Rutherford Weekly

A light-hearted afternoon of laughter turned tearful for just a moment. Karen Carlton Park clouded up and said, "I always get emotional when I think about it." The recently divorced mother of two saw a giant of a swim coach surrounded by adoring children, watched him occasionally have them trembling, but also saw him console them when they lost a race. They began dating soon after and eventually married. Karen and that giant of a coach, Greg Park, sat on their side porch talking about the bygone days of the Forest City Swim Team, The Stingrays. "When I saw how he treated those kids, I knew he was a good man," she said with tears in her eyes and a quivering lip. "It was a tough time for me." Greg was the coach and Karen worked with the kids as a water safety instructor taking advantage of her knowledge of strokes. They laughed and told stories about Greg's work with The Stingrays and later the East High swim team, coached by Ray Huskey. Huskey loved to kid Jimmy Griffi n, whose son Jay was a stand out, by claiming during at least two awards banquets that Greg had swum for N.C. State. Park said he knew it would get to Griffi n each time. "He would come up to me after the event and say, 'You didn't really swim for N.C. State, did you?" Park confessed he was not a member of the school's team, but he grinned and added, "I did swim back then and I did attend N.C. State." While there were kids who swam year-round, Park said the true joy of the work was with the kids in the summertime. "It was a true neighborhood team," he said, obviously enjoying the memory. "The funny part is that I didn't know them if they weren't wearing a swimsuit. I'd see them in the grocery store; and they'd holler, 'coach!' and I didn't recognize them." Greg came to Forest City in 1978, but had grown up mostly in High Point around competitive swimming. He worked at the J.C. Cowan Plant of Burlington Industries. Larry Hicks had started the swim team that eventually became The Stingrays, but when he was no longer able to do it, Park agreed to come at the invitation of Recreation Director Butch Kisiah. The job paid nothing, but the recreation department helped out with a little gas money and covered over expenses. Park did it for love. The rec department also provided the lane ropes and other equipment needed for competition. Park aff ectionately referred to the youngest swimmers as "barnacles," because they would swim a while and hold to the side of the pool for a while, swim a while and hold to the side of the pool for a while. That was the eight and under competitors. But some entered races at much younger ages. Karen remembered her son Lucas being recruited at age four. "We were entering a relay in Lenoir and Greg needed one more swimmer in that category. Lucas was only four, but he got in there and swam." Greg said, "The Lenoir pool was so wide, there was no wall to hang onto there." Park's tenure with the team ran 1979-85, but "'83 was our big year. We won the conference. We fi nally beat Lenoir and Granite Falls." Among the many joys of the work were helpers who kept herd over the huge gaggle of kids. They were women like Cathy Elmore, Terry Price, and Tina Sanders, who is now Tina Tarlton. The Parks also had high praise for Chuck Ohmstead who had fi ve children on the team and later worked with the program at East High. Among the swimmers under Park's coaching was Tonya Philbeck Hobbs who became one of the stand out swimmers in the world. WINDSHIELD REPLACEMENT 187 N Powell St., Forest City • 828-245-0923 BILL'S AUTO GLASS SHOP BILL'S AUTO GLASS SHOP WINDSHIELDS WINDOWS MIRRORS WINDOW MOTORS REGULATORS ©Community First Media Community First Media EXPERIENCE DOES MATTER 187 N P ll St F t Cit 828 245 0923 IT'S YOUR CHOICE WHERE YOU HAVE IT'S YOUR CHOICE WHERE YOU HAVE YOUR VEHICLE REPAIRED! YOUR VEHICLE REPAIRED! LOCALLY OWNED FOR 54 YEARS YES WE ARE OPEN ALL INSURANCE COMPANYS ACCEPTED WE WILL HELP FILE YOUR CLAIM SMALL TOWN FRIENDLY, BIG TIME RESULTS ISSUE NO. 29 •July 23, ISSUE NO. 29 •July 23, 2020 • 2020 • RutherfordWeekly.com • 828-248-1408 RutherfordWeekly.com • 828-248-1408 Our 28 th Year IN GOD WE TRUST! IN GOD WE TRUST! T Article by Pat Jobe Article by Pat Jobe N.C. TRACTOR & FARM SUPPLY 299 Railroad Ave., Rutherfordton • 828-288-0395 Mobile: 828-429-5008 • mf1dpshehan@gmail.com SALES • SERVICE • PARTS IF YOU BUY ANYWHERE ELSE YOU WILL PAY TOO MUCH! IF YOU BUY ANYWHERE ELSE YOU WILL PAY TOO MUCH! PROUDLY SERVING RUTHERFORD, CLEVELAND, GASTON, LINCOLN, POLK COUNTIES AS THE AREAS HOMETOWN MASSEY FERGUSON DEALER. Great Selection Great Selection Karen and Greg Park on the lawn of their farm. They met among the swimmers of The Stingrays, Forest City's swim team. earful Tale Turns Tender Avoid the 'quarantine 15' Daily exercise can help people avoid quarantine-related weight gain. Social distancing has led to some surprising and some not so surprising side effects. Many business owners have been pleasantly surprised to learn how smoothly their employees have transitioned to working remotely. The effects of stay-at-home orders have led to some predictable feelings of restlessness and cabin fever. One unforeseen consequence of social distancing noted by many people is the "quarantine 15," a term used to refer to weight gained while under stay-at-home orders. An inability to get out and about coupled with the proximity of kitchen can make it easy for people to gain weight as they observe stay-at-home orders. There are various ways people can avoid gaining weight while social distancing. • Adhere to a routine. The wellness resource UCI Health notes that lack of structure has been a common side effect of social distancing. People should adhere to a routine even if they're working from home or have been laid off or furloughed. A routine with established mealtimes can help people avoid random snacking that can contribute to weight gain. • Drink more water. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics notes that mild dehydration can be mistaken for feelings of hunger. Keep track of how much water you're drinking each day, resolving to drink more if you're not consuming enough. If you're not having any water after your morning cup of coffee, the mid-afternoon urges to eat may be signs of mild dehydration and not hunger. • Make time for exercise. Exercise is essential to maintaining a healthy weight. Social distancing has given many people more free time than they know what to do with. Fill the boredom with exercise, utilizing online tutorials to engage in weight-free exercises if necessary. Go for daily strolls around the neighborhood or, if possible, purchase some home gym equipment. • Set goals. One of the ways to stay the course when beginning a fi tness regimen is to set goals. Whether you're exercising for the fi rst time in years or replacing regular workouts at a fi tness center with exercising at home, set reasonable goals, including how many days a week you hope to exercise and how many pounds, if any, you hope to lose each week. Avoiding such weight gain while adhering to social distancing guidelines can be easier than people may think. Stingray Stories Swim With Simple Joys Of Coaching Story continued on page 11.

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