the works and records and after I finish my clinic I go usually for an hour and

[19:41] Sunday and I give them some practice and if I can find a non-prime time because that usually

[19:48] five thirty or six. It's a clock the adult start coming. They want to get on the courts,

[19:53] especially now that the days are long. So I try to get them in and out of there and say,

[19:57] look, we're out of here. We've got to let everybody get on the courts. But most of my try to get,

[20:03] again, my practice is I try to do when I'm there on Sunday's outside of my clinic time.

[20:09] And I don't take up court time or the public.

[20:16] And from a supply standpoint, I mean, we got everything.

[20:19] Now I know we've got one net right now that probably needs replacing on the far court and the

[20:24] scoreboards unfortunately the pegs are somebody's taking the pegs off which of course it

[20:32] happens. I know that and so you really technically can't totally keep score but those scoreboards

[20:40] have been great because they held up really well and they hold up in the weather really well.

[20:45] extra pegs by the way. That's all we really need on one for each. And I don't have

[20:53] a, I know the rest room, I will bring this up. The rest room of the now. Only running

[21:01] a one situation, security standpoint that bothered me, where I came up on the court one

[21:08] Sunday, and there was a person taking a nap on the bench, and she had been driving down

[21:13] road and she obviously used the restroom clean up or do whatever it went dirty but she was

[21:22] there and asked her where she was from and she needed help and gave her some money and said

[21:28] if you want to go down out of the station right there I'll leave her you know drive you down

[21:33] or you can walk down she says I'll walk down and I'm like working away but I've never really

[21:37] a security issue there. It would be nice for that park to have lights.

[21:45] Another thing that

[21:45] I think we all know is road right there would be realized to have a couple of speed bumps.

[21:54] There's a car's flat

[22:00] regular basis. It scares me with the kids out there.

[22:14] I appreciate your

[22:15] So

[22:21] what I'd like to do is actually jump a little bit ahead into our next section of new business will come back to old business.

[22:32] We'll do the same with our chair program. Again, chair antennas are contracted, where we work with an outside company to offer the program.

[22:45] So, what we'll do is have our chair contractor as Candace come up and we'll talk a little bit about where we've been and where we want to go with chair.

[23:10] I've been with the wreck chair program now for three years and when I got the program it was a little smaller.

[23:22] I think we started off with what when I came in they didn't have a competitive we tried to go with competitive at that time.

[23:32] I think we had maybe eight or 10 girls for competitive and then for the wreck we had I want to say

[23:42] 16 and

[23:49] then so from there we didn't do basketball when I came in the first guess I've been here three years

[23:55] so yeah the first year they didn't do basketball and then last season we picked up to 25 girls

[24:02] for last 25 girls for the football and this past season we got 50 girls for football, just

[24:12] the long and we didn't do competitive last year as well because we didn't have enough numbers

[24:18] for the competitive but we did do basketball and we had 15 so we started season before last

[24:27] with basketball, giving them the opportunity to do both. Some of the girls do both, some girls

[24:33] don't do the football because they're doing other sports but then they move forward to doing

[24:39] basketball if they don't do football. So they have an option to do one of the other and most of the

[24:45] girls will do both. So our goal this year is to push for competitive. We are trying to get more girls out

[24:54] to do that and I think when they hear the competitiveness they think it's more like middle school

[25:01] we're going to Orlando and they're doing a lot more competitions. We're pushing for maybe

[25:08] three competitions or three performances. There's a regionals here for all of the school teams

[25:17] and right teams across the city and that is usually going to be at the end of October.

[25:25] They have not put the data out yet for that one. So I've been looking to see when they will have

[25:30] but normally it's the end of October or the first weekend in November and there is also another

[25:38] competition that is here locally as well called an on-core competition and that date is set for

[25:51] let's see.

[25:57] February the third and the fourth. Now being with REC usually they would only compete the

[26:04] one day, which would be the February the third.

[26:08] Sometimes it will be a two-day competition.

[26:11] Sometimes it can be a one-day competition.

[26:14] And then I was also wanting them to perform

[26:16] for the middle school show night.

[26:19] That's usually in February right before we got

[26:22] in Nationals, they come and do the show night with the middle school.

[26:27] And then we also do, I work from Memphis Pride all start.

[26:30] and we do a showcase in November and that's kind of like a proceed for youth

[26:37] villages. So that also will help do like a sponsorship to give back to those kids.

[26:46] So that is our goal is to push for competitive this year. We're trying to get more

[26:51] numbers out and right now we practice in the summer at the clubhouse and then during

[26:58] The school year, we practice at the middle school.

[27:01] We rent out the space, and we also have to use their mats as well.

[27:11] There's something, I'm going to sing out of it.

[27:15] How can we help push a competitive, like, what do you think is keeping that from a current?

[27:23] I guess.

[27:24] I think the cost is one thing,

[27:29] and so the cost is what is kind of like pushing people

[27:32] the other direction, just how much it costs, and then maybe advertising, trying to push out more

[27:40] of the advertising to get the kids out before the competitive team. And then there are so many other

[27:48] activities and sports that a lot of kids want to partake in, so that could be another thing,

[27:55] but I think the cost if we could find a way to do some kind of fundraising or do something that

[28:02] we'll help with the cost.

[28:04] What is the cost?

[28:06] Cost differential between the wreck and competitive.

[28:11] OK, so each season for recreation is about $150.

[28:16] And then competitive is $750.

[28:20] Alan, when we came in and took it over,

[28:24] that first year it was $1,000.

[28:27] What all, I'm cheerleader, stupid.

[28:30] I'm sorry.

[28:31] The one score, like I don't know, what makes that $600 difference, I guess, is.

[28:38] Well, so it's not actually $600 difference in here's why.

[28:44] Or REC programs are rolled into the competitive program, so you're actually getting the $300 worth

[28:52] of REC in the competitive already, so then the real difference is $400 over the $2.

[29:00] programs, right? You're also getting double the practice and then some, that's part of it,

[29:07] and then the additional fees go into actually registering the girls into the three competitions

[29:18] that we try and go. Now they are regional, you know, so it wouldn't be far outside of Shelby County,

[29:25] If it's going to happen, but for sure, not outside West Tensee.

[29:32] I mean, you guys got it down to $750 Cudos, because that is cheap when it comes to cheerleading,

[29:40] that is super cheap.

[29:41] So the 750 is, my question is, so as we did 50 football cheerleaders last year now, what

[29:48] grade levels are lose?

[29:50] Can I garden two?

[29:52] Okay, gotcha.

[29:53] I mean, fourth I'm sorry.

[29:54] and how many fifth graders do we have?

[30:00] Fourth graders coming up to fifth grade. How many of them tried out for the cheer team for middle school?

[30:06] Actually, the fourth graders that tried out didn't do wreck. Why had one girl? They did wreck. She quit mid-season

[30:12] because of the sign. She couldn't handle the sign, so she ended up going through all starts here.

[30:20] So I did pick up three or four fourth graders, but one of the fourth graders, her sister

[30:30] cheered right, but she didn't, her little sister.

[30:34] So it does, it is a feeder.

[30:38] I have had multiple kids in the past now, even some of those kids that were on the competitive

[30:43] before I took over. I helped out a little bit that year. Those kids are still

[30:49] cheering to this day on the middle school team. So it is a feeder program, but I

[30:55] think that once we get them in the door on the wreck level and kind of getting a

[31:00] feel of what they're doing and how competition is, it will help get them to the

[31:05] next level. So once they come to middle school, they're already prepared.

[31:08] It's the same coaching style, same thing, and they will know what to do.

[31:14] A couple of quick questions.

[31:16] So if they're actually middle school cheer for fifth graders?

[31:20] Yes.

[31:21] So we actually do have that with the middle school, which is different from the other sports.

[31:25] Thank you for that clarification.

[31:27] And if the assumption is that cost is the greatest barrier to entry.

[31:34] Is it, I mean, again, you'll know my world is not, I'm right there with you, Jenny, I don't know.

[31:42] I'm right, no, which is fantastic.

[31:44] But a lot of competitive sports, the fees are not due all up front.

[31:50] Now because this goes through Lakeland, all the fees due up front, or is there the, is there the,

[31:56] No, we, for competitive, no, wreck is a one and done payment.

[32:02] But for competitive we offer a two payment and a three payment option, so they would pay the third down and then pay another third

[32:11] I think it's scheduled for like August beginning of August and then there's another payment that's like October 1st or something along those lines

[32:20] so that it's spread a little bit better

[32:23] throughout the season. So we're currently

[32:28] rolling right now for next year. And the reason for that is we have the

[32:34] cheerfitting for the uniforms. Second week of May, I think, the 9th, the 9th

[32:40] sunright. The 9th, I think, is the right day. And so we have to do that very early

[32:47] because everyone else is getting their uniforms about that time. And there's just

[32:53] just a huge butt backlog of stuff coming out of the factory.

[32:58] And so we have to do everything in May.

[33:02] And then first week of June, excuse me,

[33:04] the first week of July or so, we get started

[33:07] with practices.

[33:10] Rack will practice once a week.

[33:13] Competitive would be a twice a week.

[33:15] And then we kind of get going.

[33:16] There are second round of signups.

[33:18] I mean, given the nature of Lakeland,

[33:20] when you see families move in and out,

[33:23] I mean, especially military families that come here,

[33:26] are we missing out on providing an opportunity because

[33:30] I don't mean military family here may not.

[33:32] I don't think we do because we don't shut off

[33:35] registration.

[33:35] We just make sure that they understand,

[33:38] you know, we'll get their sizes.

[33:40] We'll send it off if they're going to get a uniform.

[33:42] We try and pair some of those up with

[33:45] girls who are leaving the program and moving on to the middle

[33:48] school or leaving the area or whatever this case may be

[33:51] to try and get them uniforms. Now we've been trying to over the last couple of years work up a stock

[33:58] of extra uniform pieces so that we have the ability to shift sizes and things.

[34:06] Sometimes and this is nothing against the dad. I was a cheer dad for a year so this is also you know

[34:12] me too but sometimes you'll have a dad who will bring the kid the cheerleader to the practice

[34:17] the fitting. I don't know what is happening because they're, you know, their

[34:23] wife takes care of all of that because they're clueless, like I am clueless with

[34:27] any of my girl's stuff.

[34:28] I happen to cross all sports, not just cheerleading. I watch my world is wearing a

[34:33] medium and baseball right now.

[34:36] So, you know, so we have that happen. We've been, we've been trying to narrow

[34:44] down the issues with that, and so we are going to actually be standing right next to the

[34:53] uniform vendor this year and writing down our own note, okay, well this girl said that

[34:57] she wants this size skirt and she wants this size shell and so on. So we know what we're comparing

[35:03] it to when the vendor sends us the stuff, right? And so then we can say, okay, well yes,

[35:10] this, what they have is accurate with what we had, or the dead initial it, so they make sure

[35:17] that they can't go.

[35:18] That's the plan.

[35:20] But Susie really, she said an extra small, but now she's a medium.

[35:27] And sometimes there are issues with the fact that there's Abby, and Abby, oh, and Abby

[35:37] Q, and whatever other Abby's, you know, my daughter had, I think,

[35:43] My daughter, Matty, was one of the cheerleaders and there were at least two other Matty's in the same program.

[35:52] So sometimes that is disconnect and so we're working with our vendor to try and streamline that out.

[36:02] Of course, COVID was just a cluster all over the place with all of that because they're normal six to eight weeks turned into 12 to 14 weeks.

[36:13] turnaround because they had half-staff and they weren't, you know, when a shift would go down,

[36:19] the whole shift would go down and, you know, there was, that was a nightmare in and of itself.

[36:25] So we're trying to smooth all that out. We do try and keep, so we moved in and took over

[36:33] the program several years ago.

[36:37] A plan was to replace the uniforms every three years within

[36:40] style. The style that we've been using has not gone out of style or not gone out of

[36:49] circulation. And so we've been able to just say, you know what we're going to stick with

[36:53] this as long as we can, so that a girl who is aging into fifth grade possibly hopefully

[37:00] moving to the school team on to a younger sister can sell it to a neighbor. And then

[37:09] You know, hopefully we can combat some of those issues, but anyway, so that's generally

[37:16] a challenge or that we're constantly battling and we think we've got a better situation

[37:24] set up.

[37:26] But if you're 750 dollars, even for the competitive side, to me that sounds like may just

[37:34] we need a better way of reaching, because I'm sorry, but it's not just

[37:41] sheer, everybody has kids that play all sports $750 is not a huge

[37:46] investment when you're talking about a competitive rate.

[37:53] If I was looking at it and I say, oh, that's $600 difference. No, you're gonna

[37:57] play, you're gonna do a wreck. So could we break it down a little bit different

[38:01] where, what are you, you know, the registration fee is low, and then cost includes three competitions

[38:09] at this fee and the uniform at this fee. So you're understanding what you're actually

[38:13] in charge for for the big difference. We try and clarify that in the description.

[38:22] And so we say with competitive, it includes, you know, registration and in the program for this season,

[38:29] the competitive squad will compete in three local competitions or performances during the season as well as the recreation squad.

[38:39] We're already saying you're already, we're trying to provide all these things to you as part of this package.

[38:50] We may be phrased a little bit different of if something's $2 versus $1.99, kind of thing.

[38:58] So if we phrased it as your registration fee as this much, and then additional fees that

[39:01] are included are this, this,

[39:06] this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this,

[39:07] this extra money, just for an extra practice a week or even though it's there, some people respond

[39:12] better when it's broken down a little bit different.

[39:13] through

[39:17] programs, struggling to get people in the competitive level?

[39:23] I mean, is it?

[39:25] I just need to get the numbers for, like, to field competitive teams.

[39:30] For the middle school?

[39:31] Well, I guess for this, like, I guess kind of like, A through fourth.

[39:36] Is what we're looking at?

[39:36] Yes.

[39:39] Well, I guess compared to, like, with middle school, so, for instance,

[39:43] when I first took over middle school,

[39:45] Every competitive squad is going to be building our rebuilding year or a building year and

[39:53] When I first took over the program at the middle school

[39:56] Our numbers were completely down. They were I think maybe they had 12 girls

[40:03] Maybe 15 now. I have 24 girls

[40:07] So and then this year is a building year for the high school because it's new

[40:12] So sometimes when you're introducing something new, or you are reintroducing it, it does start off small, and then we have to work our way back up.

[40:22] So I was, I'm okay if we even get 10 girls. You know, you still can go and compete and do something with at least 10 to 12 girls, just to start somewhere to build the program back up.

[40:35] So they know that it's still here, we still offer the competitive side, not just wreck for football and that way we can build it back up because it's got to start somewhere.

[40:47] You're not going to probably go straight through the door with 25 girls.

[40:51] Just like when I came in, it was a building year for the wreck program and now we're up to 50 girls.

[40:59] So it has to start somewhere and then grow from there and build.

[41:04] Right, no, I think the issue that at least when you look at this is that the wreck number has grown exponentially year over year.

[41:15] There was 13 girls competitive cheer that year before you came in.

[41:19] And now there's none.

[41:21] So I think that's the disconnect.

[41:24] Because we're trying to figure out how are we able to grow exponentially on that.

[41:29] Yes, but not being non-existent period in the competitive aspect. It's kind of like at that level

[41:35] You know, it could be the parents, you know, because you're you're still trying to figure out what your kids are into and what their thing is and yes, you know

[41:42] They may kind of lean more

[41:44] Rect level until

[41:46] They know that they're going to be interested to take off like once they get to middle school and well, no, I have some little the

[41:51] I agree

[41:52] Can we go to kindergarten first and second, I wouldn't expect those moms that want to put their kid in a competitive environment when it comes to cheer, but third and fourth grade.

[42:02] That's when the, you know, your girls know, hey mom, dad, this is something that I'm interested in to where they could start developing those skills to where when fifth grade comes up, sixth grade, seventh grade, et cetera.

[42:14] They've got building blocks, just like you guys do with softball or baseball or football or tennis, whatever.

[42:22] You know, you pick an age and you go for it there.

[42:25] So you don't get in the garden for a second.

[42:26] Why don't you know, stay at rec.

[42:28] Third and fourth really push trying to get them in the competitive aspect world

[42:32] to where they understand if this is something that you're going to want to, you know,

[42:37] strive for in middle school.

[42:39] This is what's going to be expected.

[42:41] This is the minimum.

[42:42] If I can address the competitive change, obviously the fiscal 21, that was our fall of COVID.

[42:54] Because our fiscal year is July 1 through June 30.

[42:58] So when it says fiscal whatever, that's all of the previous year and spring of the year that's represented up there.

[43:06] Okay, nobody knew even if competitions would take place at that point, that year.

[43:15] And so we chose not to go down the road of the competitive program, because we didn't

[43:22] want to try, but at one point when we still didn't have any competitions on the schedule,

[43:32] So you convert it everybody down to the wreck level.

[43:36] Yeah, 10 girls, that's so interesting for a competitive.

[43:40] So we removed competitive that year because we still couldn't offer that as an option.

[43:50] And then in fiscal 22, most of the girls that had been involved in fiscal 21 moved to the

[44:00] school. And so there were few kids who actually continued from 21 to 22. We're some, I believe,

[44:10] but there were few kids that that continued. And so we've been rebuilding. We feel like this is

[44:16] the year that we can restart the competitive program. So it's not because we've made the adjustment.

[44:24] So, fiscal 21 was officially Memphis Pride running the program, and this was our coach.

[44:32] In 21, she created her own company in order to keep the consistency with us and the school.

[44:42] We went with her, as the representatives, with her company, to provide the program.

[44:49] Yes.

[44:50] That's a bit of where that comes from.

[44:57] Now I'm understanding it, I'm okay.

[45:00] But based on how I'm understanding the way that the billed up to competitive cheer, that it's due football, then basketball, then you continue on with the competitions, right?

[45:09] Well, it's in the same season. So football and competitive will be the same season. They will be, they can do both. So they would do all games in compete as well.

[45:19] So I guess the part that helped me understand

[45:23] because I'm wondering if this will help us to solve

[45:25] for the competitive lack of participation.

[45:30] That's a big drop-off between football and basketball.

[45:34] Is it supposed to be like, is this just,

[45:36] hey, we're indoors, so it's a lot more confined.

[45:38] We can't have as many cheerleaders.

[45:40] Because that number is almost more,

[45:43] as is me to have even more questions than why

[45:45] is there, why do we not have as many people interested

[45:48] and competitive gear, because maybe if we can solve for keeping those that are doing football,

[45:54] continue through basketball, then we might actually have more of it.

[45:57] I will speak to that.

[46:00] Again, I'm here today.

[46:02] There's a limited number of football games, six, eight, there's 30 basketball games.

[46:10] There's a much bigger commitment.

[46:12] What happens is you may be willing to do all games.

[46:18] and not willing to go to a basketball game two times a week for three months.

[46:24] That's the biggest difference that at least from the people that I'll talk to.

[46:28] That's what we see.

[46:29] We do have some of the parents here and so.

[46:36] I grabbed the mic.

[46:38] And to answer your question really quick,

[46:40] also a lot of the kids during the basketball season,

[46:44] there's other season sports too that they want to partake in

[46:49] they are offseason during football. So some kids that do the football, they do that one because

[46:55] they don't have the other sports that they want to do, but during springtime those are the sports

[47:01] that they want to do so they tend to not do the basketball cheer. And also on the competitive side,

[47:08] the 13 girls that you see on the number, those girls also moved up to middle school. Those are

[47:13] the ones that are saying so that year, all of those girls pretty much that cheered on the competitive

[47:18] They're now on the middle school competitive team and have been there since 5th grade, and the year of 2021 is like Pat said we had 10 girls, but competitions never

[47:32] Rich got the date set for us to compete during that season.

[47:36] So

[47:40] my name is Kimberly Derek Shawney.

[47:43] I was the volunteer mom, I guess, along with Rachel Goss,

[47:50] for the past two years.

[47:52] I have two daughters that competed at Empton,

[47:55] compete, sorry, cheered in the wrecked cheer program.

[48:00] My girls currently are in first and second grade.

[48:04] So, my youngest started in kindergarten, and my oldest was in first, we did the,

[48:14] um, something that we didn't mention in these statistics is this is split amongst two

[48:20] different football teams. So, it's not 50 girls on the sideline at one time. We had them split

[48:26] between the eight you and the ten you football teams, and I believe this year possibly, according

[48:32] and tomorrow has been we may have a 12-u so there would be

[48:36] chance of three different.

[48:37] We're working on it, yep.

[48:38] I mean, possibly, but I'm saying that is something.

[48:42] So there are definitely needs to be numbers.

[48:43] Football is a great time to cheer and they love it.

[48:49] Of course, my girls were cheering for their brothers.

[48:52] So it was a lot of fun.

[48:53] We participated in basketball cheer the first year.

[48:58] And my girls also played basketball.

[49:00] So they cheered football, cheered basketball, and played basketball all through parks and

[49:07] erect the first year.

[49:08] The second year we did not cheered basketball,

[49:14] partially due to them playing basketball.

[49:19] And partially due to their friends weren't going to be doing basketball cheer and they want

[49:24] to do with their friends, right?

[49:27] We did not do competitive.

[49:31] It wasn't offered to us the first year.

[49:34] The second year, the numbers just didn't look very good to us personally.

[49:40] So it wasn't, we weren't really twisted, I guess.

[49:44] Because it's really hard to build.

[49:47] I think because we don't have anything to show.

[49:49] So there's nothing to say.

[49:51] Hey, we did it last year and this is what it looks like.

[49:53] The reason why there was 50 is because we had a great program that your prior and everyone saw on social media.

[50:00] And wherever, oh, you guys did it. I was asked constantly. Make sure you let me know when the sign-ups are, it looks a lot of fun.

[50:06] So it looks like fun. You want to do it. That's the draw. We don't have anything to show for competitive.

[50:13] Migros are involved in a lot of other activities. So I don't know if we will ever do competitive.

[50:19] We demand to do competitive dance currently,

[50:24] so that is my side of it.

[50:27] I know you guys talked about uniforms and having registration, sorry I'm trying to

[50:31] hurry up my first graders at her teacher at Bellevue, so I'm trying to run through all

[50:36] of my speaking points.

[50:39] So the uniform situation our first year was slightly a nightmare, so I think Pat did try

[50:47] a comedy, had did try a comedy and leave it open as long as he could, but that was partially

[50:54] causing issues because Burst City texts a very long time to make these really nice, you

[50:59] know, we have very nice uniforms. I mean, very nice. They're not a T-shirt and whatever they're

[51:06] not red. I mean, I've seen some other neighboring communities and they're like a T-shirt

[51:09] and a skirt. We have very nice uniforms, okay? So if we keep leaving it open, then the next

[51:17] the batch of girls doesn't have the uniforms, then we get to the first game and it's like,

[51:22] hey, can y'all just wear the T-shirt and shorts? No, we just paid $300 for this uniform.

[51:26] We're going to wear it every day as many times as many times as many times as many times as I'm

[51:30] out of the 300, I'm kind of, but they're going to wear it as many times they're pants.

[51:34] So, their definitely needs to be a cut-off. For sure, one-hundred percent has to be cut-off,

[51:39] whatever the deadline is to get the uniform in time to cheer for the first game. So, that is one

[51:45] issue that you guys brought up. So it is hard. I'm really big on yes. Let's include all the new people that come, but that is, and that we definitely had issue with.

[51:57] I'm turning the thing else that you guys addressed that I can hurry through. Do you have any questions for me doing this for a couple years?

[52:06] We enjoyed it. I think Candace is amazing. Her assistant is amazing.

[52:13] We, me and Rachel have

[52:15] gotten to be the sideline cheermoms and we do not like to do that part of it. That was a difficult

[52:23] thing that a role doesn't listen to you and the only other thing I can think of to say is not

[52:29] every girl, it is a record program.

[52:32] They don't have to be skilled, but not every girl

[52:36] has the ability to stay in there for an hour in the sun

[52:40] or the cold and not be sitting down.

[52:44] So it's kind of like some parents

[52:45] I think we're doing as babysitting and dropping off.

[52:48] And I know that's hard on Candace

[52:50] because they're either too young or not mature enough

[52:53] to stand on the sideline the whole time.

[52:55] And I think that was difficult.

[52:56] And sometimes we had to run into that as the cheer mom.

[53:00] Like this little girl doesn't want to be there.

[53:02] It doesn't, it's tired or it's hungry or whatever.

[53:05] So that is something that we do need to look at.

[53:07] That was a negative, and that we did have to do a lot of that.

[53:12] Well, Rachel speak.

[53:15] I'm Rachel Goss.

[53:16] I have a first grader.

[53:19] I have the kid who only wants to be a cheerleader.

[53:21] We've begged her to do all the things.

[53:23] And she's like, I'm just going to cheer.

[53:26] So we've done the right program for two years.

[53:27] So this is my take on competitive, and I don't know if you agree with me Candace, but you know, when we were growing up, we had SOS, I don't know if any of you are meant to be as sure we use sports, and that's how you learn to cheer, and you can beat it from first grade on, you competed in that role straight in the middle school and straight into high school, and I think that some of the really great school programs that we have here in Memphis, Houston, I went to court over back in the day, but we had really competitive teams on the national level, and I think it's because a lot of these girls, I cheered with when I was in first grade, and we just said,

[53:58] made her away through that has really dot-out and so I think what you see is these little girls who really want to cheer are going all start

[54:05] So like I'm not a little girl to try it out for Candice's all starting last night

[54:10] Because they just want to cheer and they want to compete and

[54:14] They, you know, my little girl Campbell. She likes direct side because she's with her friends, but she's ready to

[54:19] Kind of take it to the next level. So I told her she had to wait till she was going into second grade

[54:23] So she did that. So that's kind of math take on it. I tried to help Candace last year kind of like get the word out, you know, for competitive.

[54:30] We did have a try out, but the numbers just weren't there. And so I don't think that you're going to have people like you were saying explaining on the website.

[54:38] I think that's a good idea because there was some confusion as to like, well, what is this and how what's the commitment level was more of the confusion than even the money I think.

[54:46] But I don't think you're going to have a lot of little girls who you were like, let's just share and all of a sudden wanting to be competitive.

[54:52] I think that it's a different type situation.

[54:55] So I would love to see school cheer come back around as more competitive, especially in like

[55:00] one as a rebuilding. My brother was the first graduating class of Gordova Hospital.

[55:05] So I'm very, I grew up with that. We are the the hospital and building that kind of stuff.

[55:09] And I know it takes um, but um, Parks and Rec is a big runway for that.

[55:13] And to keep race point, you know, when we started really promoting on social media,

[55:17] like our kids are having fun with cheerleading, that's when you saw the jump 25 to 50.

[55:21] and y'all have done a great job just getting information out there and making sure people

[55:24] are in the know and that's half the battle as well. But I'm not confident that we can

[55:30] have a competitive children team. And it's not your fault. I'm just not confident that we can do it.

[55:35] So somebody like me who would competitive cheer has decided to go the all-star route just

[55:39] as we know it's going to happen. And so that's kind of like my take on on how we on why competitive

[55:46] is the way that it is. I don't think it's anybody's fall. I think it's just going to take

[55:51] time and there's just not that competition at that younger age through a parks and many

[55:58] of the parks and park programs. No GFL has a very successful cheerleading program and it's partially

[56:02] because of sheer numbers. They have a million little cheerleading squad and so they're able to even

[56:07] compete at the rec level because they compete against each other and we don't have that hearing

[56:12] like when that's nobody's fault.

[56:14] But I think moving forward, the thing that I think is going to be

[56:18] most important for you, Candace,

[56:20] is just be able to scale this thing appropriately.

[56:23] You're a one person.

[56:24] And it's amazing to see how the girls respond

[56:26] when Candace is there.

[56:28] They just like, they're like little soldiers.

[56:30] They do what they're supposed to do.

[56:31] When she's not there, it does not work well.

[56:34] And having consistency in who her assistants are,

[56:37] I think it's a very important, I think it's okay for Candace

[56:40] to not have to be at every football game.

[56:42] When you're doing right here, the football game

[56:44] is your performances.

[56:46] That is your competition.

[56:47] You know, all these little girls parents come

[56:49] and sit in the stands and watch them cheer.

[56:51] And when you've got cheer, mothers, calling cheers,

[56:54] it's just not a good situation.

[56:55] So if we can help through Parks and Rec

[56:58] to help her have consistency in whom her assistants are,

[57:01] especially if we have three squads, you know,

[57:04] last year we tried to practice together a little bit.

[57:07] We probably admit to more than 30 girls at a practice is not a good situation either, especially when you're ranging from kindergarten or in the fourth grade.

[57:15] So that's that's math thing is how do we scale this?

[57:17] How do we help Candace scale it so that it can be a program that's really a theater into the middle school?

[57:23] And there's lots of parental involvement in Lakeland, which is kind of bad thing.

[57:28] But that doesn't need to be our role.

[57:30] We don't need to be conscious here on the siderun.

[57:32] It's only $150, but you pay me enough money to do it.

[57:36] So help me understand and Pat and Candace may be all can, as we've gone through each of the

[57:43] sports.

[57:43] As I'm from tennis, which I think from the numbers that we're just shared today, it puts

[57:48] it in a different situation, but do we have a single wreck program that does not involve

[57:52] a tremendous amount of parent involvement from coaching and being on a, like I'm thinking

[57:56] through baseball, soccer, I mean, even football, right?

[58:00] Like they're all parent coaches and I'm envisioning the chaos that is, both of our little

[58:06] are doing over in baseball right now where I'm like thank you all need more

[58:10] dads. I think you need a one-to-one ratio over there. I'd say this one's kind of

[58:16] middle of the road because the parents are not the ones doing the training doing

[58:24] the practices and the games and all that like with basketball and with with football

[58:30] the dads or the moms are the coaches and so there's of course that level of

[58:36] dedication and involvement in that, whereas with this one, it's still need to be

[58:44] involved or they still do become involved.

[58:51] But, and this and her assistance, and

[58:54] and there were several situations this last year that wouldn't happen every year.

[59:01] You know, Candace was out on maternity leave for a while and can't help that, she's

[59:05] take care of her baby. And so when we have that and then you know we had some tough conversations

[59:12] about who her assistant was on Saturday. And part of the problem was she had a really great

[59:18] assistant for practices but that assistant was involved in her own program on a Saturday morning

[59:25] when most of our games were. So she wasn't able to stay consistent and there was another assistant

[59:30] who was flaky, and so we had amazing moms who stepped up and not just these two ladies,

[59:40] but there were several others.

[1:00:00] Can you speak a little bit?

[1:00:02] Yeah.

[1:00:04] Real quick, I understand that you guys have to leave you very shortly.

[1:00:09] But Ms. Goss?

[1:00:10] Yeah.

[1:00:11] Okay.

[1:00:12] You said that yours is the dollar that's since day one chair.

[1:00:18] I want to be a chair later.

[1:00:19] You know, those exist every school year.

[1:00:22] Okay, $750.

[1:00:24] Competitive chair, right?

[1:00:27] How much is it going to cost at pride?

[1:00:33] Yeah, that's the point I'm not saying that.

[1:00:37] The point I'm making is that it helps to advertise.

[1:00:41] That can be a part of the advertising saying.

[1:00:44] Because the parent, not only is it a better deal, but it's a stepping stone.

[1:00:48] It's a stepping stone at a discounted price to get them to where they're going.

[1:00:53] because whether it's middle school or pride,

[1:00:55] it's pretty much going to be the same price.

[1:00:57] You know, it's good.

[1:00:59] And, and, and, and, and,

[1:01:00] really,

[1:01:02] you don't, right, this is a good.

[1:01:08] Just don't have the, uh, and we would,

[1:01:12] if we were starting up and I've mentioned about them,

[1:01:15] if we would just bring one competition to get it,

[1:01:17] something that I know about,

[1:01:19] but we do three, seven,

[1:01:27] and, typically, it's not three competitions,

[1:01:29] it's three performance.

[1:01:31] So, for there, it might be one to two competitions,

[1:01:35] the regionals, the encore one that I put on the table as one, and then if that's not the one

[1:01:42] we're going to do, it would still be the showcase with Memphis Pride and then a shownight. So it's

[1:01:48] three performances and mainly like one to two competitions, being that when you're doing competitive,

[1:01:56] doing one, you might as well not be competitive. If you're just going to do one,

[1:02:03] The whole point of being competitive is to get them learning how to be in front of a crowd,

[1:02:09] getting them to know how to perform, picking up a routine, picking up choreography, learning

[1:02:14] how to do stunts, learning how to do up your mid, putting it all together for two minutes

[1:02:18] and 30 seconds on that mat, and learning how to build with a team.

[1:02:23] That's what it's about.

[1:02:24] So once they get to middle school, they know how to be a middle school cheerleader.

[1:02:28] is not just about the sideline, they get the sideline,

[1:02:32] but they also have to know how to be a team player,

[1:02:34] how to work with teams, with kids on the team,

[1:02:38] how to be able to come in, learn material,

[1:02:41] and be able to perform the material.

[1:02:43] That's the whole point of starting the competitiveness,

[1:02:46] because a lot of the girls that come in the door

[1:02:48] for middle school, if they don't have that under their belt,

[1:02:52] is a little bit harder for them coming in the door

[1:02:54] than ones that have already competed

[1:02:57] and already had it under their belt.

[1:03:00] You know, I just did a quick search

[1:03:02] because it had been a while since I looked at it.

[1:03:06] The cheer program obviously works very closely

[1:03:09] with the Tackle Football Program.

[1:03:12] And there are cheer programs for some of the competition

[1:03:17] that we see in the MFL.

[1:03:20] And we are probably the most economical game in town,

[1:03:24] as far as any of those teams, especially the closest ones to us.

[1:03:29] Competitive is probably half or so versus another neighboring agency and, you know,

[1:03:41] wreck is right about in there, depending on which direction you go out 70.

[1:03:48] So we're we're trying to be economical just to make sure that kids are still coming in

[1:03:53] and it's like that, but.

[1:03:56] I have noticed with all the different neighboring

[1:03:59] wreck programs, everybody right now with the chair

[1:04:02] is struggling competitive.

[1:04:06] One of our neighboring wreck programs,

[1:04:08] they started off with doing competitive cheer team in wreck.

[1:04:13] And at this moment, they're no longer doing competitive either.

[1:04:16] I think that when the pandemic hit,

[1:04:19] I did kind of take a hit with the rent program.

[1:04:25] So I know that it is hard right now for a lot of people

[1:04:29] to want to do the competitive side when it comes to the younger ones.

[1:04:33] Like she said, some people do go to pride.

[1:04:36] But even there, we've taken a hit.

[1:04:38] You know, I'm at both places.

[1:04:39] So I kind of know the feel of everything.

[1:04:41] I'm over here and I'm over there.

[1:04:43] So I see both sides of it.

[1:04:45] And we've even lost numbers.

[1:04:47] just because cost is being one of the major things or some of the parents and then you know like you said before

[1:04:58] just knowing if it's going to fully be able to go through just with wreck programs.

[1:05:05] It's a little bit harder like you said you know this is not something that has been around for a very long time and then it has

[1:05:13] And then we're trying to pull it back in and build it up, but if we stick together and kind of do more of the advertising as a community and pull it together, I feel like we could get the numbers and push kids to want to do the competitive just by word of mouth, you know, because it's like you said I'm the same coach at the same place, you know, at Pride, but the cost is a whole lot more and the commitment is a whole lot more.

[1:05:39] but the experience could be the same on the put in and like I was thinking why you were sitting

[1:05:48] or talking and one of the coolest things like when we started a long time ago one of the coolest

[1:05:53] things was watching Sophie, it was a fifth grader go in and we weren't a part of it yet and we

[1:05:59] went to Memphis Pride and they did you know you donate stuff and you watch the show case and

[1:06:07] her eyes lit up and she saw these 15, 16, 17, 18-year-old girls just doing phenomenal things

[1:06:15] that she's never seen before. And ever since then she's been in love and now she's

[1:06:19] varsity at Arlington, she flies all over the place and all that. And even if you had to,

[1:06:27] you know, talk to Chris or whatever and make it to where part of the registration fee for

[1:06:33] is, you know, a $5 donation to the showcase and make it like a field trip for you and the girls to where they can go watch these girls that are, to me they're pros.

[1:06:44] Because I'm sorry, anytime you can go from your feet up in the air and do two or three twists and land back on your feet, that's, that's amazing.

[1:06:51] And a lot of them can do that. And if you see in these first, second, third year, you know, third graders, they go out there and see that in real life, not just somebody talking about it.

[1:07:01] not only television, they go and they watch it there, that can light a fire within some of these

[1:07:07] girls that you wouldn't know until you've seen till you've got them there.

[1:07:11] Yeah, and that's true, like that's what I've tried to do.

[1:07:13] It's just like she said, some of the kids are more committed to wanting to be that little girl

[1:07:20] and some, they want to do it just for fun, which is okay, you know, and that's why we have the

[1:07:25] wreck, because I've even sent, brought them to the showcases, you know, their kids came and

[1:07:31] There was a couple of parents that came like the basketball girls they came and they said

[1:07:34] that this year they want to do competitive, you know, but then when the time comes to sign

[1:07:38] up, who knows if they're going to do it, you know, I'm like, you do you want to do what this

[1:07:42] girl did?

[1:07:42] Did you see the middle school, you know, I'm trying to advertise.

[1:07:45] So I've sent out the show night when we do it before nationals like, hey, come watch us.

[1:07:50] Just so you can see what competitive is about and see if your little girl really wants to

[1:07:54] do it.

[1:07:55] You know, they'll come and they're like, wow, that was awesome.

[1:07:57] I want to do that, you know, so hopefully those times that we've done that, that does put

[1:08:03] a little fire under them to make them want to get to the competitive, but then there's some

[1:08:07] parents that were like, oh, she's, she don't want to do it, or maybe if she has one moment

[1:08:13] where she's like, oh, are kind of intimidated or, you know, instead of just trying it because we're

[1:08:19] all starting at the beginning and that's what I tell the parent, you don't have to know how to

[1:08:23] do anything. I will teach you everything you need to know how to do and just come in the door

[1:08:28] and just try it and let's just see where it takes us. So the commitment from the parents

[1:08:33] and the girls is going to be another issue just knowing if they really want to do it and

[1:08:40] commit because even some of the girls at the games 10 minutes in, they're done. They're checking

[1:08:45] out on me and I have to come on, you can do it. We're almost there, you know, and come

[1:08:50] you know they're already ready to go crying tears rolling they've taken the pictures

[1:08:56] they've smiled that everybody out there and just have to have a true

[1:09:02] cheer parent meeting expectations for the

[1:09:08] year competitive 10

[1:09:13] or 15 girls

[1:09:13] they're like oh I didn't realize it was that they've got it amongst ourselves

[1:09:19] we've had like a chance okay we did have a meeting so you can I we had a meeting

[1:09:25] And I broke down everything.

[1:09:28] Because a lot of people were like,

[1:09:29] oh, I don't want them to go to Orlando.

[1:09:31] I'm like, we're not going to Orlando.

[1:09:33] Right.

[1:09:33] And I broke it down and I said exactly what this calls,

[1:09:37] I dropped the calls, you know, we were at a thousand.

[1:09:40] I dropped it.

[1:09:41] I even dropped it to 650 at one point.

[1:09:44] You know, I'm not making anything really off of it.

[1:09:47] I'm just doing it to give back.

[1:09:49] And I think that if the parents,

[1:09:51] I know they want me and I give them a lot of me,

[1:09:55] you know, but they also have to know, like, even at pride,

[1:09:58] I might not be the coach in front of your kid every time.

[1:10:01] There's a community of less at pride,

[1:10:03] and we all like step in and do our part.

[1:10:06] So if they know that I'll probably be over this and do this part

[1:10:11] and then there will be somebody else that will come in

[1:10:14] and they will do this part and be comfortable enough to know

[1:10:18] that what we have we're gonna make it work

[1:10:20] and we're gonna, but our best foot forward.

[1:10:22] But is that the level here, because I know the coaches at Pride, they're all phenomenal.

[1:10:29] They said the ones that you have that helped you hear, are they of that level?

[1:10:33] Now there was one, she was at the level, as far as her doing what she was supposed to do when I was on maternity leave,

[1:10:40] no, she wasn't at that level, because she has coach beside me at Pride, and I gave her

[1:10:47] of a high school team because I, you know, I get a lot of kids and teams that come to me,

[1:10:52] but I can't take all of them. So I gave her that team on her own. And for some reason or another,

[1:10:59] I don't know where she decided to like go left, you know, but I brought her in because I have had her

[1:11:06] before where she's worked side by me at Pride. She's been one of my cheerkids nationalists.

[1:11:12] No,

[1:11:15] yes, so like Carmen and stuff, she was great and

[1:11:22] Exactly so

[1:11:24] But that's one part about Trinity is the good coach. She just did not show up when I need her to show up

[1:11:30] You know

[1:11:31] Like Carmen Gordon

[1:11:33] Carmen Gordon's been helping and she's been great. Probably man. She's she's cheering myself for this year

[1:11:39] So I want to go back to the center of what we've been doing, right, with all the different

[1:11:48] sports, which is trying to make a determination about what we as a Parks and Rec board

[1:11:54] are trying to accomplish and what we're trying to build up.

[1:11:59] And in many

[1:12:02] of our other sports, we've continued to say, and what I'm still hearing is there's

[1:12:08] lot of competitive options in Memphis, right? There are a lot of options. We made the

[1:12:15] determination and I'll just go back to baseball because I got a baseball game to get to,

[1:12:21] you know, every night.

[1:12:25] You made the decision as a city that offering competitive baseball

[1:12:30] was not the direction that we were trying to go because there were better options available to the

[1:12:36] kids in a lot more options with competitive baseball.

[1:12:43] We not trying to accomplish the same thing when it comes to cheer, like offer what it is.

[1:12:49] And clearly there is a tremendous desire for the wrecked cheer.

[1:12:55] Why are we trying to focus on competitive cheer when there are other options?

[1:13:04] We've got a relative competitive soccer for the same reason, now if people want competitive

[1:13:09] soccer. It's through other programs. We don't have it at a baseball. That's a travel

[1:13:13] baseball as for.

[1:13:17] I'm just trying to make sure that we're not missing something.

[1:13:19] God. Okay. Well, I'm new. It's my third meeting. So that's how. So that's what this is.

[1:13:26] So we're just recreational sports in competitive needs to go somewhere else.

[1:13:31] That's what we were tasked by your brother to determine. That's what Josh asks us to do.

[1:13:37] What is that figure out as the Parks and Rec board like what is it and that's the conclusion that we've been coming to is how do we make sure that there's an incredibly robust

[1:13:47] Rec program so that people have then been adequately prepared that when they do find what it is that they want whether you're in

[1:13:55] First grade like Campbell or whether it's when you're in fourth grade that you say you know what I do love that I want to go the competitive route.

[1:14:02] I'm no longer like I want us to have incredible

[1:14:06] theater programs for the middle school in high school.

[1:14:09] That is critical for our overall success of the city.

[1:14:14] I'm just 15 to zero is just a big difference.

[1:14:21] And I'm wondering if we're trying to solve a problem that

[1:14:24] doesn't need to be solved by parks and rent.

[1:14:27] Well, I was just going to say, I got my child picked up.

[1:14:29] I'm good now.

[1:14:31] But what I was going to say is I don't think it hurts to try, definitely that's not

[1:14:36] hurt to try.

[1:14:37] It doesn't cost anything to try to do this for incorrect, but it doesn't cost a social

[1:14:42] media posting, but I just was going to make a point which is to Jessica's point is me and

[1:14:50] Rachel, I would say, were the two most active moms and were both for two different

[1:14:55] opposite reasons not interested in doing the competitive part.

[1:15:00] Me, because my children do lots of other activities, and I would do it at the time if it was shorter, which Candace has said, you can't really do that, and then Rachel wants something more, more than this is giving.

[1:15:14] So we're, me and Rachel are different ends of the spectrum, but we come to the middle saying, we, my, Earl's love wreck, and they love Candace, and we're always continued as long as we can.

[1:15:24] So, but I don't think it's a negative to try to get it each year, and if we can and Canvas is willing to coach it, I don't think it's a negative.

[1:15:35] So, I don't have Rachel, it's not a single matter.

[1:15:40] So, the one thing that I was going to say is the main reason why I feel like it is great to keep that as an opportunity, even if she said if it works, it does, if it does not work, then that's fine.

[1:15:53] But the main goal is to get them ready for middle school, it's a feeder program and that's you know back in the day

[1:16:00] Why she said SOS and all these other wreck programs?

[1:16:03] It was just different back then, you know everybody wanted to compete now and days a lot of the kids

[1:16:09] At each don't want to compete sometimes only because they want to do other sports

[1:16:14] But once you commit to competitive cheer like that's pretty much it you know you are you know

[1:16:20] But there's not too many other things you can really do because it's very time-consuming.

[1:16:25] But I feel like if we do push for the competitive right-chair, that helps us get them

[1:16:31] prepared for middle school competitive and then for the high school, you know, that's my

[1:16:36] main goal is to help get them just a pretty much acquainted with everything and trying to learn

[1:16:45] how to transition to that next position when they do go to middle school or high school just

[1:16:52] like the middle school is going to be a feeder for high school. The wreck program is supposed

[1:16:56] to be a feeder for middle school and that's just the goal that I feel would be great, you know,

[1:17:02] if it could happen. And please, no, I'm not picking on cheer just because I only have boys and

[1:17:07] I know nothing about cheerleading. Please, please, please know that. I don't know. I mean,

[1:17:12] I heard baseball person and mom and it was still probably one of my first recommendations

[1:17:17] was stop trying to provide a baseball program at a certain point where after a certain age,

[1:17:24] once you get over eight years old, if you're not playing travel ball, you're probably not

[1:17:29] going to make the middle school team or if you do, you are probably not playing on the middle

[1:17:34] school team until you go get more experience and I'm watching that firsthand while my husband

[1:17:39] coaches than middle school team. So like, please know, like, we want Lakeland Parks and

[1:17:46] Rec to be the best Rec programs available. We've also got to say we have to be able to focus

[1:17:54] energy and resources where it's going to do the most good. And yeah, maybe it, okay, maybe

[1:18:01] there's no harm in keeping it open one more year and see if there's people that say, hey,

[1:18:04] let's give this a try if the numbers aren't there and maybe it's just to I just don't want

[1:18:12] us to lose sight of what we are trying to accomplish as a board which is have to make focus.

[1:18:20] Now I think one of the big differences is probably we're not with cheer we don't we don't have

[1:18:25] the facilities problem which I think exists with every other sport that we have right like is that

[1:18:31] difference back, like, cheer, we don't want to get rid of it.

[1:18:34] That's probably the one big difference.

[1:18:36] The facilities aren't there, and the vendor for it isn't pushing.

[1:18:41] You know, if Canvas is happy doing this and, like, it doesn't matter to her,

[1:18:46] you know, I have to have a competitive team.

[1:18:48] Every year, there's doesn't care.

[1:18:51] And the facility needs exist, or to offer it.

[1:18:57] That's what I'm, you know, I don't know that it does.

[1:19:00] That's what I'm saying, like, that's probably the,

[1:19:03] it's with cheer, compared to everything else, is we're not fighting for facilities or need non-existent facilities.

[1:19:13] And that may only last so long.

[1:19:15] I don't know how long that'll go.

[1:19:17] But right now, so we spent most of the football season in the mat room,

[1:19:24] which is where the wrestling program will be.

[1:19:26] And then we spent the basketball season in the high school cafeteria.

[1:19:31] The fact that we are able to move the mats where we need to,

[1:19:35] allows us a little bit more flexibility in where and when we can practice.

[1:19:39] Sure, we're going to still have access to the mat room.

[1:19:43] All the other issues were, I mean, if does that change?

[1:19:46] Well, we won't be in the mat room.

[1:19:47] You know, we don't know because as the wrestling programs are growing and all that kind of stuff,

[1:19:54] The good thing is that we have the mats that we can then move.

[1:19:59] Now, the school will have error program where it is and then generally we just kind of

[1:20:06] come and deer the space afterwards. We sometimes will break it down and have

[1:20:11] or mats because of the size difference in the two squads but we're generally able to just kind of

[1:20:20] occupied the same space that the school

[1:20:22] formation of that that we're going to have access because given the issue that we talked about last month with basketball no longer having access to the school facilities the way that

[1:20:32] They were supposed to be like I hate see all of that time energy and work and all of a sudden then we're back here year from now saying so we don't have school facilities that were promised to us and what's going on

[1:20:44] And now we have all these girls that can't access, they can't practice.

[1:20:49] That's one of the goals for the remainder of the school year and through the summer as we start working on next year.

[1:21:02] The difference is that we have the MOU on the school flatfields, where it's spelled out for the next number of years.

[1:21:12] we have this much space and so on, we don't have that for either of the indoor facilities

[1:21:19] and so every summer I get together with the school administration when we write it

[1:21:24] out now.

[1:21:26] I'm going to be trying to approach that a little bit differently this year, trying to lock

[1:21:31] us in to some public tough for them because they're growing, the parks is trying to grow.

[1:21:42] What I was going to say was like I I've also employed at Lakeland too, so I spoke with Miss Martin, you know, and she has allowed me to be able to bring the chair team in as long as it's not conflicting with middle school chair, but being that I'm the coach about I do it right after so there is no conflict and we already know the space is already open.

[1:22:05] because we pretty much put in the middle school,

[1:22:09] we put in for the space for that day.

[1:22:12] And what I usually do is I have them middle school practices

[1:22:16] and then right after the ret comes in,

[1:22:19] they leave out one or two mats,

[1:22:21] they put the rest of them up and when we're done,

[1:22:24] and I have the ret girls put up those two mats that they use.

[1:22:29] So luckily I have got that into play

[1:22:31] where she's allowed us to do that.

[1:22:36] And I'll just say, you know, make sure that I'm still corresponding with her to make sure that's okay.

[1:22:41] It hasn't been a problem, you know, and she just says as long as it's not conflicting with our cheer team, then it wasn't a problem.

[1:22:51] I have a quick question.

[1:22:53] I'm going to resource standpoint for you.

[1:22:55] You already have the wreck team.

[1:22:57] Is a competitive team an additional drain on your resources?

[1:23:01] No, not really.

[1:23:02] I mean, we pay for the additional space within the school, but that's something that we are already budgeting for.

[1:23:14] At the parents that do it, and they pay the 750, the things that they need over the uniforms that covers them.

[1:23:22] There's no additional funds we're kicking in on that.

[1:23:24] Uniforms are a separate expense, but the way that the cost share works is that she gets a certain percentage of everything we bring in and we get the remainder that remainder covers additional bows and socks and things that the girls might.

[1:23:43] Because they've lost it, things like that, you know, the spirit shirts which we provide and

[1:23:51] it's included in the registration and then the use of the facility.

[1:23:57] It sounds like that this may be the one thing that there's no risk to us to have a competitive team.

[1:24:03] Long as we can confirm that your ability to continue using the facilities has not changed because there's been a lot

[1:24:09] change in access

[1:24:16] minimum of how much I'm going to grow I said the minimum would be ten to twelve to

[1:24:25] to really be successful and compete and have enough girls to make a routine would be ten to twelve girls

[1:24:35] I mean and I do kind of agree with what you said like maybe give it a shot you know this year

[1:24:41] you know there's no need to keep pushing pushing pushing if we're not getting the numbers

[1:24:46] and just put the focus on wreck you know I would like to give it another shot you know and just see

[1:24:53] if we're able to get the numbers this year and where we can possibly go and then after that you

[1:24:59] know maybe rethink it again for next season and if it's just not there you know we can put all our

[1:25:06] focus on the red program.

[1:25:08] Maybe I'm just coming from a different aspect.

[1:25:11] I'm just tired of watching Lake Lincoln.

[1:25:12] Kids go somewhere else.

[1:25:14] Yeah.

[1:25:14] I don't like that either way.

[1:25:17] I'm tired of watching Lake Lincoln kids go to, you know,

[1:25:20] M-U-S.

[1:25:21] Seriously, George is a prior-Christ or Arlington or wherever.

[1:25:25] At this pride, you know, whatever.

[1:25:27] Yeah.

[1:25:27] You know what?

[1:25:29] They offered me a competitive thing when I was in fourth grade.

[1:25:32] And I know these people now.

[1:25:34] I love them.

[1:25:34] They're part of fam.

[1:25:35] So I'm sticking here and well, maybe my senior year of high school, I'll go and join the school to local school team, if I feel like it.

[1:25:47] So for us to continually give up, it sounds to me anyway, is we're continually giving away, giving away to where, just to roads, the product is a whole.

[1:25:59] I'm sure that I think what we've been focused on from all the meetings that I've been in for the

[1:26:07] You're now I think it's really been to help combat exactly what you're talking about

[1:26:12] It's to make sure that the programs are foundationally sound at the rec level to ensure that we do have feeder programs that go into the schools

[1:26:22] I get that but that's what I'm saying is that because I know for a fact last year

[1:26:28] their best football players that came through Lakeland Rack, our best basketball players that

[1:26:35] can't do Lakeland Rack all over their playing ball now, I'm Lakeland.

[1:26:41] Welcome to Brian Crest, one's the same George, and one is at Laos Annabelle here,

[1:26:51] that's

[1:26:51] why I'm saying if we fight harder, we might fail, I don't know, but it's just

[1:26:59] frustrated. And I would much rather try and fail than just give it away to somebody and it

[1:27:07] gives them another easy out.

[1:27:12] I agree that, you know, this or in particular I don't see that there's a risk to try. So

[1:27:20] different scenarios, there's a risk, in terms of what we try them.

[1:27:28] Fields, equipment,

[1:27:31] the others, there's a problem, and I think the whole

[1:27:34] competitive recreation thing is, everything is, I'm

[1:27:41] didn't wait, in five years, you know, our whole view on

[1:27:44] competitive baseball and football could be different, because as we developed

[1:27:49] these rent programs, feed into both the school programs, also perhaps create more competitiveness

[1:27:57] within the kids that are here as we grow and they go to school together. And then they want

[1:28:02] more competitive programs closer to home with the people that they grew up with and play

[1:28:07] recklessly. So I think just because we're not considering it now or making decision to go a

[1:28:13] for a way, doesn't mean that in five years or 10 years or so.

[1:28:18] We might not see the necessity to change it.

[1:28:24] Our opportunities there, and we have the community,

[1:28:27] it's a lot of the community wants to really basically go over it.

[1:28:31] If the community decides, you know, they want to support that a baseball, right, all teams?

[1:28:38] That's why we go.

[1:28:42] I agree, you know, that if we can keep pushing and drawing, you know, I'm a fighter.

[1:28:48] I'm going to recruit and keep working, you know, and I know another problem is that, you

[1:28:54] know, when I didn't have the program, a lot of those kids went to all-star at a young age,

[1:29:00] because, you know, we can start at 3 and 4, and that's why I'm trying to pull a lot of those

[1:29:04] kids that I know are at Lakeland now to try to come back and do the right program, and I feel

[1:29:10] being that we did have 50 kids this year for the wreck. They just needed to kind of see what this was

[1:29:16] about, because we got a lot of new kids. So they needed to kind of get their foot in the door,

[1:29:21] see what it's about. I feel like now we could get some of them to convert and do both next year.

[1:29:35] That's all I have. No, thank you very much. Thank you. Thank y'all.

[1:29:42] I will say we've been hosting registration for out two weeks, maybe three.

[1:29:49] We already have 17 girls in the rec program.

[1:29:54] Girls in the competitive program so far.

[1:29:58] We're doing well on.

[1:30:00] On that for now.

[1:30:08] Right. So, I'd like to move on. Right. Got them confirmed for, or this week, the main topic of our conversation is the senior center. We, of course, have our own facility, which is nice. We get to, you're outwards in there. Our programs are generally,

[1:30:34] But split down with educational programs, social programs, and health and fitness programs.

[1:30:41] Now, you can make the case that one could fit multiple categories, but we kind of set that as the criteria for what our programs are.

[1:30:56] Under educational programs, we do have arts and crafts because there is an element of education on

[1:31:04] the technique that's involved and things like that.

[1:31:07] So when they're doing watercolor when they're doing, you know, multimedia art, you know,

[1:31:14] we're talking to them about the techniques that are involved.

[1:31:20] And our person, they don't know what those techniques are, but we are talking about them.

[1:31:25] Many of those programs are covered by the grant that we use through creative aging because

[1:31:33] they have the programs set up.

[1:31:35] They create the curriculum, and then they're coming in in that.

[1:31:38] Once a month, we also do an luncheon learn, so sometimes a local professional would be coming

[1:31:49] in, talking about scams that are generally targeting seniors.

[1:31:54] Personal health presentations, things about fall awareness and things of that nature, and

[1:32:01] And we have the safe driver curriculum through the AARP

[1:32:05] come in at least once a year.

[1:32:07] So we do try and bring in different groups.

[1:32:10] Sometimes it will be a dentist or sometimes it

[1:32:14] will be an insurance agent that are coming in to really try

[1:32:21] and your citizens aware of programs that are out there

[1:32:26] that they can take advantage of or, you know,

[1:32:29] how to protect themselves in those situations.

[1:32:33] And then, of course, we have the social programs.

[1:32:36] Bingo is always our huge draw.

[1:32:39] We do that at least twice a month.

[1:32:41] Generally, Bingo will be tied to our monthly, you know,

[1:32:49] celebration when there is one.

[1:32:51] So when Christmas comes around, we'll do a Christmas

[1:32:54] themed party and then we'll pull out the bingo cards and play bingo and amongst that.

[1:33:01] We'll do, we did bingo on Valentine's Day, we do it for St. Patty's Day and things of that nature.

[1:33:10] They're really good about texting me while I'm out of town saying that they miss me, all that kind of stuff.

[1:33:17] They'll get dressed up in the colors for the celebration and they'll come in and have a great time.

[1:33:22] There are people who only come for bingo, and there are people who are there for almost every one of these.

[1:33:29] And so we're really happy to have many of them.

[1:33:32] We have multiple different types of card games and domino games.

[1:33:36] We have a jamming group that comes out and plays and people can just come and listen and then they just pick away.

[1:33:41] Generally bluegrass but, you know, lots of different things.

[1:33:46] And they'll come and play, and they have a great time, and usually when Kim's off, I'll go and actually just sit there and listen, kind of man the fort, if you will, just to just to go and sit in on the day.

[1:34:01] So, those are our social programs and then health and fitness.

[1:34:05] We've added this last year and a half or so.

[1:34:10] Cherry yoga, we tried mat yoga, didn't quite get the same reception,

[1:34:15] but that would be a program that actually is not limited to just seniors.

[1:34:21] So we have cherry yoga and we've just recently started a program for line dancing instruction.

[1:34:28] We're obviously looking or any other health and fitness, you know,

[1:34:34] silvers sneakers, sitting get fit, any of those types of programs that we can get the education

[1:34:39] for to run ourselves or any of that kind of stuff.

[1:34:44] Our yoga instructor is a contract and she's willing to do more, we just don't yet have

[1:34:50] the demand for more.

[1:34:53] ZoomBegold is one that we've been investigating that is a senior focused ZoomBegrogram and we would

[1:35:00] utilize the clubhouse like we do with our other health and fitness programs.

[1:35:06] We've also been exploring the opportunity for day trips and so in this new fiscal year

[1:35:12] we're trying to put together a couple throughout the next fiscal year where the seniors may come together

[1:35:21] at 9 o'clock in the morning, we'd have a shuttle bus rented for the day and then it would take

[1:35:31] them to the activity for the day. Now we could do botanical gardens, we could go in and you

[1:35:37] know, do a nature scape kind of painting day, we could do just even a field trip out to

[1:35:45] Markman's out Oakland, out 64, to go to their shop.

[1:35:50] That's always fun.

[1:35:51] I take my girls over there every once in a while.

[1:35:54] Go down to the Peabody for lunch and watch the ducks, those kinds of things.

[1:35:58] We haven't identified anything as we are definitely doing this as our first one,

[1:36:03] but that is something that we have been investigating.

[1:36:07] Our relationship with Durham as we started about this time last year due to the concerts and the movies being relocated to the athletic complex.

[1:36:19] We're going to try and utilize that system.

[1:36:23] If we're looking at future needs or future really wants at this point for the center,

[1:36:29] trying to get a shuttle bus for ourselves so that we could do these on a more regular basis

[1:36:36] would be fantastic. That could be something that we would be able to utilize as we were

[1:36:42] moving forward with other programs. We could have it where the athletic complex is supplemental

[1:36:49] parking for concerts if we ever got so large that we needed another spot. And then we could

[1:36:55] staff basically run a shuttle back and forth.

[1:36:59] We have used the school properties for that this last year.

[1:37:04] We were running concerts and everything over at the athletic complex, so we could do that.

[1:37:09] We could again contract with Durham.

[1:37:12] We now know how the process works.

[1:37:16] Relatively inexpensive when you look at the overall cost of, like a charter or any of the other

[1:37:23] options that would come into play.

[1:37:26] Of course, we will continue the creative aging grant application as long as we possibly can,

[1:37:33] but there are opportunities for us to actually purchase additional membership with them.

[1:37:39] We are looking at expanding those programs.

[1:37:42] We get a baseline every year because of the grant that we have and if we chose to do so,

[1:37:51] we'd be able to increase the number of credits, essentially we got through the grant every year

[1:37:58] and then we'd be able to offer additional programming and nature. So we're exploring that opportunity now.

[1:38:06] And then we've talked about, you know, that the senior center does not charge

[1:38:13] or before I got here had not charged for anything. And since since we started up some of these programs

[1:38:20] we are doing some feed programs and the programs that we're charging for now are like the

[1:38:28] health and fitness classes.

[1:38:30] That's three dollars to come in for the hour of yoga.

[1:38:33] That is not nothing.

[1:38:37] It is relatively inexpensive one hour fitness program.

[1:38:42] And so we do charge as nominal a fee as we possibly can for the programs that we

[1:38:50] that we are involved in. Anything creative aging, there is no fee for at all. That's part of the

[1:38:56] grant process. We can't charge for it. And so we're looking at ways to make sure that we're

[1:39:06] able to cover as much as we can. We've been exploring the idea of memberships.

[1:39:13] Memberships are part of the deal when you go to other senior centers.

[1:39:22] It's an early and annual membership.

[1:39:26] It's not an expensive thing.

[1:39:28] We're not looking at like $100 certainly.

[1:39:32] You know, we would be looking at something much less than that.

[1:39:35] But basically, it would give you the opportunity for a reduced E when we did charge for things.

[1:39:44] It must speak just a moment ago. We do charge for our dinners.

[1:39:49] And it had been $10, and then when we re-instituted them after COVID with all the costs going up,

[1:39:57] we did have to raise it to $12.

[1:39:58] So in that $12, that $12 does cover the entire evening and sometimes we actually come out a little ahead, not much, but a little.

[1:40:12] So it's $12 is a good, good right, and nobody complains.

[1:40:18] And, you know, mostly covers the food and drink for the evening.

[1:40:25] We try and utilize the grant for the actual entertainment portion of the evening.

[1:40:33] And then again, we're...

[1:40:36] It's not really designed to be a money maker, but certainly once we certainly wanted to cover its own costs.

[1:40:43] And so we try and keep it as nominal as possible.

[1:40:47] We've been exploring the opportunity, what would the benefit be if we decided to go with the membership rate?

[1:40:55] We certainly would not have it be a mandatory fee, but the reason we think it would actually work,

[1:41:04] and people would be interested in it, would be if let's say our membership rate was $24 a year.

[1:41:14] Essentially, you break that down to $2 a month as your membership rate and then if we did

[1:41:21] our, if we did our dinners at the membership rate would be 10 and the non member rate would

[1:41:27] be 12, you get that benefit.

[1:41:30] If we do, as we are increasing our own programs, as you may remember, those of you who have

[1:41:36] been here for a bit, we did add a part-time employee this last fiscal year.

[1:41:44] I'm narrowly to allow us to run our own programs.

[1:41:48] It's a very heavy lift for him to get all of these things scheduled.

[1:41:54] And a lot of it, we had to utilize volunteers and things like that.

[1:41:58] Well, volunteers can get sick.

[1:42:00] And volunteers can decide that it's a lot of effort involved.

[1:42:06] And so sometimes they need to take a step back.

[1:42:08] And so we brought in a part-time person.

[1:42:11] So that we can try and offer our own programs versus trying to rely on our volunteers versus

[1:42:18] trying to rely on our grant opportunities.

[1:42:24] Now, we'll still try and capitalize on those things.

[1:42:26] But where we need to, especially if we get to a situation where, let's say, a craft is going

[1:42:32] to require a specific item, and that's, you know, there's a specific cost to that.

[1:42:39] We may end up charging for a material speed for a long running craft program for a month.

[1:42:50] That material speed may be absorbed if you have a membership.

[1:42:53] So that's where we're kind of looking.

[1:42:55] Obviously we haven't gotten very far and drawn out any of the details on this.

[1:43:03] But, you know,

[1:43:06] Or are you a little bit of an upgraded senior son?

[1:43:10] Both do.

[1:43:10] Thank you. I have memberships. Yes. They do. I think we might be the only senior center that does not have a membership.

[1:43:19] Besides, call your bill. I'm a child. I went two weeks ago. I wanted to pick up some trees.

[1:43:27] And I've been on this board for eight years. That's the first time I've been inside that senior center.

[1:43:32] And I was absolutely blown away by what Kim does with, essentially, nothing, all of your materials and part-time staff and a place was amazing.

[1:43:44] I think I would, all of you, everybody on the board just go by there for 20, 30 minutes and look around it.

[1:43:52] She has worked on the walls and ox and chairs in a minute.

[1:43:58] He's got all kinds of things going on up there, and it's amazing that it does that with

[1:44:03] essentially very little.

[1:44:06] I'm very limited resource, isn't, and I think if the other community's charge, I don't

[1:44:10] have seen a reason why we shouldn't, and I think 25 is, I was thinking 50, and I don't

[1:44:18] know what the other's charge, but I have four dollars a month that I don't think is.

[1:44:23] There's their set-ups function the same way where is it like you get a discounted rate for a dinner or something

[1:44:30] You know, you can't see what you're getting. Yeah, there should be some sort of yeah

[1:44:34] Arlington charges $12 a year and they don't pay for anything else

[1:44:42] but

[1:44:45] Artlet charges

[1:44:46] What did I say 15 a year? 20 and they also

[1:44:53] charge for craft classes, jewelry making classes, you know, some of their, the, the

[1:45:00] The classes that are going to cause an expense for materials.

[1:45:08] It does.

[1:45:10] So each center is its own.

[1:45:19] If you, like Pat said earlier this week, when we were discussing it, 25, and you come to the dinners,

[1:45:27] and we give you a $2 discount, you're basically getting that right back.

[1:45:36] It's more to work on as far as washing out those details, of course, but I think charging

[1:45:44] something is in any aspect of life is because you have to make sure that it's free,

[1:45:54] and it's whatever.

[1:45:56] But if you invest something into it, then you take more pride in it, and it's something

[1:46:04] that you want to be more part of,

[1:46:06] because you've actually put in your own money into it.

[1:46:09] Whether it's minimal or a lot, it doesn't matter.

[1:46:13] It's all about, you know, because I know how my grandma is,

[1:46:16] you know, she paid $5 a month, she'd go in.

[1:46:21] Yeah, so it's one of those where I think

[1:46:23] at charging a minimal, it's just,

[1:46:26] I think that's just smart anyway.

[1:46:29] Get a lot of participation from outside of Lakeland

[1:46:32] residents.

[1:46:32] I know.

[1:46:33] We do.

[1:46:35] I'm guessing you've figured that up, Pat, do you remember what it was like 65% like

[1:46:41] in residence?

[1:46:43] We're working on intending our database, so if you're, well, whether you're in a way or not,

[1:46:50] we actually have a program in a space for our registration.

[1:46:53] That's what we're using for all of our athletics, that's what we're using for any time

[1:46:57] we rent out a pavilion or the clubhouse, that allows us to do membership, that allows

[1:47:03] us to do, you know, class registration as well. So we're getting ready to start implementing

[1:47:09] that program over at the at the senior center. And so we're trying to build out our database

[1:47:16] of existing participants now. We have about 350, 360, something like that. Participants

[1:47:27] get right now, our calendars go out by email. So that's, you know, it's 360 people. So if

[1:47:34] see almost all of them at least once a quarter. Now granted, we've seen many of them every day.

[1:47:42] And sometimes for multiple programs within a day. But yeah, I would say we're probably in the

[1:47:48] 60, 40, 65, 35 type of split.

[1:47:52] And that's every senior center.

[1:47:53] All senior centers are open to.

[1:47:56] They pick and choose.

[1:47:57] We were talking to one of our regulars this morning,

[1:48:00] and she was saying how she goes over to Arlington for this program,

[1:48:04] and she goes over to Bartlett for this program,

[1:48:06] or on these days she'll go over there and things like that.

[1:48:09] And some of the senior centers are open more than we are.

[1:48:14] We're open only five days a week.

[1:48:16] can get, can get to weekend unless he's doing a concert.

[1:48:22] So, we, we would

[1:48:23] have to stop all,

[1:48:26] or it's in our tree, or a tree hand out, or it, yeah. So, some of them

[1:48:34] are open more frequently than ours are, some of them have different opportunities. There

[1:48:39] are several that have tied together for a grant program that's very educational-y based.

[1:48:48] Agnative.

[1:48:50] And so...

[1:48:51] And my fuck program?

[1:48:53] There's more that we can do that we just haven't had the resources to go out and search for

[1:49:01] some of these dollars and search for some of these programs lately, but it is something

[1:49:06] that's certainly on the list now that we actually have some help over there.

[1:49:09] Right, could you get a partner, right?

[1:49:12] I've read answers.

[1:49:13] So you've got buddy over there, all right?

[1:49:15] He has his hands full.

[1:49:18] He definitely has his hands full, but that's,

[1:49:20] it is certainly something that now that we're,

[1:49:24] that we're on an upward trajectory,

[1:49:26] that's something that we're paying a lot of attention to.

[1:49:30] I think I'll likely.

[1:49:44] Other questions over senior centers stuff?

[1:49:47] I would say maybe we can just bring it up a little bit at next month's meeting because I think there were some folks here that left that probably wanted to speak certainly invite them back.

[1:50:02] Right now, I'd be safe to put it down.

[1:50:05] I will let you know right now the main meeting will have the first draft of the sponsorship.

[1:50:14] see Jersey policy. We actually had a meeting on that earlier today and so I'll be sending

[1:50:21] it through, you know, to get the attorney and the city manager to kind of give their

[1:50:29] on it and my intention is to have that for you guys at the main meeting but right now I don't

[1:50:35] really have a lot of other things on the agenda so we'll certainly be able to pull them forward

[1:50:40] but with so many different, you know, guests,

[1:50:47] we will definitely do that.

[1:50:49] Can that explain one thing why we don't have a membership fee?

[1:50:53] Why we haven't had a membership fee is because we did get that facility on a grant

[1:50:59] and there was some language in there that restricted us from having any type of membership fee

[1:51:06] or fees at all except for the, except for the dinners.

[1:51:10] And so that is why we're one of the main reasons we're looking at doing that now because that has expired.

[1:51:21] Okay, cool.

[1:51:24] I mean, I'm imagining the reason that you were not able to solicit a fee or a membership or whatever is because of the way the land was calmedier to the city,

[1:51:40] whether it was gifted along with money and all that, but if that's run out, then of course it

[1:51:45] makes sense that that's your next step. Yeah, so it has more to do with the way that the funding

[1:51:50] mechanism worked for the Senior Center itself. We do, we do have, even though I don't think that

[1:52:00] they're written down, I haven't seen them written down, we do have agreements with the international

[1:52:08] So, I actually had one of their union reps the other day, they're going to start having their monthly meetings at our clubhouse again.

[1:52:20] Anything I age managers, you know, if we can fit into the schedule, it's not an event, because of the way that we got the overall property.

[1:52:31] But the funding mechanism for the senior center itself was such that, you know, no membership fees keep, keep costs as low as possible.

[1:52:41] Um, really don't, don't try and charge for things.

[1:52:46] And I think that was a 10 year, which was last year.

[1:52:50] Last year.

[1:52:51] So,

[1:52:56] years.

[1:52:56] I mean, they got to figure out if they liked it or not, right?

[1:52:59] And this is something, you know, me and Pat, I've talked about since he got here.

[1:53:05] So we've already started entering the participants that we have, all their information

[1:53:14] for Pat, trained Julie and now Jackie, so we're headed in that direction.

[1:53:20] Oh.

[1:53:21] That's not to be confused with as soon as I got here, I wanted it to charge.

[1:53:24] No, no, no, no.

[1:53:26] Or I want to make sure you have a resource.

[1:53:32] I want to make sure that they have the resources necessary to do what they want.

[1:53:38] But art of that initial conversation was, what can we give them back and return?

[1:53:43] Yes.

[1:53:43] To make sure that they don't feel like, oh, well, now you're just charging me for something I already had.

[1:53:49] And so, you know, easy.

[1:53:51] The easy thing to do is to try and give them a member of rate

[1:53:55] on things that we will charge for.

[1:53:57] And I don't want to charge for everything.

[1:54:00] Certainly things like when you drop in

[1:54:02] and play Domino's and card games and things like that,

[1:54:07] I have no intention of charging for anything like that.

[1:54:10] I do however need to cover some costs.

[1:54:13] And we pay more than we bring in for things like yoga

[1:54:18] and through things like line dancing.

[1:54:23] And a senior center may should operate.

[1:54:26] is making sure that there's a benefit to its people and not necessarily looking at the bottom line.

[1:54:34] We offset it with other things.

[1:54:36] So, you're offering 20 things to do in your charging for 3.

[1:54:43] Sorry,

[1:54:50] but more than giving them value for whatever it is that they do pay.

[1:54:55] Being low will always be free because otherwise it's looked at as gambling.

[1:54:58] So, we're not doing that.

[1:55:01] And they don't even win that, do they?

[1:55:03] Well, they win prizes.

[1:55:04] Okay, cool.

[1:55:05] It's just things that we provide or that they bring in as collective, you know, it's time

[1:55:12] for this whatever that my grandkids gave me off the dollar store shelf or what, you know.

[1:55:18] If they pay you to complain, then the house always wins, right?

[1:55:23] I'm passing it back out.

[1:55:25] And like, like, thank you for your security.

[1:55:27] Actually, we do, we do several different things.

[1:55:32] We'll do things like just general, everyday use, kinds of things from

[1:55:40] Dollar Tree or anything like that because it makes it so that they don't have to go and get

[1:55:46] dishwasher soap or sponges or whatever and so we cover some of those things but then we

[1:55:55] do usually do a Chick-fil-A sandwich or that gift card wise and it's not just yeah they

[1:56:05] enjoy it. I get to go that's my therapy as I get to go over there and decompress them hang

[1:56:11] not with the seniors and just have a really good time.

[1:56:14] So, please come back.

[1:56:14] He's gonna be coming back, so.

[1:56:18] Okay, so let's jump back real quick to old business.

[1:56:23] Just kind of touch on where we are, athletic complex,

[1:56:29] we're moving forward.

[1:56:31] We're continuing our work.

[1:56:33] As you may remember from last month,

[1:56:36] we have been approved for some funds

[1:56:40] to light the two existing fields at the athletic complex.

[1:56:44] So we've pulled that out of the phase two design and engineering

[1:56:51] from standpoint that we'll be doing that earlier.

[1:56:55] It was originally part of that project.

[1:56:56] So we're continuing to work on that.

[1:56:59] It has gone to MLGW.

[1:57:02] They've actually responded to our request, which

[1:57:06] I mean, it happened within the first year.

[1:57:09] So we're taking that as a win.

[1:57:11] Now there's plenty more steps to go through,

[1:57:14] but we are at least that far,

[1:57:18] we've gone through that.

[1:57:21] So where we find ourselves with that process

[1:57:23] is essentially they need to do some initial work

[1:57:29] and identify what the cost will be for us to get power

[1:57:36] to the site, and then they'll assess us the fee once we take care of that, they'll move on to the actual engineering and things of that nature.

[1:57:47] Once we get to that point, we can update the electrical for the lighting system and then go out to bid.

[1:57:55] I don't like a lot, but there's a lot of moving parts there. There's quite a significant amount of time, as I'm sure some of you may understand.

[1:58:03] But we're trying not to allow the foot to come off the gas.

[1:58:08] We're trying to stay on top of them and trying to get, I can keep the project moving.

[1:58:16] A hope is we will have these in sometime or the fall really gets rolling.

[1:58:26] That part out of the record if you want.

[1:58:29] A hope is that we'll get it done sometime this summer before the fall really gets rolling.

[1:58:35] I don't promise, I have no control over some of the aspects of this project, but my

[1:58:46] concerted effort is to continue with that type of the timeline.

[1:58:52] Other than that, we are still working forward with the remainder of phase two.

[1:58:57] We've done some preliminaries with our architectural side on the concessions and bathroom

[1:59:03] building, which I'm still reviewing, and then we'll comment back on on first glance. It

[1:59:13] looks awesome, so I'm really excited where we sit with that. But that project, as you

[1:59:20] know, we'll go into next fiscal year and complete some time between July and June of

[1:59:27] 2024.

[1:59:29] Questions over the athletic complex?

[1:59:34] I did provide the brief division updates.

[1:59:39] One thing I did want to make an announcement

[1:59:40] on other than our board meeting being on the ninth of May.

[1:59:47] Next month is that the folks from the YMCA who are here last month

[1:59:53] have actually gone to the Board of Commissioners

[1:59:56] and informed them of their intent too.

[2:00:00] To locate somewhere within Lakeland. There's still several even hundred things on the checklist before we actually get there, but I've had a couple of meetings with them since they were here with us, and we've talked a little bit about the comments that all of you made to them as far as the needs of unity.

[2:00:30] If you can, please go back to last week's Board of Commissioners meeting, very early in the meeting, they give a presentation.

[2:00:42] And so if you actually can pull that up on a larger screen, you'll be able to see this slide deck that they presented.

[2:00:48] Now, they've done some on-site specific renderings of this is kind of what we would like to do.

[2:00:55] Now, once the site is identified and we're starting to move forward, that'll get fine tune,

[2:01:02] but they have brought a proposal that includes sick lane pool and outdoor aquatic area with

[2:01:12] splash pad, lazy river, like little combana kind of places for you to hang out with your

[2:01:17] family, possibility of a baseball field, baseball diamond, they will of course,

[2:01:25] have a child care center because that's what, that's what kind of prompts them to actually build

[2:01:32] out a full site or to look toward having a full site is expanding their current offerings

[2:01:41] with with why care down on 64. And so it looks great, you know, I'm excited about this potential

[2:01:50] partnership and hope to see it continue to move forward.

[2:01:54] Lots of moving parts with this one, lots of things up in the air with this one, but they

[2:02:01] have approached the Board of Commissioners and let them know of their desire to aid a

[2:02:07] location here in Lakeland.

[2:02:09] So hopefully I will have more information as this project unfolds.

[2:02:14] I will certainly keep you all of you in the loop as things progress.

[2:02:18] So the other announcements.

[2:02:25] Well, thank you all for your time. I know that tonight was

[2:02:28] Long one

[2:02:32] Is it really?

[2:02:34] Did just light around side because of the time of the

[2:02:43] motion to adjourn?

[2:02:46] favor

[2:02:49] Take your right

Parks and Recreation & Natural Resources Board Meeting

Agenda

Transcript