Midvale Journal | August 2021

August 2021 | Vol. 18 Iss. 08

FREE HILLCREST COACHES SAY MULTISPORT ATHLETICS BENEFICIAL, EXPERT AGREES, WITH REST TO BODY

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

I

n elementary school, many young athletes are encouraged to focus on one specific sport, but that’s not what Hillcrest High School coaches recommend.

“We’ve got kids that wrestle, play basketball and a bunch do track and field,” said Husky football coach Brock Bryant.

“That’s what we’re pushing; we want multisport athletes. It makes the school better and when you’re doing more sports as an individual, that helps you out if you’re going to college.

Colleges want to see multisport athletes; it means that they can balance a lot more than just one sport.”

He said coaches love to see the crossover between sports because each sport challenges student-athletes in different ways and the skills developed such as agility, balance, coordination as well as mental preparation may translate to other sports.

“I think (student-athletes) learn how physically to be a better athlete, like in track they learn how to run; in football, they learn how to be tough so when they go to basketball, they can run and be tough in rebounds. It just complements each other,” Bryant said.

Boys soccer coach Brett Davis said that he has several players who also play basketball, golf and run cross country and track. Last year, one of his soccer players was the kicker for the football team.

“It’s good for them,” he said. “They’re still having a lot of development, physically and mentally. I had a young man and basketball was his first love. But the footwork that he learned in soccer translated to the basketball court. I think there’s a lot of Continued page 4

Hillcrest High School senior Isabella Andrews is known for her high-energy play and tenaciousness on the basketball court. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

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Continued from front page positivity in being a multisport athlete, if you can balance the time.”

Davis said learning multiple sports is important for younger athletes. He uses the example if someone is short as a freshman, that athlete may be steered clear of basketball. However, he said to let the student-athlete pursue the sport, because he will learn the skills and later, he may “shoot up 10 inches.”

He said being trained by several coaches with different teaching methods and interacting with other teammates is important in the development of the student-athlete.

“Learning from different coaches and the things you get taught in those situations, is good. You have to be smart enough to know how to balance, especially because your primary focus is school,” he said. “It seems like Hillcrest is one of the last schools where I see multisport athletes because most club sports are really pushing the whole idea of isolating your athletes playing year-round.”

In the Aspen Institute’s State of Play 2018, the report states that “multisport play is making a comeback.” In the first time in four years, the number of children in a focus group increased from playing one to at least two.

“This represents progress in an era of early sport specialization, when families are often under pressure to focus their child on one sport before the end of grade school,” the report said, adding that multisport play has been the focus of more than 40 organizations, including some of the largest professional leagues and dozens of national governing bodies of sport, to formally endorse multisport play for children.

While Davis coordinates with cross country and track coach Scott Stucki to work together to ensure athletes aren’t overworked since some soccer players also run track in the same spring season, he advocates his athletes to “get a little bit of rest and recovery.”

Finding the time between multiple high school sports and a club team is difficult, acknowledged Dr. Robin Cecil, a physical therapist and managing director for Sport Ready

Journals T H E

Academy, who recently shared with about 50 Brighton High soccer players how to train as a high-performing female athlete and how to take care of their bodies.

“Single sports specialization is actually leading to a greater number of injuries in athletes, and so that’s one of things that they’re saying is beneficial for more multisport athletes,” she said. “As a multisport athlete, you can give yourself different neuromuscular training. Basically, you don’t overtrain the same muscles and the same joint, with the same movements on a regular basis.”

However, as a former three-sport college athlete, she has identified difficulties in being a multisport athlete. One common scenario she has seen is that there is no step between a youth recreational league and a club team.

“The problem is you’re wanting to be a multisport athlete, but yet you have an organization that is training year-round. So, then you’ve got multisport athletes playing on top of each other in the same season and that becomes destructive, just to the point where they’re playing high school and (they’re playing for) the club team, it just becomes overtraining,” she said.

For example, she said club soccer tryouts typically are held in the spring and student-athletes play all summer long. Then, the girls high school season begins in August and runs through October. Then, the athletes switch back to club soccer.

“That is actually not a good thing. They need to have two or three sections of three to four weeks off and if you have coaches that are aware of that, then they’re very good with that. But a lot of kids need to just take it off and they need to just listen to their body. What happens if they don’t, then they get fatigued,” she said.

Cecil said that when a student-athlete plays high school soccer and follows it with high school basketball, that’s good since they are different seasons of play.

“But if you play high school basketball and you’re playing soccer all year-round, then all you’re doing is adding basketball on top

Dr. Robin Cecil, of the Sport Ready Academy, recently shared how to train as a high-performing female athlete and take care of their bodies with Brighton High soccer players. (Photo courtesy of Robin Cecil)

of that so that’s not a good thing. It’s just too much for these kids,” she said, adding that it can even “become destructive” as they enter more serious training their junior and senior high school years.

Cecil said that there is a “concept of workload.”

“Whenever you overload your kids, there’s a difference between overloading for progression. There’s also what’s called non-functional overreaching, where you train too much and where all the things you’re doing to build your body up is actually destructive, and it’s breaking it down because there’s not enough time to recover,” she said.

The fatigue factor plays into many ACL tears, Cecil said.

“There’s a lot of things that people are doing for ACL injury prevention, but another factor is their genetics and the other one is workload. If the quads and hamstrings never have time to rest, and they’re always at high intensity, then they can’t support them,” she said.

That is what Hillcrest High multisport athlete Isabella Andrews thinks may have caused her ACL tear this past spring while playing soccer.

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“I often use sports as a break from all the craziness; I stay active and in shape and I meet people with similar interests,” she said.

“But I think I definitely overworked myself and didn’t take a break. My body just gave up.

It’s hard to step back to rest. Some coaches don’t understand that my body is overworked and every once in a while, I should take an active break.”

Andrews said that with her love of playing soccer and basketball, and this spring, trying pole vault, on top of club soccer, she “never really took a true break.”

As a result, Andrews won’t be able to play goalkeeper this fall during her senior year in high school. She hopes next year to be able to play in college.

Meanwhile, Andrews is focusing on her recovery, hoping to be cleared to play for the basketball season.

Girls tennis coach Creighton Chun, who himself was a multisport athlete, coaches girls who play several sports at Hillcrest.

“You want to encourage people to play multisports,” he said. “It just makes them better people and better athletes.”

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Brittany Nielson has a hard time not laughing at Jason Wild during an improvised scene at Quick Wits.

(Photo courtesy Racheal Bailey)

Rob Ferre tries out a new character for the crowd.

(Photo courtesy Racheal Bailey)

‘Nothing compares to hearing the audience laughing’—Quick Wits is back live

By Sarah Morton Taggart | s.taggart@mycityjournals.com

A

fter 470 days, Utah’s longest-running improv troupe was finally able to perform in front of a live, mostly maskless audience.

On June 26, members of Quick Wits played improv games and evoked laughter at the Midvale Performing Arts Center (695 W. 7720 South). Organizers asked that unvaccinated audience members wear a mask, and everyone was encouraged to distance throughout the theatre. But it was still a big improvement over the past one year, three months and 13 days of hamming it up in front of a webcam.

“We tried to keep the shows going online during the pandemic, but nothing compares to hearing the audience laughing,” said Quick Wits owner and founder Bob Bedore. “The actors are all really excited to connect with the fans again, and I’m looking forward to trying out some new games.”

The easiest way to explain what Quick Wits does is that it resembles the TV show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” Comedy sketches are created out of audience suggestions and sometimes members of the crowd might find themselves on stage with the Wits.

Quick Wits started in 1994 and has been performing in the Salt Lake Valley nearly every weekend ever since. The troupe’s last pre-pandemic show took place on March 13, 2020. On March 15 they suspended all live performances until further notice. Starting March 21, fans were able to watch free online shows on the Quick Wits Facebook page. Some audience participation was able to continue, with people encouraged to make suggestions in the comments thread. These virtual performances continued for most of 2020 and through the first few months of 2021.

Quick Wits is also the host of the Wasatch Improv Festival that sees troupes from all over America coming to Utah for a three-day event. This year’s festival took place online in February, but still brought in nearly a dozen unique performers from as far away as San Francisco, Chicago and

Members of Quick Wits gave one last virtual performance on June 5. (Photo courtesy Quick Wits Facebook page)

Tennessee.

“The Zoom shows were really hard,” Bedore said. “We are so used to using our bodies and creating big scenes, but with the small box of a Zoom-type call we were limited. I’m very proud of the type of different shows we were able to put out.

We’ve had a lot of time to think of new ways we can make people laugh and we’re ready to make it happen.”

To ease back into performing, the group live streamed a show from the theater on May 29 and invited people to be in the audience a month later.

The “Summer of Fun,” a fan favorite series of themed shows, began in June and will continue through August: • Aug. 7: Level Up! Video Game Show • Aug. 14: Musical Extravaganza • Aug. 21: Slasher Flick (Escape the Stage) • Aug. 28: Back to School A typical Quick Wits performance begins at 10 p.m. and costs $10 for adults and $8 for students, seniors and military. Quick Wits will also be offering the $8 price to all teachers and first responders. The show is family friendly, and all ages are welcome.

More information can be found at www. qwcomedy.com as well as Facebook and other social media outlets.

“They say that laughter is the best medicine and after the last 14 months we can all use a good chuckle,” Bedore said. l

Midvale City Journal

Football coach expects Hillcrest to be in competition for region placing

A

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

preseason glance at the Hillcrest High Huskies will show a young team after 20 players graduated, but head football coach Brock Bryant likes what he sees.

“We actually have some good skilled kids; we’re deep at quarterback, and receiver, and running back,” he said. “We’re just lacking those linemen that you need to move forward, but we have some really good young kids at line coming up. Some of them are going to have to step into the varsity role now.”

Bryant said that after the two-week break the team has in July, he planned to have the young linemen watch films and practice with the varsity as they work to improve under 17 assistant coaches.

“It will kind of be a baptism by fire.

It’ll take them a couple of games to get going, but I’m confident that they will because they got the size and strength to do it.

There’s always that ‘deer in the headlights’ moment, but it will get away. They’ll get over it,” he said. “We got to focus on our physicality and our tenaciousness with us being young. We’ve got talent and we’ve got some speed, but we just need to be more physical on the field.”

Grateful for what has been a more routine off-season after last year’s COVID-19

protocols, Bryant is excited for the new region that stretches an hour west, south and more than three hours east.

“I’m loving the region we’re in,” he said. “It’s competitive for us, for a program that is still trying to build that winning culture.”

He also anticipated the region title was “up for grabs” as many teams are “on the same page as us.”

Bryant said he expects competition from Cedar Valley and Stansbury high schools.

“They’ll be tough, but across the board, it will be a competition for those second and third places and even first place is up for grabs,” he said, adding that the win-loss gap won’t be as large as when the Huskies played in the region with Brighton and Olympus and teams that were vying for the state title.

Bryant’s goal is to build the program from its 80-85 players to the typical 150 student-athletes Brighton High has, and have a chance to be even more competitive.

“The reason why I want to be in this region is because we can compete better.

The kids will get more confidence and then, there’s going to be a lot more desire to be in the program then getting your teeth kicked

in every day. It’s not a defeatist attitude; it’s a realist attitude. You got to see some success and things before we could start moving up in the ranks before we start playing the Brightons again and the Olympuses,” he said about the program he anticipates may take more than five years to build. “Right now, we’re focused on the process. Then, the result will come later. I’m a big believer in time and patience.”

The process also extends to the classroom for the student-athletes.

“They did awesome—they kicked butt in the classroom. The team GPA was a 3.18, so I’m really proud of the kids. This is what is meant by student-athletes. I truly believe that they’re students first and athletes second,” Bryant said, adding that before he came to the school three years ago, it was “like a 2.4 or below. It wasn’t the best.”

The players also are reaching out to the community, finding ways to serve. This summer they helped with Midvale Middle School’s garden, youth football camps, and delivering food to those in care centers and shelters, he said.

“The kids are part of the community, and their actions reflect the community so they’re doing service and doing good, that says a lot about our community and about

what kind of persons they are. The point of a football program is to teach these kids to serve others and to get happiness by serving others,” Bryant said.

The Huskies open their season with the Green and White scrimmage on Aug. 6. The preseason includes “competitive” teams including Murray, Viewmont and Judge Memorial Catholic high schools. Games will continue to be livestreamed.

Their first home region game will be against Stansbury on Sept. 10. Students and fans are anticipated to be in the stands along with the return of the marching band after about a four-decade absence.

Bryant said the return of students and the band will help his team.

“It’s a mental and a mindset for the kids,” he said, after last year having limited numbers in the stands because of the COVID-19 pandemic protocols. “Football isn’t football without the fans and the band.

I think with the kids back, they hear that yelling and cheering and those drums, it’ll boost the kids’ confidence, knowing that their student body is behind them. It’ll be a tremendous asset for us in the games. The kids are excited; they’re looking forward to it. I can’t wait.” l

Adaptive PE students shine in their own outstanding ways

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

S

hortly before Bell View kindergartner Baldo Arriaga received a trophy from Canyons School District, his principal Chanci Loran described him as “very sweet, a super hard worker and deserving of the Outstanding Sportsmanship Award.”

His classmates applauded and cheered for him and celebrated by jumping on a launch pad that launched a two-foot rocket high up to the sky.

It was an indirect way of ensuring the diagnostic kindergarten students also were working toward their development skills and personal physical education goals as well as having fun, said district adaptive physical education instructor Kathryn Taylor, who works with Baldo as well as other youngsters.

“We help them with their gross motor skills such as running, galloping, jumping, hopping on one foot and with objectives like throwing, catching, kicking and dribbling,” she said.

The Outstanding Sportsmanship Award recipients represent each elementary school that has the adapted physical education program. They follow directions, have a positive attitude and work hard

Bell View kindergartner Baldo Arriaga holds his Outstanding Sportsmanship Award trophy tightly as he’s joined by Canyons School District special education program administrator Tifny Iacona, district adaptive physical education instructor Kathryn Taylor and his principal, Chanci Loran. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

MidvaleJournal.com

on learning new skills and on their personal physical education goals, said Tifny Iacona, district special education program administrator.

“It’s important that we recognize students who have worked hard on their adaptive PE goals and with their peers, to congratulate all of them on their success,” she said.

Other school winners include Marcus Fernandez, Silver Mesa; Weston McPherson, Crescent; Isaac Kilpatrick, Alta View; Connor Jones, Granite; Logan Martinson, Willow Canyon; Natalie Van Roosendaal, Willow Springs; Saxton Snowball, Edgemont; and Ava Baird, Jordan Valley.

Traditionally, the students are recognized on the annual Sports Day, where they parade on the track as well as participate in a distance run and a sprint, an obstacle course, a parachute game, a dance-off and other activities with their classmates.

“We’ve had mascots from across the (Salt Lake) Valley, Peer Leadership Teams or studentbody officers, cheerleaders and the (school district) superintendent and Board (of Education) members come and really cheer on these kids,” Iacona said, adding that this year and last year the event was unable to be held because of the COVID-19 safety and health concerns. “It’s a fun way to celebrate these students. It’s all about the kids.” l

August 2021 | Page 7

New faces may welcome back students this fall

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

S

hortly before Bryan Rudes walked out of Midvale Middle School for the last time as an assistant principal there, the staff and faculty declared, unbeknown to him, it was “Bryan Rudes” day.

Dozens of his colleagues all donned plaid shirts, representing his typical wardrobe.

“I walked into work, turned and looked in Mindy’s office and Mindy (Robison) was sitting there with Courtney (Long) and I was like, ‘What on earth are you two doing?’” he said about the Midvale Middle principal and co-assistant principal. “Then, I walked through the halls, and everybody’s dressed up. It was pretty, pretty sweet. It was one of the most thoughtful and sweet things that anybody’s ever done for me.”

Even so, Rudes isn’t planning to establish a Bryan Rudes day as the new principal at East Sandy Elementary. But he will miss Midvale Middle, which is just 2.5 miles away.

“The biggest thing (I’ll miss) is the sense of community. We have a great faculty and staff and a great set of students as well as parents that are very supportive the whole time I was there. I’ve built a rapport with them for the last five years,” he said, adding that he already has sensed an involved group he will be working with at his new school.

Texas educator Divya Nagpal comes to Canyons District as Midvale Middle’s assistant principal to replace Rudes.

Rudes and Nagpal are just two of several administrative appointments the Canyons Board of Education approved for the 2021-22 school year.

Other appointments include: • Angela Wilkinson, who was East Sandy’s principal, now is Sunrise Elementary’s principal. Margaret Swanicke, who has served as Sunrise Elementary’s principal, now is Midvalley Elementary’s principal, replacing Tamra Baker, who is appointed Bell View Elementary’s principal.

• Elenoa Pua, who has been a charter school principal, will be East Midvale Elementary’s assistant principal, replacing Danya Bodell.

• Michelle Shimmin becomes the administrator of Canyons Online.

• Michelle Snarr, who has been Edgemont Elementary principal, is now Willow Canyon Elementary principal, succeeding the retiring Marilyn Williams.

• Elcena Saline, who has been Sandy Elementary assistant principal, replaces Snarr as principal at Edgemont. Anne Hansen now is Sandy Elementary’s assistant principal, taking Saline’s vacant position.

• Doug Hallenbeck is CTEC’s princi-

Page 8 | August 2021

pal, after serving as its assistant principal.

It relieves Janet Goble, CTEC’s director, of the dual role of principal and director.

• Wendy Dau, who has been Jordan High’s principal, is the Federal and State Programs in the Equity, Inclusion and Student Services director. She replaced the retiring Karen Sterling. Corner Canyon High Assistant Principal Bruce Eschler succeeds Dau as Principal of Jordan High. Juab School District’s Ken Rowley will replace Eschler at Corner Canyon.

• Chanci Loran, who has been Bell View Elementary’s principal, will become an Equity, Inclusion, and Student Services administrator. She replaces Colleen Smith, who will become Copperview Elementary’s principal after Jeri Rigby retired.

• Mary Simao, who has been a Jordan High intern administrator now takes on the role of assistant principal at Jordan High.

• Jared Tucker, who served in the district’s responsive services department, now is an Alta High assistant principal, succeeding Garry True, who has retired.

• Former Alta High Assistant Principal Kelcey Kemp now serves in that role at Jordan High, replacing the retiring Jana Crist. Union Middle Assistant Principal Shelly Karren is replacing Kemp at Alta. Midvale Elementary Assistant Principal Ashley McKinney is replacing Karren and Copperview’s Carolee Mackay now is the Midvale Elementary assistant principal.

• Hillcrest teacher specialist Ari Tavo now is the high school’s assistant principal.

• Draper Park Middle Assistant Principal Jodi Roberts will move to Brighton High as assistant principal as Mark Mitchell will move to Draper Park Middle in the same position.

• Karlie Aardema, who has worked in the instructional supports department, now is Indian Hills Middle’s assistant principal, replacing Halley Nelson. Nelson is Butler Middle’s assistant principal, replacing Sara Allen, who transferred to Ridgecrest Elementary as an assistant principal.

• Genny Poll, of the responsive services department, now is Butler Middle’s assistant principal, replacing Dan Ashbridge, who is now Midvalley Elementary’s assistant principal.

•Kalisi Uluave, from the Salt Lake School District, now is an Alta High assistant principal, replacing Kelli Miller, who left the district.

•Amanda Parker, from the Jordan School District, is Albion Middle School’s assistant principal, replacing Sandy LeCheminant who has become an achievement coach. l

Former Midvale Middle administrator Bryan Rudes congratulates students in 2019; he now is East Sandy Elementary’s principal. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Midvale Middle staff and faculty created a sweet goodbye for their former administrator, Bryan Rudes, with a day of dressing like him. (Photo courtesy of Bryan Rudes)

Midvale City Journal

Students come up with solutions to real-life problems in entrepreneur challenge

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

H

illcrest High junior Zoe Liu stayed up late one night with her friends, seniors Anna Hsu and Anya Tiwari, working on their presentation. That followed by an early morning to continue working on their script before they were called on to present.

During the actual presentation, the girls had their idea polished, but Liu said it was taxing since it was all done virtually and afterward, she was exhausted.

“I just took a nap,” she said. “I honestly didn’t realize that we had won until an hour later when Anna and Anya kept calling me.”

The Hillcrest High team took second place and received $5,000 at the Utah High School Entrepreneur Challenge.

More than 130 teams or individuals entered the competition, which was held virtually this year. The finals were narrowed down to the top 20 teams and was hosted by the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute, a division of the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah, and sponsored by Zions Bank.

The Midvale team created Pocket Garden.

Tailored to novice gardeners, Pocket Garden simplifies plant purchases, connects customers with local nurseries and motivates plant care.

“We went through a bunch of different ideas,” Liu said. “We wanted to do something climate-related because that was a global issue

that related to all of us, and we all thought it was really important. Over time, we came up with this idea of, ‘Oh, what if we do something that’s like a box that gets delivered to you with sustainable products,’ and then, we ended up with the idea of gardening. Our Pocket Garden pretty much makes gardening a lot easier and can be really helpful to the environment.

It saves on shipping costs for food; it also prevents a lot of commercial pesticides and fertilizers going into the world if you’re eating your own food and can help create more oxygen which is better for air pollution.”

She said that the modernizing of gardening “makes things a lot easier and not only do you get the products, but the app also comes with a tracker that gives you reminders on when to water your plants or what time might be a good time to sow your seeds” as well as a journal to track tasks. It also provides information on what plants work well in the climate of the gardeners.

“All of our families garden quite a bit,” Liu said. “While developing the app, we were really talking about what gardening is to each of us. For my family, gardening has always been a way of almost like holding on to self-sustainability. My parents have a lot of pride in knowing that we grow and learn stuff.

I like the idea that we can exist separately, and

that sort of independence is empowering, regardless, if we still buy food from the grocery store. That was a little bit of a motivator for it.”

High School Utah Entrepreneur Challenge Student Director Peyton Williams said this year’s entries ranged from an eggshell remover to making standardized testing more equitable for all students despite their socioeconomic status.

“We had a phenomenal set of finalists this year,” Williams said. “I’m proud that Utah is home to so many impressive and entrepreneurial high school students.”

Juan Diego Catholic High’s team in Draper won the $10,000 grand prize.

Juan Diego ninth-grader Erin Chan said that her team realized that often times, people with disabilities are excluded from physical activities and sports so she and a group of friends decided to do something about that.

“My goal is to create an inexpensive, wearable product that will help the visually impaired navigate without the aid of another person or white cane,” Erin shared in a presentation to the Utah High School Entrepreneur Challenge. “This device will be more discreet than the usual assistive devices since disable people can be self-conscious about their condition.”

The group researched to discover that

Juan Diego Catholic High School student Erin Chan models the Acti-Vest, a vest that uses ultrasonic sensors to calculate the distance between obstacles and a visually impaired wearer to warn them of nearing objects. (Photo courtesy of Erin Chan)

70% of the 52,000 school-age children with visual impairments do not participate in a physical education program, which is against the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Their answer was to create a vest that uses ultrasonic sensors to calculate the distance between obstacles and a visually impaired wearer to warn them of nearing objects. l

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August 2021 | Page 9

Essential school bus drivers, nutrition, custodian staff needed for upcoming school year

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

A

s the school year approaches, many students and their families may be wondering who will open the door and greet them at the start of the school year as they board a big yellow school bus.

Some area school districts also may be wondering as websites and signs across the Salt Lake Valley are posted, advertising bus driver positions.

As of July 1, in Canyons School District, there were 40 positions open for bus drivers or 18% of its staff who transport about 20,000 students. In addition, 35 of the 55 attendant positions were available.

Canyons School District Transportation Director Jeremy Wardle has worked in the industry the past 14 years, working his way up from driving while putting himself through college.

“There’s always turnover,” he said. “I think the difference this year is COVID and the fallout from that.”

Wardle said that a large number of the district’s drivers are on a second career, but with the extra protections during COVID-19 pandemic and drivers’ possibly health issues, there just were not enough drivers returning.

Plus, he said the area has changed, which means more drivers are needed to transport schoolchildren.

“Twenty years ago, Draper was more farmland than it was houses and now it’s the complete opposite; we’ve seen a huge population boost not only in our district, but in other districts. We’re becoming more of an urban setting. It seems to be the same way in all districts across the country,” he said.

Jordan School District also has a need for drivers.

“We always are short bus drivers; Every school district in Salt Lake County, or probably in the state, there’s high turnover,” said spokeswoman Sandra Riesgraf. “And we’re a growing school district, so we always have more routes.”

To attract more drivers, Canyons has boosted their salaries to $21.19 per hour for starting pay. Attendant pay is $14 per hour.

Wardle said there are part-time and full-time positions available for the 180-day school year and full-time contracts come with benefits.

Murray School District spokesman Doug Perry said Murray’s district also may be down a few drivers at any given time, along with the same numbers of nutrition services staff and custodians; the district also increased pay for those positions.

“We only have about a dozen or so regular bus drivers and about four dozen lunch workers and a couple dozen custodians in total so our shortages might be two-three positions at any given time out of those three groups, which is pretty manageable,” he said.

Page 10 | August 2021

A friendly wave and smile is what students and parents expect this fall from their bus drivers, but some school districts are still hiring people to fill the vacant positions.

(Photo courtesy of Canyons School District)

Pay in Murray District for bus drivers is $22 to $25 per hour; nutrition service, $13 to $18 per hour; and custodians are $11 to $15 per hour.

Granite School District also continues to see “traditional vacancy challenges” in transportation and custodial departments as well as classroom and school aides, said spokesman Ben Horsley.

“Part-time para-professionals continue to be difficult to find in this economy,” he said. “One strange challenge is the amount of open school psychologist positions we still have at this point in the year.”

Starting salaries are about $21 per hour for bus drivers; $18 for custodians and $11 for hourly para-professionals.

In Canyons, commercial driver licenses are required before bus drivers take the wheel, however, there is free in-house training and testing, Wardle said. Drivers also are expected to perform a pre-trip “look over” that ranges from brake check to light cleaning. Eight mechanics on staff are responsible for repairs.

Additionally, there are trainings for the position from first aid and CPR to student management and emergency evacuation.

Attendants also have additional training for

working with students with special needs and learn how to load a wheelchair and strap it securely, he said.

Flexibility and schedules being similar to schools attract many personnel to the position. Wardle, when he was a driver, was able to study in between routes and said the position is attractive to parents, who start and end their day at about the same time of their kids and have the same school vacation schedule.

“The kids are the highlights from drivers. They get to know them. They’ve seen them from kindergarten through high school.

Some of them work well into their early 80s because they love the kids,” he said.

While Riesgraf said Jordan School District has a “moderate” need for nutrition services staff, Canyons District is looking to hire 34 kitchen staff and 23 cashiers in schools for the upcoming school year, said Sebasthian Varas, nutrition services director.

Starting wages increased for those positions in Canyons with starting pay at $15.50 per hour for kitchen staff who typically prep and cook meals and deep clean the kitchen afterward; and $12.16 per hour for cashiers, who are responsible for ensuring student meals meet with the USDA guidelines for reimbursement of the meal. There are ad-

vancement possibilities, he added.

Canyons positions include training in equipment, first aid and district policies; each employee is responsible for having a food handler’s permit. Ideal candidates should be able to follow directions, work as a team, be able to meet some of the physical demands of the job and have a high school diploma or are working to earn a GED or equivalent, Varas said.

He said that it’s an ideal position people who want day-time positions and especially, for parents.

“If your kids are at the school, you work the time when they’re at school and you’re at home when they’re home. You don’t work any weekends or holidays and we provide you with a lunch and you’re making some extra money,” he said. “It’s a fun job. You get to interact with the students, which I think is fantastic. This is a great opportunity to make a difference in a student’s life. I think one thing that we’ve learned from the pandemic is how essential the nutrition services workers are. So, if they truly want to make a difference in someone’s life, come and work with us. It’s hard work, but it’s a very rewarding position, knowing that we’re feeding students.” l

Midvale City Journal

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Senior Charles Hooper, seen here at the region 2020 meet, and the Hillcrest High boys cross country team should have some strong returners this season. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Hillcrest High senior Erin Atkinson, ahead of the pack at the region 2020 race, is a returning letter-winner for the Huskies and is expected to lead the girls cross country team this season. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

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Huskies XC: Boys expected to extend streak of running at state meet; girls to start new record

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

E

ven though a number of strong boy distance runners graduated, Hillcrest High head cross country head coach Scott Stucki expects his team to extend their streak of running at the state meet to 16 straight.

“We may be OK,” Stucki said. “We have a strong pack, and the kids look OK. The ‘Sams’ (juniors Sam Timmerman and Sam Martin) are looking good; Charles (Hooper, a senior) and Derek (Croft, senior) look strong, I expect Morgan (Webster, junior) to be in the top seven and we have Warren Ellsworth back as a senior; he was doing other stuff since his freshman year.”

He also said that he’s seen a lot of improvement and hard work from junior Jake Baird.

The girls didn’t qualify for state last year, which surprised Stucki.

After a third-place region finish, typically, it would have qualified them for the state meet. However, with the introduction of divisionals last year, the team finished 12th, which left them out of the state meet for the first time in seven years.

“At first, I was OK with it, but then I started getting mad. For the most part, they all didn’t have a good race at the same meet, and it was the worst possible time,” he said.

MidvaleJournal.com

This year’s squad is expected to be led by senior Erin Atkinson and sophomores Anna Ames and Claire Hastings.

“We have some freshmen that are looking pretty good. We have different kids every day (at summer practice). A lot of them are on vacations—even more so than normal as places open up (from the COVID-19 pandemic) and families are taking advantage of that,” Stucki said.

Summer workouts have included trail and recovery runs. Stucki also has extended the practices to middle school student-athletes.

This year’s season looks different than years prior to COVID-19. As the Huskies are in a region that stretches across the state, there won’t be dual or tri-meets, Stucki said. Instead, the coaches agreed to participate in just invitationals.

Region will be held Sept. 30 at the nearby Cottonwood Complex and divisionals on Oct. 9 at Lakeside Park in Orem.

The state meet, which was moved from Sugar House Park to Solider Hollow last year, will be moved again to Rose Park in Salt Lake City, which Stucki said “is expected to be fast” course. However, there will be a controlled access and spectator entry will be by ticket unlike Sugar House Park. l

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922 Baxter Dr, Suite 110 South Jordan August 2021 | Page 11

Vintage cars line Main Street once again thanks to efforts of former resident

By Sarah Morton Taggart | s.taggart@mycityjournals.com

O

n Saturday, July 17, Midvale residents had a chance to go back in time. On that hot afternoon, Main Street was lined with more than 200 vintage cars and filled with families and classic car enthusiasts.

Cars and vendors stretched from Center Street to City Hall.

Attendees had the chance to admire the beautifully restored vehicles, learn about local businesses and organizations and purchase refreshments.

Travis Peterson was the key organizer of the event.

“I decided to approach Midvale about reviving this show because it was so important to me as I grew up on old 6th Avenue,” Peterson said. “I had family members on every street and quite a few are still here. We walked down to the show on Main Street every year.”

Peterson, who now lives a few miles west, assembled a team to help him accomplish his vision. Rob Lambros provided shirts and banners at cost and Kody Balara donated his time, graphic design and marketing skills. Lambros and Balara are both Midvale residents and business owners affiliated with Rockin Hotrod Productions.

Midvale City’s sponsorship was also critical to the event’s success.

The city shut down the streets, provided the barricades, and handled the trash, according to Laura Magness, communications director for the city. The city also promoted the event on their digital signs and social media and even opened up the Art House (formerly known as the Midvale Museum) for people to use the restrooms.

The car show was operated as a completely nonprofit venture. All funds went toward costs of organizing the show with the

remaining proceeds going to the Utah Food Bank.

Participating car owners were asked to donate $5 or a can of food and attendees were encouraged to purchase raffle tickets with cash or cans of food. Raffle prizes came from local businesses and ranged from T-shirts to oil changes to tattoo gift certificates.

“I called a few places and was told repeatedly that the food bank doesn’t get many donations during the summer,” Peterson said. “They need it and were very excited.”

The event ended up collecting around 2,500 pounds of food and nearly $1,000 in cash for the food bank.

In spite of growing up loving the car show, Peterson himself does not restore cars.

“I can mechanically fix things, but I don’t have the talent for the paint and body,” Peterson said.

In fact, Peterson has an embarrassing memory from going to the car show as a kid. “I leaned my bike against a car and scratched it,” Peterson said. “Luckily, the car belonged to my second uncle and he was OK with it.”

Peterson later inherited a classic car that his grandfather had restored, a 1966 red Impala convertible that had been meant for Peterson’s father.

Sgt. Cory Vernon Peterson, Travis’s dad, served as a police officer in the Salt Lake Valley for 20 years and had just been promoted to the Unified Police Department in Midvale when he died from complications due to pancreatitis.

In 2019, Peterson organized a blood drive at the police station to honor the anniversary of his father’s death. At the drive he got to talking to the chief about the old car shows on Main Street, and after four or five months of contemplating the idea he

Main Street in Midvale was closed to traffic on July 17 to display more than 200 classic cars. (Sarah Morton Taggart/City Journals)

decided to go for it.

“I’m just so proud of how many people came out. It just blew me away,” Peterson said. “It was great seeing my grandpa and from the other side of my family, my grandma, come out.

They had so much fun.”

Peterson hopes to continue both events in the future.

“I’m going to take a few days off, then start working on the blood drive.” l

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Page 12 | August 2021

Midvale City Journal

Hillcrest tennis student-athletes have game, ready to match up in region play

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

C

orner, corner, down the line.

Hillcrest High girls tennis team may be well acquainted with those words as the players are gearing up for a new region under a new head coach.

Creighton Chun is a familiar face having first been an assistant tennis coach eight years ago and returning the past couple seasons. Now, he has stepped into the head position.

“You practice how you play and you play like you practice,” is what he says. “You hit it hard and try to put away the point.”

Chun has worked with players when they reached out to him earlier this summer before tryouts, he is expecting his team to be led by juniors Sownya Paritala and Lili Greenwood along with senior captains Erin Zhang and Shay Minoughan.

This they will try to do without the Huskies having any school tennis courts as the school campus is under construction and plans don’t call for the completion of the eight courts until fall 2022.

The past couple seasons, they have used Mountain View Park’s and Antzak Park’s courts to practice, and this season, they’ve expanded to include Southwood Park. This means, the team divides up, so they all get court time, with Chun at one site and his assistant coach and brother, Chris, at another.

His other assistant, Gary Daniels, oversees the administrative part of the team.

“Tennis is a sport you want to play every day,” Chun said, expressing gratitude to both Cottonwood Heights and Murray City parks and recreation departments for letting them schedule times to practice.

Their home matches have been nonexistent for the past few seasons; this year, nearby Cottonwood High is graciously allowing them to host a couple “home” match-

es against Cedar Valley and Stansbury when the Colts are on the road, he said.

Cottonwood is the only school nearby as the Huskies’ new region stretches west to Tooele and Stansbury high schools, southwest to Cedar Valley High in Eagle Mountain, south to Payson High, and east to Uintah High in Vernal, which is more than three hours away.

“I feel confident our girls can compete with this new region,” he said, noting that Cedar Valley, Payson and Cottonwood didn’t have players qualify for state last year although he expects strong play from Cottonwood’s No. 1 singles player.

Chun said that Stansbury and Uintah both had a number of their state players graduate and Tooele had one as well so they will have some returning talent, but also scouting for new athletes to fill those vacant roles.

Hillcrest, which finished seventh with one win in their highly competitive region last year, had three seniors graduate. However, this year’s team may have a new makeup as well, Chun said before the early August tryouts.

Combined with interest from incoming freshman who may be part of the team, one varsity player who previously was on the team isn’t expected to return. He’s not sure if it’s because of the time involved in the travel, especially as many of the players are amongst the school’s top scholars in the International Baccalaureate Program, or if it may be because of other activities, such as the commitment to the school’s award-winning performing arts program.

“Every single match, except for Cottonwood, they’re going to miss their fourth or eighth period for travel and when we travel to Vernal (on a Tuesday this fall), we’re going to be gone all day. That’s a lot to miss,”

he said.

While Chun navigates through the new region and finding courts to practice, another new aspect to the season is having not only the top two singles or top two teams, but a third division as well, which would bring up the top JV players.

Chun isn’t new to the sport.

He began playing tennis at the age of five in Salem, Oregon and teamed up to play doubles in the sectionals in the 10 and under age group. His interest expanded to other sports, and he played on the All-Star Little League team.

At Roy (Utah) High School, Chun played football, baseball and wrestled as well as competed at state in tennis.

“I could have run track too, but it was too much,” he said, although he also participated in martial arts.

Chun took a break from sports as he studied economics and Chinese at the University of Utah and worked as a mortgage broker. Then, he began getting back into it as he helped coach his nephew and the team in youth football.

“During peewee, our teams always were champions, undefeated champions,” he said. “We beat the Brightons, we beat the Easts, we beat the Binghams.”

Later, he became an assistant coach for some of those same boys on Hillcrest’s football team for two years in between two years of being an assistant tennis coach for his niece and her team.

Before COVID-19, Chun worked at his dad’s engineering firm, was a long-term substitute teacher at Hillcrest and along with his brother, Chris, was the girls and boys tennis assistant under Robert James. James stepped down from coaching because of health reasons associated with the travel in the new

Senior co-captain Erin Zhang, seen here in August 2020, is expected to lead the Hillcrest girls tennis team along with senior co-captain Shay Minoughan and juniors Sownya Paritala and Lili Greenwood.

(Julie Slama/City Journals)

region.

“Once I heard we were going in the new region, I was going to tell Robert I was going to help them during the year, but I’m not going to go travel to those places—but then he decided he wasn’t going to,” Chun said.

He kept firm he wouldn’t apply for the head position, despite being asked to.

“Finally, Greg (Leavitt, the school principal) said, ‘It’s your job if you want it.’ The girls were begging me and asked me, ‘Will you please coach?’” Chun said. “I asked my brother; I needed him to be my assistant.

I said, ‘I’m only going to do this if you’re willing to you coach too.’”

His brother replied: “‘Let’s do it.’” l

Soaring Summer Travel is Lifting Utah’s Economy

By Robert Spendlove | Zions Bank Senior Economist

T

he Salt Lake City International Airport is bustling.

Visitors are pouring into Utah’s state and national parks.

And the iconic Temple Square is once again welcoming visitors from around the world to our capital city.

After the coronavirus pandemic dramatically impacted travel and tourism – along with so many aspects of our lives and our economy – it’s exciting to see travel returning to our state.

In July, the Salt Lake City International Airport reported that passenger volumes were at 105% of 2019 levels – one of the strongest rebounds nationally. And a year after Covid-19 halted most international travel, our Zions Bank branches have seen an uptick in people coming in to get foreign currency for their summer travels, particularly the Mexican Peso, the Euro and the British pound.

This return to travel is important. The travel and tourism sector generates over a billion dollars in state and local tax revenue each year, according to the University of Utah’s

MidvaleJournal.com

Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. Tourism and visitor spending support more than one in 11 Utah jobs directly or indirectly. And in some parts of the state, the employment impact is much larger.

From the snowcapped mountains to the majestic red rocks, statistics show that not even a global pandemic can keep people away from all our state has to offer. Despite the pandemic, a record 10.6 million people visited Utah state parks in 2020 – a 33% increase from 2019. Similarly, Utah’s ski resorts saw a

record-breaking 5.3 million skier days during the 2020-21 winter season, according to Ski Utah. The previous record was 5.1 million, set in 2018-2019.

The business side of tourism continues to recover, although much more slowly than the leisure side of travel. It will take some time for business travel to fully recover from the effects of the pandemic, but the future is looking bright.

More than a year after the economic recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic began, Utah’s economy has emerged as one of the strongest in the nation, with the second-highest job growth of any state.

This busy season of travel is a great sign that our travel and tourism industry is making a strong comeback. A boost in summer travel will have far-reaching impacts on the economy, bringing back jobs and stimulating additional growth.

Robert Spendlove is senior economist for Zions Bank, a division of Zions Bancorporation, N.A.

August 2021 | Page 13

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MIDVALE CITY DIRECTORY City Hall Finance/Utilities Court City Attorney’s Office City Recorder/Human Resources Community Development Public Works Ace Disposal/Recycling Midvale Historical Museum Midvale Senior Center SL County Animal Services Police Dispatch Unified Fire Authority Fire Dispatch Communications

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AUGUST 2021 CITY NEWSLETTER

By Mayor Robert Hale

August is one of the months in which dren, some of whom have never walked these sidewalks before, are many things, habits, acquaintances, and going to be riding, running, jumping and walking (and some will yes, even weather, start to change. Living be dragging their feet) to school. As we drive our streets, we must in a temperate zone on the Earth’s surface be overly cautious for children not in their expected locations, and provides us (hypothetically) four seasons. to crossing guards that are in their expected locations. Give them I know, I know! This summer seems to space, time, and your attention so all can live another day.

Now a word that I promised a citizen: Our neighborhoods are have outstayed its welcome, especially since it has not provided the usual thunderstorms and monsoon made up of a mixture of homeowners and renters. Each have their showers we can remember from years past. The number of 90°+ worries, dog problems, car problems, cranky neighbors, and lawn and 100°+ degree days has been at or near record numbers since problems. I am inviting all to be conscious of our fellow neighJune. Old-timers can relate having years like this in decades past. bors. If something we are doing or allowing to happen is causing It is nothing new, but it is also never easy to disturb our lifestyles someone else to have extra work to clean up or dread (think dogs, or tree limbs or leaves, etc.), please, let us all be considerate of our that we wish were flush with rain as in years past.

I know from our city records that water conservation has been neighbors! Neighbors cannot just up and move. Most are lenient implemented by residents and businesses, schools and the city. to occasional disturbances or a little yard cleanup, but let’s do Thank you! I just hope your knees are getting a bit more callused more to prevent what we can and reduce or eliminate becoming from your prayers to the Creator asking for mercy and rain. It a problem for someone else. That’s all I’ll write. You know where takes a long time for the atmosphere to adjust as the tilted Earth it needs to be applied around where you live.

Thanks to all! See you at Harvest Days! rotates through the sun and in its seasons to gather atmospheric moisture in sufficient quantity, and then to get the air currents directed to the Great Basin. But if we are doing our best to conserve while pleading our case, the Almighty will hear our prayers and grant what we ask for.

Harvest Days are ready to begin! If you have planted vegetables or are nurturing fruit trees through this tough time, you have probably had some harvest already. My peas and lettuce finished in June. The varieties of tomatoes are coming along with their first fruits just now. Apricots were harvested in mid-July. Pears, peaches, and apples will be ready in another month or two. No hurry, Mother Nature, – I like those fruits ripe and tree-ripened sweet. I hope you enjoy your harMidvale Community Center vest, too. Growing even a small pot of tomatoes Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on an apartment balcony gives great satisfaction when the ripe fruit of the vine is sliced onto a salMayor Robert Hale, Council Member Quinn Sperry, and Council Dustin ad or sandwich or hamburger. Enjoy!!

Gettel hosted a Ribbon Cutting Ceremonny. The former Midvale Senior Please checkout the calendar of events for Center building is owned by Midvale City and was built in the late Harvest Days in downtown Midvale and at our 1950's. The renovated center and new outdoor paviliion include: park at www.midvaleharvestdays.com . There 4,806 square feet are many activities planned: Hall of Honors Multi-purpose room has a seating capacity of 80 and local artists’ art show, block parties, bingo, concerts, festival, and fireworks. I know you have Amenities include a kitchen with refrigerator, sink, and microwave been waiting for these! Now, I can write this to Stage has been upgrade to be ADA compliant you: THANK YOU for your care in conserving 6,514 square foot outdoor Pavilion your fireworks. Our city had the least amount of sky and ground fireworks in years – and as you The Community Center and new Pavilion are both available for rent. know, this year, it was essential. Now come to Visit our website for more information. the park and enjoy a great show on Saturday, 7 August, 10 PM. www.MidvaleCity.org/CommunityCenter August brings safety concerns for all children, parents, law enforcement, crossing guards, and school personnel: school begins this month. Chil-

In The Middle of Everything

Honoring Mayor Seghini

HARVEST DAYS

MIDVALE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER RENAMED JOANN B. SEGHINI AUDITORIUM AFTER CHAMPION OF THE ARTS

Neighborhood Block Parties Midvale Arts Council Hall of Honors

Midvale Performing Arts Center (695 W 7720 S) www.MidvaleArts.com.

FREE Bingo Night (5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.)

Midvale City Park (425 W 6th Avenue @ the new Pavilion) 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Food Truck Dinner 6:30 p.m. Free Bingo (12 years and older; raffle prizes for under 12)

Music on Main (5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.)

Historic Main Street (Center St. to 4th Avenue). Park at Midvale City Hall.

Food Trucks, games, music, Live Band (Exit Strategy) performs from 7pm-9:30pm

8:00 a.m.

10:00 a.m.

11:30 a.m.

5:30 p.m.

8:00 p.m.

Baby Goat Yoga (pre-register) & Skillets Food Truck Harvest Days Parade Harvest Days Festival (see more details below) Coco's Rumba Libre Band The Dance Doctors

10:00 p.m. Fireworks

Additional Festival Entertainment

12:00 p.m. Starlite Dance Academy 12:45 p.m. Miss Margene's Creative Generation 3:00 p.m. Spiderman: Superhero Training 3:30 p.m. Midvale Main Street Theatre 4:00 p.m. 1520 Arts Hip Hop Dance Group 4:30 p.m. Scales and Tails

Free Festival Activities

(11:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.)

Midvale Historical Society & Museum Tours Thrive 125 Exhibit Nerf War Social Photo Booth Balloon Animals Bounce House, Inflatables, Obstacle Course and more

Festival Food Trucks & Snacks Taste of Louisiana Worlds Best Corndogs JDawgs

WWW . MIDVALECITY . ORG

Ma & Pa's Dutch Oven Pulled Pork Haole T's Beach Grill Food Truck Audrey's Philly Cheese Steak

Garden O'Veaten San Diablo Churros Radd Lemon Shakers

www.MidvaleHarvestDays.com

Tricicle Leilani's Eatery Snowie Snow Cone

The pandemic caused many things to be postponed and among them was the introductions into Midvale’s Hall of Honor. But as that is being rectified, the space that holds that Hall is also being renamed in honor of the person that is not only very responsible for the Midvale Performing Arts Center’s creation, but also fought so hard for the arts in the city she loved – Mayor JoAnn B. Seghini.

During the normal Hall of Honor ceremonies held during the week of Harvest Days – in which Mayor Seghini was inducted into the Hall, the Midvale Arts Council also unveiled a plaque inside the theater proclaiming its new name: The JoAnne B. Seghini Memorial Hall. It is a fitting tribute to someone who was such a big champion of the arts.

Midvale Arts Council Chairman Wade Walker commented, “It’s no understatement to say that this building would not be here in its current shape and form without the unwavering support of Mayor Seghini for the arts in Midvale and this particular building project. She was also Mayor when the stage in the park was completed. Without her, neither of these two great performance venues would exist here in Midvale.”

Stephanie Johnson, President of the Midvale Arts Volunteer Council, also noted that Mayor Seghini came to every concert, theater production, and event that the Arts Council held until her health no longer allowed her to attend. “She was just a fantastic supporter of the arts and always went to bat for us.”

Shortly after the 2002 Winter Olympics, Midvale City had a big decision to make – what to do with the significant funds the city had advanced for the Olympics that would now be returned to the city. As a strong supporter of the arts, Mayor JoAnn B. Seghini quickly threw her support behind the idea of using those funds to renovate the vacant, old City Hall building on the southeast corner of Main and Center.

That idea became a reality, and for nearly 20 years now, the building has served as the Midvale Performing Arts Center and been host to hundreds of theater performances, dance and music concerts, visual and literary art exhibits, and other community events and classes. For a time, the building even served as a temporary dental clinic and home for the Community Building Community non-profit organization.

As mentioned, the building also houses the city’s Hall of Honor.

And with the latest induction of honorees, JoAnn B. Seghini’s name is now a part of that as well.

The Hall, and the newly named JoAnn B. Seghini Memorial Auditorium are open to all during performances, but if you’d like to visit the theater and see the plaques of all of the current members of the Hall of Honor, arrangements can be made. Contact the Midvale Arts Council through midvalearts.com and make your request known.

The space looks forward to honoring her name for many years to come and keep her dreams of a Midvale city full of arts alive for generations to enjoy.

AUGUST 2021 CITY NEWSLETTER WWW . MIDVALECITY . ORG

Prize car returns to Midvale after 65 years

By Erin Dixon Midnight, August 1956, Midvale, Center Street.

Elizabeth and Wilford Sisam wake to two police officers at their door. What might have been panic quickly turned to elation as the officers told Elizabeth she won a brand new car in a raffle in Harvest Days. She was so overwhelmed she fell into the officer’s arms.

The prize was a 1956 Ford Fairlane Club Sedan, worth over $2,000 at the time. Elizabeth paid $1.00 for her raffle ticket. $1.00 is worth $9.99 today, a cumulative inflation of 887%. Bread was $0.18 a loaf, and gas $.23 a gallon. Would you pay $10 for a chance to win a car? We don’t know why a brand-new car was in a raffle, but Elizabeth and generations to come hit the jackpot.

In a newspaper article from 19.., Elizabeth’s grandson, Brent Jex published his grandparents story. “My grandmother Sisam asked my grandfather if he would like to purchase a chance on the automobile and his answer was ‘No, I do not care to throw my money away.’ My grandmother, not being as frugal as grandfather, decided she would take a chance on that car. …[I]t had only been a few days ago that her neighbor Mrs. Iasella had given her a dollar for her birthday, so why shouldn’t she be a little extravagant. This happened to be one time in her life she really used good judgement when she spent her only dollar.”

Even though the prize was Elizabeth’s, she didn’t have a driver’s license, nor did she know how to drive. Wilford agreed to claim the prize; his pride in the prize shows in the way he cared for her car. “[Grandfather] never drove it on a stormy day,” Brent continued in the article. “He hardly took it away from the city of Midvale, Utah. He never exceeded the speed limit, never came close to it. The body is in perfect condition, free from rusts, dents and scratches. It still has the original owner’s manual, the cigarette lighter and ashtray have never been used.”

“I can still hear him saying, “What do you think of the car we won for a dollar?”

By the time Brent inherited the car in 1975, 14 years later, there were only 9,000 miles on it.

He kept as meticulous care as his grandparents.

The car’s tires rarely hit the streets on its own. Brent preferred to transport the car in it’s own celebrity trailer to autoramas, shows and parades.

Fast forward to August 2021. A few months ago, Brent needed to move into a care facility to help with his aging eyes and mind. The car has been passed to Brent’s nephew, and Elizabeth’s great-grandchildren, Craig and Karla Leuing.

Craig spent a lot of time helping his uncle Brent with the car. “Every car show he showed it in, if he didn’t win first place trophy he was upset. He was a fuss fart,” Craig said.

Craig and Karla often helped Brent take care of the car as he showed it off. On one occasion, at the autorama in Sandy city, Brent offered Karla a ride from the building into the trailer. Craig said, “He asked my wife if she wanted to ride in it. He told her if she wanted to ride out from the autorama into the trailer she had to take her shoes off and anything sharp in her pockets.”

Today, the car is 65 years old. The paint is original. The interior upholstery and dash are original.

The carpets are original. Nothing has been updated or modified; it is perfectly manicured to look as if it came brand new from the dealership today. The white wall tires are new, but that is because even perfectly cared for tires degrade over time.

Craig is continuing to honor the wish of his great grandmother and uncle. He will keep the car in a garage, away from bad weather and accidents.

“It’s got sentimental value to me,” Craig said.

Craig was born the same year Elizabeth won the car. “I remember her well…. Going to her house every Christmas and [the boys] always got a Tonka toy.

She had all her children plus her children’s children; a lot of people in a little house. She was always really nice to me and my siblings,” Craig said.

At retail, the car in it’s condition could go for $30,000 or more at auction, but it won’t be leaving the family any time soon. The car is destined for Craig’s son, making it’s journey through four generations.

“My uncle [Brent] laid carpet all his life. Every time we needed carpet laid ,he was always good to come lay the carpet for us, and wouldn’t charge us hardly anything. It was his wish to keep it in the family and someone that would take care of it and he knows how I take care of things,” Craig said.

The Fairlane will return to Midvale for Harvest Days this year. Craig said Brent is excited to ride in the car in the parade this year, though his mind is failing him. “He’ll know he’s in it. He’s excited.”

Never-Ending Network Evolution, Are All Broadband Providers Up for the Challenge?

By Bryan Thomas, VP Engineering, Comcast Mountain West Region

Working and learning remotely for the past 15 months brought unique circumstances for all of us to navigate in several areas, and central to it all is having access to a reliable, secure internet connection. The pandemic posed the biggest technological test in the history of the internet. When offices and schools closed in March 2020, internet traffic across the U.S. surged by 20 – 35 percent, as millions of people transitioned to working, learning and consuming all of their entertainment at home. Now our communities are transitioning back to working from offices or making hybrid work arrangements, and schools are planning to reopen their doors beginning in August. A flexible, continuously evolving network staying ahead of customer demand is critical. The success of a network hinges on three factors: decades of strategic investment, continuous network innovation, and the best team in the business.

Investment In the last three years alone, Comcast invested $389.6 million in technology and infrastructure in Utah, including upgrades to our network. Since 2017, Comcast devoted more than $15 billion nationwide to strengthening and expanding our network – including building more than 33,000 new route miles of fiber, which is like driving from Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine more than 10 times. Every two and a half years, the company has added as much capacity to the network as it has in all the previous years combined. One of the greatest advantages of our massive network is we already pass 60 million homes and businesses with a powerful, fiber-dense network, and we have the ability to quickly, surgically, and efficiently add additional fiber and capacity when and where it’s needed. Because of our continuous investment in our network, we can often complete targeted upgrades in weeks rather than months and years.

We have a proven track record of completing network upgrades and improvements ahead of schedule, and delivering the performance our customers need well before they need it.

Innovation Continuous innovation throughout every part of a network is key. Comcast is a leader in the 10G initiative, which leverages new standards and technology to dramatically increase internet speeds. The technology lays the groundwork for network operators, like us, to deliver multigigabit download and upload speeds over connections already installed in hundreds of millions of homes worldwide. Meaning, we can deliver multigigabit speeds to homes without the need for massive digging and construction projects. With this technology, Comcast can continue to deliver ultra-fast service today, while simultaneously building capacity for future needs.mAnd with decades of experience, Comcast is advancing network virtualization and data access to cloud-based technologies for greater performance, increased reliability and easier upgrades. Simply put, we’re able to meet the needs of tomorrow – today, and continually improve the customer experience by delivering faster speeds, greater capacity, and more dynamic connected experiences.

Team Support In addition to investing billions in building and evolving our network, Comcast engineers, artificial intelligence scientists, and cybersecurity experts across the country are continuously developing and deploying new technologies to protect our customers and ensure our network can meet emerging threats and challenges. We have a team of cybersecurity experts scanning the network for threats and actively defending our network and our communities.

Our teams are made up of elite talent working at every level of the network from software and artificial intelligence at the core, to the best field teams laying new fiber and upgrading the network year-round in all conditions. New network entrants who don’t have a plan or resources to support never-ending network evolution, cybersecurity protection, and hardening may put customers who rely on them at unnecessary risk. As the country shifts yet again, home and business internet connections remain essential for video calls, education, healthcare access, workforce development, streaming entertainment, and more.

At Comcast, we remain relentlessly focused on connectivity, to deliver the smartest, fastest, most reliable network to the communities we serve – keeping you connected to more of who and what you love.

MidvaleJournal.com

Football coach expects Hillcrest to be in competition for region placing

A

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

preseason glance at the Hillcrest High Huskies will show a young team after 20 players graduated, but head football coach Brock Bryant likes what he sees.

“We actually have some good skilled kids; we’re deep at quarterback, and receiver, and running back,” he said. “We’re just lacking those linemen that you need to move forward, but we have some really good young kids at line coming up. Some of them are going to have to step into the varsity role now.”

Bryant said that after the two-week break the team has in July, he planned to have the young linemen watch films and practice with the varsity as they work to improve under 17 assistant coaches.

“It will kind of be a baptism by fire. It’ll take them a couple of games to get going, but I’m confident that they will because they got the size and strength to do it. There’s always that ‘deer in the headlights’ moment, but it will get away. They’ll get over it,” he said.

“We got to focus on our physicality and our tenaciousness with us being young. We’ve got talent and we’ve got some speed, but we just need to be more physical on the field.”

Grateful for what has been a more routine off-season after last year’s COVID-19 protocols, Bryant is excited for the new region that stretches an hour west, south and more than three hours east.

“I’m loving the region we’re in,” he said.

“It’s competitive for us, for a program that is still trying to build that winning culture.”

He also anticipated the region title was “up for grabs” as many teams are “on the same page as us.”

Bryant said he expects competition from Cedar Valley and Stansbury high schools.

“They’ll be tough, but across the board, it will be a competition for those second and third places and even first place is up for grabs,” he said, adding that the win-loss gap won’t be as large as when the Huskies played in the region with Brighton and Olympus and teams that were vying for the state title.

Bryant’s goal is to build the program from its 80-85 players to the typical 150 student-athletes Brighton High has, and have a chance to be even more competitive.

“The reason why I want to be in this region is because we can compete better.

The kids will get more confidence and then, there’s going to be a lot more desire to be in the program then getting your teeth kicked in every day. It’s not a defeatist attitude; it’s a realist attitude. You got to see some success and things before we could start moving up in the ranks before we start playing the Brightons again and the Olympuses,” he said about the program he anticipates may take more than five years to build. “Right now, we’re focused on the process. Then, the result will come later. I’m a big believer in time and patience.”

While Hillcrest High won’t be playing Skyline High in its new region, as seen here in 2020, the Huskies expect to be competitive in its new region. (Julie Slama/ City Journals)

The process also extends to the classroom for the student-athletes.

“They did awesome—they kicked butt in the classroom. The team GPA was a 3.18, so I’m really proud of the kids. This is what is meant by student-athletes. I truly believe that they’re students first and athletes second,” Bryant said, adding that before he came to the school three years ago, it was “like a 2.4 or below. It wasn’t the best.”

The players also are reaching out to the community, finding ways to serve. This summer they helped with Midvale Middle School’s garden, youth football camps, and delivering food to those in care centers and shelters, he said.

“The kids are part of the community, and their actions reflect the community so they’re doing service and doing good, that says a lot about our community and about what kind of persons they are. The point of a football program is to teach these kids to serve others and to get happiness by serving others,” Bryant said.

The Huskies open their season with the Green and White scrimmage on Aug. 6. The preseason includes “competitive” teams including Murray, Viewmont and Judge Memorial Catholic high schools. Games will continue to be livestreamed.

Their first home region game will be against Stansbury on Sept. 10. Students and fans are anticipated to be in the stands along with the return of the marching band after about a four-decade absence.

Bryant said the return of students and the band will help his team.

“It’s a mental and a mindset for the kids,” he said, after last year having limited numbers in the stands because of the COVID-19 pandemic protocols. “Football isn’t football without the fans and the band. I think with the kids back, they hear that yelling and cheering and those drums, it’ll boost the kids’ confidence, knowing that their student body is behind them. It’ll be a tremendous asset for us in the games. The kids are excited; they’re looking forward to it. I can’t wait.” l

August 2021 | Page 17

Hillcrest’s marching band puts one foot forward as it returns with shows after 30-year-plus absence

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

C

arolyn Harward Heaton remembers putting on her green and white marching band uniform and being “front and center” playing her flute during the pregame and halftime shows of the Hillcrest High football games.

“We’d play ‘Go, Fight, Win,’ the school song and our fight song for pregame shows; we played ‘Pink Panther,’ ‘Hey, Hey, Hey, Good-bye,’ and the victory march a lot too,” said the 1988 alumna, who played under band teacher Ernie Northway. “The uniforms were really hot, and it was the years when they tried to introduce orange as a school color so some of them had orange in them. We’d practice every chance we could get on the football field and another four hours on our own.”

That was one of the last years Hillcrest High had a band that marched, until 2018 when band director Austin Hilla introduced a parade band that would march to drum cadence, stopping occasionally to play songs, as they headed into the football stadium. Then, they played as a pep band in the stands.

That was the first year in a five-year plan he said then, not expecting COVID-19 to interrupt the plan as the band didn’t even play.

This year is the third year, and the student-musicians will take to the field with both a pregame and halftime show.

Principal Greg Leavitt remembers playing trumpet and marched in a green and white uniform at his Nevada high school.

“I loved playing and want to support our students to play and be part of a group here, but we’re taking it one step at a time,” he said backing the introduction of a marching band.

Hilla, who has taught at the school for the past four years, said the first year of marching band will be noncompetitive.

“It’s a little bit more of an incremental approach,” he said. “The kids have been playing and we’ve been working on how they sound. This year is going to be the first year where we march for audiences.

We could have just immediately started marching, but there were certain things that I just felt like needed to happen for the community and for the kids, how they approach problems and how they approach making music, and how they are with each other that needed to get worked on and done first.”

He has been pleased with the progress and culture that has developed.

“They’ve qualified for state for four years in every assemble and are seeing more and more success,” he said, adding

Page 18 | August 2021

Hillcrest High student-musicians paraded into their football stadium here in 2019; this year they will transition into a marching band. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

that additionally, they listen to their performance and can hear that “they sound better all the time and they’re on a positive trajectory. I’ve been really pleased with it.”

Hilla said that he was talking with Midvale Middle School band director Wyatt Gilles, who will be the marching band’s assistant director, about the marching band’s vision.

“My big thing was I wanted to be engaging for the audiences with the music we pick, the way we’re going to portray it and the way we’re going to be in the band.

I want it to be more like something that reaches up and grabs you, so the music is pretty exciting,” he said.

The Husky Big Green Marching Band will consist of all his student-musicians, who are participating in a three-week, eight hours per day, summer band camp in late July and early August.

“Everybody learns how to march, and everybody learns how to march this pregame and they play in the stands, to support the community and football games,” he said. “We’ll play the fight song, and we’ll play some sort of pop tune for the student section, and we’ll make a tunnel for the football team and enhance the atmosphere of the game to make it even more exciting.”

The halftime show will be for his players who participate in three-hour Tuesday and Thursday after-school practices. This year, the music will be geared more toward audiences than judges.

“We’re doing some Cirque du Soleil stuff and like some Castilian Spanish music. For live music, it’s really interesting and there’s a lot of percussion features,” he said about the three-song, approximately six-minute performance.

Also joining the marching band staff is Mike Weber, University of Utah doctoral candidate who has worked with drum corps and will help with some of the band’s “visuals” on the field. Hilla also hopes to bring in alumni who are ungraduated music majors to help with the marching band.

This first year Hilla has focused on purchasing percussion equipment and marching brass. This has included three sousaphones, three mellophones and two baritones, with the expectation to purchase more in the coming year.

A $5,000 anonymous donation is being used to purchase a powered subwoofer and speakers to amplify the keyboard percussion and the synthesizers, he said.

Since this year is noncompetitive, the band will march at the five home games in matching “contemporary” clothes, with a black long sleeve shirt, pants and shoes.

“The next big push is going to be uniforms. We’re already in the preliminary stages of working with a custom marching uniform-maker,” Hilla said adding that after the equipment and logistics are done, the Huskies will be able to compete in two to three years. “They’re not going to look like Hillcrest did in the ’80s and ’70s where you wear the Big-10 styles; they won’t die in the polyester uniforms.”

His current plan is to have a green, black and silver uniform that is similar to a trench or a firefighter’s coat that extends below the knee with a shako with a long plume. He also said that there’s “a summer wave version of the uniform where you don’t use that topcoat” that has a contemporary look.

Hilla said it will depend on the manufacturers as to when Hillcrest will wear the uniforms as much of the supply has been slowed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introducing a color guard also will come “over the next few years” in his master plan when he can bring in more staff for that set of skills and expertise.

“Right now, there’s a lot of interest in (marching band),” Hilla said. “We’re excited for it.” l

Midvale City Journal

Midvale council approves water rate increase, effective Aug 1

By Erin Dixon | e.dixon@mycityjournals.com

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n July 20, Midvale City Council approved a five-year rate increase schedule for the water fund. Starting Sept 1, there will be an increase in every water bill in Midvale, and for the next five years it will increase a little more.

Why? During a public open house, City Manager Matt Dahl, explained to the residents in attendance that the water system in the city is severely outdated.

Dahl said the original system was put in back in the ‘40s when the wells were drilled.

“We still have components of that 1940-50 system throughout our city.”

Not all of the system is 60 years old, there have been updates along the way. Another piece to the increased need is for more storage.

In 2000, land on the eastern side of Midvale was annexed into the city and with that came a different water system.

“We had to provide storage for that [new] area,” Dahl said.

“In order for us to provide that storage, we did not have the ability or the land, we opted to lease with Sandy for that storage. That expired in 2019.”

A new agreement was made with Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District for 2020 to 2029. “While they’re great to work with, they previously indicated they would like for us to

actually be done with their storage come 2029,” Dahl said. “What we’re told is we need to provide a little over 10 million gallons.”

How much will it cost? Assistant City Manager Kyle Maurer explained to the city council that an external engineering firm, Hansen, Allen and Luce, conducted a study to identify needs and project costs over the next five years.

“We recently completed a water master plan that identified $26 million in needed projects along with $2.3 mill just to do annual replacement of aging pipes,” Maurer said.

What are the rate increases?

The city is divided into three rate zones based on meter size. Area one has a base rate of $19.95. Area two is $22.20. Area three is $23.13.

Within the next five years the three zones will be equaled so every resident pays the same amount. This year the increases are between 7-11% depending on the zone, which equates to about $1 to $5 a month for single family homes.

Higher water users will see an increase between $66 and $83 per month.

How the rate increase will work In the past, water rates have been determined by the season, on-peak or off-peak (summer or winter). Now the price will be determined on how much water is used, on top of

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MidvaleJournal.com

Assistant City Manager Kyle Maurer sits with a resident during the water rate open house to explain how the new rate system works. (photo/Erin Dixon)

the base rate.

“The lower water users will see less of an increase, depending on how much water they use. Commercial users, some multi-family, will see larger increases,” Maurer said.

Tier One: If you use less than 12,000 gallons the rate is $1.50 per 1,000 gallons.

Tier Two: If you use between 12,000 and 55,000 gallons the rate is $1.88 per 1,000 gallons.

Tier Three:If you use between 55,000 and 98,000 gallons the rate is $2.16 per 1,000 gallons.

Tier Four: If you use over 98,000 gallons the rate is $2.26 per 1,000 gallons.

Where will the new storage go?

“We have to put it in Cottonwood Heights or Sandy because a big portion is that we need to make sure we have enough pressure in our system,” Dahl said. The search for land is ongoing.

Is new growth making it more expensive for past residents?

At the open house, a resident expressed concerns over a previous promise that now seems to be broken.

“Before you put in all those apartments over there I went to every single meeting and they said to me, your rates will not go up,” the resident said.

“You guaranteed me that with all the growth it wasn’t going up and now it’s going up. Something’s not right here. I don’t like to be misled.”

“I’m sure something like that happened,” Dahl said. “I hear you. Just to be clear though, the vast majority of costs would happen anyway.

“I find myself looking back and going ‘Why did we do that, it seems like a very poor

decision.’ What I’ve come back to, not all the details are remembered, we don’t know what was in the negotiations.”

Why doesn’t the city have enough with increasing property values?

Councilmember Quinn Sperry quoted questions residents asked him about rising property values and city revenue.

“They think because home values are going up we should be getting more money,” Sperry said.

Maurer explained that property tax income does not grow with property values. “Each [taxing] entity will receive the same amount as the last year, plus any new growth. If the property value goes up, your tax rate goes down.”

New growth would only bring in $40,000 next year.

What if you can’t afford an increase, if you’re on a fixed income?

“Those scenarios weigh on me. There are going to be some households that it impacts them,” Sperry said. “I don’t want people to think we’re not cognizant.”

There are some programs available to help those who need financial aid. “If a homeowner qualifies for the county Circuit Breaker program which is a property tax abatement program, they would, of course, get a discount on their property tax bill. On the flip side, in Midvale City we will discount their base rates, all of their services 45%,” Maurer said.

There is a state program called Home Energy Assistance Target (HEAT) program that can also help with heat and gas.

Mayor Robert Hale referred residents to the Senior Center next to City Hall.

“Seniors can go and talk with the director and she can give directions on where to go.

That’s always available for you,” Hale said. l

August 2021 | Page 19

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All-district marching band performs throughout the community

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

T

here wasn’t quite 76 trombones, but Canyons AllDistrict Marching Band was in a big parade—Murray’s Fourth of July parade—to start out their summer performing season.

Students from all of Canyons’ middle and high schools participated, after practicing 40 hours earlier this summer learning “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” by Whitney Houston, and the classic “Hey Baby!”

The Canyons All-District Marching Band is in its second year, growing from 120 members in 2019 to 175 in 2021. There was no band last summer because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are so proud that students from a dozen different schools, who normally compete against each other, can come together in an amazing display of sportsmanship to make something amazing and fun,” said Caleb Shabestari, who co-directs the “mega band” along with Mikala Mortensen. “It has been awesome to see the collaboration from these amazing young musicians.”

Mortensen, who also is enjoying collaborating with Shabestari, added that that she hopes this ensemble will get more students involved in marching and build the activity in this part of the state.

On July 23, the group was scheduled to perform at Drums Along the Wasatch, which was to feature several professional drum corps, and they planned to finish out their summer season by marching in Butlerville Days’ parade July 24 in Cottonwood Heights. l

The Canyons All-District Marching Band took to the streets, literally, as they performed in Murray’s Fourth of July parade. (Photo courtesy of Lynne Burns)

Road Home, UPD and Midvale meet regularly to discuss needs of homeless

By Erin Dixon | e.dixon@mycityjournals.com

L

ast fall, media covered a disagreement between Midvale and the Salt Lake Valley Coalition to End Homelessness. The Coalition was looking for temporary winter housing and a Midvale hotel made it on the list. Then there was some push back from the city.

Were the negative reports against Midvale city true? Is the city unwelcoming to people experiencing homelessness?

The Road Home family center was made permanent in Midvale four years ago.

Because of this, Midvale City spearheads a monthly meeting with The Road Home and any other interested parties to address homeless needs.

Regular participants in this meeting include, The Road Home, Unified Police Department, Unified Fire Authority, Midvale mayor, city staff and lobbyists, Canyon School District, The United Way, Utah Community Action, The Boys and Girls Club, Salt Lake County’s Tyler Library and Sen. Kathleen Riebe.

Patrick O’Brien, Midvale’s RDA Housing Manager, regularly organizes and conducts the meeting.

“A lot of that was miscommunication from different media sources that just didn’t know what we were doing and what was

MidvaleJournal.com

going on from the coalition standpoint,” O’Brien said.

The meeting has an open invitation to anyone who has an investment in the homeless population.

“It’s open to businesses to participate,” O’Brian said. “As business issues fizzled out because of the active community- and business-oriented policing from UPD, we haven’t had any businesses attending our meeting.”

During the July meeting, the group began sharing efforts and needs. The Road Home reported an increase of families needing shelter after school was released for the summer. The Boys and Girls club reported on how many children they serve, and events they are doing for them within the city, including a mobile vaccination truck and counseling.

Sarah Strang, deputy director of crisis services at the Road Home, spoke of the relationship with UPD. “The partnerships we have with UPD for emergency response and providing an additional layer of safety and security . . . is hugely important,” Strang said.

“In the past two years we’ve really begun to strategize and work together in ways we hadn’t worked together in the past.”

Midvale UPD Precinct Chief Randy Thomas elaborated.

“We can, as police, search bags and maintain some of the policies that really benefit those clients within [The Road Home],” Thomas said.

UPD also provides a drug dog to prevent illegal drugs from being brought into the shelter.

“Instead of getting a large scary pointyeared maneater, we got an 8 pound terrier that is just a goofy little dog that can detect drugs,” Thomas said.

Dave Spatafore, lobbyist for Midvale, keeps the group informed about state decisions that have to do with the homeless population. There may be some changes in funding from the state.

“If it happens at all it will happen in 2022,” Spatafore said.

What really happened last year?

In the fall, the concerns Midvale cited for hosting more homeless had to do with funding, safety, legality and transparency.

“When we took the adult men’s winter shelter, it’s been nearly 20 years now, that was to be a winter only, and it was for a while,” Mayor Robert Hale said in a council meeting last November “Then it became by state edict a year-round situation, and then we took over the family, children and parents. I don’t know of any that have been

The Road Home has been a permanent resource since 2017. (File photo City Journals)

winter shelters that have not transformed into year round.”

Funding from the state has been a problem in recent years.

“We were underfunded $958,000 in 2019 and $328,000 in 2020,” Hale said.

Ultimately, the coalition found housing somewhere else in the city for the winter of 2020.

“Millcreek City and Salt Lake City stepped up to help us find overflow shelter,” Jean Hill, co-chair for the Salt Lake Valley Coalition to End Homelessness said.. “In Millcreek, we had a 60-bed facility operated

by Switchpoint. In Salt Lake City, we converted a hotel into a 120-bed facility, also operated by Switchpoint, where individuals and couples were able to stay.” l

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Cue record scratch.

First, I’m NOT. Second, you NEVER ask a woman if she’s eligible for the senior discount. I’ll die at 107 without ever accepting a $3 dotage deduction off ANYTHING. Soon after my ego-destroying golf course incident, I visited my dad in the hospital when the nurse assumed I was his wife. First, eww. Second, I have to accept the fact that my “Best By Date” has come and gone.

It’s not that I wander the streets carrying a tabby cat and a bag of knitting, but I find myself becoming less visible to anyone under 30. Trying to get help at a store is impossible because I must look like a pair of sandals walking around by themselves. No one wants to help a foot ghost.

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August 2021 | Vol. 18 Iss. 08

FREE HILLCREST COACHES SAY MULTISPORT ATHLETICS BENEFICIAL, EXPERT AGREES, WITH REST TO BODY

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

I

n elementary school, many young athletes are encouraged to focus on one specific sport, but that’s not what Hillcrest High School coaches recommend.

“We’ve got kids that wrestle, play basketball and a bunch do track and field,” said Husky football coach Brock Bryant.

“That’s what we’re pushing; we want multisport athletes. It makes the school better and when you’re doing more sports as an individual, that helps you out if you’re going to college.

Colleges want to see multisport athletes; it means that they can balance a lot more than just one sport.”

He said coaches love to see the crossover between sports because each sport challenges student-athletes in different ways and the skills developed such as agility, balance, coordination as well as mental preparation may translate to other sports.

“I think (student-athletes) learn how physically to be a better athlete, like in track they learn how to run; in football, they learn how to be tough so when they go to basketball, they can run and be tough in rebounds. It just complements each other,” Bryant said.

Boys soccer coach Brett Davis said that he has several players who also play basketball, golf and run cross country and track. Last year, one of his soccer players was the kicker for the football team.

“It’s good for them,” he said. “They’re still having a lot of development, physically and mentally. I had a young man and basketball was his first love. But the footwork that he learned in soccer translated to the basketball court. I think there’s a lot of Continued page 4

Hillcrest High School senior Isabella Andrews is known for her high-energy play and tenaciousness on the basketball court. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

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