Coach Jeff

Farewell to May

likesdinosaurs:

jeffdgary:

May is my favorite month of the year. I really hate to see it go. It’s my month.

But, the calendar moves. This weekend, June arrives. That’s someone else’s month.

June is my month. Thanks for giving it to me. :)

June’s good too! :-)

Job Hunt

It’s been exactly one week since I started passing the word that I am actively pursuing leads in ‘the job market.’

Since I updated friends about my new - and hopefully temporary - job status, I have made lots of progress. 

I updated my resume:

I also reviewed and tweaked my personal website:

And I have followed up on many job leads that I have found or that friends and colleagues have passed along. I’ve also gotten a number of suggestions that have been very helpful as I target my search.

I want to take this opportunity to say a heartfelt ‘thanks’ to everyone for their prayers and words of encouragement. Trust me…I have definitely felt the support.

Others have asked me how they can best help me.

If you learn of any job leads in the area - in marketing and/or public relations - I would love it if you could send those to me. Or if you happen to look at your company’s website, if they are hiring for someone in those areas, if you could pass those leads along, that would be great. 

Some friends have done those things already and it has been helpful.

More than anything, your prayers and ongoing words of encouragement mean a lot.  For all that and more, I say, “Many thanks!”

JG

(Source: jeffdgary.com)

State Champs

It is somewhat hard to put into words the emotions that go through your heart and mind when you are a parent and you hear the name of your son or daughter called by the emcee, followed by the words “State Champion.”

We were fortunate to hear those words last April in Collierville and I heard them again this past weekend when Lisa and I attended the 2013 Tennessee High School Speech and Drama League state tournament in Clarksville. We served as drivers and chaperones for the weekend but late on Saturday afternoon, we were just a mom and a dad full of pride when we heard the news that Paul had won the state championship for storytelling for a second straight year.

Paul won first place in storytelling with “Fluffy the Gangbuster,” by Richard Peck.  He won last year for “The Night the Bed Fell” by James Thurber. If you were to ask me which performance I enjoyed more, I would be hard-pressed to answer. Both were excellent – just unique and different.

Watching him do his final presentation was a bit emotional but, at the same time, it was just so very enjoyable. He nailed it.

As a Farragut parent and alum, it was also great to hear all the wonderful news about the achievements of all the members of the Farragut team. In addition to Paul’s win, Farragut took home three other first place trophies.  Connor Hess was named Best Actor and won first place in solo acting and the student-directed Interpretive Theatre piece, “Calvin and Hobbes,” adapted and directed by FHS senior Skylar Grieco also won first place.

It was a good day for Farragut.

Connor won Best Actor for his portray of Ludlow in the One Act Play “Finger Painting in a Murphy Bed.” Paul and Dallas Boudreaux were named to the “All Star Cast” for their portrayals of Reggie and Myra in the same play.

Connor also won first place in solo acting with a piece from “The Rainmaker.”.

Farragut had a number of other finalists. “Finger Painting in a Murphy Bed” finished in second place in the category, One Act Plays.  Other Farragut award winners:
• Bridget Sellers – 3^rd place – Poetry
• Skylar Grieco – 3^rd place – After Dinner Speaking
• “I am Number Four” (adapted and directed by Connor Hess) – 5^th Place – Interpretive Theatre
• Dallas Boudreaux – 5^th place – Solo Acting
• Kaci Deakins – 6^th place – Costume Design

In all, 27 FHS students represented their district in state competition. They are coached by teachers Lea McMahan and David Crutcher. The THSSDL state tournament was held April 12-13 at Northeast High School in Clarksville.

At the conclusion of the awards ceremony, FHS students celebrated Farragut’s excellent showing. From L-R (front row): Brian Hooyman, Skylar Grieco, Caroline Rexrode, Rachel Liske; (middle row): Kaci Deakins, Emily Stiles, Brianna Smart, Dallas Boudreaux, Paul Gary, Connor Hess; (back row): Austin Teagarden, Mason Laning.

Then, it was time to hit the road and head home!

JG

(Source: thssdl.org)

Districts

Having successfully wrapped up the four-show run of “Pirates of Penzance” at FHS last weekend, the young thespians from the Admirals Performing Arts Company (APAC) now turn their attention to district forensics competition this upcoming weekend.

The APAC actors competed in a tournament last month in Gatlinburg to help them get ready for this particular competition. And if they are successful this weekend, many of them could qualify for state competition which is next month.

Friday competition held today at Pellissippi State Community College consisted of interp theatre performances and one act plays. Farragut entries included: Fingerpainting in a Murphy Bed and two student-directed interp pieces, Calvin and Hobbes and I am Number Four.

Then, on Saturday, the scene shifts to FHS for individual competition where the Admiral actors hope they might be able to add a few more trophies to the trophy case outside the Wells Auditorium.

I am particularly pleased that our students will get to be at their home school on Saturday. Looking at the seniors, for example, it gives them one additional opportunity to perform at their school and looking at the calendar, those dates are dwindling. For the underclassmen, it gives them a chance to learn more about perfecting their craft in friendly surroundings.

No doubt, they will be performing in classrooms where they have studied English, math or business, for example. I was thinking about that when I sat in the classroom at Collierville High School last spring at states.

For the parent volunteers, Districts provide us another chance to support the efforts of these talented performers that we have followed so closely over the past four years. They will compete in the same categories I mentioned to you when I wrote, Rivals Under the Same Flag, last month (a preview of the Gatlinburg trip).

This also gives us a chance to greet students, teachers and family members from places like Soddy-Daisy, Jefferson County and Maryville (among others) and show them a little Farragut hospitality.

JG

Time After Time

“Until we master ourselves we have no proper use for time.”
H.G. Wells (Malcolm McDowell) from
”Time After Time“ (1979)

Did you have trouble getting up and getting going this morning? Thought so. Seems like everyone I talked to had some difficulty adjusting to ‘spring forward.’

Even though I like the end result - the longer days - of Daylight Saving Time, I am not a fan of the switching process. Invariably, there is one clock we’ll forget about (I was driving around in my car late yesterday when I noticed the dash board clock was off by an hour). And in the fall, there is the added need – albeit a good one – to also switch out batteries in smoke detectors.

And then there is the general grogginess that comes on those dark mornings right after we spring forward. Seems like it takes a few days to adjust and that can be tough to do.

Of course, it doesn’t help that this year’s spring time change fell right after we had an extremely busy weekend. There was no opportunity to ease in to the shift which, technically, came at 2 a.m. Sunday.

I was reading up a little bit on the background of Daylight Saving Time. Some things I didn’t realize:

• The first proponent was actually Ben Franklin
• The first real experiment with DST was driven by World Wars I and II
• The practice was signed into law in 1966

Also, I had forgotten the current DST configuration dates just to 2005 when the DST time period was extended by a few weeks.

Still…even though folks are somewhat divided on whether they are fans of DST or Standard Time (at our house, I think it is a 50/50 split), I don’t know anyone who actually embraces the bi-annual change; no one seems to cruise right through Spring Forward (or Fall Back, for that matter) without a certain amount of grumpiness or, at the least, period of adjustment.

The twice-a-year grousing makes you wonder if this is really worth it all. Today, I was listening to an ABC radio news report on my evening commute that offered some interesting facts. Heart attacks increase during the week of this time change. So do accidents. 

As ol’ H.G. said in the movie, seems like we haven’t yet mastered time - at least not spring forward part.

I suppose, at least we should consider if there isn’t some way to ease the burden. Could we phase it in? Could we adopt one ‘standard’ time year-round? Or if we keep the same configuration, could it be timed to coincide with one of those helpful Monday holidays?

In the meantime, the best remedy is a good night’s sleep tonight and a little extra patience for us all.

Oh, and some extra caffeine tomorrow morning probably isn’t a bad idea either.

JG

Decision 2012

A few weeks ago, I found out about a really promising job opportunity.

I did my homework and prepared well. I interviewed for the position on a day off and I felt really good about my interview at the time.

Needless to say, I was ecstatic when I got the job offer.

Funny thing…for months, the job market was really stagnant. But, within the last few weeks, I have seen a number of excellent opportunities pop up in the marketing and public relations fields in town. And this one was the right one for me. Call it: “Decision 2012.”

More on the new job later. Today is about saying goodbye to the old one.

That’s the odd thing about transitions in our lives. For every win, there’s a loss. For every down, there’s an up. For every hello, there’s a goodbye.

Next week, I will say ‘Hello’ to the new; today, I’m saying ‘Goodbye’ to the old.

As a long-term marketing and P.R. professional, I never really trained to become a proposal writer. When I signed on with Jacobs in 2009, I was hired to be a part of the public relations team supporting the TVA Ash Recovery Project in Kingston. The good news is the cleanup has gone very well. The cleanup went so well, in fact, that our team in Roane County was downsized by quite a bit when the cleanup moved from the more Time Critical phase to the current Non-Time Critical phase.

When my position was no longer needed in Roane County, the good folks in Oak Ridge offered me a spot in their business development area inside sales. It was a sort of a lifeboat; a chance to continue to earn a living while I worked to contribute to this team and learned some new skills.

I spent the last two years right here.

I wrote resumes and project descriptions. I learned a lot about tech editing and I honed my Microsoft Office skills. On one proposal, I even served as a subject matter expert writing a section about public relations.

At the end of the day, though, I always longed for a chance to return to my chosen field of work, which I now have the opportunity to do.

I’m grateful, too, for the chance I have had to help the Jacobs team in Oak Ridge. I’ve met some nice people here and learned some helpful skills. I hope I have made some worthwhile contributions and I feel that I have.

And now, as I head out, I want to say ‘thanks’ and wish the team well.

JG

When Sid Slid

Even as the 2012 MLB postseason rolls on, ESPN.com celebrated the 20^th anniversary of an epic postseason game. Braves 3 Pirates 2. Game 7. 1992 NLCS.

Sunday was the 20^th anniversary of “When Sid Slid.”  The ESPN.com feature was very nice; extremely comprehensive and well-done.

After I read the piece, I started to think about why that is such a monumental play in modern MLB history. That’s a little difficult for me, as I am biased on the topic. That night, even as baby Holly slept down the hall, I remember jumping around in my living room celebrating the play. I was so juiced by the outcome, I had to call my good friend (and fellow baseball fan, John McManus) to share the moment: “Did you see what just happened!?!?”

What happened in that moment captured our attention, I think, because it is a drama that is played out in backyards and on sandlots every day as little boys and little girls act out that drama. I can’t tell you how many times we’d draw up a last minute shot on the basketball court in my driveway. “Three seconds to go. 3-2-1! And the Shot…GOOD!!!!”

Or we’d gather in the side-yard (a.k.a. football field) of my childhood friend, Dana Scates’ house and draw up a long pass play to score the winning touchdown as time elapsed from the invisible clock!

Some kids make model cars or fashion great Lego structures. But this is how we spent our childhood in a very sports-minded neighborhood.

In real-time, it just so rarely plays out that way.

So, you can imagine folks tuning in all over the country that night to see their childhood sports fantasies unfold on the big stage.

• Bases Loaded
• Down a Run
• Two Outs
• Bottom of the Ninth
• Game 7

Probably a scenario millions of youngsters had acted out.

When the Braves came to bat in that inning that night, the picture was bleak. They were down 2-0 and hadn’t gotten much of anything going offensively all night. Then, as the Pirates traded a run for an out and then recorded a second out, the situation was even more dire as that scenario above played out.

And what’s more, the 25^th man on a 25 man roster stepped to the plate with the winning run – in the form of a slow baserunner (not a speedy pinch-runner) standing on second base. So, it’s not even like a base hit in that situation is guaranteed to do much more than tie the game.

Then it happens. Crack of the bat. Base hit. Tying run scores. Potential winning run is rounding third. There WILL be a play at the plate.

Fade to black.

As you close your eyes, if you’re a baseball fan, you can see the play in slow motion in your minds eye. Runner arrives just an instant before the throw comes in from left field. Slide. Safe. Tag. Safe. Celebration.

The fact the Braves went on to lose a close World Series to Toronto in 1992 is really an afterthought. The sudden death comeback and the nature of how that all played out is what baseball fans remember about that game. Sadly, it was the last hurrah for a Pittsburgh team, with a proud baseball tradition, that has endured 20 straight losing seasons in the wake of that play.

As for the Braves, who were just two years removed from their former status as perennial cellar dwellars, they have celebrated 20 very good years in the upper tier of MLB teams with highlight after wonderful highlight. Fourteen straight division titles. Numerous future Hall of Famers. Five N.L. Championships. One World Championship.

And one epic night…when Sid slid.

JG  

Note: I would be remiss if I did not also mention that Sunday was also the 26^th anniversary of when Jack Buck told St. Louis Cardinal fans to “Go Crazy, Folks” when Ozzie Smith hit the home run to win the pivotal Game 5 of the 1985 NLCS. You can click here to see a clip of the video and to here Mr. Buck’s famous play-by-play call: “Go Crazy, Folks. Go Crazy!”

Thanks, Chipper

My kids were born in 1992 and 1995 respectively. They’ve followed the Braves their whole lives. For their entire lives, Chipper Jones has been the star player and leader of the ballclub.

They have no reference for what it is like to follow a Braves team without Chipper. Next year, we’ll all find out what that is like.

Tonight in Atlanta, the Braves are honoring the iconic third baseman as he begins his final home series. Fittingly, Jones and the Bravos will take on the Mets, a team against whom Chipper has done serious damage over the course of his 18 year MLB career.

During those 18 years, we’ve been to many Braves games and have cheered Chipper and his teammates on to numerous victories. When we saw the Braves defeat the Astros 4-1 last month, Chipper welcomed us and the other fans with a recorded message on the Jumbotron - and with a two-run double.

After the game, in another recorded message, he thanked us for coming to the ballpark and encouraged us all to travel home safely and to return again soon.

We haven’t been able to return this season, but last season we saw the Braves play three times. In September, Holly and scored some great seats for a late season game with the Marlins and she snapped this close-up shot of #10.

Over the years, I can’t honestly tell you how many times we have seen the Braves play or how many times we’ve cheered as Chipper Jones came up with a big hit. I can tell you one highlight that comes to mind, though.

My former next door neighbor and I went to a day baseball game on August 19, 2002. The Braves were taking on the Rockies (and local hero, UT alum Todd Helton). The Braves fell behind in that game. They rallied late.

Chipper hit a home run as part of a three run rally to tie the game in the bottom of the eighth. Then, the Rockies went ahead 6-5 in the top of the ninth. Then-Brave, Gary Sheffield led off the 9th with a homer to tie the game. Up came Chipper.

They went back-to-back. The Braves won the game 7-6. I can still remember the image of Chipper beaming as he and Sheffield congratulated each other and celebrated the victory. Sheff’s Chefs were probably celebrating too - up in right field.

There have been many other highlights over the years. That’s just the first one that comes to mind.

Getting to see him play twice this season was great. And, as he did with that double to the gap in the Astros game I mentioned earlier, he hasn’t disappointed.

That’s been true throughout his career. All across Braves Country, we’ve enjoyed following his career and we celebrated the milestones. And we’ll do so again as he takes his final curtain call when the 2012 season comes to a close.

And we’ll all say, “Thanks Chipper.”

JG