Avon Magazine February 2023

For advertising information, contact:

PUBLISHER

DARREN BOSTON darren@townepost.com 317.716.8812

TOWNE POST NETWORK, INC.

FOUNDER/CEO

TOM BRITT tom@townepost.com 317.496.3599

PRESIDENT

JEANNE BRITT jeanne@townepost.com 317.810.0011

TOWNE POST NETWORK, INC.

8800 North Street, Suite 117 Fishers, IN 46038 Phone/Text: 317-810-0011

#SPOTLIGHTINGLOCAL

FOR FRANCHISE INFORMATION, VISIT franchising.townepost.com

In real life, Eli Neal is anything but creepy, kooky, mysterious, spooky or ooky. But once the lights go down and he takes the stage as Pugsley Addams, Neal embraces the part — and brings down the house.

This Avon Middle School North student earned a title role in the production

of “The Addams Family,” which ran this past fall at Beef & Boards.

An accomplished actor, Neal isn’t letting his demanding theatrical gig keep him from giving his all to his academic and extracurricular commitments at school. “Eli is a terrific student at North and has a fantastic personality,” says Matt Hines, AMS North principal. “This is a great opportunity for a great kid!”

We recently had a chance to talk with the talented student about his love of acting. What got you interested in acting?

“I started acting through the Biz Theatrical Productions in Avon. I took a few theater and acting classes there and I really enjoyed the friendly and fun environment. My first show was “Bye Bye Birdie” at the Biz and that’s when I fell in love with theater. Since then, I have performed in 17 shows with six theatre

Writer / ACSC

Photography Provided by Julie Curry/Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre

“This role has really been a fantastic experience. Pugsley is a mischievous character and I enjoy bringing out his emotions and devotion to his family. I love “The Addams Family” and playing Pugsley has been so much fun. I have learned so many things from these actors and directors. I love everyone I have performed with.”

Eli Neal

When you’re not acting, what other activities do you enjoy?

“I am a candidate for Eagle Scout with Troop 392 in Avon. I am my scout troop’s senior patrol leader and I love leading my troop to help our community. I am also the president of the AMS North chapter of National Junior Honor Society. While I’m not doing those things, I enjoy golfing, swimming, and writing with my friends.”

Is there anything else you’d like us to know?

“I have been fortunate to be supported by so many people who work in the fine arts department in the Avon School Corporation and community: Mr. Jones, Ms. Brown, Mr. Emtiaz, Mr. Zimmerman, Mrs. Gregory, Jeff and Alex Van Paris, Eddie Curry, Allison Williamson and Emily Ristine Holloway.”

We’re so excited that Eli had this opportunity to shine under the bright lights on one of the biggest stages in central Indiana. While you have the chance, you really ought to see ‘em; he really is a scream! Break a leg, Eli!

Taste the Difference

IT’S ABOUT MORE THAN FLAVOR AT SCHAKOLAD CHOCOLATE FACTORY

Writer / Jamie Hergott Photographer / Amy Payne

Owner, Ali Dixon

The team at Schakolad Chocolate Factory in Plainfield just celebrated their fifth anniversary in December. Owner and Avon resident Ali Dixon says the shop began as a way to make her dream come to life, and to cover college costs. However, her journey and focus has changed as a result of a cancer diagnosis and the COVID pandemic.

But she wouldn’t trade her journey for anything.

“I got this little chocolate store for a reason,” Dixon says. “Now I know why.”

Schakolad Chocolate Factory is a custom retail chocolate boutique that carries an array of chocolate novelties, assorted chocolates, and gelato. They even have chocolate-covered strawberries and caramel apples year-round.

Dixon originally wanted to have her own sweets shop because of her family’s history with candy and chocolate. All the women in her family have been creative, making everything from crafts to hard candy to chocolates, molds and cordials.

Dixon has a distinctly fond memory of when she was about 8 years old. Her family was in the kitchen making naughty molds, and chocolate truffles with alcohol. Dixon was shooed out at her young age to prevent her from seeing or trying them, but she laughs at the memory.

Dixon’s husband is a race-car driver, and they settled in Avon after they got married to start their family. After their children grew, Dixon began the search for something she could pour her time and energy into. She started exploring sweetshop options, and she landed on the Schakolad franchise because she knew it would allow her to be creative and make her own items, along with the signature Schakolad items. After attending chocolate school in Florida with her son, they opened Schakolad five years ago at the Shops at Perry Crossing.

Dixon loves what she does because of the

people she gets to meet, the stories she gets to hear and the confections she gets to dream up.

“People come in, we meet and talk, and they share their stories,” Dixon says. “Even when my cancer ordeal came up, it continued through emails and cards in the mail from customers.”

Dixon became more aware of others’ stories when her own took a drastic turn in January of 2020. That month, Dixon found a lump in her breast. She didn’t think much of it, and she put off getting it checked out because of the holidays and the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I don’t recommend putting things like this off to anyone,” Dixon says.

When COVID-19 hit that March, any thoughts of doctor’s appointments fell by the wayside as Dixon and her family worked to keep Schakolad afloat. Even when the world was shut down, chocolate was deemed essential by the local health department, so Dixon kept her shop open, working around the clock offering curbside service and making free deliveries all over Indianapolis. As hard as it was, she has fond memories of working those long hours with her teenage daughter, Alanna.

Mother’s Day, Easter and graduations kept her busy through the spring, but Dixon finally went to get checked out in July, and she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was immediately put on a plan of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Every time she underwent chemotherapy, she told herself that it wasn’t trying to kill her - it was trying to save her.

“I met so many women in this process who helped me,” Dixon says. “They told me to drink a gallon of water a day, and to use mouthwash to prevent the sores

in my mouth from chemo. I did all the things these women told me to do, and it lessened the effects. I didn’t feel too bad through it.”

Soon, however, her levels dropped and her doctor told her she couldn’t be around anyone. Her body would struggle to fight off even the common cold. She took the midnight shift at Schakolad with her mother, Brenda, and her sister, Andrea. Together they restocked the shelves each night in time for the store to open in the morning, and Dixon’s husband, Larry, did full-time delivery for her.

“We’d mask up, and we’d be there remaking everything through the night, even during chemo,” Dixon says. “I’d drive home at 6:50, grab my son, drive him to school, and sleep all day like most people with chemo do. We really had fun. It’s such a good memory. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

A local woman posted on county social media pages about Dixon’s condition, and local people turned out to support Schakolad during the last months of 2020. The shelves were empty each night. She was incredibly grateful for how the community came together to support her and her business during a dark time.

Her daughter’s Brownsburg soccer team made Dixon a shirt to wear while their

crosstown rival team, Avon, wore shirts with her name on them just before the playoffs.

With an exploding customer base and stellar staff, Dixon credits others with helping her business and life thrive.

“I’ve heard people say teens are lazy and entitled today,” Dixon says. “My kids in my store hit home run after home run after home run. They did the shopping, the organizing, and their work ethic is so good. My team is fantastic.”

One of the biggest parts of her team is her family. Her husband and dad work behind the scenes to get the store up and running, taking care of handyman items, and both her parents are fulltime taste testers. Dixon’s oldest son, Donovan, helps to cover shifts, do the store’s grocery shopping and handle bank deposits.

“I’m just sitting here and smiling about it all,” Dixon says. “I have so much to be thankful for.”

She says her cancer journey has changed her focus and trajectory completely. She was very hands-on during her first two years, and as such wasn’t able to seize the opportunities she’s seeing now to serve her community and give back.

“I want to give hope to people,” Dixon says. “I want to share the stories that make you breathe easier, like the people who are decades out from their cancer diagnosis, loving their families, running marathons, living life.”

Now she views her shop as more than a business. It’s a place to bring people together and give back. The shop itself is different than other businesses because, as Dixon puts it, it’s a happy place.

“My parents ran a health club when I was

growing up,” Dixon says. “People would walk in there thinking, ‘Now I have to work out,’ but they walk in here and they come in happy.”

It’s a family affair, as all of Dixon’s children have worked in the store as well as her mother and sister. Her family and staff all help come up with ideas for new products. She describes a recent afternoon when her 16-year-old son, Luke, asked her for peanut butter fudge. As most moms do, she obliged, and as she was making it, Luke said, “I wonder what it would taste like if you used brown sugar.” She did, and the final product was so delicious, she texted him at school to tell him it tasted just like caramel fudge. “I think that’s why people like our store,” Dixon says. “We make 90% of what’s in here. We come up with it, we try it and we get creative.”

One staff member who is allergic to pecans began making turtles with cashews. Now they’re sold regularly in the case along with other gluten- and dairy-free items.

& Flu Season is already In full force and has been for a few months. Try these immune boosters at the 1st sign of illness or if already sick,

“I’m a ‘yes’ girl,” Dixon says. “I’ve had people ask me to dip pickles in chocolate, and jalapeños. We try a lot of things.”

Her kettles are constantly tempering chocolate so it’s at the perfect temperature for dipping and creating. This means that it’s heated to a very hot temperature, then chilled to shock it so the fats separate from the cocoa, then returned to a normal temperature. Others have tried unsuccessfully to recreate her chocolate.

“That chocolate is tempered every day to keep it happy,” Dixon says.

“Cancer has totally changed my path, and I’m lucky enough to have been shown why I’m on it and what I need to do,” she adds. “What a gift that is.”

Schakolad Chocolate Factory is located at 351 Marketplace Mile, Unit 160 in Plainfield. For more info, call 317-8380830 or visit schakolad.com.

ONE YOU. ONE HEART.

HEART CARE

That’s Personal

There’s only one you. And your spouse, sisters, brothers, coworkers, friends, children and neighbors… they all know it. That one heart you’ve got is loved by a lot of people.

That’s why we’re here to help. Don’t let heart disease get in the way of you being you. Discover our personalized approach to diagnose, treat and manage various heart conditions with a nationally renowned team of cardiovascular experts across Indiana.

FranciscanHealth.org/HeartCare

Survivor, Candy Beaver

A LIFE-CHANGING MISSION

LOCAL MAN ADVOCATES EASING THE FINANCIAL TRAUMA FOR CANCER PATIENTS

Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing Photography Provided by Andy Janning

Nearly four years ago, when Andy Janning’s wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, the family was forced to walk through the emotional, physical and financial trauma of cancer. Soon after, Janning was given the opportunity by the National Credit Union Foundation to produce a documentary about the financial crisis of cancer in America and how financial institutions, especially credit unions, can do something to ease that financial trauma. The project became a seven-part documentary called “Side Effects.”

“My eyes have been opened,” Janning says, noting that nearly half of all Americans will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives. Additionally, most people diagnosed with cancer will be financially devastated by the diagnosis. “These cancer patients are already feeling the consequences of cancer every day because the disease is actively killing them. Financial institutions shouldn’t be doing the same thing,” he says.

While making the documentary, Janning met amazing people with moving stories. One was a woman named Elizabeth, who was diagnosed with terminal colon

cancer at age 42. When her credit union learned of the financial trauma she had been experiencing because of her terminal diagnosis, the credit union paid off the credit cards and car loan that she had with the organization. That financial relief helped ease her mental and physical strain so that she could hang on long enough to see the birth of her first grandchild before she passed away.

“That act of financial mercy got me thinking, ‘What if this wasn’t just one member and one credit union one time?’” Janning says. “What if this was something that financial institutions did for every member and every

customer with terminal cancer?”

Janning began advocating for terminal cancer patients, trying to convince banks, credit unions, credit card companies and mortgage lenders to cancel the debt they hold for their customers and members with terminal cancer.

COVID-19 provided insight into what can happen when a financial crisis meets a health crisis. During the pandemic, the financial industry moved quickly to provide payment relief, payment pauses and other interventions for people who were devastated by the coronavirus.

“Even though that pandemic has slowed, cancer—the original pandemic—hasn’t,” Janning says. “The stuff the financial institutions did for folks during the pandemic should continue for cancer patients because that pandemic never ends.”

More recently, Janning expanded his mission to encourage financial institutions to pause any loan payments for 12 months for any member or customer who is in active treatment for cancer.

Janning gives many keynote presentations around the country where he shares his message with financial institutions. Their reactions are usually that they like the idea but don’t see its feasibility.

“How do you untangle the legal, regulatory and procedural habits that bind financial institutions to saying, ‘This is the way we’ve always done it?’” Janning says. “But if you’re putting more creativity into defending your regulations and procedures at the expense of the people you say you’re there to serve,

Indiana’s leader in heart care

Appointments available with doctors who listen

Are you out of breath when climbing stairs? Or have you noticed a heart flutter? Start a conversation with a cardiologist at Ascension St. Vincent about your heart health, or to get a personalized care plan or second opinion. From screenings to advanced heart care, including minimally invasive surgery, or help managing a chronic condition, choose leading heart care with locations across Indiana.

• Top cardiologists and care teams caring for more hearts than any other health system in Indiana

• Indiana’s most comprehensive valve and structural heart program, offering the least invasive surgical options

• The largest heart transplant program and cardiac surgery program in the state

• Cardiovascular specialists who are part of a national team of heart care doctors

Schedule an appointment at ascension.org/StVincentHeart

© Ascension 2023. All rights reserved.

Elizabeth & Remington

Matt, diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma

then that dissonance has to be called out because it’s costing people their financial, economic and physical livelihood.”

Financial institutions are not known for, nor should they be known for, engaging in risky flights of fancy.

“I can watch CFOs age a decade in front of me when I suggest they pause loan payments or cancel debt for people with terminal cancer,” Janning says. “But I say, let’s dive into the numbers instead of reflexively recoiling from something that threatens your status quo.”

Janning is currently in talks with a financial institution based in a southern state to pilot this concept of cancelling debt for their customers with terminal cancer to determine the financial and procedural cost of doing so.

“I’m trying to show that if one organization does it, everyone else will follow,” Janning says, who likens the process to a middle school dance.

“Everyone’s hanging around the dance floor, but no one wants to go out and break the ice,” he says. “I’m trying to pull the first institution to the middle of the dance floor to show this is something they can afford to do.”

The CEO Janning is working with lost both her husband and her daughter to brain cancer, so she’s seen the disease’s

devastation up close. Others have a harder time getting on board.

People often ask Janning, “Why just cancer? Why can’t you push to financially help people with other diseases?”

The answer is simple, says. “Cancer is arguably the most expensive chronic disease to treat in this country. Just by sheer tonnage, the overall cost to treat cancer exceeds the cost to treat heart disease, stroke, diabetes, epilepsy and arthritis combined.”

“When your house is on fire, you’re not going to wonder if someone should come help you. You send the fire department to extinguish the fire,” Janning says. “A cancer diagnosis is a house fire. We need to have as many people as possible to help put this fire out.”

“Imagine the look on a cancer patient’s face who is going through the worst season of their life when they are told their debts are forgiven—don’t worry about paying us back for a year.” Janning says. “Those words are life changing.”

Lisa, a 55-year-old woman battling terminal ovarian cancer, had her $14,000 auto loan forgiven six weeks before she passed away because of Janning’s lobbying with her bank.

“I would’ve loved to have been able to tell her that they stepped up and made this sacrifice for her,” Janning says. “I see the pain of people going through this. I see their tears. I know how badly this hurts them. I also know the direct correlation between financial stress and physical and emotional health.”

According to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, cancer patients are more than twice as likely to file for bankruptcy after they’ve been diagnosed. Some cancer patients create a GoFundMe, but most

crowdfunding fails as people don’t even get a quarter of what they need to pay their medical bills.

“I think it’s criminal that we live in the richest country in the world, yet we have people shaking a digital cup on a digital street corner to beg people to pay to help them stay alive,” Janning says. “That shouldn’t happen.”

Last fall, RockStar Pizza in Brownsburg held a fundraiser where it donated 30% of a day’s profits to Matt and Lindsey, local residents of Brownsburg. Matt had been diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma.

“If a local pizza place is more generous than a financial institution, then we’ve got some real work to do in our country,” Janning says, who notes that 60% of cancer patients must return to work following a cancer diagnosis. They can’t go on disability because of the financial need that cancer causes.

Janning has a small group of organizations who are willing to pilot this to see its potential, but efforts are slow.

“To be fair, I have lots of organizations who have said they’re interested, but there are legal and regulatory hurdles for them to overcome. I get that, but this is a matter of will,” Janning says.

“It’s also a matter of courage to ask, ‘Who are we willing to fight for more?’ I’m trying to advocate inside the industry that holds the keys to transform people’s lives.” If you would like to support Janning in his mission, you can visit andyjanning.com

FIVE WAYS TO CELEBRATE VALENTINE’S DAY

Writer / Aimee MacArthur Photography Provided

While some may think of Valentine’s Day as a commercial holiday, I see it as a sweet day of celebration. I’ve loved the holiday since I was a kid, decked out in red, heart-shaped jewelry and indulging in plenty of Valentine’s treats. I admit it - I live for a holiday.

Valentine’s Day reminds me that spring and warmer weather isn’t too far away. I get the opportunity to celebrate those who bring joy to my life. It might be my family, friends or even a trusted neighbor. I’ve enjoyed so many kinds of Valentine’s Days over the years - a romantic dinner, an evening out with friends or a night bowling with family. There wasn’t a bad time since I spent it with the people I care about. A beautiful bouquet of flowers and dinner is always a special treat, but celebrating Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to break your budget. A simple gesture like a thoughtful, handwritten note is always appreciated. Don’t forget the ones you love on this special day. I’ve got a few fun and different ideas for you to celebrate those closest to you. Here are five ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

GIVE SPORTS A SHOT

What’s more fun than cheering on a sports team? I am a fan of attending a basketball game on Valentine’s Day. I enjoy sitting in the stands, screaming with the other fans and discussing the referee calls with my friends. We even do a little trash talk and make a few friendly wagers. Don’t forget the soda, popcorn and other treats from the concession stand. If basketball isn’t your sport, try attending a hockey game. My cousin and her family are devoted hockey fans, and always cheer on their local hockey team and dine at their favorite pizza restaurant after the game.

BE A GOOD NEIGHBORPAY IT FORWARD

One of my neighbors always makes sure to check in with other neighbors, especially an elderly neighbor, and even leaves sweet notes and candy in mailboxes every Valentine’s Day for a handful of us neighbors. I plan to do the same for my neighbors this year. I will leave a note thanking them for being great neighbors, with a bag of Valentine’s treats like

conversation hearts, cinnamon candy hearts and chocolate. I also plan to include a small gift card from a local coffee shop. I don’t mind treating my favorite neighbors to candy and coffee.

GRAND GAMES

I’m a fan of a game of healthy competition every now and then. I spent previous Valentine’s Days with a group of friends, bowling, playing pool and enjoying a few games of darts. My family and I also like to

MAKE A SPECIAL MEAL AT HOME

Whether it’s casual or fancy, a homecooked meal hits the spot and feeds the soul. I believe food always tastes better when someone else does the cooking. I like to make cheese fondue with all the fixings, like slices of apples, carrots, grapes and pieces of warm French bread. A friend of mine and her kids have a pizza night complete with individual heart-shaped pizzas. They also make heart-shaped Rice Krispies treats topped with rainbow sprinkles. My aunt and uncle like to make their day extra special and splurge on Valentine’s Day dinner at home, by enjoying king crab legs dipped in butter with a pair of juicy steaks. A Valentine’s Day meal doesn’t have to be dinner. You can make breakfast for the family. My brother enjoys making heartshaped banana pancakes for the kids, and bacon cooked in an air fryer. Don’t forget your pets. This year I plan to pick up a cupcake from a dog bakery for my miniature poodle, Louis. I want to make sure everyone in the family feels special, including my dog.

attend a local trivia game. This year we might visit the golf range, which is open year-round, and work on our swings while we enjoy appetizers and drinks. If you want to play games at home, no worries. I’ve got a great idea for you. My aunt hosts a fun-filled Valentine’s Day game night, and guests feast on my aunt’s famous homemade lasagna and garlic bread while they play games like Bunco, Hearts and Scattergories. If it isn’t too cold outside, guests will venture out in

PRACTICALLY PERFECT

I’m a fan of practical gifts and I don’t think there’s anything sweeter than taking care of an otherwise mundane or time-consuming errand for a significant other or spouse. Get an oil change for the car, plus a car wash and detailing. Leave a sweet note in the cupholder and arrange for a meal at home or dinner at your favorite restaurant. My friend’s husband arranges for the house to be cleaned on Valentine’s Day, and a day at a spa for his wife. My friend says getting a massage and manicure at a spa and then coming home to a clean house is the greatest Valentine’s Day gift. You don’t have to spend a lot of money. My neighbor’s husband completes a to-do list. He hangs up pictures, steam cleans the carpets and straightens up the garage. It doesn’t cost much, and the hard work and thoughtfulness doesn’t go unnoticed.

HEART ATTACKS

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Cardiologist

A heart attack, called acute myocardial infarction, occurs when an area of the heart muscle does not receive enough blood flow and stops functioning. Blood flow stops because plaque, a waxy-like substance of cholesterol deposits, builds up in the artery and then ruptures, causing an occlusion. A heart attack can threaten one’s life and requires immediate medical attention.

SIGNS OF A HEART ATTACK

Signs of a heart attack can differ. Symptoms tend to be abrupt and last more than a few minutes or may go away, then come back. Most people experience chest pain and/or pain in the arms, shoulders, neck, jaw or top of the stomach. Shortness of breath may also be a symptom, with or without chest pain. Other signs may be nausea, dizziness or fatigue. According to the American Heart Association, women most commonly experience symptoms of chest pain, but

are somewhat more likely to experience other symptoms like shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting as well as back or jaw pain.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU OR SOMEONE ELSE SHOWS SIGNS OF A HEART ATTACK

If you or a loved one is experiencing a heart attack, call 911 immediately. Do not drive to the hospital. Emergency personnel can begin lifesaving care in the back of the ambulance and ensure quicker treatment at the hospital.

TREATMENT FOR A HEART ATTACK

The longer it takes for the heart muscle to receive blood flow, the more that area of heart muscle is at risk of dying, decreasing heart function. Once a heart attack occurs, a physician must clear the plaque causing the attack as quickly as possible to restore blood flow.

Your physician will offer comprehensive heart attack care from treatment through

recovery. There are multiple treatment options that involve medications and procedure-based therapies. Angioplasty is a catheter-based therapy used to reopen the artery to allow blood flow to the heart. Physicians do this by making a small incision in the groin or gain access by using the artery in the wrist or arm, then guiding a deflated balloon through the arteries to the blocked area. Once in place, they will inflate the balloon, allowing blood flow to return to the heart. Stent placement uses a similar technique to deploy a mesh wire tube into the artery to keep it open.

Doctors may sometimes recommend coronary artery bypass surgery for severe blockages when multiple vessels are involved or depending on the location of the narrowed arteries. The surgeon will graft a new vein or artery into your heart vessels to allow blood to divert around the blockage. Following a heart attack, your physician prescribes medications to prevent future heart attacks and improve your heart health.

Writer/ Dr. Omar Batal,

at IU Health West Hospital Photography Provided

SAMUEL LEAHY SWORN IN AS CHIEF OF AVON SCHOOL POLICE DEPARTMENT

Avon Community School Corporation has hired Samuel Leahy to serve as chief of the Avon School Police Department. The Avon Board of School Trustees approved the recommendation to hire Leahy after he completed an extensive interview process, in which Avon Police Department leaders played a critical role alongside district leaders. Hendricks County Superior Court Judge Rhett Stuard was present to swear in Chief Leahy.

“I am excited to welcome Chief Leahy to Avon Schools,” said Superintendent Dr. Scott Wyndham. “Chief Leahy comes to us not only as an exceptional law enforcement officer, but as a school resource officer (SRO) who has built a reputation for caring deeply for, and working effectively with, students. He is going to be an excellent addition to the Avon School Police Department.”

Writer / Kevin Carr Photography Provided

Chief Leahy & wife Amanda

Leahy began serving in law enforcement in 2011. He has been an SRO in the Brownsburg Community School Corporation since 2014. He brings his experience, knowledge of best practices in school safety, extensive work in deescalation, and track record of building effective working relationships with students, staff and administrators.

Leahy joins his wife, Amanda, a longtime math teacher at Avon High School, as an employee of Avon schools. Leahy began his duties in December.

Leahy being sworn in by Hendricks County Superior Court Judge Rhett Stuard

TAKING IT TO THE MAT

Lauren Rioux Finds Success as Avon Middle School South Wrestling Coach Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing Photographer /

Amy Payne

Lauren & Sons

When Lauren Rioux’s oldest son, Raymond, was in kindergarten, he came home with a flyer that invited kids to try out for the Avon Wrestling Club. Right from the start, he was all in.

“He thought he was going to go wrestle with the WWF,” Rioux says with a chuckle. “We had to have a little talk so that he understood that, no, he would not be jumping off ropes in a ring.” Despite the lack of dramatics, Raymond fell in love with the sport, as did each of her other four sons. Raymond was 5 when he started wrestling. Luke and Nathan were 4, Sam was 3 and Miles was 2.

“Our family is a little extreme,” says Rioux, who works full time as the office manager at BGW Construction.

Now Raymond is 21, Luke is 16, Nathan

is 15, Sam is 12, Miles is 5, and wrestling continues to take center stage for the entire Rioux family - including mom.

Last year Avon Middle School South didn’t have a wrestling coach, which meant it looked like the athletes were not going to have a season. Rioux didn’t want her son or any of the other students to lose a season, so she went to the athletic director and told him she’d give coaching a shot. Though she had never officially coached before, she had ample experience, having watched her sons participate in the sport for the last 15 years.

“I knew absolutely nothing about wrestling before my kids got into it, but I’ve watched a whole lot of practices and have learned from watching and listening to other coaches,” says Rioux, who asked her older boys to help her write practice plans.

The wrestling season begins in the middle of November and finishes up in mid-

FROM

DESIGN TO BUILD

March. Each season consists of between 25 and 30 matches. Every year Avon Middle School South participates in a county championship and conference championship. Last year, for the first time ever, the Avon Middle School South wrestling team was declared the county champions.

“It was pretty exciting,” Rioux says. “The kids were so happy. They wanted to take team selfies with the scoreboard in the background.”

One of her athletes created his own special secret handshake, which he would do whenever he came off the mat.

This year’s county finals will take place on March 2. The conference tournament will be March 4.

“Last year the kids were excited to be county champions,” Rioux says. “There was a lot of screaming and yelling, and jumping up and down. I may have gotten a little teary eyed because I was so proud.” She says her pride was amplified since a lot of the kids on the team were first-year wrestlers.

While it’s helpful to start any sport at a young age, Rioux maintains that students can pick up this one later in life and still do well.

“If you have the slightest athletic build in your body, you can pick up wrestling in fifth, sixth or seventh grade and still find some success,” says Rioux, whose favorite part of coaching is spending time with the students. “They make me happy,” she says. “They

make me smile with the funny things they say and do.”

Though middle schoolers can get a bad rap for being wild and immature, Rioux says she hasn’t had any issues with a single boy on the team. They are all respectful and kind.

Now she’s in year two of coaching. The most challenging aspect of the job is the time commitment because not only are two-hour practices held on weekdays, but there are also meets. Plus, she’s busy attending her other sons’ meets and tournaments, many of which are out of state. Her boys are part of all-star travel wrestling teams that travel to out-of-state tournaments. These teams consist of kids from all over the country who are the top-tier athletes in various divisions (elementary, middle and high school). Her sons have made friends from places like Florida, Ohio, Michigan and Colorado. Two of her boys have been to Europe to train and compete.

2022 Hendricks County Championship Trophy

“All

says.

That’s not an exaggeration. Rioux serves on the board of directors for both the Avon Wrestling Club and the Indiana State Wrestling Association, which is the governing body for wrestling. Plus, she helps run Contenders Wrestling Academy in Brownsburg.

She doesn’t have much free time, but when she does, she likes to spend it taking nature walks and traveling to her lake house in Brown County.

“We go there in the summer and it’s a nice distance, being just an hour and 20 minutes away,” she says.

Rioux is pleased that her sons all gravitated to a sport that she feels teaches discipline, independence, confidence, mental toughness, teamwork and work ethic.

It’s crazy to think that it all started with a flyer 16 years ago.

“Raymond was really terrible when he began,” Rioux says. “He got his butt kicked all the time but kept going back because he liked the sport so much. I like teaching these athletes responsibility and how to become better men as they get older.”

BEHIND EVERY STRONG KNEE IS

a highly skilled orthopedics team of pre-surgery coordinators orthopedic surgeons nurses post-surgery coordinators physical therapists and rehab specialists

WORKING TOGETHER TO GET YOU BACK TO FEELING YOUR BEST.

Successful outcomes. A smooth recovery. When you’re ready to get moving again, the knee replacement experts are with you every step of the way at Indiana University Health.

Learn more about hip and knee pain treatment options by viewing our online seminar with Ripley Worman, MD. Scan the code or visit iuhealth.org/joints.