Tuesday, April 21^st was supposed to be Senior Night for the Coffee County Lady Raider softball team.  Before the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the remainder of the season, the Lady Raiders were set to honor their 3 seniors before taking on Franklin County.  On Tuesday night, Coach Brandon McWhorter organized a Senior Night event for Gracie Pippenger, Sarah West and Ashley Evans and their parents. Coach McWhorter received approval to allow our seniors and their parents on the field to celebrate what would have been senior night.

Coach McWhorter described it as this: “This was not your typical senior night, but we made do with what we could.  This group of seniors has so much talent and will now always play the “what-if” game.  They have also had so much taken away from them this year.  I was very thankful to our administration for allowing us to do this one last thing with them to honor and celebrate this incredible group.  This will definitely be a senior night they will never forget.”

Column by Karissa Niehoff, Executive Director of the National Federation of State High School Associations and Bernard Childress, Executive Director of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association.

As you know, the coronavirus epidemic has caused havoc in virtually every corner of our community and in lots of different ways.

One group that has been negatively affected in an unexpected way consists of the seniors who are graduating from high school this year. For many, their proms have been cancelled; their diploma will not be awarded to them in front of classmates and family; and their high school careers will end without the usual parties, open houses, handshakes, hugs and tears.    

This is especially true of the area’s student-athletes who are seniors and normally participate in a spring sport. Not only are most of these seniors missing out on prom and graduation activities, spring sports have already been cancelled in many states, and according to the NCAA, 97 percent of them will never play an organized sport again. It’s part of the coming-of-age process that, in reality, is poignant and impactful not only for the students themselves, but also for their families.

With this in mind, please consider sharing the attached op-ed piece with your readers and followers. It will be a meaningful way to celebrate the students who are the future leaders of our community, recognize the fact that, unlike most of us, they won’t have the opportunity to bask in the glory of being a graduating high school senior, and send them on their way with a pat on the back.

https://tssaa.org/article/despite-circumstances-lessons-from-athletic-participation-endure

Thank you for sharing this important message. It’s a gesture that will be very meaningful to your readers and followers. As always, I am available to provide additional insight or answer questions. I would welcome your call or email.

Sincerely,

Bernard Childress, Executive Director
TSSAA

One year ago, more than 600,000 spectators packed Nashville’s Lower Broadway and the adjacent avenues to witness the 2019 National Football League Draft in all its glory.

One year later, our world looks vastly different with COVID-19 in play, but the NFL will still be welcoming their next wave of stars into the League this week – and Predators brass will be taking notes.

Preds General Manager David Poile isn’t necessarily interested in how many quarterbacks are taken in the first round. Instead, he’s curious as to how things will function with NFL general managers, coaches and scouts all residing at home and set to make picks virtually. The NFL’s Draft was scheduled to take place in Las Vegas in the coming days, but the coronavirus pandemic has forced the league to make other arrangements.

That may indeed be the case for the NHL at some point this summer – or fall. Whenever the League is able to reschedule its 2020 draft, an event originally supposed to take place this June at the Bell Centre in Montreal, it too may need to be done remotely.

While it’s too soon to say with any degree of certainty what the NHL Draft will ultimately look like in the months to come, the likelihood things will be different than the norm is high. Therefore, Poile, Predators Assistant General Manager Jeff Kealty and the rest of Nashville’s staff will no doubt be intrigued by their NFL counterparts.

“I certainly want to learn as much as I can about that,” Poile said of the NFL’s upcoming draft process. “We have a pretty good relationship with the [Tennessee] Titans and [General Manager] Jon Robinson, [Head Coach] Mike Vrabel, and when their draft is done and we know what we’re going to do, I certainly will reach out to them to see what they did with their scouts and their player personnel, all of those type of things.”

Poile and Kealty do have a somewhat similar situation to build from if necessary, at least from a hockey standpoint. Back in 2005, the NHL and NHLPA officially agreed to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement on July 22 to end a year-long lockout. Less than 10 days later, the League held the 2005 draft from a hotel in Ottawa, a vastly scaled-down version compared to the usual format.

“It was a lockout that carried all the way into the summer, and when you finally came to the resolution at some point in July, the next thing you know, you’ve got to hold the draft a week or two later,” Kealty recalled. “It very well may be something like that, so we’re going to prepare as best we can for that. We’re in that process right now, we’re going through the paces a little bit… and kind of just trying to have a gradual build. So that way… when the Draft does take place, we’re prepared for it, but it’s kind of touch and go at this point… But we’re going to have the list ready to go and have a plan in place.”

As of now, that plan will include one selection in the first round and two picks in both the second and third rounds, an enticing scenario in what many are calling one of the deeper drafts in recent memory. However, another challenge brought about by the cancellation of current seasons all across junior hockey is the inability for scouts to get final in-person looks at players who have been generating buzz.

“The biggest challenge right now is time lost, so to speak, in terms of viewing, getting your last viewings in on guys,” Kealty said. “But, we have a really experienced staff here…and we had our viewings over the course of the year, and now with the video work that we’re able to do, our [Amateur Scouting Video Coordinator] Nick Lubrano is really hard at work trying to supplement a lot of the games we might have missed when scouting the rest of the season. It’s not an ideal situation, but we’ll be able to fill the gaps as best we can, as well as we can.”

What’s clear in all of this is the need for adaptation and flexibility, just like so many in their everyday lives right now. And regardless of when the 2020 Draft takes place, how many people will be in the room or how many buttons will need to be pressed to make a selection, the Predators are well into their preparations.

“Our scouts are looking at all the players that we have interest in…and whether we have somebody rated in the fourth or fifth round doesn’t matter,” Poile said. “What matters is if we’re interested in them. We’ve probably crossed off players that are going to be taken in the start of third or fourth round just because that’s not the type of player that we want. The concentration is on guys that we really want… We’re very confident we’ll be fine, and I think this is probably a good exercise for [our scouts] to do it. They know a lot about most players, but again, watching guys on a little bit more video than maybe traditionally, I think this could be a real good mix for our scouting staff.”

With five picks in the first three rounds, finding the next Roman Josi or Viktor Arvidsson is certainly possible. So, whether those names are called two months from now or six, it’s difficult to hide the excitement.

“We’ve talked about that a lot internally, and we haven’t had that situation in quite a while,” Kealty said. “As a staff, everybody is really excited about the opportunity to produce in terms of restocking the cupboard. That’s our goal here… We had a full draft last year…so we’re climbing our way back in terms of rebuilding our pipeline… We still believe that we’re in that competitive state, and to keep going along that path, you always need to have good players that are coming up within the system. We feel like with this draft we can really add to that, but it’s going to be different because we’re not quite sure when that draft is going to be yet. But the preparations will be there, and I think it will be a good showing.”

SAM KERR, Murfreesboro Softball Association
After graduating from Murfreesboro’s historic Central High School, Sam Kerr enrolled at Middle Tennessee State University, where he graduated with majors and minors in Agriculture, English and Physical Education.
But it’s the enlightenment and experiences Kerr recalls outside of the classroom that he carries with him today.
“I went to college in a very turbulent time, and I learned a lot more out of classroom than in the classroom,” said Kerr. “I saw flag burnings, protests, civil rights violations, and it was just a very turbulent time in our history. It was a wonderful experience in college, but there was definitely pain with it.
“I drug it out over five years, because I had to work my way through school. I was an only child and my father had died when I was in high school.”
After six years of teaching at Nashville’s former Tennessee Preparatory School, Kerr transitioned to a distinguished career with the City of Murfreesboro, where he retired in 1991 after first becoming a part-time City employee in 1958.
A gifted baseball player in his day, Kerr transferred that passion from the baseball diamond to the softball field – after also logging time officiating other sports as well.
“I started with basketball and football for many years, and I’m now the state supervisor for softball in Tennessee,” Kerr said. “My parents were older parents when I was born, and they taught me to stay with things that I started. I enjoyed sports, and I had great help along the way, like Jack Deere, and he was a role model that I wanted to be like. I stayed with him for a long time.”
Kerr also credited a loving wife who never complained about all those nights away from home – especially the football Fridays that could have been date-nights.
“My wife, Nelda Nolen, from Houston, was very supportive of it,” said Kerr, who logged work in six softball state championships before he transitioned into an assigning role. “We never had any disagreements about it, and when you’ve worked 50 years of football, you’ve been away from home 500 Friday nights plus many playoffs, many bowl games. I was blessed. I was around good people, good training and the organization was very good to me. I started with A.F. Bridges, also worked with Ronnie Carter, Gil Gideon and a good one now with Bernard Childress. I love it.”

DOYLE LOWE, Murfreesboro Softball Association
Doyle Lowe began high school at Murfreesboro Central, but he graduated from nearby Smyrna High School after spending his final two years at the school.
The reason? A competitive drive and love for athletics that has since burned for several decades.
“I went to Murfreesboro Central High School, and the coach said I was too small to play basketball,” Lowe said. “Well, my sophomore year I started to grow and went to and played basketball at Smyrna and graduated from there in 1964.”
Before the end of the decade, Lowe had begun to officiate high school football games for the Tullahoma Football Association. By 1972 Lowe had added basketball officiating to his duties, which also included a full-time career with the State of Tennessee in its engineering/surveying department, a post Lowe held for 46 years before his retirement.
“I’ve enjoyed doing it, and I’ve kept in shape and gotten exercise,” Lowe said. “And you’ve got some officials, it goes to their heads. I’m there for the players, I want to help them out and talk to them. If it’s basketball, talk to them, tell them get out of there rather than have to call three seconds. It’s their game, not mine. I don’t want to be a showboat or anything. I want to do a job and be there for them. That’s it.”
Kerr praised Lowe as a stalwart in their association.
“Doyle Lowe has been one of the finest I’ve worked with,” Kerr said. “He never complained. He showed up and did his job.”
Lowe points to a variety of fond memories from his times officiating and umpiring, including a Portland-White House playoff football contest and a Warren County-Father Ryan showdown.
Mostly, though, he remembers the people and just a desire to help young folks on their way in life.
“I enjoyed working with Mr. Ronnie Carter and Gene Beck, too,” Lowe said. “They were good men to work with.
“But I just tried to do my best for the kids and the coaches. If I missed a call, I was really upset. I just wanted to be honest out there and make it about the kids and the coaches. It was always their game.”
TSSAA is proud to recognize these three outstanding individuals for their decades of service to the member schools and student-athletes.

Chipper Jones homered in front of his hometown crowd, and 12 other Hall of Famers participated in the 2000 All-Star Game, which will be shown on MLB’s Twitter, Facebook and YouTube platforms on Wednesday at 5 p.m. CT.

Hank Aaron threw the ceremonial first pitch that night at Turner Field and Derek Jeter was named the game’s MVP after the American League claimed a 6-3 win over the National League. Jeter doubled in the first inning against Randy Johnson and later highlighted his three-hit performance with a two-run single in the fourth against current MLB Network analyst Al Leiter.

Jones gave Braves fans something to remember when he singled in the first inning against AL starter David Wells and then smacked a two-out solo homer in the third against James Baldwin. Coincidently, Aaron also homered in front of his hometown fans when Atlanta hosted its first All-Star Game in 1972.

Andruw Jones drove in the NL’s only other run during this game that featured appearances from two All-Star closers. After the Padres’ Trevor Hoffman surrendered three runs in the ninth, Mariano Rivera limited his damage to just one run in the bottom half of the inning.

The Hall of Famers who participated in this Midsummer Classic included Jones, Jeter, Johnson, Hoffman, Rivera, Ivan Rodriguez, Edgar Martinez, Barry Larkin, Vladimir Guerrero and Tom Glavine. Both of the game’s managers, Bobby Cox and Joe Torre, have also been enshrined alongside these legends in Cooperstown.

Mark Bowman has covered the Braves for MLB.com since 2001.

The Nashville and Middle Tennessee community is one of many across the globe that are currently facing a series of unprecedented challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of MLS Unites, a league-wide platform designed to educate communities, entertain fans and elevate heroic efforts during the pandemic, and to show our love and commitment to the city and region we call home, our Nashville SC partner Captain Morgan has pledged an initial donation of at least $55,000 (US) to The Nashville Food Project.

Coinciding with this week’s MLS Unites programming, supporting those in need, the donation to The Nashville Food Project is part of Captain Morgan’s initial pledge of $500,000 (US) across the United States and Canada to assist local MLS communities affected by COVID-19. Captain Morgan is working with each of their nine local club partners, including Nashville SC, to facilitate an initial donation of at least $55,000 (US) to a charitable organization of the clubs’ choosing, and we couldn’t be more excited to have IRS 501(c)(3) The Nashville Food Project be the recipient of the donation. Each of the charities is focused on providing meals and relief to local COVID-19 frontline workers and community members in need during this difficult time. A full list of the organizations to which their donations are being distributed can be found here.

The Nashville Food Project uses community driven solutions to fight food insecurity through its ongoing programs. In the weeks since the March tornadoes that devastated Nashville and Middle Tennessee and in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, The Nashville Food Project has prepared and shared over 25,000 nutritious meals in communities most affected. The Food Project, in partnership with Fat Bottom Brewery and Nashville SC, has also launched a new initiative called Community Cupboard, which offers high-quality groceries to displaced hospitality workers and others who have experienced job or wage loss due to COVID-19. Captain Morgan’s donation will help provide 520 grocery shares for 270 families along with 20,000 meals for those facing food insecurity at this time. Fans can support by donating via the club’s ‘Never Give Up On You’ Donation platform.

“In times of crisis, it is crucial that we come together as a community to help our most vulnerable citizens,” said Brandon Hill, Nashville SC Sr. Director of Community Engagement. “One in eight Middle Tennesseans experience food insecurity so we’re proud to partner with The Nashville Food Project and Captain Morgan to support those neighbors in need. This project will provide thousands of meals to those individuals and families who are desperately in need of our help during these trying times.”

“Captain Morgan is proud and honored to be in partnership with Major League Soccer, and we remain committed to supporting this incredible league,” Captain Morgan, Vice President, Sam Salameh said. “During these challenging times, it’s important that we unite as a community and work to overcome this together. Captain Morgan is proud to be united with MLS and each of our partner clubs, in an effort to bring relief to our club communities across the United States and within Canada.”

For Nashville SC fans interested in getting involved in the relief effort, Captain Morgan will kick off The Captain’s Challenge on its Instagram channel (@CaptainMorganUSA) today Tuesday, April 21. The Captain’s Challenge will feature fans showing off their best nutmegging skills – that is, kicking a ball between someone’s or something’s legs.  Don’t have a soccer ball at home? Feel free to get creative – a balled up pair of socks, a pillow, a roll of TP – almost anything will work. For those who live by themselves, it’s possible to nutmeg anything with legs, whether that be a table or chair. Captain Morgan will be taking select fan submissions and showcasing them alongside commentary from MLS legend Taylor Twellman.

For every qualifying video U.S. fans (21+) share to their public Instagram (in feed or stories) tagging @CaptainMorganUSA and including the hashtag #CaptainMorganDonation, Captain Morgan will donate $25 (US) up to an additional $50,000 (US)^[1] on top of the initial pledge of $500,000 (US) to assist MLS communities affected by this crisis.

Nashville SC encourages all of our fans and fellow community members to join us, Captain Morgan and MLS to Unite for Those In Need. If you’re 21 or over, get ‘megging – we can’t wait to see what you’ve got. Please do it safely and responsibly: Captain’s Orders.

For more information on “MLS Unites,” visit mlssoccer.com/mls-unites.

^[1] Final amount to be split evenly among nine charities. The Captain’s Challenge ends Tuesday, May 5. Videos which do not qualify (e.g., show irresponsible or dangerous behavior) will not result in donation. See LINK for additional information.