Tylerites - Your guide to everything Tyler! » Sports

The WaterPark @ The Villages

Tylerites — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 00:11:55 +0000

Cool off this Summer at Silverleaf Resorts’ WaterPark @ The Villages!

The WaterPark @ The Villages
18270 Singing Wood Lane
Flint, TX 75762-9436
(903) 561-0589

Patriot Million Dollar Hole in One

Tylerites — Tue, 11 May 2010 20:02:33 +0000

I had the opportunity to work a shift at the Patriot Million Dollar Hole in One on Monday. This fundraiser brings money directly into the community, which goes to scholarships for University of Texas at Tyler students. Anyone who has ever received a scholarship at UTT likely was a benefactor of this fantastic event.

Though the winds were high and the sun was hot on Monday, a few undeterred golfers showed up, eager to show their support. Basically, balls cost $1 each, and there is no limit to the number of balls golfers can purchase. Players coming closest to the hole are qualified to compete in the final round on Sunday at the Cascades, where a hole in one can win $1,000,000.

Schedule of Events

Friday, May 7, 11:00 am Press Conference and Media Contest

Saturday, May 8, 10:00 am – 7:00 pm Hole in One Contest

Sunday, May 9, 2:00 pm – 7:00 pm Hole in One Contest

Monday, May 10, 10:00 am – 7:00 pm Ladies Day @ the Hole in One

Tuesday, May 11, 10:00 am – 7:00 pm Hole in One Contest

Wednesday, May 12, 10:00 am – 7:00 pm Seniors Day @ Hole in One

Thursday, May 13, 10:00 am – 7:00 pm UT Tyler Day @ Hole-In-One

Friday, May 14, 10:00 am – 7:00 pm Hole in One Contest, 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm Friday Night Lights Out

Saturday, May 15, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm Hole in One Contest, 6:30 pm Finalist Photos

Sunday, May 16, 1:30 pm Hole in One Finals at the Cascades

Komen Tyler Race for the Cure

Tylerites — Sat, 08 May 2010 18:20:52 +0000

5K Leaders

1. Warren Brown 15:46
2. Reuben Cowan 16:41
3. Joncary Faubion 17:10
4. Bob Hepler 17:54
5. Jeffrey Watson 18:08
6. Mikkel Keasler 18:25
7. Eric Heasley 18:31
8. Troy Hayden 18:32
9. Danny Hayden 18:38
10. Alvin Estacio 19:19

1. Sarah Deller 20:07
2. Haylee Abbe 20:51
3. Rebecca Smith 20:56
4. Lori Green 20:56
5. Daisy Hargraves 22:20
6. Angel Earley 22:28
7. Anna Hayden 23:01
8. Chaynee Atwood 23:01
9. Katie Haugland 23:10
10. Kristi Hollingsworth 23:13

Largest Teams

Brookshire’s Best, Team Captain: Carolyn Langston, 611 members
Trinity Mother Frances Pink Partners, Team Captain: Mike Hines, 332 members
ETMC, Team Captain: Todd Sigmon, 253 members
All Saints Episcopal School, Team Captain: Julie Roseberry, 124 members
Nancy P’s Team, Team Captain: Nancy Patterson, 65 members
Tyler Hematology Oncology, PA, Team Captain: Kim Rogers, 65 members
Marvin MOPS & Friends, Team Captain: Amanda Black, 53 members
Team CB&I, Team Captain: Erica Hardy, 46 members

Tyler Azalea 10k

Tylerites — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 01:15:53 +0000

Watch out runners, I’m ba-ack! Well, not quite, but I’m getting there. The 2010 Tyler Azalea 10k was this past weekend, and despite the lack of blooming azaleas, the turnout was quite good. The race, hosted by Mellew Productions, is my favorite race and will always have a soft spot in my heart. This is the third consecutive year I’ve participated in the event, and happy thoughts always come to mind when I reminisce of past years’ Azalea 10ks. In 2008 the race marked my first 10k race ever, and it just so happened that the same day I bought a new car! Come 2009 my running had progressed from hobby-jogging to running with a slight touch of speed and competitive confidence. Consequently, I ended up winning my first ever age group placement and was nearly brought to tears by the joy of that sense of athletic accomplishment. This year the 2010 Azalea 10k marked the end of my bitter battle with a lingering knee injury.

The weather, a chilly 51 degrees, promised great things as 50 degrees is what I consider to be my optimal running temperature. I awoke strangely calm, dressed and headed to Bergfeld park to join the other runners. Though I hadn’t even planned on participating this year, as soon as I arrived at the event I was very happy to be there. Smiling face after smiling face offered warm hellos, and running buddies of months past welcomed me back as though we hadn’t missed a stride. Before I knew it, we were off. The race went by quickly, and moments of strength were followed by moments of burning pain. Though I went into the race telling myself I was there only to participate, I had a goal time in mind that I was not letting out of grasp. At times all I wanted to do was throw in the towel and hang my head in shame on the side of the road and hope someone would come looking for me after the race, but pride would never let me do something like that. I crossed the finish line in under an hour, and felt pretty dang good about it. Had I been one of the top three to place in my age group (or any age group in this case) I might not have been so happy, as quite a few unusual and slightly suspect changes were made to the results after they were posted. Alterations were made to several age groups, a bit unfair, but tolerable for a small 10k. Now, if we’re talking a Boston Qualifying marathon come October, I’m not sure if the Tyler runners will extend the same tolerance for disorganization. Either way, I won’t be bothered by this elitist nonsense… I’m just happy to be running again.

Tyler Rose Marathon

Tylerites — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:46:52 +0000

This year, for the first time ever, Tyler will have its very own full length marathon, courtesy of Mellew Productions! Though it is still a few months away, I am just too excited about this to keep quiet about it any longer. Plus, training for a marathon is no easy feat, so the earlier you can start training, the better.

In addition to the full marathon, scheduled for Sunday, October 10th (10-10-10, how cool is that?), there will also be a Tyler Rose half marathon and 5k. Formerly known as the Tyler Half, this is the new and improved 2010 version complete with a new name, new course, and new full length marathon, the first full length marathon in the history of Tyler. But wait there’s more… The courses will all be USATF certified, and the marathon will be a Boston qualifier!

The courses have been mapped and will be finalized once they have been measured and certified by the USATF. The marathon course will start in downtown Tyler, head west on Hwy 31, loop behind Tyler Pounds airport and head back east on Hwy 64. The course then runs back in to Tyler through some of the Azalea District and finishes at Ferguson and College. There will be 18 aid stations along the course.

Anyone who can participate definitely should. Even if you are unable to run in the race, offering support and encouragement from the sidelines is a great way to get involved in this really cool event. For those of you who are interested in running, more information can be found at www.tylermarathon.com. Also, don’t forget that the Azalea 10k is coming up at the end of March, and it is a great race on a beautiful course through the Azalea District during the peak of azalea season. You don’t want to miss it!

Trinity Mother Francis Health & Fitness

Tylerites — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 00:06:37 +0000

I’m all too familiar with the battle of the bulge, however in Flint, at the corner of FM 2661 and Hwy 155, it’s more like the battle of the gyms. First the Trinity Clinic started expanding their facility, bringing in more physicians and the Ross Breast Center. Across the street the ETMC First Physicians Clinic stood like an old ruin. Then, naturally, the ETMC clinic started epanding as well. Over the course of several months, both health clinics grew from small, family practice operations, to huge health clinics offering a plethora of medical services, and also each boasted a brand new fitness facility.

The Trinity Mother Francis Health & Fitness facility was completed first, and they began advertising and giving out free week passes. I’d been meaning to check the facility out for awhile, since it was the closest gym to my house, but for the past several years my workouts have consisted only of outdoor running, so I never saw the need to pursue a gym membership. However, with the problems I have been experiencing with my knee lately, and the pounds I’ve gained as a result of not running or working out, I decided to take them up on their offer of a free week.

My first day at the gym I met a couple of staff members and was given a brief tour of the facility. Though on the small side, there was all the standard cardio equipment – bikes, elipticals, and treadmills, all the weight machines you’d ever need, a free weight station, and a studio for classes. They even have a three lane lap pool. I glanced over their class schedule and saw a pretty impressive offering, though I was never able to make it to one of their classes due to my busy schedule.

Overall, this gym has everything a gym should have. They even have no commitment memberships. I’d definitely consider joining in the future for two main reasons. Number one, the facility’s close proximity to my house, and number two, the people who work here are VERY nice. They will even get you started on a custom fitness routine when you join. I don’t know how well this gym measures up to others in Tyler, but I think it’s a great option for those living in the Flint/Noonday/Gresham area.

Trinity Mother Frances Health & Fitness Lake Palestine
20208 Hwy. 155 S.
Flint, TX 75762
(903) 531-5930

Eagle’s Bluff Country Club

Tylerites — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:39:47 +0000

Eagle’s Bluff is without a doubt East Texas’ finest country club. Located in in Bullard on the bluffs of Lake Palestine, the clubhouse, golf course, staff, and home sites are unlike anything else around.

The par 71 Championship golf course, designed by Carlton Gipson, is one of the longest in East Texas, featuring a distance of 6,977 yards from the back tees. The course runs through one of the most beautiful neighborhoods around, and is lined by dogwoods, mature hardwoods, and azaleas.

My personal experience of the golf course is limited, as I’ve only played a couple of rounds, but what I can attest to is the fabulousness which is the clubhouse. The grounds are beautiful, and the clubhouse itself is nothing short of magnificent. The French Country style facility hosts formal and casual dining, player lounges, and a full service golf pro shop. I had my wedding reception in one of the banquet rooms, and all my guests were blown away not only by the location, but by the friendly and attentive people who work at Eagle’s Bluff. I worked with an event coordinator, and she made sure that everything was perfectly taken care of so my night would be everything I could have ever imagined.

My husband and I also enjoyed our first Valentine’s Day as a married couple last year at Eagle’s Bluff for their spectacular five course menu created especially for that occasion. It was beyond wonderful and we both enjoyed every minute (and bite) of it. I liked it so much that when I was put in charge of planning my company Christmas party, I immediately knew it HAD to be at Eagle’s Bluff. Once again, all our guests loved it, and everyone had a wonderful time. We had a private room and a special menu, and everything about it was perfect. I’d definitely do it again next year.

In addition to the restaurant and golf course, Eagle’s Bluff also offers their members swimming, a fitness center, and tennis. Each year they host a Fourth of July fireworks show on the course and last year they opened it up to the public and it drew quite a crowd. For anyone planning a romantic evening, a special event, or a round of golf, Eagle’s Bluff is definitely worth a look.

Eagle’s Bluff
465 Eagles Bluff Boulevard
Bullard, TX 75757-9826
(903) 825-2999

Racquet & Jog

Tylerites — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:50:49 +0000

A co-worker recently expressed his curiosity over us Tylerites’ obsession with Racquet & Jog t-shirts. I remember back when I first moved to Tyler, I too, was confused by the popularity of these brightly colored shirts. Initially, I assumed Racquet & Jog must be a local athletic store that had an awful lot of employees. However, I kept seeing more and more of these shirts all over town, and not only in Tyler, but on vacations and in airports too, so I realized there must be more to it.

As it turns out, Racquet & Jog is a local athletic and clothing store, with locations in Dallas, Austin, Longview, and Tyler. The store in Tyler carries a good variety of jeans, swimwear, athletic wear, cool novelty tees, and accessories in addition to a decent selection of athletic apparel. Brands they carry include Junk Food, Dogeared, Vix, BB Dakota, and Roxy. They also offer an impressive collection of mens and womens shoes, including Frye, Rainbow, Yellowbox, Havaianas, and Dolce Vita. And yes they have Uggs! This store has an overall cool vibe, and definitely appeals to the younger crowd. Of course, amongst all the racks of clothing is a huge table of all different colors and styles of Racquet & Jog t-shirts. It is a bit of an unspoken rule that every Tylerite must own at least one of these. I have owned approximately eight of them, in all different colors. My current favorite is a gray Alternative Apparel v-neck Racquet & Jog t-shirt, but I have several others currently in rotation. Any given day at Rose Rudman is like a Racquet & Jog fashion show with walkers and runners sporting their shirts.

Racquet & Jog is very active in promoting local athletic events. They sponsor races such as the Premier Turkey Trot and the YMCA Reindeer Run, and the East Texas Striders running club. Be sure to stop in Racquet & Jog for athletic gear for your next race and get a t-shirt if you don’t have one already!

Racquet & Jog
5403 South Broadway Avenue
Tyler, TX 75703-1397
(903) 561-4703‎

LA Boxing

Tylerites — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:57:22 +0000

The kickboxing classes at LA Boxing are awesome. I can hardly type today because my arms and shoulders are so sore, but that’s a good thing, right? The class last night, taught by the best instructor EVER, Kris Hobbs, is easily one of the best classes I have ever taken. It’s tough, oh is it ever, but just a few hours later I have already forgotten about the pain, and I am ready for more.

The class last night started at 6:30, so we arrived a few minutes early as instructed so we would have time to grab some gloves and find an empty bag. There was an occupant at nearly every single bag which I took as a good sign… Obviously this is a popular class. Kris walked around to introduce himself to all the new faces before class began and took the time to learn everyone’s names. Did I mention I like Kris? He had us pumped up, laughing and having a good time almost the entire class. When he mentions the term ‘muscle failure’ he is not playing around. Major ouch.

Our kickboxing class lasted 45 minutes and combined cardio with boxing moves and lots of push-ups and some pretty intense ab work at the end. The different styles of push-ups were especially hard, but I actually managed to do one or two clap push-ups. My favorite part was taking out all my pent up frustration on that bag. It’s highly therapeutic. I think I especially mastered the knee jab maneuver.

I am definitely going to take more classes at LA Boxing. In addition to the kickboxing classes, they also offer real boxing, MMA, wrestling, Judo, and Jui Jitsu classes. There is also some standard exercise equipment like a wall of free weights, a couple of treadmills, and weight benches. I think I will stick to the kickboxing for now, but maybe I’ll come back on Thursday when the kickboxing class focuses on legs instead of arms… Mine are going to be sore for awhile.

LA Boxing
7924 S Broadway Ave # 700
Tyler, TX 75703-5243
(903) 509-4269

Cowboys Stadium

Tylerites — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:44:29 +0000

Since more than just a few of my fellow Tylerites may be interested in making the trip to see the legendary Cowboys Stadium in all its glory, I am reviewing outside of East Texas in an effort to confirm or dispel some of the myths accompanying Jerry Jones’ new palace. I hope you find it helpful.

This past summer I found myself faced with the task of coming up with the perfect first anniversary gift for my husband. I racked my brain for days and days and finally I was struck with an idea for the perfect gift…. Cowboys tickets in the new stadium. This idea was especially good, I thought, because it met the traditional guidelines that the first anniversary gift should be paper. So, after much internal debating and back and forth and so on, I finally decided on (with much help from my football-informed friends) the October 25th duel between the Dallas Cowboys and the Atlanta Falcons.

Now, back to dispelling myths. Let’s start with parking. The tales I had heard about parking at or even near the stadium were almost enough to be a deal breaker for me. I heard rumors that parking was going for anywhere from $75 to $150 for parking a mile away! I am happy to report, that this is one rumor you can completely dismiss. It may be true that parking is this much in certain areas, but affordable parking is available – if not plentiful – just a short walk from the stadium. We were cruising in on Collins wondering which way to go. My husband pointed to a glimpse of a satellite tower far, far away, just barely visible on the horizon. There, he claimed, was the $50 parking section. If we drove there now and walked straight back to the stadium, we should be there just in time to catch the end of the halftime show. Um, no thanks. We decided to push our luck and keep going toward the stadium when all of a sudden we saw it. Parking for $35. The stadium is not only within walking distance, it is visible, and practically right there! I wish I could remember the name of the place… My memory fails me. But, I can tell you that it was a small, privately owned parking lot just down the road from the stadium, and the parking was only $35.00 If you just had to be closer, the next block up parking was going for $50. Myth dispelled.

Next, let me tell you about my impressions approaching and entering Cowboys Stadium. Walking up to the stadium was incredible. I wanted to hang out with the tailgaters more than I wanted to go inside! Now, forgive me if this is common knowledge, but I had never seen anything like it. Motorized cooler scooters, vans equipped with flat screens and surround sound, grills that attach to your trucks, people dressed up in costumes, I could go on and on. It was SO cool. Too bad we had to go inside. Once I was able to pry my eyes away from the tailgaters and all their fun setups did I take a moment to actually look at the building itself. I don’t really like using the word building for it because it is so much more. It is really a feat of architecture and engineering. Oh, and it looks like a giant spaceship with crab legs.

Finally we made it inside after seeing 1. two people trying to get in with fake tickets, and 2. a man trying to enter with a concealed weapon. Walking in to this stadium was unlike walking into any other stadium I had ever entered. It had a very ‘open air’ feel to it. Meaning, you walk in, and the opening for the field is right there. No dark corridors with entrances for sections and levels spaced periodically around the field like most arenas. We oohed and ahhed for a few minutes at the sheer size of the place, watched the Miller Lite Rhythm and Blues dancers as we made our way up to our section, and stopped on a staircase for a moment to check out the abundance of empty box suites. Why couldn’t we go in there? Oh well, we continued to make our way up to the upper reserved section where our seats were all the while commenting on how new and clean everything was.

I bought the tickets online at Stub Hub and I found the seating diagram on Stub Hub’s website to be slightly deceiving, but it was ok. As I am sure most everyone has heard, there is a huge screen in the middle of the field. HUGE screen. I’m talking 72′ x 160′ LED screen right in the middle of the field. Try keeping your eyes off of it – it’s impossible. More disappointing than the location of the seats was the accessibility to the seats. Once I got in my chair I stayed put for the entire game because I was too terrified that if I got up the slightest stumble could send me bouncing and rolling down row after row of fans, only to land sheepishly in the middle of the field, or worse (or better?) right at the feet of Miles Austin. Also, once someone decided to get up, there is a collective groan from all members of the row who now have to stand up and scoot way back to make room for their exit and return. Trust me, aisle seats are worth the extra $$$.

Let’s talk food. I saw lots of yummy things to eat here, and sampled a couple of things myself. There was actually a farmer’s market stand where there were grapes, apples, bananas, and many other types of fresh and healthy snacks for sale. I got some grapes and snacked on them throughout the game. Later, my husband got a Philly cheesesteak that was a gooey, messy, delicious delight. From what I could tell, the only beer they have here is Miller Lite, but I could be mistaken. For the food and the bathrooms there were no lines at all.

I found the game very enjoyable to watch. I am not a huge football fan, but even I couldn’t deny there was something special about witnessing this event with my own eyes. So what if I think the cheerleaders are more entertaining than the football? The Cowboys ended up beating the Falcons 37 to 21. We left just a couple of minutes early, but just like before, there were no lines, and there was a steady and constant flow of people making their way out of the stadium. As we made our way back to the car we noticed the Arlington police had blocked all traffic coming towards the stadium so exiting traffic could flow out smoothly. We were able to pull right out of our parking spot and head down the road back to I-20.

For those of you worried about long lines, dirty bathrooms, expensive parking and bad food fear not. The Cowboys Stadium has overcome, if not conquered, these annoyances which plague so many other stadiums, arenas, and large venues. Do not, however, let the size of this place fool you into thinking that you will be able to move freely in and out of your seat as the rows are extremely narrow. Despite that one drawback (well, that and only serving Miller Lite) I’d still say this is something everyone should experience at least once. Check it out for yourselves and let us know what you think.

Cowboys Stadium

925 North Collins Street
Arlington, TX 76011
(817) 892-4161