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What’s new in your community? Find out here at the Shopper News blog. We’ll have updates on people, places, businesses, schools and sports in your community. Check back throughout the week.

POWELL 

Kickboxing, tailored to your fitness level

Al Lesar, Shopper News 

Filling the 3,000-square-foot expanse are rows of 100-pound bags and a reception area perfect to entertain kids while their moms get fit.

But there’s no room for frustration.

That’s one of the main selling points for Total Fitness Kickboxing, one of the specialized workout businesses in the Powell area.

Located at 7631 Clinton Highway, Tonya Wilde’s passion is paying dividends for the Powell community.

“One thing I try to preach to anyone looking for fitness results through kickboxing: Be patient,” said Wilde, a 1991 Karns High School graduate. “If you focus, if you do things the right way, if you are consistent, you will get results.

“We have people from young moms trying to get back into shape, to women in their 60s. Every workout is geared toward the individual. All our instructors are trained to tailor the workout toward each person’s fitness level.”

Hooked after one workout   

Wilde, who also owns the Total Fitness Kickboxing on Kingston Pike, was a basketball and softball athlete in high school. She wasn’t exposed to kickboxing until five years ago. Her husband had been transferred to Memphis. Knowing nobody, she met a 51-year-old woman who raved about the workout, having recently lost 41 pounds.

“I took a free workout and I was hooked,” Wilde said. “I loved the workout. I already was a certified personal trainer, but this was different. You got a great workout in just 45 minutes, and … you got to hit something that didn’t hit back.”

But… it did bite – that is, the bug that causes someone to obsess over an activity. When Wilde and her husband moved back to East Tennessee, she was convinced to open the two locations.

“No matter how bad your day is, you always walk out of here feeling better,” Wilde said. “I’m a hands-on owner. I like to be on the mat with the members. I like to get to know them.

“Most of the members have my cell number. I’m there if they ever need anything. Mostly, it’s motivation and encouragement.”

Technique is important    

All the workouts are done in group settings. Forty-five-minute classes are conducted Monday through Saturday at 8, 9 and 10 a.m. and 4, 5, 6 and 7 p.m.

Everyone’s first workout is free.

“We’re closed Sunday, but that’s something I’m working on,” Wilde said. “I’d love for Sunday to be a day when we’d focus on techniques for new members.”

Six different types of punches are taught for the workout. Kicks are taught to deliver the blow with the shin rather than the foot.

In order to spice up the activity, there are occasional challenges for members.This month, Wilde planned a weight-loss competition, to get everyone ready for the holidays.

“Any fitness business goes through a roller coaster,” said Wilde, who teaches six classes a week. “January is always a busy month. Then it starts to tail off and then picks up.”

June was a surprising month because of an accountability challenge. Wilde posted boards with every member’s name. Check marks were put on the days in which workouts were completed.

“It was funny to see how people responded to that,” Wilde said. “Everyone made an effort to make sure they were here to get that check mark.

“It’s great to see that competitive nature. It keeps the workouts fun.” And makes sure frustration doesn’t have a place.    

More: Barbara Drive house, built by GIs home from war, gets new life

SOUTH

SDMS kids embrace cultural fun in Japanese Club

Ali James, Shopper News 

It is after school on a Tuesday and a group of South-Doyle Middle schoolers are painting Japanese letters and giggling at their attempts to play “Janken,” a Japanese version of rock, paper, scissors.

The game is easy to recognize, despite the fact the students are counting in Japanese. It is just one of many variations that has been played for centuries in Japan.

Jennifer Sauer, who teaches science enrichment for grades 6-8, invited Japanese-born Shigetoshi Eda to the club Oct. 1 to teach Japanese calligraphy and show the students some Japanese games, including an adaptation of Kendo – Japanese martial arts practiced with swords.

Eda is a professor in the Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries and is an adjunct associate professor in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Tennessee.

“There were a lot of misconceptions about Japan,” said Eda, who relocated to East Tennessee from California in 2003. “When I moved here in 1997, my friend asked me if we still sleep on a wooden pillow, and people think we still have the topknot haircut that men haven’t worn since the 1700s. A lot of people understand the culture now because of anime.”

Eda has been involved with the Knox Asian Festival since its inception, sharing the calligraphy and sword fighting (Kendo) skills he learned at school. He also attends other local schools and the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge to demonstrate sushi-making and how to play Japanese musical instruments.

It was an eighth-grade student who begged Sauer to start a Japanese Club at South-Doyle Middle School so she could learn how to read and write Japanese. “She knew I could speak Japanese, but I was in my first year teaching at South-Doyle and didn’t think I had the time,” said Sauer. Finally, she relented, and the Japanese Club is in its fourth year at the school.

For her first job out of college, Sauer taught English to Japanese students, before spending three years living abroad in Yamanashi and later in Kyoto, Japan. “I met my husband there and it was a bit of culture shock living in Japan and even when we moved back,” she said.

Sauer’s children attend the East Tennessee Japanese School in Maryville on Saturdays, where she has built a network of people who share their culture and give the club members an authentic experience.

Kumi Alderman, the executive director of Knox Asian Festival, taught the students how to make sushi. “They loved that,” said Sauer. “I lead an activity or have guests lead the activity; if I sat and lectured it would not do well.

“For Halloween we will share scary Japanese stories,” said Sauer. “We look at anime and manga books, as long as they are school-appropriate. We talk about where the country is, the religions (practiced) and lifestyle of the country and other aspects of the culture.”

The students have learned how to tie a kimono and how to fold origami.

“We also planted a Cherry Blossom tree,” said Sauer. “The kids raised money for it, making a little ‘zine’ that they sold for donations, and they set up a table at the Asian Festival to sell the ‘zines’ as well.”

The students folded paper cranes, and on Sept. 21 a handful celebrated International Peace Day at Union Avenue Books and made more. Traditionally, it was believed that a wish would come true if you folded 1,000 origami cranes. The legend of “1,000 Cranes” became a symbol of hope and healing.

According to Sauer, since there is not a huge Asian community in South Knoxville, the Japanese Club is a great way to expose her students to other cultures.

The club runs for an hour to an hour and a half every second Tuesday all year long. Typically 10-20 students show up.

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FARRAGUT

Plans for Admiral’s Landing, Springs at Farragut reviewed

Margie Hagen, Shopper News 

Four pending projects were reviewed at the staff/developer meeting on Oct. 1. Top Golf, Admiral’s Landing, Springs at Farragut and Grigsby Park were discussed, and all except for Springs of Farragut will be on the Municipal Planning Commission agenda on Oct. 17. The public is welcome to attend and comment.

The site plan for Top Golf looks to be a go with some tweaking. Zoning and signage have been scrutinized and are near finalization, and according to DCC Mark Shipley, “It’s all doable,” but he noted, “We need to clean up the lighting plans.”

Admiral’s Landing, the mixed-use project proposed for the long-vacant Phillips 66 site, was pitched by architects from Studio Four Design. The preliminary site plan includes a brewery, restaurant, tenant space and a three-bay space for food trucks. It’s similar to a pull-in garage, but with an open ventilating roof.

The innovative design has been commended by members of the planning commission as a way to bring new life to the northeast corner of Kingston Pike and North Campbell Station Road. It’s contingent on a shared parking and access agreement with the medical building to the north, and according to lead architect Brian Nicholson, “They (developers) have a binding agreement with all properties.” While things are moving forward, Nicholson admitted, “We’ve got some challenges to overcome.”

Speaking of challenges, Springs at Farragut might run into some, too. The Horne Properties development proposed for acreage north of Ingles and west of Boring Road is seeking approval to build a 200-unit apartment complex there. On Oct. 17, MPC will discuss an amendment to zoning to define a medium density multi-family district with no more than eight units per acre. Current zoning allows for up to 12 units per acre.

While Horne Properties has agreed to stipulate to eight units per acre, several planning commission members want to see that become official before approval. Mayor Ron Williams made a point by saying, “This is not so much for this (project), it’s for the future of the town, not for some individuals.” 

Widening of Boring Road  

Another issue is the widening of Boring Road. Horne Properties would pay for improvement to Boring Road from Kingston Pike north to the Boring family farm, but not along the western portion that comes out at Smith Road. Williams disagreed, saying, “You look at both directions of the road as to how it would affect traffic,” adding, “In my eyes, if this were to happen, a complete rework of the road would be necessary.”

Horne Properties has commissioned a traffic study to include the western portion of Boring Road; that study will be in the hands of planning commissioners on Oct. 11. It may help determine how the project proceeds.

Want to know what else is going on in town? Check out visitfarragut.org for a comprehensive list of weekly music events, restaurant and bar special pricing and where kids can eat for free.

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OPINION 

They’re never too old to say you play favorites

Leslie Snow, Shopper News columnist

I’m at my desk working, but I’m distracted. Through my window, I see a bright red cardinal land on a branch. I watch dry leaves fall slowly to the ground.

I remind myself I’m supposed to be working but ignore the voice in my head. Instead, I look at the photographs displayed on the three bookshelves in my office.

I see a picture of Ethan playing AYSO soccer. At age 5, he already looks fierce and determined. I smile at the photograph of Jordan, dressed and ready for her junior prom. I pick up a photo of Zack, posing with his bo-staff before karate class. I get up from my desk to take in all the framed pictures.

They’re not a good representation of my family, not now anyway. If someone didn’t know me or my kids, they would think I still have small children riding their bikes to the bus stop or eating snacks in front of the TV after school. An idea pops into my head, an excuse to put my work aside and do something fun.

I pick up my phone to scroll through pictures of grandchildren, weddings, birthdays, and family dinners. Then I use an app to send them, like magic, to a store to be printed. I grab my car keys and head out the door to pick up my newly printed photos and some pretty frames.

I spend the afternoon sorting through old photographs and replacing them with new ones. It’s a labor of love. Each picture is a memory and a story. I laugh at the photo of my grandson, Simon, dressed like The Joker at his superhero birthday party. I smile at a picture of little Clara holding her brother’s hand.

I work with a quiet intensity, arranging knickknacks and moving pictures. When I’m done, I step back to check out my handiwork.

That’s when I notice I have more pictures of Clara than Simon. Curious, I count how many photographs I have of Jordan compared to Zack and Ethan. I have pictures of spouses, but no pictures of Ethan’s girlfriend, and they’ve been together a long time.

I tally all the photos and my worst fears are realized. It’s not even.

I spend the next two hours sorting and counting to get equal representation of the people I love. I wipe sweat from my brow. I run my fingers through my hair when I can’t get the pictures of my children to even out. I count and recount photographs of Simon and Clara. I sit on the floor between piles of pictures and frames trying to get the math right.

And that’s how my husband finds me at the end of the day, sweaty, stressed and tired.

He wants to know what I’m doing. He asks “what happened” in a way that makes me realize how crazy I look. How crazy I am.

“I wanted to update all the pictures in my office,” I explain, “but I ran into some trouble trying to achieve photographic equality.” The words make sense to me when I say them, but he doesn’t understand.

“I just want everything to be even,” I say emphatically.

He laughs and says our children are too old to worry about who’s the favorite.  I’m not so sure.

“As a mom,” I explain, “it’s my job to make sure the kids feel equally loved. And it’s their job to accuse me of playing favorites and count all the pictures in my office.”

“I should know,” I say with a sigh, “I have three sisters.”

Leslie Snow may be reached at snow column@aol.com.

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