StemCell Therapy

On Monday, the superintendents of both local school districts asked the Frankfort City Commission for $1.5 million to upgrade the athletic fields at the three area high schools to synthetic turf. While the debate over whether to finance the project played out on the front page, we couldnt help noticing what quietly made headlines on the sports page this week.

On Tuesday, Franklin County High School girls basketball coach Joey Thacker notched his 400th career win. That's quite a feat, but perhaps more noteworthy is his longevity. Thacker, whose Lady Flyers competed in three straight state tournaments from 2015-17 and finished as runners-up in 2016 and 2017, has been pacing the hardwood for more than 20 years.

Frankfort youth are fortunate in that he is not the only local coach with tenure something that is both rare and admirable these days.

FCHS softball coach Tracy Spickard, the schools athletic director and a 2002 inductee in the Kentucky Prep Softball Hall of Fame, will start her 23rd season at the helm this spring with more than 500 wins under her belt. Decidedly absent in the dugout this season will be longtime assistant coach Butch Turner, who recently announced his retirement after more than two dozen years.

To have that longevity with your assistant coaches is almost unheard of today, and I firmly believe it has made an impact with us maintaining the rich tradition of Lady Flyer softball, Spickard told The State Journal.

Across town, Western Hills volleyball coach Kristi Buffenmyer, who was tapped to lead the team straight out of college, concluded a 25-year stint last fall with close to 400 victories, four district championships and seven district runner-up finishes. Her 2001 team advanced to the state tournament as a regional runner-up.

Thank you to these and all local coaches who have dedicated time and energy into what at times can be an underappreciated job. The countless lessons they teach Franklin County youth extend well beyond the playing fields and into life.

See original here:
Editorial: Area youth fortunate to have coaches with longevity - State-Journal.com

This entry was posted on January 18, 2020 at 8:41 pm and is filed under Longevity. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |