385 Magazine Summer 2022

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385 Summer • 2022

Our People • Our Stories

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385

Volume 6 | Issue 4

Staff

Publisher

Jack McNeely jack.mcneely@herald-citizen.com

Editor

Lindsay Pride lindsay.pride@herald-citizen.com Graphic Designer Amanda Loshbough Contributors Ben Craven Braden Wall Advertising Roger Wells Dusty Smith Stephanie Garrett

Ad Composition Becky Watkins Business Manager Sandy Malin Circulation & Distribution Keith McCormick Ronda Dodson

385 Magazine is a publication of and distributed quarterly by the Herald-Citizen, a division of Cookeville Newspapers, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored for retrieval by any means without written consent from the publisher.

385 Magazine is not responsible for unsolicited materials and the publisher accepts no responsibility for the contents or accuracy of claims in any advertisement in any issue. 385 Magazine is not responsible for errors, omissions or changes in information. The opinions of contributing writers do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the magazine and its publisher.

Our mission is to promote the 385 zip code areas of the Upper Cumberland and to showcase their many attributes. We welcome ideas and suggestions for future editions of the magazine. Just send us a brief note via email.

from the

Editor

The beginning of the new school year is right around the corner, and with it, the return of high school sports, which is something our sports writers live and breathe every year from the kickoff of the first football game in August to the time the state baseball champs are crowned in May. But this special edition of 385 goes beyond sports. Why our athletes do what they do goes beyond the field, and that's what we hope to portray in this edition of 385 magazine.

Herald-Citizen sports writer Braden Wall tells a story about a group of men taking a different route to fitness through CrossFit Mayhem's LIFE class, while sports editor Ben Craven shares the inspirational tale of racing and teamwork providing help for a family friend. And in the town of Baxter, where state championship teams take on celebrity status, Wall shares the story of how the Upperman Lady Bees basketball team members inspire future players to reach for their dreams.

We hope this edition serves as a reminder about how the lessons learned on the field can translate to the life lessons of kindness, gratitude and perseverance.

Thanks for reading.

Lindsay Pride, Editor

on the

Cover

Precision Auto Body owner and racer Ronnie Choate stands beside his Mod Lite racecar.

© 2022 Herald-Citizen 385 Magazine P.O. Box 2729 Cookeville, TN 38502 931.526.9715 Email: 385Magazine@herald-citizen.com

4•385 •Our People•Our Stories

Photo by Ben Craven

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Contents

8

12

16

Raising the bar

Racing for Randy

Inspiration

Members of CrossFit Mayhem's LIFE class find community while bettering their health.

Dirt track racer and Cookeville auto body shop owner races in memory of the late Randy Fly.

Upperman High School Lady Bees basketball team inspires Baxter youth to achieve greatness.

19•

To the stars Former Tennessee Tech football player Barry "Butch" Wilmore makes plans to travel into space.

21•

Taste of the Town The 25th annual Taste of the Town showcased some of Cookeville’s culinary assets.

6•385 •Our People•Our Stories

22•

Why I love...

Featuring Cookeville High School Football Coach Taylor Hennigan.

Summer •2022•7

Raising the

bar

Story and photos

by Braden Wall Larry Motykowski, a member of CrossFit Mayhem’s LIFE class, walks from the CrossFit gym to the new memorial wall in downtown Cookeville, holding an American Flag and carrying a 30-pound backpack.

CrossFit class changes lives, brings sense of community

C

ookeville gym, CrossFit Mayhem, hosts a LIFE class three days a week for older, recovering and new trainees.

LIFE stands for “Longevity In Functional Efficiency” and it was established to show that no one is too old or too out-of-shape to improve their quality of life through CrossFit principles.

8•385 •Our People•Our Stories

“I’d say CrossFit saved my life,” said Keith Winningham, nearly a 50-year resident of Cookeville and a CrossFit athlete since 2019. “I didn’t take care of myself as well as I should have, and the doctor finally told me, ‘If you don’t do something, it ain’t gonna be good. So I started doing CrossFit, and I wished I would’ve done it a long time ago.”

The LIFE class emphasizes training necessary movements for the everyday life of ordinary people. They start on your level and take you to “more than you thought you could be.”

“There are a lot of guys 40 years old and older that are concerned about fitness, but for some reason, they may not be taking action,” said Larry Motykowski, a member of CrossFit May-

"It’s always good to raise the bar on your own health."

Wayne Boney, left, and Stephen Wood head to Cookeville's Veterans Memorial Wall carrying 30-pound backpacks, stopping every 15 minutes to do 20 pushups.

Summer •2022•9

From left, Larry Motykowski, Andrew Counts, Wayne Boney, Keith Winningham and Stephen Wood stand outside CrossFit Mayhem before they trek to downtown Cookeville to the Veterans Memorial Wall. hem’s LIFE class. “To plug into a CrossFit regimen, all you have to do is show up.”

LIFE classes are held Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 9:30 a.m. as well as Mondays and Wednesdays at 5 p.m.

Drop-ins are not allowed.

Motykowski, a 12-year CrossFit athlete, began training with CrossFit when he was 45 years old to prepare for an elk hunting trip. Five years before his CrossFit journey began, he went on a similar trip in the Bitterroot Mountains in Idaho and he “died” trying to navigate the tough terrain.

After doing Crossfit for six months, Motykowski took another trip and noticed the difference.

“My friend who grew up in the mountains said, ‘I don’t know what you’re doing, but you’re five years older and faring better than you did five years ago,’” Motykowski said.

Recently, Winningham and Motykowski along with some other men from the LIFE class went on a 4.1 mile ruck walk from CrossFit Mayhem to the new memorial in downtown Cookeville and back to Mayhem.

Every 15 minutes, they stopped to do 20 pushups before continuing the walk. Each person carried a backpack with around 30 pounds of extra weight.

10•385 •Our People•Our Stories

“You’re never quite as fit as you think you are,” said Stephen Wood, a member of the class. “It’s always good to raise the bar on your own health for anything that can come up in life. [When you’re fit], you enjoy life better.”

Wayne Boney, 63, former Hall-of-Fame bull rider from

"all you have to do is show up."

Louisiana, started CrossFit because he worked for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall and decided he needed to be in better shape.

“I would say it’s a healthy addiction pretty much now. I have to be at the gym on my days, or I go through withdrawals,” he said, laughing.

“My thing about fitness in general is we’ve gotta get up off of the couch. I don’t care if you just walk 500 yards a day. Whatever makes you active, do that, and cut out the white sugar.

You’ll feel so much better.

“You get a sense of community at our gym that you don’t get at others.

You’re not going to find another gym where people come out and do stuff like this.”

During the summer, the LIFE group gets together for more hiking events. They hike to some of the waterfalls in the area, and they’re in the process of organizing an urban hike in Nashville.

“The Window Cliffs are in my back yard, so we’re thinking after

we do that hike, we’ll just come to my house, do some burgers and jump in the pool,” Boney said. “We do a lot of group workouts that bring us all together for common

purposes.”

For more information, visit mayhemnation.com.

•385•

From left, Andrew Counts, Wayne Boney, Larry Motykowski, Keith Winningham and Stephen Wood stand before the Prisoners of War Missing In Action memorial after walking from CrossFit Mayhem.

Summer •2022•11

Racing for Randy Story and photos by Ben Craven

In his 20th year of dirt track racing, Cookeville resident Ronnie Choate has won many races, but none of them packed as much of an emotional punch as the Randy Fly Memorial, which opened the month of July at the Crossville Speedway.

“It meant a lot, more than any other races," Choate said.

"You see the big checks we’ve won, but that race wasn’t about the money. It was about trying to help Randy’s wife (Donna Fly), and it was about remembering him.

“We bought our first Mod Lite car from Randy, and he lived like ten minutes from our shop," Choate said. "We got to know him really well, especially the last two or three years. He’d come to the shop and to races with us, and he was just a good dude. He loved racing, and he even got back behind the wheel recently."

The July 1 race in Crossville was originally meant to be a benefit for Fly after he was diagnosed with cancer in the spring/summer of 2021, but unfortunately, he did not make it to race day. While there was still a $1,500 prize for the winner, Choate never planned to keep the money. Before the race began, he said he would donate the winnings to Randy's wife if he won.

Choate had a slow start to the night, struggling to meet his

Precision Auto Body Shop owner and racer Ronnie Choate, left, and his brother-in-law and teammate Logan Rittenberry prepare before a race at Crossville Speedway to honor the late Randy Fly. Summer •2022•13

desired lap times in hot laps (practice) and qualifying. His teammate and brother-inlaw Logan Rittenberry and Choate made the necessary changes to the car between qualifying and heat races to start the main event in fourth out of 23 cars and win.

"We don’t really race at Crossville a lot because they don’t race Mod Lites there," Choate said. "We had a few new things we wanted to try that we thought might work better at the Crossville track, but you always have to be ready to adapt to a new track. Logan and I both basically do anything that needs to get done to the car throughout the day.

I was a little worried running third going around the top of the track with no traction, but once I moved to the bottom, my car just came to life."

As soon as Choate won the race, settled his car by the finish line and celebrated with teammates Rittenberry and Dustin Benton, he gave a speech to the crowd about the event and about Randy Fly before presenting the check to his wife.

At 13 years old, Choate began racing Modified Chevrolet Chevettes. He switched to the large, high-powered Late Model before settling on his current smaller Mod Lite division for the last six years with Rittenberry.

“I had been around dirt racing maybe about six months prior to meeting my wife

Ronnie Choate, left, and Logan Rittenberry stand beside the team's Mod Lite car.

14•385 •Our People•Our Stories

Ronnie Choate stands with a slew of awards he has earned during his racing career.

Ronnie Choate celebrates after winning the Randy Fly Memorial race at Crossville Speedway.

Kelly," Rittenberry said. "I had been going with a buddy of mine that I worked with, met Ronnie a few times there, got to meet Kelly and everything just worked out. I was super enthused.

“I’ve always loved dirt track racing, whether it be the 4-wheeler races at the fairgrounds or motor cross events, and that’s not my background. I grew up as a golfer, so I’ve totally switched gears to a different end of the spectrum. I feel like I’ve always had it in my blood, but I’ve never been able to experience it on this level until we all became best friends.”

Choate also owns Precision Auto Body Shop out by Cookeville High School, and he recently purchased Bulldog Chassis, the company that built the chassis for his current Mod Lite car.

After their win in Crossville, the team hopped right back on the road to continue its winning ways in Clarksville, where the race was part of a state series organized by the Tennessee Mod Lite Racing Association. Choate and Rittenberry also compete and win races in the United CC Modified Series mostly in the

Southeastern states and the International Motor Contest Association's STARS Mod Lite series.

Between owning Precision Auto Body, the acquisition of Bulldog Chassis and Rittenberry's full time position as a representative of Just Breathe oxygen and medical supply company, the two don't have an abundance of time to dedicate to racing. However, their time working together and with supporting companies like Crutchfield Racing Engines, BSB Manufacturing, Swift Springs, Whittenburg Land Surveying, The Real Estate Collective, Stafford Bush Hogging and Keplinger Welding Company has created somewhat of a well-oiled machine in every aspect of what they do.

“My everyday life is very busy, hectic and stressful, but that’s just how I grew up," Choate said. "If I wanted something, I worked for it and bought it, and that’s why I appreciate everything I have.”

“We’ve had our fair share of struggles," Rittenberry added. "Ronnie has always been an excellent driver, and there’s never been a doubt about whether he’s good enough to win these races. It’s about finding the

right setup, and throughout the last six years, we’ve been building to this point. We have a good maintenance program, good tire program, good shop program, a seasoned driver and everything else we need.”

As for the future, Choate and Rittenberry don't see an end on the horizon, and they're still working towards personal milestones in the progression of their team.

"The future of our racing career is domination," Choate joked. "Things are going well right now, so we're going to keep doing what we're doing. We wanna sell a few cars to help some people who are struggling, and who knows where it could go. We might shut the body shop down and start building race cars.

"I'm not going to lie. There have been times where I thought about throwing in the towel, but at the end of the day, I love it. We still haven’t raced with a car that we built completely from the ground up yet, but that day is coming. To me, that will be a whole other level of accomplishment."

•385•

Summer •2022•15

Inspiring

future

Lady Bees Story and photos by Braden Wall

I

n high school sports, a player’s influence stretches further than they may think. Parents and coaches aren’t the only ones watching them on and off the court or field.

Under head coach Dana McWilliams, the Upperman High School girls’ basketball team holds a special winning culture and a positive and celebrity-like influence on the future athletes in Baxter.

In the past six seasons, the Lady Bees’ basketball team was in the TSSAA’s state championship three of their five appearances. Most recently, the Lady Bees went 32-5 on their way to a 48-43 Class 3A State Championship victory over Jackson South Side.

“Dana doesn’t just train great athletes, but she raises great people.

[Her players] set good

16•385 •Our People•Our Stories

Young aspiring Lady Bee athletes celebrate with the Upperman High School Girls' Basketball team after the 2022 state championship. examples, and there are a bunch of kids that look up to them—especially around here,” said Brittany Hammock, cashier at the Baxter Bi-Rite and mother of Anna Hammock, a young Baxter athlete and future Lady Bee. “Jayla [Cobb], Brooklyn [Crouch], Abigail [Johnson] and Emma [Conradi] are my favorite Lady Bees,” Anna said.

“Jayla is just a huge influence on her,” Brittany said. “Anna got really close with the team and knows all of them by name. We would go to every home game. They actually gave [Anna] a poster at the end of the season that all of them signed...”

“Even the coaches,” Anna interrupted.

“You would’ve thought this kid won the lottery when she got that. She was so excited,” Brittany said.

When she was four years old in preschool, Anna let her teacher and an assistant coach of the Lady Bees, Amanda Asberry, know that she wants to play for the Lady Bees basketball team when she gets to high school with Coach Dana.

“She’s very dedicated,” Brittany said, “so it’s really cool to see the way that these kids set examples."

“It’s not just Anna. There are other

kids around the community that really look up to the girls, and they never shy away from the kids. They always embrace them. They always talk to them, high-five them and everything.”

McWilliams said, “I hope we impact the community in a positive way. We have a lot of great kids that are so easy to coach. We hope that we can

DANA DOESN’T JUST TRAIN GREAT ATHLETES, BUT SHE RAISES GREAT PEOPLE. [HER PLAYERS] SET GOOD EXAMPLES, AND THERE ARE A BUNCH OF KIDS THAT LOOK UP TO THEM — ESPECIALLY AROUND HERE.

Brittany Hammock Mom of future Lady Bee

always be a positive influence in our community. When players come in now, not only do they know we wanna work hard and be successful, but we want them to be good people. We want them to represent our school and our community in a positive way.”

“It’s about how you carry yourself all the time,” McWilliams said. “You

can’t just be an Upperman Lady Bee basketball player at school or at the game. You’re there all the time. We want kids with high character to be part of our program.”

PAST GREATNESS (overall record) 2015-16: State Runner-Ups after 7056 loss to East Nashville (35-3) 2016-17: State Champions after 66-62 win over Pearl Cohn (34-4) 2017-18: State Champions after 64-62 win over Macon County (37-0) 2018-19: Region semifinal loss to DeKalb County 2019-20: State Championship paused for COVID-19, Lady Bees advanced in state quarterfinals after 59-42 win over Gatlinburg-Pittman (29-6) 2020-21: Region semifinal loss to York (29-2) 2021-22: State Champions after 48-43 win over Jackson South Side (32-5) “I’ve learned that playing basketball at Upperman and being on a state championship team gives me a big influence on other people,” Crouch said. “It makes me want to work extra hard—especially to influence my little sisters because I want them to become the best they can be.”

Crouch remembers looking up to Lady Bees when she was a younger athlete in Baxter.

Summer •2022•17

The Upperman Lady Bees celebrate a win during the 2022 season with their fans.

Artwork by young Upperman Lady Bees fans.

“I thought [the Lady Bees] were the coolest people ever, but Akira [Levy] and Gracie Maynord were my two biggest influences. I wanted to be just like Akira, and I wanted to be just like Gracie. I loved them. I loved the way Akira carried herself, and the way that she played. She’s always a fun person to be around, and Gracie was just the sweetest person ever. I always wanted to be like that towards people by being sweet and fun to be around. I also wanted to play like they did because they had good attitudes on the court.”

The Lady Bees had 18 players in the squad in 2021-22, and they are losing two (Conradi and Crouch).

Some younger talent is coming in from local middle schools, but McWilliams will have to change up the team a bit.

“The expectation [for next season] is always going to be high, and

we know that,” said McWilliams.

“We talked about how hard it was last year to replace Mrs. Basketball in Reagan Hurst at Tennessee Tech and Tori Brooks at Bryan College. We knew it was going to be hard. That almost looked like an impossible task, but we came through to be state champions.

“This year, we’re losing another Mrs. Basketball at the point guard position—arguably the toughest position to play at Upperman.

We’re also losing Emma Conradi who brought a lot to our team that goes unnoticed by some people, but not true basketball people. Maybe it looks like an impossible task again to people on the outside, but we know that we’ve got a strong core and that we will work and do the best we can.”

•385•

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18•385 •Our People•Our Stories

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From the

field to the

stars W

hen the Tennessee Tech football team takes to the field to open the 2022 season, it will be the 100th anniversary of the first varsity game g ame played by the Golden Eagles, but being a Golden Eagle athlete has always meant leaving lasting impacts far beyond the field.

When the first varsity football games were played at Tech in the imag1920s, it was likely beyond the imag inations of the players that a future player on the same team would leave the planet, watch a Tech game from a spacecraft and ultimately log more than six months spent in space.

Barry “Butch” Wilmore earned two degrees, bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering, from Tech before a successful career in the U.S. Navy and bebe coming a NASA astronaut. He also spent time on the same field the Golden Eagle football team will take to this fall.

“Barry demonstrates how heroes can be humble, and how an extraordinary life can come through preparation, perspiration and opportunity,” said Tech President Phil Oldham.

A walk-on in the 1982 season, Wilmore started the final three games of the season, then was sidelined BILL STAFFORD - NASA - JSC in 1983 with a knee injury. He returned as a strong safety in the 1984 season. Wilmore earned his degree Barry "Butch" Wilmore, a former Tennessee Tech football player, works as a NASA astronaut. in mechanical engineering in May 1985 and became

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Summer •2022•19

Wilmore, center, is presented with the NCAA’s Theodore Roosevelt Award. He is congratulated by Tech Athletics Director Mark Wilson, right.

Barry Wilmore in his Golden Eagle football gear during his time as a student at Tennessee Tech.

20•385 •Our People•Our Stories

one of Tech’s first graduate student-athletes as he completed the 1985 year as an outside linebacker.

He prospered that season, recording 143 tackles — standing as the third-highest single-season total in Tech history. Against Austin Peay, Wilmore recorded 21 stops, the second-highest single-game mark. He was selected to the College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-District Team and earned a Scholar-Athlete Award from the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.

He was inducted into the Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 2003, was named an Engineer of Distinction by the Tech College of Engineering in 2010 and was conferred an honorary doctorate in 2012.

After his Tech career, Wilmore became a naval officer and pilot, logging 6,200 hours of flight time and 663 aircraft carrier landings across four deployments. He flew support missions during Operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm and Southern Watch, while flying 21 combat missions during Operation Desert Storm.

After being selected for NASA’s astronaut program in 2000, Wilmore’s first space mission launched in 2009, making him the 505th human to ever leave the planet.

He has spent a total of 178 days in space over the course of two missions.

In 2009, he served as the pilot of space shuttle Atlantis on STS-129, helping to deliver 14 tons of spare parts for the space station. In 2014, he returned to the space station via a Russian Soyuz spacecraft for a 167-day mission, during which he performed four spacewalks.

“It’s all about the mission,” said Wilmore. “The first time I flew was the space shuttle, taking a lot of cargo

to the space station. The second time I launched on a Russian Soyuz and was the commander of the space station.

Two very different missions. The first one was just under two weeks and the second one was six months.”

In 2020, Wilmore was selected for yet another mission that will take him off the planet. He is currently working with the Boeing Crew Flight Test, the inaugural crewed flight of the CST-100 Starliner to the International Space Station.

“I enjoyed the other missions and I was an important part of them,” said Wilmore. “But, to command a launch vehicle is really why I came to NASA from the Navy.”

“This is only the sixth vertical launch spacecraft in the history of our nation from a NASA standpoint, so to be involved with the first flight of that, it’s exciting.”

In 2016 Wilmore was appointed to the Tennessee Tech Board of Trustees and will serve through 2026. He was also back inside Tucker Stadium in 2017 to view a total solar eclipse alongside his parents and daughters.

In 2018, Wilmore’s efforts as a student athlete at Tech and his impressive career landed him among U.S. Presidents, impactful legislators and famed actors as well when he was selected to receive the NCAA’s highest honor awarded to former student athletes: the Theodore Roosevelt Award.

Wilmore says his time as a Golden Eagle prepared him for his career and taught him how to compartmentalize and how to work on a team.

“I had to be disciplined and I had to be focused,” Wilmore said. “I am so grateful for the college experience, the football experience, and the combination of the two. It shaped my life.”

Provided by Tennessee Tech.

Taste of the Town The 25th annual Taste of the Town showcased some of Cookeville’s culinary assets in a fundraiser that aids in preserving the architectural heritage and promoting the ongoing revitalization of downtown Cookeville.

The 25th annual event was a garden party held on the lawn of the Walton House, where Tennessee Tech President Phil Oldham resides on campus.

CityScape Executive Director Holly Freeman, left, thanks Oldham and his wife, Cari, for being gracious hosts. Tyler Asher of Rustic Nail gives the Oldham family a gift for their generosity.

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Summer •2022•21

Why I Love…

Cookeville High School Football Coach

Taylor Hennigan What do you love about your job?

By far, the best part about my job is the players and coaches I am fortunate enough to be around. Those guys are why it is fun to come to the facility each day.

It’s easier to invest and sacrifice for people that you respect and enjoy being around.

I love building the relationships that last a lifetime.

How did you get started in football growing up in Cookeville?

My dad was the head football coach at Tennessee Tech growing up. Being homeschooled, my brothers and I spent a lot of time at his practices and games.

I did not play organized football until high school, so I learned and practiced by being around his teams and with my dad and my brothers in the backyard.

What’s your vision for the future of Cookeville High School football?

• A team that serves its school and community and represents everyone associated with our program, school, and community at the highest level • To be known for developing great students, competitors, sons, brothers, employees, and eventually husbands and fathers • That our coaches and players would set the standard in our school and community through servant leadership

22•385 •Our People•Our Stories

Cookeville

Summer •2022•23

During Tennessee Tech’s Preview Day, you will engage with our academic programs, have sessions on important topics such as financial aid and scholarships, explore student life, and take part in campus tours. Come experience everything Tech has to offer in this awesome open house event!

Register today at tntech.edu/previewday.

Questions? Call (931) 372-3888.