19th Street June 2020

Local party store shares party pointers

Creative Celebrations

New scoreboards for Moore diamonds

Up in Lights

Vet of the Month

Jesse Jaques

June 2020 • Issue 6 • Volume 3

Joseph Harroz OU’s 15th President

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Features

JUNE CONTENTS 2020

ISSUE 6– VOLUME 3 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Mark Doescher

OU’s 15th President

10 by Lindsay Cuomo

MANAGING EDITOR Lindsay Cuomo

Board of Regents names Joseph Harroz Jr. OU’s next president.

An Eye on the Sky

14 by Bill Moakley

Former paratrooper recalls training and life after service.

Creative Celebrations

18

by Roxanne Avery

PHOTOGRAPHY

Mark Doescher

CONTRIBUTORS

10

PUBLISHER Randy Laffoon

Up in Lights

Moore youth baseball and softball leagues debut new scoreboards.

Reinventing Family Medicine

28

by Lindsay Cuomo

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Roxanne Avery | Sharla Bardin Heide Brandes | Lindsay Cuomo Bill Moakley | Chris Plank Chat Williams

Norman Regional opens new wellness clinic in south Oklahoma City.

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Boyd Street Magazine 2020 E. Alameda Norman, Oklahoma 73071 Phone: (405) 321-1400 E-mail: editor@boydstreet.com Copyright © Boyd Street Magazine Any articles, artwork or graphics created by Boyd Street Magazine or its contributors are sole property of Boyd Street Magazine and cannot be reproduced for any reason without permission.

Any opinions expressed in Boyd Street are not necessarily that of Boyd Street management.

32 by Sharla Baridin

Technology center offering free online course focused on retail industry.

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Developing a healthy core is key to total body fitness.

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Timeout

40 by Chris Plank

The day sports stopped. Sooner coaches, staff and athletes reflect on abrupt end to season.

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The Power of Prevention

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Cleveland County project aims to reduce prescription drug misuse.

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Cover photo provided - Inset by: Mark Doescher

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COMM U N I T Y

BY: LINDSAY CUOMO

OU’s 15th President Board of Regents names Joseph Harroz Jr. OU’s next President

T

The University of Oklahoma Board of Regents unanimously voted to name Joseph Harroz Jr. the university’s 15th president, effective immediately.

“Joe Harroz is an exceptional leader,” said Gary Pierson, chair of the OU Board of Regents. “His deep devotion to OU and compelling vision for its future are precisely what the university needs. There’s no one better suited to lead OU.”

“This is more than a promotion or a dream job to me,” Harroz said. “My role is not to carry a title, but to serve. At the end of the day, I am but one of many temporary stewards of this life-changing institution.

“It’s a chance to pay back the debt I owe our university. OU changes lives every day. I know firsthand because it changed mine. I wouldn’t be who I am if not for the education my father – the son of Lebanese immigrants – received at OU, and the education that I also received from this extraordinary institution. My family’s story is just one of countless others that prove the power and possibilities of an OU education.”

A native Oklahoman, Harroz earned a bachelor of arts in economics from OU in 1989, graduating Phi Beta Kappa, and a juris doctorate from Georgetown University in 1992. Harroz rejoined the University of Oklahoma in 1994, the beginning of nearly 25 years of service to the university. He served first as vice president for executive affairs and then for 12 years as general counsel, the chief legal counsel to the president, the OU Board of Regents, Rogers State University and Cameron University.

“Students feel visible after meeting President Harroz,” said Justin Norris, president of the OU Student Government Association. “Over the past two semesters, he has immersed himself 10 | June 2020

within multiple perspectives of student life by attending campus events, conversing with students, and most importantly, listening to them. He is an advocate, ally and role model, and he possesses what I believe to be some of the most important leadership attributes: compassion, connectivity and drive – all of which I believe are reflected in his work this past year.”

In 2008, Harroz became president of a publicly traded health care company, growing its market capitalization to more than $80 million, before returning to OU in 2010 as the dean and director of the OU Law Center and Fenelon Boesche Chair of Law. Harroz has taught law for more than two decades, focusing on employment, sports and health care law.

Throughout his nine-year tenure as dean, the OU College of Law earned record national recognition, including the highest-ever U.S. News & World Report ranking by any Oklahoma law school and the first law school in the nation to achieve Apple Distinguished School status (Apple, Inc.). Under Harroz, National Jurist Magazine named OU Law one of the nation’s “Best Value Law Schools” for 10 consecutive years, and its graduates consistently led the state in bar exam passage rates.

In addition, his fundraising efforts more than tripled the size of the college’s scholarship endowment and expanded the annual amount of scholarship money given to students to more than $1.5 million.

Photos Photos by: by: Mark Mark Doescher Doescher

Harroz, formerly the dean of the OU College of Law, has served as interim president since May 2019, following former President Jim Gallogly’s resignation.

At OU Law, Harroz also led efforts to create new joint degree and certificate programs to enhance the J.D., instituted a pro bono service commitment for all law students and launched the nation’s first-ever law school Digital Initiative, preparing students for success in the 21st century legal profession.

“OU needs strong, stable leadership to guide it successfully into a future that is ever-changing,” Pierson said. “Throughout the past year, while serving as interim president, Joe has exceeded our high expectations. His diverse experience and commitment to OU’s purpose and our university community is unparalleled.”

“I am extremely pleased with the OU Board of Regents’ decision to appoint Joe Harroz as the university’s next president,” said Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt.

“Joe is a devoted public servant and he has the leadership skills of a top chief executive. I am confident he will continue to lead OU successfully, ensuring its mission of service to state and society is fulfilled.”

During his year as interim president, university leaders connected with key stakeholders - students, faculty, staff, alumni, friends, corporate partners and government leaders - to develop a strategic plan to move the university forward in its goal to “provide a world-class education that is affordable and accessible to all.”

“Through all of our feedback, we heard a clear overall message: OU must remain a place of opportunity and excellence,” Harroz said. “As our state’s public flagship institution, welcoming all who boydstreet.com

possess the talent and the drive to succeed is fundamental to our purpose. At our core, we must create and sustain a culture of inclusivity, making OU a welcoming place of belonging.”

“During the past year, Joe Harroz and the Faculty Senate leadership have developed a great working relationship, and we appreciate how much he values faculty input and perspectives,” said Amy Bradshaw, OU Faculty Senate chair. “With the uncertainties of his interim position now resolved, we look forward to collaborating on ongoing strategic priorities, including transparency, effective administrative search processes and achieving meaningful diversity, equity and inclusion goals.”

Amidst a global pandemic, leadership plays a vital role in navigating the unique challenges before the university and the country.

“During the current unprecedented situation, I am thankful the board has voted to name Joe Harroz our president,” said Sarah Connelly, OU Staff Senate chair. “He has been an advocate for staff since stepping into the role of interim president last year. I appreciate that he has regularly engaged in open and honest conversations.

While we know there are still difficult times ahead, I believe President Harroz will lead with honesty, empathy and input from staff and other constituencies.”

Harroz said that the pandemic has forced the university “to be more introspective and focused than ever.”

“Generating opportunity for the next

generation has always been central to our purpose … Guiding us forward is our promise to remain a beacon of hope, knowing that we will emerge stronger from this crisis in a way that’s worthy of ourselves and our great state.”

Pierson also pointed to the Board of Regents’ most recent nationwide presidential search, noting Harroz’s candidacy and standing as a top finalist. Harroz went through the extensive search process; meeting with a 19-member search committee comprised of students, faculty, staff and alumni, and was presented to the board as the only internal candidate.

“I count it an immense privilege to serve my alma mater and our state’s flagship public research university as its president,” Harroz said. “Throughout our 130-year history, OU has been a source of limitless opportunity. Through the generations, thousands of our graduates have found purpose and meaning in their pursuit of an OU education, who go on to leave their own unique impact on the world.”

“As President, I pledge to work tirelessly with you – our students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends – to be worthy of our extraordinary legacy. Together, we can realize the full potential of our purpose to change the lives of each next generation of students and to impact the world through what we discover and create.”

Harroz, a grandson of Lebanese immigrants to Oklahoma, is father to Joseph, Zara and Jude and partner to Ashley Tate. - 19SM

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COMM U N I T Y

BY: BILL MOAKLEY

An Eye on the Sky Former paratrooper recalls training and life after service.

PRESENTED BY

CENTURIONCG.NET

G

rowing up on a farm east of Anadarko, Jesse Jaques saw an airplane pass overhead. He was just past his fifth birthday, but the site of that military plane headed for Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City had a lasting impact on him.

“I felt like I could just reach up there and touch it,” Jaques recalled. “I could see the pilot sitting in there. When I made my first jump as a paratrooper, I remembered seeing those pilots fly over. I was on the ground then and here I was now in the sky.”

A 1955 graduate of St. Patrick’s Catholic School in Anadarko, Jaques spent a year playing college basketball at San Angelo Junior College after a standout high school career.

“I was a long-ball shooter,” he said about his hoops game.

“I had about a 16-point-a-game average in high school. You only got two points then. If they were giving three points, I would have probably had about a 24-point average.”

After a year at San Angelo, Jaques returned to Anadarko and eventually volunteered for the military draft as a U.S. Army Paratrooper hopeful. His first stop for basic training was Fort Carson, Colorado.

“You don’t want to go to Fort Carson in February,” Jaques cautioned. “It was cold. We’d look up at Pikes Peak every day and there were snow clouds. We’d get about three foot of snow. Being from Oklahoma, I wasn’t used to that snow.”

Following basic training in Colorado, Jaques was shipped to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. After a month at rifle competitions in Georgia, Jaques began his jump training as a paratrooper in 1957.

He would finish jump school with the 504th Airborne Infantry. The plan was for the 504th to replace the 11th Airborne Division in Germany. However, of the 250 men he began jump school with, only 66 of them graduated.

“We couldn’t go replace the 11th Airborne with 66 men, so we had to bring in more recruits and train them,” Jaques

14 | June 2020

said. “So, here I was back in basic training again. It took three buses of recruits coming in before we finally got to back to a full-strength company again.”

By that time, Jaques only had about six months of service left and declined an invitation to re-enlist.

“I said ‘no thank you, I’m going to go home.’”

He would serve out his last six months in a command and control unit.

“For the six months, I drove warrant officers out to the airfield,” Jaques said. “They’d come wake me up at night and want me to go flying with them. They had to get their flight time in, so I’d go fly with them.”

In addition to training other paratroopers during his two years in the service, Jaques also helped train ROTC members on large guns during the summers.

After returning to Anadarko, Jaques signed on with the United State Postal Service. He had a son in high school who was a standout football player and wrestler and the family moved to Chickasha to allow the younger Jesse Jaques to play quarterback there.

The family would follow Jesse Jr. to Norman when he earned a wrestling scholarship to the University of Oklahoma.

The elder Jaques worked as a postal clerk until, in his 50s, he decided he needed to get off his seat and onto his feet.

“I thought I needed to do some exercising, so I transferred out onto the street,” Jaques explained. “Everybody thought I was crazy. They couldn’t image why I wanted to go out there in heat, ice, cold. But, I liked to work outside and I would even run sometimes on my routes.”

Recalling his time jumping out of planes, Jaques joked that all his jumps were made at night.

“It seemed that way, because I had my eyes closed,” he laughed. -19SM

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B U S I N E SS

BY: ROXANNE AVERY

Creative Celebrations

A

re you struggling to find a way to celebrate the achievements of your graduate? Ace Party Supplies is ready to help.

Owner Mara English said change can be overwhelming and planning differently this year can be challenging during this emotional time but that’s when she and her staff can help.

“Moore is planning to have their graduation June 27 but a lot can change between now and then regarding how people interact with each other and celebrate,” Mara said.

In a shift away from attending large functions, the new trend is for guests to become the entertainers by wearing fun items to waving signs to express their congratulations.

“Right now, there’s a lot of emphasis on wearables – fun headbands, signs for people to hold, banners, confetti poppers and stuff people use for 18 | June 2020

‘drive-by’ parties or ‘micro-celebrations,’” Mara said.

Another trend Mara is seeing is people hosting their parties outside where it’s easier to maintain social distancing and be together at the same time.

balloon to pop in the heat,” Mara cautioned. “If people use balloons at outdoor parties, they need to remember to keep them in the shade, away from brick walls or anything the wind can knock them against and pop them.

But, Ace Party Supplies has solutions for that too, including tablecloth clips, weights and banners with grommets or that stick in the ground.

Plates, napkins and printed 2020 graduation yard signs are available for all three Moore high schools, both Norman high schools and Community Christian School.

“As much as I love stuff like that, people need to remember this is Oklahoma and the wind can make things blow away,” Mara said.

“Do not release balloons into the air because it is a danger to the environment,” she added

“People just need to think about stuff like that when planning their event and we can help.”

“They are printed and made locally,” Mara said. “That’s important moving forward. A lot of my vendors are becoming conscious about what is being produced where and so am I. We’re trying to get out stuff from local people as much as we can and vendors who make their products in the United States. It may be cheaper to buy over-

Mara said the balloon business at Ace Party Supplies is big and wants to remind everyone to be careful about taking them outside.

“Helium expands and may cause the

Photo by: Mark Doescher

Local party store shares party-pro tips to help families celebrate milestones

seas, but we want to employ American people and help American jobs.”

Mara said customer safety is a priority.

A sanitation station is available as customers walk into the store with hand sanitizer, wipes and gloves for those who want them. Arrows direct customers around the registers and shopping carts are sterilized after each use.

Masks are encouraged but not required.

After graduation, July 4th is up next and Mara said she is preparing to celebrate America’s birthday – something that can’t be canceled.

“We can go outside, distancing from each other and enjoy that tradition without having to worry,” she said.

“Get outside and do fun things like glow sticks, chalk, bubbles… Kids can enjoy their childhood and adults can become kids again. I’ve heard parents say their kids have been so relaxed without the stress of school and have actually gone outside to play again.”

Ace is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Customers can also shop online or call ahead if they prefer not to shop in store. To learn more, visit www.partystoremoore. com or call 217-4955. -19SM

20 | June 2020

COMM U N I T Y

BY: LINDSAY CUOMO

Up in Lights

PRESENTED BY

Moore youth baseball and softball leagues debut new scoreboards

A

fter weeks of delays and uncertainty, youth baseball and softball has finally made its debut for the spring 2020 season in Moore. Young athletes have taken to the fields at Buck Thomas Park to compete and the community is ready to cheer them on.

Greeting the players this season are new high-tech scoreboards, offering local businesses another outlet to show their support. An Oklahoma based company, owned by former OU head coach Barry Switzer and his business partner Mike Henry, work with community leagues to provide affordable scoreboard technology.

“Youth Scoreboards started in the Tulsa area three years ago and is growing rapidly,” Pam Harjo said, who works in corporate development with Youth Scoreboards. “Moore is our newest market.”

24 | June 2020

Harjo said the scoreboards are a new way communities can reinvigorate the game for young athletes.

“The kids feel like they are superstars,” Harjo shared. “This technology brings some added excitement to the game and lets the local community have a presence in youth sports.”

The scoreboards are also a revenue-generating tool that helps improve other aspects of community leagues.

“Our program is designed to help communities. The scoreboards and digital signs are completely free to the leagues and they have the opportunity to make a 20 percent revenue share, once the initial investment is recouped,” Harjo said. “We were expecting it to take a couple years for that to happen but some cities are reaching that milestone much quicker, some within the first year.”

Four other metro cities already have these high-tech scoreboards including Chickasha, Edmond, Mustang and Choctaw.

For more information about the new scoreboards, call the city of Moore at 793-5000. -19SM

HE A LT H

BY: LINDSAY CUOMO

Reinventing Family Medicine Norman Regional opens new wellness clinic in south Oklahoma City

A

new wellness clinic in the area is working to reinvent primary care. Dr. Castel Santana, a board certified family medicine physician, recently joined with the Norman Regional Health System to open a new clinic that offers an integrative style of family medicine.

“I joined with Norman Regional because I want to incorporate a new style of family medicine,” Santana explained. “What we are doing is new and no one else is doing it. Norman Regional is really at the forefront.”

Rooted in what Santana calls his “five pillars of health and wellness,” Norman Regional Wellness Clinic, in south Oklahoma City, focuses on a whole body approach. Santana and his clinic provide an innovative approach to medicine for the Norman Regional network.

“Norman Regional’s mission is to be the leader in both health and wellness care,” LeAnn Richardson, a nurse and the administrative director of population health with the health system, said. “Dr. Santana and the new Norman Regional Wellness Clinic align with our mission perfectly. We are excited to bring these new services and approach to the community.”

Santana came up with his five pillars 28 | June 2020

a few years into his career, a shift he said was pivotal to his patient care.

“I kind of felt like medicine was broken,” Santana shared. “It felt like we were treating a revolving door of symptoms and never really got patients healthy. After the first year, I realized it wasn’t working for my patients.”

Santana started to explore other options, shaping the whole-body approach he uses today. His first two pillars are closely linked: medical and physical wellness.

“I first want to make sure you are medically well,” he explained. “Second comes physical wellness, and it’s right up there with medical wellness because if you are exercising and eating the right things, that’s likely to take care of your medical wellness as well.”

The next pillars are mental and spiritual wellness.

“Mental wellness is very important too, especially right now. Spiritual wellness looks different for everyone,” he said. “I am not sitting here praying with anyone but I want patients to be spiritually healthy however that looks for them.”

The final pillar is aesthetic wellness.

Aesthetic wellness deals with confidence.

“A patient can be medically and physically healthy but if they are not happy with how they look it impacts how they feel,” Santana shared.

His specialties fall in line with his pillars including autoimmune disorders, gut health, hormone replacement therapy, weight management, anxiety and depression as well as dermal fillers and skin rejuvenation.

“We want to have a place where the community can come and have everything accessible,” Santana said.

Santana said he has recently become more interested in gut health and its benefits to patients’ overall wellness.

“Your gut is the portal to everything else in your body. There are a lot of new things we can do with gut health.

We can improve so much including fatigue and some autoimmune diseases,” he said. “One of the newer terms you may hear is ‘bio-hacking.’

We are using science and technology to bio-medically improve your body’s outcome.”

The Norman Regional Wellness Clinic is located at 2605 SW 119th St., in Suite B, in Oklahoma City. Dr. Santana is accepting new patients. To schedule an appointment, call 9123900. -19SM

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COMM U N I T Y

BY: SHARLA BARDIN

Workforce Re-entry Technology center offering free online course focused on retail industry

A

free class that focuses on the retail industry is available now online through the Moore Norman Technology Center. The course and a certification exam are available for free until June 12.

The Retail Industry Fundamentals course can serve as a resource for those returning to work or pursuing jobs in retail, providing additional training and education to individuals who have been affected by the temporary business closures brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The information in the class can benefit people in their current jobs or those searching for a new position. Participants learn about the retail industry, customer service and sales, operations and workplace readiness as well as effective interviewing skills.

“It really is a foundational course in the 32 | June 2020

areas of service and sales,” said Ida Fryhover, business development coordinator at the center.

The fundamentals class is part of the “RISE Up” program, which stands for Retail Industry Skills Education. Fryhover said that individuals who take the class and receive certification can enhance their hiring potential.

“Employers can identify that this person has the basic foundation to deliver quality customer service,” she said.

“They’re going to want to hire the right candidate from the beginning.”

Fryhover adds that the skills learned can also be applied to any industry.

Fryhover was developing an online training program before the COVID-19 pandemic brought about closures for schools and businesses. As the technology center started to increase online

course options, Fryhover connected the center with the course offered by the National Retail Federation Foundation.

The center is a registered training partner with the federation.

“We’ve had to adapt how we meet the needs of our customers and this is what they need,” she said.

The center offers advanced courses for those interested in learning more about careers in retail and service-based industries, covering such topics as product knowledge, sales strategies and exceptional customer service.

Fryhover said the center also offers customized training programs for retailers that focus on safe work environments.

For more information about classes and training available, visit mntc.edu/retail or call 801-5000. -19SM

34 | June 2020

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COMM U N I T Y

T

Core Training

otal body training is a key component to the program philosophy at Youth Performance. The upper body, lower body and core training are all critical.

Training the core, or the abdominal region of the body, is an important component to include in strength and conditioning programs and can be accomplished through several methods.

The core can be challenged when performing traditional exercises like the squat or a power clean as well as with exercises that are specifically designed to target that area of the body including body weight crunches on the floor, resistance machine exercises, medicine ball exercises and stability ball exercises.

Core training should vary and be challenged with multiple modalities, different intensities and in multiple planes of motion to target all areas of the core.

Incorporating circuits with different movement patterns or multiple pieces of equipment is an excellent way to keep

36 | June 2020

BY: CHAT WILLIAMS | YOUTH PERFORMANCE

programs fresh and increase intensity, tempo and volume.

It also keeps the athlete engaged and motivated.

Improved balance, core stability and increased power through the hips and abdominal region are just a few of the benefits that can be achieved by core training. These improvements can lead to a stronger and more stable individual, potentially decreasing the risk of injuries while participating in activities that are physically challenging.

Once the individual has acclimated to multiple variations of an exercise and has been instructed properly on several pieces of equipment or modalities, exercises can be grouped together to develop circuits, increasing the overall intensity and volume of a routine. Combining multiple exercises using a medicine ball is an excellent example of a core circuit.

Chat Williams, MS, CSCS*D, NSCA-CPT*D, CSPS*D, FNSCA chat@youthperformance.net

www.youthperformance.net 701-3416

SS_BoydSt_0220-FINAL.pdf

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S P O RT S

BY: CHRIS PLANK

Timeout

The day sports stopped

THE FIRST DOMINO The Big 12 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments were primed to add to the excitement of March Madness. The first night of action on the men’s side did not disappoint. Oklahoma State knocked off Iowa State with a last second shot and the Kansas State Wildcats found a way to upset TCU. Despite the NBA postponing its season, the Big 12 seemed able to play games at the Sprint Center in Kansas City after the conference made the decision to limit the number of fans in attendance.

“Of course, there’s disappointment in not being able to participate, but it pales in comparison, what’s going on worldwide is much, much more significant than our disappointment in not being able to play. When you put it in context, it’s pretty insignificant.”

While the possibility of playing in the NCAA tournament was still on the table for Kruger’s crew, the Sooner women’s basketball season was over. There would not be an at-large bid waiting without a chance to steal one by winning the Big 12 tournament.

Legendary Head Coach Sherri Coale penned an article that was published by SoonerSports.com titled, “An Athletes Ache.” In it, she wrote, “at first it feels so personal, so specific and so unfair. Then quickly it just feels necessary. And very, very sad.”

The Sooner women’s basketball team did not have a senior on its roster this season, but the finality of the campaign registered with the upperclassmen.

However, just before the scheduled 11:30 am tip for round two, Conference Commissioner Bob Bowlsby announced the cancellation of both tournaments. No more games in Kansas City and the postseason beyond the conference tournament was also in peril.

“At the outset when we were leaving Kansas City, Anna (Llanusa) and Mandy (Simpson) as our juniors who are closer to knowing what the ‘no more shot period looks like,’ they were incredulous that we weren’t going to be able to make the tournament. It was really hard for them to wrap their head around that.”

“The message to the guys kept changing, and they handled it well,” said Head Men’s Basketball Coach Lon Kruger. “Obviously, any athlete is disappointed to not be playing, but they fully understand the gravity of the situation and understand that the primary concern was the health and safety of the student athletes and the staff and fans.”

LET’S PLAY

The changing messages were a challenge, but Kruger conveyed the gravity of the moment to his team.

40 | June 2020

Sooner Softball Head Coach Patty Gasso had no time to worry about the cancellations of the basketball tournaments. She was dealing with two teams pulling out of a weekend tournament in Norman. The Hall of Fame head coach wanted her teamprepared for the start of Big 12 play. Highly ranked Texas was waiting in the wings and the Sooners had a target squarely on their back, after winning eight straight Big 12 Championships.

Photos Photos by: by: Mark Mark Doescher Doescher

O

n March 11, Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 and set off a chain reaction that brought the sports world to a grinding halt. As many in the sports world reacted, the University of Oklahoma was proactive.

Communication between Sooner Athletic Director Joe Castiglione, sport administrators, coaches, directors of operations and student athletes helped make what was a very confusing, challenging time easier to digest and navigate.

“I love challenges and for me it was how are we still going to play this weekend before opening Big 12 play… and with Texas as our first series we really needed to play,” Gasso recalled. “Kent State called and said they couldn’t come because they were shut down and they were very apologetic. Then New Mexico State called and had been shut down as well.

“So, I’m talking to Kristin Vesely, who is an alumni and the head coach at Houston. For me it was trying to make it happen … I just kept telling our team we were going to play, and I refused to believe this would cancel everything.

I’m just someone who always wanted to find a way to get it done. I am never one to surrender but then, when you realize you have no choice, you realize how minimal what you were trying to make happen truly was. In my head it was more like, what are you doing?”

As the frustration over not being able to play quickly subsided for Gasso, the realization of the public health risk became more and more clear.

Meanwhile across the map, OU Baseball Coach Skip Johnson had his team in California preparing for a big weekend series with Cal Poly. After beating UTA on Tuesday night, the Sooners flew to California to prepare for the match-up.

“We started seeing the information on Twitter and the kids know immediately, it’s hard to keep anything from them,” Johnson said. “As we went through the day, we saw things closing down. We practiced on Wednesday then wake up to find out we are not going to play and everything was up in the air moving forward.”

Two hours after the Big 12 had canceled the basketball tournaments, the Sooner Baseball weekend series against Cal Poly was canceled and the Big West suspended all athletic events. The Softball series against Houston was canceled too.

The dominos started falling one by one, even faster than most could keep up.

THE END It seemed inevitable but no one genuinely wanted to believe it. The college sports world was on the verge of a shutdown.

By 3 p.m. on Thursday, March 12, the boydstreet.com

NCAA announced the cancellation of the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. But it was not just hoops that had been canceled, all winter and spring championships were too.

No March Madness… No Women’s College World Series… No Omaha…

Nothing. In less than 24 hours the entire sports world turned upside down admist the fallout of the NBA’s decision..

“I told the kids… it was hard for those guys to take it, but they understood from where our administration was coming from,” Johnson said. “We would much rather have people overreact than under react. We have the best administration in the world and I’m proud of how they reacted. You gotta be honest with the kids.”

The cancellation of the rest of the schedule added to the responsibilities of each teams’ director of operations. Longtime Baseball Director of Operations Ryan Gaines and his softball counterpart Jackie Livingston each had similar but unique challenges.

“My head went to what’s the next game plan and what’s the next game and then you realize you’re not playing anymore,” Livingston said. “While our team took it well, I was almost in tears. From my perspective, I think about the hard work we put into it…from the coaches to marketing to event management, we were striving for a great home season.

“I was pretty devastated on that Friday. But the team took it well… really well. Eligibility concerns were the major questions along with academics. Those answers came quickly that day and everything was communicated to us efficiently,” she said.

For Gaines, the challenge included an added responsibility. First, it was making sure that everything was effectively communicated.

“We went from early that morning on our way to playing games in front of fans…to playing a game with no fans… to a few hours later no games at all and then even later in the day the season was over,” Gaines said. “Dealing with all those different emotions and then having our plans change was quite a challenge for

someone in my position to deal with.”

Second, he helped make sure the women’s golf team could get home too. The women’s golf team was in Mesa, Arizona preparing to play in the Clover Cup that weekend and, since the baseball team had chartered to California, he had to shift plans to not only move up the baseball team’s departure but also to pick up the women’s golf team in Arizona.

“The thing that became a challenge, since all the conference basketball tournaments were canceled, all the private aircraft was not available until Friday afternoon,” Gaines said. “The Women’s golf team was in Mesa at the same time and they needed to get home and get their equipment home. We coordinated with the Coach Veronique Drouin-Luttrell to get them added to our manifest.”

Both teams were home by that Friday evening.

“Toby Baldwin, Robert Fulton and Ryan Gaines very quickly worked with us and got us on the plane,” Drouin-Luttrell said. “I am grateful they could do that. They really took care of us and the athletic department has been amazing through all of this. When the plane landed, it really hit all of us. What is next? We quickly accepted that what is next was staying healthy and listening to government officials.”

THE DYNASTY UNFAIRLY ENDED Much like other head coaches, KJ Kindler was trying to find a way OU women’s gymnastics could compete in their final regular season meet.

The Sooners were slated to fly out on Friday morning for a Saturday night competition in Minneapolis, Minnesota against the Golden Gophers. The meet served as an opportunity for hometown hero Maggie Nichols to perform in her home state for the first time in her collegiate career. The event was sold out and anticipation was high. But, unfortunately, the Sooners never left Norman.

Once again, news quickly snowballed from a canceled event to a canceled postseason.

“It was so hard,” Kindler said. “Our seniors were devastated. I do not think BOYD STREET MAGAZINE | 41

anyone really saw it coming. We knew obviously there were some things happening, but in a span of eight hours so much happened.”

“It’s hard to wrap my head around the situation,” Maggie Nichols said. “It doesn’t even feel real. But I don’t know if it could have ended any better. Just knowing that I ended on a pretty good night, I had a perfect 10 that night and some other pretty great routines and I just don’t think I could have ended any better which really does ease my mind with the whole situation.”

Nichols was one of three Sooner seniors this year, along with Jade Degouveia and Bre Showers, and she may have wrapped up one of the most prestigious careers in Sooner athletic history. Kindler said it was not easy to tell her athletes the season was over.

“I didn’t have a lot of wisdom to impart,” Kindler said. “I felt a little bit helpless in the situation.”

However, looking back it was obvious that the 2020 OU women’s gymnastics squad was championship material.

“Having not competed our last regular-season meet, not competed in our 42 | June 2020

conference championship, we weren’t able to go to regionals or nationals, you can only go off statistics,” Kindler said.

“We were ranked No. 1 every week of the season, we had the highest national qualifying score in the country, we were undefeated and had the highest high score in the country. Those are the only statistics you can really go off of for gymnastics. Our team certainly put themselves in an excellent position and that is really all I can say.”

“In their coaches’ eyes, they’re the national champions.”

WHAT’S NEXT Every sports’ story was different but in a lot of ways incredibly similar. You have a coach hoping for the opportunity to compete, only to realize that there was something much bigger at play.

“We were still planning on going to Arizona,” Ryan Hybl said, head coach for men’s golf. “By Thursday afternoon we were pulled off the road. By Friday night, we had a leadership meeting with Joe Castiglione and our leadership people, and it opened our eyes and the coaching staff as to how serious this was about to get. Our mission and our message changed from not having a season

to protecting ourselves. There was some closure knowing how serious this was going to be.”

For those who grind away behind the scenes, the amount of work that goes into preparing for a season was erased.

“The travel, the schedule, your umpires, game management, meals… all of those things were planned a long time ago,” Gaines said. “It takes a long time to plan those, but what I found is it doesn’t take long to undo them. It was hard to do it all, it was pretty easy to undo it all.”

In the end, the decision to shut down sports was frustrating, but the decision was made for the safety and well-being of the athletes, fans and staff to ensure that we will have healthy opportunities to support our teams for years to come.

“We just want people to know that we get it,” Castiglione said. “We want to be able to have what they love, and that’s the opportunity of sports, student-athletes, our teams – that’s a unifying element for many, many people. We get that. We want to be ready to make it possible when it’s right. We’re trying to do everything we can to be ready.” – 19SM

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B U S I N E SS

BY: ROXANNE AVERY

Saxon Realty Group LLC A

A new realty group offers sellers a flat listing fee

husband-wife duo of veteran realtors, Terry & Jackie Saxon, are opening a new real estate company offering sellers a flat fee option to sell their home.

Commissions have been the standard way of doing business in real estate for years. Since the Oklahoma Real Estate Commission does not regulate commission fees, that process is negotiable between realtors and sellers.

The Saxon’s are now offering sellers another option.

“In our opinion, why pay thousands of dollars from your equity when the internet does the majority of the work selling your home? Nowadays, that just doesn’t make sense,” Terry said.

“Over the years, when a seller listed a house, there is generally a six percent fee. Three percent went to us, as the listing agent, and three percent goes to the buying agent.

“Now what we’re offering is to list your home for only $899, no matter the price of the home we are listing.”

The Saxons have been in real estate for more than two decades and Terry has been a broker for 14 years. They believe that the real estate industry is 44 | June 2020

evolving and they plan to evolve with it.

“The real estate industry has been evolving for several years,” he explained. “The most significant change is public access to the multiple listing service (MLS).”

For years, realtors held exclusive access to the MLS, the most powerful marketing tool in the business.

However, companies like Zillow, Realtor.com, Trulia and other real estate-based companies now offer public listing and buying access.

“We always offer to pay the buying agent three percent but now we’re saving people thousands of dollars on the listing side. For example, on a $200,000 home, the seller was paying $12,000 in realtor commissions. Now, with what we’re offering, we would be cutting that $6,000 listing commission to $899. That’s a savings of over $5,000.”

Terry cautions sellers against trying to sell their home on their own.

“Don’t make the mistake and think you don’t need a licensed realtor and their expert skills and knowledge,”

he said. “We wouldn’t recommend trying to sell your home on your own.

That’s way too risky, and leaves you at a big disadvantage.”

Backed by twenty years of experience, the Saxons will help sellers navigate real estate rules and regulations, as well as all the negotiations that go on during a transaction.

“Our main goal is to save sellers money. Just because we are giving a big discount doesn’t mean we cut you short on service. We are not an MLS entry-only company. We’ll get you from listing to closing and everything in between,” assured Terry. “And if you’re looking for a replacement home, we can definitely help people buy homes as well.”

Terry & Jackie want to save people money because they know it’s needed for other important expenditures.

“The money we’re saving them will help them do so many other things they need to do like putting more money down on their next house, put it in their kids’ college fund, remodel or just put the money in their pocket,” he said.

The Saxon Realty Group is a full-service real estate office assisting both buyers and sellers, and for a low flat fee they will help sellers list and sell their property. In order to get the word out to the public effectively, the Saxons opened their own brokerage firm June 1, and in the month prior to their opening, they had already saved sellers over $48,000 in listing commissions.

Born and raised in Norman, Terry and Jackie have been married for nearly 40 years. They went to Wilson Elementary School together in second grade and were married their senior summer in 1981. Together they raised two kids and have five grandkids.

The Saxons lived outside of Norman for a few years when their children were young.

“In 1987, we decided we wanted to get out of Norman,” Terry remembered. “The truth is, one night while watching TV, a commercial came on for the Marine Corp. I had no money saved for college and the commercial said the Marine Corp would pay for college. I enlisted and eight years later after being in Desert Shield and Desert Storm and traveling all over the world, and earning a college degree after, we realized our hearts were in Norman.

“Our time away made us realize we needed to come back to Norman to raise our kids, and live in a city that offers so much more than it did when we left. And what we are offering, we thought it was a win-win for both parties, and a great way to give back to this community.”– 19SM

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COMM U N I T Y

BY: HEIDE BRANDES

The Power of Prevention M

isuse of prescription medications, opioids, depressants and stimulants is a growing public health concern in the United States.

Although most people intend to take prescription medications responsibly, a large number of people are reported to have misused medications at least once in the past year.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, an estimated 18 million people aged 12 and older misused prescription medications in 2017, a number compiled from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. That same survey showed that an estimated two million Americans misused prescription pain relievers for the first time and more than one million misused prescription stimulants.

An additional 1.5 million misused tranquilizers and 271,000 misused sedatives.

“Prescription drugs have a wonderful benefit for the health and wellness of an individual, but when they are misused, they can become very harmful,” said Demetrick Jones, program administrator and coordinator for the Oklahoma State Strategic Prevention Framework Partnerships for Success Project (SPF-PFS project) for Cleveland County. “When old or unused medications are not disposed of properly, there is a risk for accidental poisonings in the home or the chance that medications can be taken by someone that they were not prescribed for.”

In Cleveland County, the project is aiming to do something about those numbers. The OU SPF-PFS project is

48 | June 2020

Cleveland County project aims to reduce prescription drug misuse funded by a state grant, awarded to the University of Oklahoma by The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, and is working to prevent the onset and reduce the progression of prescription drug misuse in the county.

Their mission also includes reducing the nonmedical use of prescription drugs and building a prevention infrastructure at the city and community levels to help residents prevent substance misuse. The program also encourages the proper disposal of prescription medications.

“Disposing of meds properly at any police department in medication disposal bins, at pharmacies like Walgreens or CVS or with a medication disposal system which our project mails out for free helps keep medications from being flushed or rinsed down the sink and getting in our groundwater,” said Jones.

In Oklahoma, the most commonly misused prescription drugs are opioids, which include oxycodone and hydrocodone and anti-anxiety medications like Xanax, Nordiazepam, Venlafaxine and Fluoxetine.

“When we speak of misuse of prescription medications, we are talking about taking too much medication or more than is prescribed, taking a medication different than what it was prescribed for, sharing or taking someone else’s medication and theft of medication,” said Jones.

“According to the Oklahoma Center for Poison and Drug Information, since isolation began, there has been an uptick of calls to the Oklahoma

Center for Poison and Drug Information for medication poisonings. I believe the uptick is attributed to more people being at home and thus, more chances that an accidental poisoning will occur.”

The project conducts free community presentations, training and webinars to the general public, companies and public schools and also offers free information and videos to help with understanding what prescription drug misuse is and how to prevent it and to keep residents informed about free medication disposal systems and drop off locations.

“We offer materials for health fairs and public events, and we can connect you to resources and treatment options if you know of someone that has a problem with addiction,” Jones added.

Drop off programs have been successful in collecting medications in Cleveland County. The City of Norman has an annual clean up event that allows residents to dispose of trash and prescription medications in a safe way.

Oklahomans should always store their medications in a locked container or locked cabinet at home. This will provide the best security to prevent accidental poisoning, he added.

“I would also encourage Oklahomans to follow our project on Facebook at OK SPF PFS Project Region 8,” Jones said.

To learn more about the project and for information about how to prevent prescription drug misuse, visit swpc. ou.edu. – 19SM

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