Jenks Tribune, Digital Issue 72 - December 23, 2020

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23 , 2020

JENKSTRIBUNE.COM

CHRIST MAS ON MAIN STREE T

By Izzy Pankey, Jenks Tribune intern

The Holiday season is in full swing in Jenks, America.

School is out for Winter break, lights fill neighborhood streets, and there has even been snow on the ground.

While this Holiday season looks different in many ways due to COVID-19, there are still happy moments and cheer around every corner that help bring happiness in these strange times.

Jenks Main Street, home to many small local businesses, is a place of consistent holiday cheer this season.

These downtown shops filled their store windows with displays and even decorated just as they do every year.

Jenks Tribune intern Izzy Pankey captured some of the cheerful displays happening locally and even got some pictures of last-minute décor and gifts you can pick up the next time you’re taking your drive down Main Street.

U DIRTY DAWG U Dirty Dawg decorates their front door and roof line to welcome in all your four-legged friends this Winter season.

HENDERSON + CO. Henderson + Co. shows off some holiday décor as well as simple gifts in their display window.

BRIDGES MERCANTILE Bridges Mercantile creates a frosty window with holiday décor for all to see.

MISS MCGILLICUTTY’S ANTIQUES Miss McGillicutty’s Antiques shows off beautiful antique holiday décor in the front of their shop.

RED’S MERCANTILE Red’s Mercantile sets up a holiday photo-op outside their storefront for guests and the community to see.

THE PINK LILY Joy is the perfect word to describe the cozy feelings you get from the holiday display set up outside The Pink Lily.

RIVER CITY TRADING POST One business on Jenks Main Street that represents many other small businesses, is the River City Trading Post. The trading post’s booths and their storefront as well, are dressed up with holiday cheer. The booths have everything from décor, to gift ideas, and a walk down the rows of River City Trading Post, is sure to put you in holiday spirit, as well as have you walking out of the store with one-of-a-kind items. River City’s entrance is decorated to the nine’s with handmade decorations, as well as ones you can purchase and bring into your own home.

807 East A Street Jenks, OK 74037

Call or text us 918-955-8152 Order Online For Delivery Or Curbside!

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JENKS SOF TBALL DONATES $1,500 IN FUNDRAISED MONEY The Jenks High School softball program recently put on a fundraiser selling “World’s Finest Chocolate” candy bars. Following the fundraiser, the players in the Jenks softball program voted to donate the raised funds to the Akdar Shriners to help provide Christmas presents to Shrine patients in the Tulsa area.

The raised funds also helped purchase turkeys for families of the patients.

Junior softball player Dacia Sexton and senior Kylie Hill presented a $1,500 check to Shriners, David Sexton, Rick Posey and Shaun Owens.

Also in the photo is Glenpool Walmart manager Chris Addison. The Glenpool Walmart gave a discount for the turkeys purchased for the Shriners’ patients families. Photo/Courtesy

WOODLAND WEST PE T RESORT SE T TO BREAK GROUND ON 21,000 SQUARE-FOO T EXPANSION The largest Pet Resort in Oklahoma is set to become even bigger with a new 21,000 square-foot building expansion and remodel that will include a new reception area, dog training center, doggy daycare arena, new grooming facility, more luxury boarding suites for dogs and cats, and a senior care center for dogs and cats.

Outside of the building, Woodland West is going to implement more than 25,000 square-feet of artificial turf sporting a doggy daycare water park and additional space for dogs to run and play.

Woodland West sits on an 80-acre campus located just off U.S. Highway 75 and the Jenks Main Street exit.

“We’re excited to start the next chapter of our pet care mission,” said Woodland West Chief Operating Officer Kent Clark. “We know the pets and pet parents of the Tulsa community are going to love all our new features and offerings. This new facility will be one of the best in the entire pet care industry and we’re excited to offer it to the pets of our community.”

Five Ways To Give A Gift Part 3

By Sarah Clavin

For those of us who need the reminder ... Christmas is just around the corner. It will be here in two days to be exact. That means all of you last minute shoppers had better get online or amazon prime and wrap up those Christmas lists! It also means we are in part 3 of the “5 Ways to Give a Gift” series. I hope you’ve found it helpful and insightful so far!

To review, we have covered gift ideas for the people in your life who are: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, and Physical Touch. This week we will wrap up the gift guides with Acts of Service and Gifts.

Acts of Service describes people whose hearts swell at the thought of coming home to dinner on the table with the promise of an empty sink or a foot rub for dessert. If this sounds like you, you feel most loved when people do things for you, not just with you or to you. It means that, for you, actions truly speak louder than words.

For the person with an acts of service love language, completing the task well is just as important as the task itself. At its core, this language is about demonstrations of love. If someone can recognize all that you do on your own and wants to step in to help make your life a little easier, that to you, is real love. Their actions are actually less about the deed itself and more about showing you that they are on your team.

Sometimes, however, without proper communication, this love language can get a bad rap. These people can appear to be nagging and demanding.

Since we can’t read their minds, Acts of Service people often need to communicate clearly what they need done and how they want it done, in order to feel most loved. Once you promise them something, forgetting or going back on your word can add stress and be seen as a lack of appreciation.

Here is your Gift Guide for the Acts of Service person in your life: -Breakfast in bed -Coupon for dinner on you (so they don't have to cook!) one night -Gift card for mobile car detailer -Robot Vacuum -Gift Certificate for a monthly cleaning service -Automated Coffee Pot/Nespresso/ Keurig -Gift Certificate for a local Home Organizer -Remote start for their car -Help them take down their Christmas decorations -Book a sitter for them to have a night out -Make and take them their favorite holiday treat The final (and perhaps the easiest) love language to cover is Receiving Gifts. This one is exactly as it sounds; the individuals who identify with Receiving Gifts see gifts as a symbol of someone's love and therefore crave thoughtful and meaningful presents.

Of all the love languages, the act of gift giving is arguably the most misconstrued. To some, it can appear greedy or as if the recipient is fixated on things. That’s not necessarily the case. No matter how big or small, the gift itself is a symbol for “ I was thinking about you when I saw this.

You were on my mind.” They don’t have to be big purchases, and they don’t have to be all the time. They are simply little reminders that you were thinking of that person and the tangible evidence to prove it.

In the case of someone who speaks gifts as their love language, not getting them a gift on an anniversary or special occasion would be acutely hurtful to them, as would approaching the gift-giving as more a chore than an opportunity. Similarly, for these people, a thoughtless gift is worse than no gift at all.

-Create a memory book of things from your relationship; movie stubs, concert tickets, boarding passes, pictures -Subscribe to Chatbooks for them -Curated piece of art for their home -Piece of jewelry from their favorite jewelry store Remember, for these people, it’s truly the thought that counts! Over the years, receiving gifts has become my primary love language (a close tie with Words of Affirmation).

Truthfully though, I enjoy giving gifts just as much (if not more!) than receiving them. I see this played out at Christmas time in full force. Every December some of the girls in my office put together a Secret Santa gift exchange. Let’s be honest here, I advocate heavily for this activity yearly!

Anyways, we draw a name and over a 4-week time period we get to secretly buy for someone in the office. It is one of my favorite times of the year when we intentionally focus on what someone else likes, surprising them with something little and thoughtful each week. If there wasn’t a spending limit I would probably go crazy with it because it makes my heart burst with joy to see them find their gift, open it up, and know that their secret Santa had purposefully purchased that JUST for them, that they were on my mind with each item placed in the bag.

As we finalize our purchases, wrap and give our gifts this season, I hope we remember why we give gifts at all. Thousands of years ago we were gifted hope, forgiveness and love.

Much like many of us today, we didn't deserve it, we didn't earn it, it was free.

A gift given out of unconditional love.

So today, we continue the tradition and give to others as a symbol of God giving his son Jesus for us.

Here is your Gift Guide for the Receiving Gifts Person in your life: -A Christmas bouquet for their dining room table -Gift certificate to a place they’ve been wanting to try -Goodie basket of their favorite treats -Secret Santa or 12 Days of Christmas gifts -Bring their favorite coffee by work one morning -Mail them a card each month -Make them a hat/pillow/blanket/ coffee mug

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CHRIST MAS ON MAIN STREE T Photos by Izzy Pankey

CHRIST MAS ON MAIN STREE T Photos by Izzy Pankey

RIGGS REFLEC TS ON 2020 SEASON, STATE CHAMPIONSHIP RUN

By Kyle Salomon

Jenks head football coach Keith Riggs captured his first 6A-1 state title as the head man for the Trojans Dec. 5 when his team beat Edmond Santa Fe 41-14 in the 6A-1 state championship game.

However, Riggs was not able to be with his players and assistant coaches to celebrate the 17th gold ball in school history.

Early in the game, Riggs had to leave because of a migraine and was taken to a nearby hospital to get checked out. The migraine would force the Jenks football coach to stay down for the next couple of days before returning to work and getting the chance to finally celebrate with his team.

The following Wednesday, following a photo shoot with the newly acquired 6A-1 gold ball, several Jenks football seniors surprised Riggs with the Gatorade bath he had earned in 2020.

Riggs then gathered his team and gave an emotional speech giving his players the credit for their accomplishment.

A little more than a week following the 6A-1 state championship, Riggs shared his thoughts on the state title game and the entire 2020 season.

“Certainly, my preference would have been to be a part of the celebration after the game. Ultimately, that is not what it was about. Our goal was to win the last game and that is the most important thing. The feeling of knowing we helped them accomplish that and achieve that goal with all the things they did and all the things they put into accomplishing that is better than any celebration we could have had.”

Riggs said his team’s preparation in the postseason and the entire 2020 season was at an elite level. “Sometimes kids can fool you. You come out of a week thinking things went well or the opposite, you walk away thinking we didn’t have a good week and the kids come out and play great. This year, especially through the playoffs, we had great weeks of preparation, almost to the point you start to wonder, am I missing something?

Did I overlook something? Every week, they prepared so well through the playoff run and that is a testament to them and their maturity and the leadership we had on the team. The championship week was no different, even after a really big win against Owasso, they came out and did a great job preparing for Edmond Santa Fe.” The Trojan coach said his players and his coaches handled the adversity 2020 threw their way as well as they could have.

“Looking back on it, the things we were able to overcome, you always have some adversity in every season, you have some injuries, you have some games that don’t go like you planned, but all the added adversity that came along with playing in a pandemic and having kids quarantined and your roster kind of being a revolving door from week-to-week. You never really knew who you were going to have or when you might get the call that a player has to go to quarantine for 14 days. Through all those things, our kids never blinked an eye, they did just what we asked. They focused on the things we could control, which is our preparation and our performance, and I think that is the best part of it all, how the kids and our coaches handled it. Through all that, we were able to come out and to finish the way we did is awesome.”

In 2018, Jenks came up just short against Broken Arrow in the state championship game and again in 2019 against Owasso.

Riggs said that could have been added motivation for his team in 2020.

“I think there is something to be said for our seniors and even our juniors who went through last season and the adversity we faced at the beginning of the year and then coming so close and falling short. They were determined to not let that happen again. Perhaps, that had some play in their preparation and their performance during those games, but they were playing at such a high level. Even when our opponents would have a little success, like when Owasso got within two touchdowns in the second half, the momentum could have easily started to swing their way and our kids answered. In the championship game with the opening kickoff, our kids immediately stepped out there and answered. I think the determination they had through the whole season was impressive.”

Riggs won his first state championship as the head coach of the Trojans, but he is most excited for the players. “I don’t think of it in personal terms. You hate it for the kids when you fall short. A lot of teams would be ecstatic to make it to the championship game, but our expectations are just higher here, and I love that about this program and this school. It doesn’t matter who has graduated or how old or young we are as a team, or how talented we are, our expectation is for excellence to be the best.

You hate it when a group gets that close and just falls short. It’s a lot of work to be a part of our football program and our kids every year buy in to what we do and what we ask them to do.

It's satisfying to see that come to fruition for this group. We wish it could have happened for all three groups. I am just excited for our kids, especially for our seniors to be able to go out on top.”

Riggs said Jenks isn’t always the most talented team every time they take the field, but there are other, more important ingredients to winning football games than having the best talent.

“It’s hard to quantify. There have been a lot of talented teams come through here. Sometimes Jenks was the most talented team on the field and sometimes they weren’t. It takes talent no matter what. You need to have talented football players, but if you rely solely on talent to win football games, you are going to lose some football games. All the things that go into being a great football program, regardless of talent level, are things like the support you get from your booster club, the parents, the school, the community and the commitment of your kids and your coaches. The expectations are a big part of that.

The culture you develop needs to be made up of ultimate team football players. They can’t care who gets the credit or who got the glory or who got the newspaper clippings, you have to do whatever it takes. There is a book I have from a high school coach in Texas called, “Culture Defeats Strategy”, and that goes toward talent as well. You have to have those things in place so collectively as a team, you play at a higher level than what your individual talent can take you too.”

JENKS TO HOST ‘FESTIVAL OF CHAMPIONS’ BASKE TBALL EVENT DEC. 28-29

By Kyle Salomon Jenks Public Schools Athletic Department announced Wednesday it will host the “Festival of Champions” basketball event Dec. 28-29 in place of the “Tournament of Champions”, which was canceled last week due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The annual “Tournament of Champions” holiday basketball event is typically hosted by Tulsa Public Schools, but due to the rise in COVID-19 numbers in Tulsa County, tournament officials made the decision to cancel the event in 2020.

Six teams will participate in the “Festival of Champions” event with three games being played on Dec. 28 and three more on Dec. 29. All the games will be played at the Frank Herald Fieldhouse at Jenks High School with each team playing two games.

On Dec. 28, Tulsa Webster will take on Minco at noon, Tulsa Memorial will take on Beggs at 3 p.m. and Jenks will take on Putnam City North at 6 p.m. in the night cap.

On Dec. 29, Tulsa Webster will take on Beggs at noon, Jenks will take on Minco at 3 p.m. and Tulsa Memorial will take on Putnam City North at 6 p.m. in the event finale.

Due to COVID-19 and with guidance from the CDC, Frank Herald Fieldhouse will operate at 25% capacity. The City of Jenks and Jenks Public Schools have mandatory mask mandates in place and masks must be on at all times.

All patrons are asked to exercise social distancing and leave at least two seats between family groupings. Some seating areas will be marked unavailable.

WREST LING TAKES ON OWASSO IN FIRST DUAL OF SEASON

The Jenks wrestling team opened the 2020-2021 season Dec. 15 with a home dual against Owasso. The Trojans fell 63-9 to the Rams. Photos/Izzy Pankey, Jenks Tribune Intern

WINTER SPORTS SCHEDULES 2020-2021 BOYS BASKE TBALL January 5 – vs. Muskogee 8 p.m.

January 12 – at Broken Arrow 8 p.m.

January 15 – vs. Booker T. Washington 8 p.m.

January 21 – Jenks/Union Tournament TBA January 22 – Jenks/Union Tournament TBA January 23 – Jenks/Union Tournament TBA January 26 – at Sand Springs 8 p.m.

January 29 – at Sapulpa 8 p.m.

February 2 – vs. Union 8 p.m.

February 6 – vs. Webster 8 p.m.

February 9 – vs. Owasso 8 p.m.

February 12 – at Muskogee 8 p.m.

February 16 – vs. Broken Arrow 8 p.m.

February 26 – Regional Tournament TBA February 27 – Regional Tournament TBA March 5 – Area Tournament TBA March 6 – Area Tournament TBA March 11 – State Tournament TBA March 12 – State Tournament TBA March 13 – State Tournament TBA GIRLS BASKE TBALL January 5 – vs. Muskogee 6:30 p.m.

January 12 – at Broken Arrow 6:30 p.m.

January 15 – vs. Booker T. Washington 6:30 p.m.

January 21 – Jenks/Union Tournament TBA January 22 – Jenks/Union Tournament TBA January 23 – Jenks/Union Tournament TBA January 26 – at Sand Springs 6:30 p.m.

January 29 – at Sapulpa 6:30 p.m.

February 2 – vs. Union 6:30 p.m.

February 6 – vs. Webster 6:30 p.m.

February 9 – vs. Owasso 6:30 p.m.

February 12 – at Muskogee 6:30 p.m.

February 16 – vs. Broken Arrow 6:30 p.m.

February 25 – Regional Tournament TBA February 27 – Regional Tournament TBA March 4 – Area Tournament TBA March 6 – Area Tournament TBA March 11 – State Tournament TBA March 12 – State Tournament TBA March 13 – State Tournament TBA SWIMMING AND DIVING January 5 – vs. Bishop Kelley and Owasso 5:30 p.m.

January 12 – Frontier Conference Meet 5:30 p.m.

January 22 – Jenks Invitational 12 p.m.

February 5 – Regional Swim Meet 10 a.m.

February 19 – State Preliminaries 10 a.m.

February 20 – State Finals 10 a.m.

WREST LING December 30 – at Glenpool Tournament 11 a.m.

December 31 – at Glenpool Tournament 11 a.m.

January 5 – at Sand Springs 7 p.m.

January 8 – Larry Wilkey Tournament 10 a.m.

January 9 – Larry Wilkey Tournament 10 a.m.

January 12 – vs. Glenpool 7 p.m.

January 15 – at Sand Springs/Sapulpa Tournament 10 a.m.

January 16 – at Sand Springs/Sapulpa Tournament 10 a.m.

January 25 – vs. Muskogee 7 p.m.

January 19 – District Duals at Union 5 p.m.

January 29 – at Pryor Tournament 10 a.m.

January 30 – at Pryor Tournament 10 a.m.

February 2 – at Bixby 7 p.m.