Thoughts from Coach McKenzie :

The Girls Varsity Tennis team lost 8-1 to a very good Alleghany team this afternoon. The girls played hard on a very hot and humid afternoon. #2 Doubles went to a tie break 8-8, but lost 7-5. #1 Seed Singles Erika McKenzie rallied back to lose 8-5 and #4 Allison Wright won in a Tie Break 8-8 7-4.

Tomorrow afternoon we will get together with Coach and team to host their Senior Day ahead of their match.

We were already down to just one more time where Alexis Dalton and her Junior Varsity Softball team would be joining us at Cavalier Park.

Sadly, that number just became Zero as we have learned that Patrick County will not be sending over a team next Thursday night.

Maybe, we can find away to include the young Ladies in our evening that they will not be playing with the Varsity team again???

Father’s Day for the First Pitch that night !

Stop ✋ #1 – Girls Tennis 🎾 with the Ceremony set to take place at 4:15. We are set to acknowledge that efforts of two dedicated members of the team.

Erica McKenzie and Tiffany Cruise have led by example during the second season under the guidance of Head Coach Martin McKenzie.

Stop ✋ #2 – Varsity Softball hosting the first of the final three home games. First Pitch is set for 6pm and ahead of that we will hold our customary Celebratory First Pitch. Running the Lady Cavaliers out to their spot on the Diamond 💎 ahead of the National Anthem.

Stop ✋ #3 – this one will require crossing the Boulevard for a few minutes as we conduct the Ceremony for Girls Soccer, Girls Track 👣 and Field ➕ Boys Track 👣and Field. This will make it 6 out of 8 in the books 📚!

Stop ✋ #4 – Back across the Boulevard to call the balance of the Softball game versus Magna Vista.

Stop ✋ #5 – Finish the night 🌙 back up with Adrienne Harris and her Lady Cavaliers.

Sounds like a plan ! Don’t forget the key two words, Weather Permitting….

Looking back at the past few years I asked myself who is left to Celebrate in a manner that would wrap around allowing for there to be one final Free Gate for Soccer ⚽️ this season.

This means that the final four home dates will be free of charge to all fans!

Friday Night – Girls Senior Night is sponsored by The Carroll News.

Monday Night – Boys 👦 doubleheader will be called Three Musketeers Night brought to you by OneofUs.Care

Tuesday Night – Girls 👧 doubleheader with Varsity playing first. It’s Ben Tickle and his Going Away Party 🥳. Sponsored by Jerry and Linda Carter

Wednesday Night – Varsity only doubleheader, sponsored by Ches Helmick and Edward Jones.

Four nights 🌙 of Free Soccer ⚽️ with 7 games on tap !

Back to Three Musketeers… I had to ask myself about the 3 Coolest people that I’ve never had the privilege to publicly share my Appreciation for. It didn’t take long to generate my list.

In no particular order : Jon Delp, Shawn Montgomery and Principal Chuck Thompson ♥.

Montgomery and Delp have spent the past few months on the outside looking in regards to being co-tenats at Tommy Thompson Field. Mr Thompson has been nothing short of Amazing every step 🚶‍♂️ of the way this year.

Bonus – Kevin DeHaven now doesn’t have to find ticket takers for the final four match nights. Now he can focus on vacuuming the Pitch with a wet-vac!

https://youtu.be/LmVUW8SNGyg?si=7DVo5Q2RRQYvbE9h

As the end of the School year and fiscal year is right in front of us, its time to link The Great Filling Station Hold Up cost me two good years and just how special I think Ben Tickle is ➕ how wise I think Principal Chuck Thompson is.

Ben Tickle had an idea 💡and I love out of the Box ideas. There was going to be an opening for the Varsity Girls Soccer Coach and Adrienne Harris was still one year away from finishing her education at Emory and Henry.

Tickle possessed the foresight of seeing Harris as the long-term answer to the future of Carroll County Girls Soccer. The offer was made to Mr Thompson for Tickle to be the stop gap Coach until Harris could take over full-time.

Having a great idea is the first step 🚶‍♂️in any story. The second step is finding someone who is in a position to buy into said plan, enter Mr Thompson. The third part comes in someone who fancies himself creative that wants to turn the definition of unselfish into a made for TV 📺 movie 🎥.

  The Battling Ben Tickles were born and somehow I found the time to announce each home match and show unconditional support for his efforts. That explains Year 1 of the 2 years invested in the project.

Year 2 has taken place this Spring as Adrienne ” The Future ” Harris hit the ground running 🏃‍♂️. At the same time, Ben Tickle made the decision to move to Pensacola, Florida ahead of the birth of his first grandchild being born.

Enter Brittany Kinney into the movie as this young Lady chose to be responsible for a group of Junior Varsity Soccer ⚽️ players that had never played the game together. Some of them had never played the game before at all, let alone as a team. Kinney will have to decide who she wants her to play her in the movie???

Tickle did not take his short term job lightly. No Substitute Teacher mentality last Spring as he coached Ashlyn Newman and Company. Newman left the School as the All-Time scoring record holder and fellow Senior, Sarah Alderman might have left The Hill as the most likable Female Athlete ever.

This season Tickle is still Coaching his Heart ❤ out, he’s just doing it from the Press Box next to me. That’s the reason why I wanted to give him an opportunity to add a personal note 📝 to the group of young Ladies celebrating Senior Day on Friday afternoon. The next group of Battling Ben Tickles are set to graduate 🎓.

Yesterday afternoon in the Library was just the latest time I was able to appreciate just how much Tickle means to this group and how much this group means to him

Friday night 🌙 Ben’s words will be included in the Ceremony and on Tuesday night I invite anyone who wants to share their thoughts about Dr Tickle to be read out during his going away Party to let me know.

Giving of yourself to the degree that Ben Tickle did last season was nothing short of tremendous 👏 but then again, he wasn’t Awarded the Kevin Burress Humanitarian Award for just being a swell guy.

I have often credited Jimmy Buffett with teaching me to tell a story. If you tell a story well, someone who is listening should be able to close their eyes 👀 and visually see what you’re words are describing.

Back in 1973, the far from recognizable Buffett was trying to fill an album out and I can still see that Japanese TV 📺 in the Sherrif’s hand ✋.

God Bless You 🙏, Ben Tickle and Thank You for sharing your grace with the Battling Ben Tickles, for two good years!