Adam Calkins called into First Bank of Wyoming Sports Friday on SVI Radio to promote the creation of the Kemmerer Athletics and Recreation Association (KARA), a non-profit focused on youth sports in southern Lincoln County.

 

The following transcript of the above interview is AI generated. Minor spelling errors are likely to occur.

(0:00) Duke and Dow with you this morning with First Bank of Wyoming Sports Friday and (0:03) now joining us live over the phone is Adam Calkins and Adam going to tell us (0:07) about the creation of the Kemmerer Athletics and Recreation Association (0:13) which is brand new in southern Lincoln County. Adam good morning how are you (0:17) today? Hey good morning Duke I’m glad to be here. So Adam tell us what this is (0:23) and what prompted you to help establish it? So the Kemmerer (0:31) Athletics and Recreation Association or KERA for short is it’s a nonprofit (0:36) focused on improving and bringing more athletic opportunities to South Lincoln (0:42) County.

Over the past year and a half myself and a group of other parents (0:48) have been focused on bringing ice hockey to the community and then this past (0:54) fall we also focused on bringing outdoor soccer to the community and we have been (0:59) very grateful to the City of Kemmerer for their help and support as we’ve done (1:03) that but we’ve both kind of realized that that wasn’t a long-term permanent (1:09) solution and so a group of us decided to create KERA and begin by focusing on (1:17) these two programs the ice hockey program and outdoor soccer program now (1:22) with the possibility of reaching out and bringing perhaps some adult programs (1:28) into Kemmerer or South Lincoln County perhaps working and bringing other sports (1:34) into the fold in the future as we continue to grow but really just focused (1:38) on right now the ice hockey and the outdoor soccer program but really just (1:44) growing youth sports and engagement here in South Lincoln County. Adam we’ve (1:49) talked to you the past about of course ice hockey and it seems like your your (1:54) first year of youth outdoor ice hockey was a huge success in Kemmerer and so (2:00) this seems like timing wise really good to help move that program forward you (2:05) circle in the the soccer thing about it timing seems really good and it seems (2:10) like there’s there’s a little momentum right now in Southern Lincoln County for (2:13) this type of thing. There certainly is Duke and with all of the economic (2:18) growth going in all of the proposed families and things coming into South (2:24) Lincoln County we feel like this is a really good time and with the ice hockey (2:29) program we’re really grateful to the hockey program over in Douglas Wyoming (2:32) who is donating their old rink to us and so this next year we’re gonna have a (2:40) brand new to Kemmerer ice hockey rink for weekend skating, hockey, figure skating (2:47) whatever folks would like and it is a full-size NHL hockey rink that will be (2:54) put up here in Kemmerer it’ll be kind of subdivided for our games and whatnot but (2:59) we’re really growing the program down here we have a lot of momentum we have a (3:02) lot of support with the city with Brian Muir with John Tibbett and with Lois (3:07) Hicks and and of course support of the mayor and as we’re partnering with the (3:12) city the rink will be just south of the event center there on city property and (3:17) so we’re just really grateful to be able to continue bringing these things to to (3:23) the city of Kemmerer and with outdoor soccer program we hosted our first (3:28) outdoor soccer program with the Kemmerer Rec Center this spring and this fall (3:33) we’ll be hosting outdoor soccer season again and so we’re really excited to (3:38) bring both of these offerings to the parents and the youth of South Lake (3:43) County.

So Adam people listening to this right now and then maybe they have kids (3:47) that they want to become involved with this how do they go about that how do (3:50) they sign up and how do they become involved to help as as parents if they (3:54) would like? Yeah so we were kind of waiting until to make this big (4:00) announcement if you will until we had our official nonprofit status in hand (4:04) which we do now and so we are meeting every other Tuesday so our next meeting (4:09) will be Tuesday August 18th at the Kemmerer Junior Senior High School (4:14) Library at 8 p.m. and I would love to to encourage all of the parents who are (4:22) interested who might be interested in one of our offerings outdoor soccer or (4:27) ice hockey to come and attend one of our meetings to hear what we’re all (4:32) about. We are really focused on player development and in developing those (4:39) sports IQs. Certainly we’ll have competition in games but really we want (4:44) to bring in a lot of those universal concepts just to help these youth become (4:48) better all-around athletes as they move into middle school and high school.

So we (4:52) would love to have as many parents as want to to come and attend these events (4:56) and in these meetings like I said the next one is August 18th at 8 p.m. at the (5:01) high school library. Adam Calkins joining us this morning with First Bank of (5:04) Wyoming Sports Friday we’re talking about the creation of the Kemmerer (5:07) Athletics and Recreation Association an official nonprofit in southern Lincoln (5:11) County. So Adam of course you need participation you need parent support (5:15) you need all of that stuff I assume the reason behind the nonprofit (5:20) organization was the financial driver of it right and so how does someone get (5:25) involved maybe as a financial supporter to help move this thing off (5:30) to the next level? Yes so we that is definitely part of it as donating to (5:36) the city of Kemmerer is very difficult and doesn’t come with maybe some of (5:40) those same benefits as donating to a nonprofit.

We’ve been fortunate to work (5:47) with the Kemmerer Rotary who has helping to sponsor and support this new rink (5:53) and purchasing a few odds and ends that we need to get this rink going so we’re (5:58) grateful to them and and so anybody who is interested in donating to the program (6:04) is more than welcome to do so. They’re welcome to come to one of our meetings (6:09) or just go ahead and reach out to us but we’d really feel like this is a great (6:14) opportunity to bring some more good things to the county and and and just (6:21) more good things for what we can do. So Adam as you look at this where would (6:26) you like to see the organization say a year from now or five years or ten years (6:31) if everything goes exactly how you would like it to go what what are some (6:35) goals and how would this look years down the road? Yeah so for right now we’re (6:41) really focused on building a solid what we call a rec program or a rec type (6:46) program for these sports.

We’re not particularly interested right now in (6:51) creating traveling hockey teams or traveling soccer teams simply because (6:55) these sports haven’t been really played in this area and we know that if we were (7:01) to go to a tournament in Pinedale and play ice hockey against these clubs that (7:05) have been playing for years and years that the end result would not go in our (7:09) favor and as an example we’re not even playing with hockey goalies yet and so (7:14) we we would struggle in that environment. So short term really just focused on (7:20) building the program and building the base and that’s why we’re more focused (7:24) on the younger age children kind of kindergarten, second grade, up through (7:29) middle school then we are high school players simply because we know by the (7:34) time you get into middle school certainly high school you’re you’ve kind (7:39) of selected the sports that you’re into and that you’re interested in and so it (7:44) makes it difficult to bring those players in to a new sport. So really (7:48) focusing on the younger kids five to ten years down the road I think there is (7:53) absolutely an opportunity to become a more competitive program competing (7:58) against programs across the state Pinedale, Jackson, Rock Springs, Gillette (8:03) both in hockey and in outdoor soccer but right now our main goal is just to get (8:10) these programs off the ground and start teaching these these skills to get (8:14) out of ice skate is a pretty big deal so that’s our focus for now.

(8:19) Well Adam certainly appreciate your time today thank you for informing us on the (8:23) creation of this new nonprofit serving southern Lincoln County. We’ve talked (8:28) before about of course the soccer program and the hockey program that’s (8:31) already started now you loop this all into it. My question for you is why is (8:35) this so important to you to put in the time the energy the resources to do (8:40) this because look with your job at the Bridger Teton and your family I mean (8:44) you’re not a you’re not just sitting around looking for something to do right (8:47) you’re a busy guy like everybody extremely busy so what is motivating you (8:52) to drive this and push it why do you think it’s so important? So one of the (8:58) big drivers for me is my kids that my my kids love hockey and they want to play (9:03) hockey and and they love soccer and they want to play soccer and that offering (9:08) just wasn’t here and so after them kind of bugging me for a couple years dad we (9:13) want to play hockey we want to play hockey that I finally caved if you will (9:19) and and so that was a big starting motivation for me but then as we had our (9:24) hockey season last year and I saw the turnout that we had with over 30 players (9:29) and I’ve coached a lot of sports in in camera Little League basketball that and (9:37) on and on and a lot of kids that I thought turn out for hockey I hadn’t (9:42) seen turn out for other sports and one of the the my favorite moments of last (9:48) season was when one of our players who I’ve had on other other teams who’s been (9:53) hesitant to maybe go in the game it hasn’t really seemed like she’s enjoyed (9:57) it a whole lot came up to me and said I want to go back in the game when can I (10:02) go back in the game and and so as these kids have come up to me and these parents (10:07) over the year and asking about more when’s this happening again that’s the (10:13) motivation that keeps you going when when kids are coming up and they’re enjoying (10:17) something that maybe they haven’t enjoyed other sports that you’ve coached (10:21) them in or kids are coming out that haven’t played other sports and when you (10:24) see that you you realize the true benefit of what you’re doing and the (10:29) program that you’re trying to create and so that’s the motivation that that keeps (10:34) us going and that has kept this board but moving forward with this idea of (10:39) creating Kara Adam Calkins and Kara the Kemmerer Athletics and Recreation (10:44) Association officially a 501 c3 nonprofit off the ground rolling and (10:49) initially offering youth hockey and soccer in southern Lincoln County Adam (10:53) thank you for your time I know you guys have just started but is there are you (10:56) guys have a digital presence or is that still the work social media website (10:59) where can people find you yep so that is all in the works we are we just got a (11:06) social media coordinator or I should say we’re in the process of doing that but (11:10) very soon we’ll have a social media presence in a website and then that will (11:15) all be all I’ll be out there and going on perfect looking forward to see this (11:21) and see how it grows and benefits those in southern Lincoln County Adam thanks (11:25) so much for your time appreciate it yeah thank you Duke it’s first Bank of (11:29) Wyoming sports Friday this morning on the SBI radio network