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Fourth Judicial District CASA Focuses on Keeping Families Together

By
Robert Faulk
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Enid, Oklahoma – June is National Reunification Month, a month dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of keeping families involved in the child welfare system together and recognizing how the community can better support these families.

When a family becomes involved with the child welfare system, the mission of the Department of Human Services (OKDHS) is to help reunite children with their parents whenever safe and possible.  The Fourth Judicial District CASA Program assists in this process by making sure the child’s best interests are at the forefront of making this decision. During this month and beyond, CASA volunteers strive to engage and connect with the families, so they have the support and resources needed to have their children safely come back home.

“Some people believe that once children are removed from home and placed into foster care, no further help for them is needed,” said Shelia McHenry, CASA Program Manager of Fourth Judicial District CASA “The reality, though, is that foster care is not meant to be a permanent situation, and most kids in foster care experience a sense of grief and loss after being removed from their home, regardless of what their situation was like.”

The Fourth Judicial District CASA Program recruits and trains Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA volunteers, to stay by a child’s side throughout their time in foster care, advocating first for reunification when safe and possible. Reunifying broken families, helping them to become healthy and whole, is a large part of an Advocate’s job. These volunteers get to know the children, parents, and family as well as others involved in their lives—including foster parents, therapists, teachers and attorneys—collaborating with everyone to put family reunification as the first priority whenever it is safe and possible.

“We know that the vast majority of parents love their children and want what’s best for them, and the parents of the children we serve are no exception,” said McHenry. “We want to support parents during this time so that they have the tools and resources needed so that their children can live with them safely, because going back home is the best possible outcome for these kids.”

Many times, parents involved with the foster care system struggle to access the resources, support and education they need to be able to complete services ordered by the judge.

“Our CASA volunteers can make a monumental difference by helping bridge the access gap and connecting families to services and support,” said Alyson Burrow, CASA Volunteer Coordinator of the Fourth Judicial District CASA Program.

CASA volunteers also make sure the children and parents they serve have a support system of family and other caring adults who are able to help in whatever ways needed and stay involved long after CASA and OKDHS involvement ends.

“If parents and children have a good support system, it’s much more likely that a plan for reunification will be successful and sustainable,” Burrow said. “That’s what we want for the children we serve – for them to be able to grow up safe, happy and supported, surrounded by people who love them.”

Reunification takes hard work, commitment and the investment of time and resources. The Fourth Judicial District CASA Program had 29 cases that closed in the FY2021. Of those 29 cases, 15 cases ended in reunification with their families and 5 cases ended with a relative adoption. The Fourth Judicial District CASA Program is grateful to our 40+ volunteers who encourage collaboration and supporting policies and standards that promote reunification.

By becoming a CASA volunteer, you can help more children and families in your community stay safe and happily connected. Every child has a chance—it’s you. ® The Fourth Judicial District CASA Program needs volunteers to serve in the counties of Blaine, Kingfisher, Garfield, Grant, Major and Woodward. Learn more at www.thecarecampus.com. You can also contact Alyson Burrow at 580-242-1153 or email 4jdcasa@thecarecampus.com. The next pre-training session for NEW CASA volunteers starts the week of July 5th.

Steps

By
Cathy Thomas
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Before I became an Oklahoman I was a Yankee from northern Pennsylvania – where the cows outnumber the people and the deer outnumber the cows. One of my fondest memories of childhood is climbing the steps to my father’s art studio on “The Hill.” He purchased an old house built in the late 1870s with the Victorian-era style. The 14-room house had an old coal furnace, which didn’t work in the winter, and cold running water. Fortunately about 1915 it had been converted to electric lights, that were never upgraded. The building nestled into the east side of the mountain and there was no driving access directly to the house on the vertical property.   But to me at the time, the three best things about the house were the huge, wrap-around porch, the upstairs catwalk back into the mountainside, and the stone stairs leading up to the house – all 44 of them!

Yes, 44 stone steps…which needed shoveling in the upstate Pennsylvania winters with snow measuring in the feet, not inches. That was my winter chore from the time I was 7 years old. Despite the stairs being the bane of my existence in winter they were one of my favorite places to sit in the spring and summer. There were two Sugar Maple trees about steps fifteen and twenty-five which provided lovely shade in the warm summer sunshine. Between steps twenty-eight and thirty-six there was an iron pole railing, as it was especially steep at that point. On that railing climbed the best-smelling, pale pink tea roses. Oftentimes from about June through August, you could find me with a book in hand, and a thermos of ice-cold, purple grape juice sitting on the steps being transported to other lands, times, and adventures in the shade of those maples with the sweet scent of roses wafting about in the languid afternoon sun.

At different points along the steps throughout the spring and summer I could find any number of flowers and even some wild strawberries. Towards the top of the stairs, on the north side of the house ran a trickling stream. That side of the house had a small copse of trees and was more moist and shady than the other side of the house. Near steps thirty to thirty-six bloomed wonderful lilies – striped orange tiger lilies and sunny yellow daylilies are the ones I remember best. Closer to the trees grew wild white and purple violets the size of an old silver dollar. Growing up the hill on both sides of the house were fields of yellow daffodils with their dainty little teacup and saucer and some wild shaggy multi-petaled ones. Pale yellow and white narcissus interspersed the daffodils. It was great fun to pick armfuls of these cheery flowers for my mother to put in vases all around our home. 

Right next to the porch were two lovely, old lilac bushes that provided a gorgeous heady scent. There were three more on the other side of the house. I later learned that when a child died in a household during that period, often a lilac bush was planted by the entry.  Since then, I have hoped that the grand old bushes were planted for the love of the plant, not for the tragedy of losing so many children.

Towards the end of June on the south side of the house bloomed hundreds of “flags” in the area where the old outhouse had been. It was many years before I knew “flags” were actually deep purple irises. My father called them flags because they bloomed just before the 4th of July.  Near that spot also grew several black walnut trees, a green apple tree, a concord grape arbor, lovely pink, white, and lavender wild flox, milkweed with hundreds of Monarch butterflies, and wild blackberry and red raspberry bushes. Growing up there were always flowers to pick and fruit to munch on all spring and summer long. My fondest memories, though, are sitting on the cool stone step twenty-two just whiling away the hours listening to the buzz of the bugs, the air scented with flowers and fresh-cut grass, and an occasional gentle breeze lifting me off to new adventures in the pages of a library book.

June Doodle

By
Chris Downing
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All the Marbles

By
Robert Faulk
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From the opening tip, Shreveport had to know it was in for a rough night. The Stride Bank Center Crowd was louder than it has been all season, and what was that? Rival Potawatomie Fire fans loudly cheering on…the Outlaws? “We loved coming up to Enid to support our fellow Oklahoma TBL team,” Fire fan Taylor Williams said, It’s the Oklahoma standard to cheer for each other when we aren’t playing each other. We hope the Outlaws take it all the way to the Finals and bring the Lillie Trophy back to Oklahoma!”

And with the seven Fire fans that made the trip, as well as a very good Outlaw crowd in support, Enid took the must win Game 2, tying of the Best of Three series at one game each.

Potawatomie Fire fans cheering on the Enid Outlaws (from facebook)

The Outlaws came out hungry and built a 32-24 lead in the first quarter, and kept building to pull away for the 129-109 win. With only 8 players available, Enid left it all on the court. They played hard all game and it showed in the box score. Ricardo Artis II led the team with 40 points (on just 19 shots) and 14 rebounds. Daylon “Chuck” Guy showed why he was named first team all TBL, with 31 points, 12 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and shot 46% from 3, while playing all 48 minutes of the game.

As for the Mavericks, they were clearly frustrated by the excellent defense by Enid, as well as the rowdy crowd. Things got chippy on at least two occasions after hard fouls, the second of which earned Maverick Tavin Cummings an ejection. Shreveport coach Steve Tucker went to the bench often, playing 12 players during the game. While they still shot well from 2 (60.7%), they were only 8 for 28 from 3 and were harried into 19 turnovers. No single player stood out for Shreveport, but Tavin Cummings did have 20 points before his ejection. Big man Paul Harrison had 21 points, 7 assists and 8 rebounds, but was his +/- was -15, second worst on the team.

The deciding Game 3 is at the Stride Bank Center Saturday night at 6 p.m. Tickets start at $10 and are available at the door or stridebankcenter.com. Game 3 is huge and for the right to move on to the TBL Final Four against the winner of the Western Conference series between the California Sea-Kings and the SoCal Moguls. The Sea-Kings won the first game 133-125 and play Game 2 on their home court Saturday night.

Get your tickets, be there early, wear your best black shirts for the “black out” and cheer loud for your Enid Outlaws!

Must Win

By
Robert Faulk
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After losing Game 1, your hometown Enid Outlaws return to the Stride Bank Center Friday night at 7 pm for a must win game in the best of 3 Conference Finals series against the Shreveport Mavericks.

In the regular season, the Mavericks had the second-best record (19-5) in the Central conference, finishing one game behind the league leading Outlaws (20-4). The teams split their regular season matchups with the Outlaws winning 139-126 in Shreveport and the Mavericks winning 115-108 a week later in Enid.

Unfortunately, the Outlaws lost a little of that road magic and the Mavericks couldn’t miss in Game 1 of the series, with Enid losing 130-117 in Shreveport. The Mavericks had 4 players score more than 20 points and were led by 35 from 2nd Team All-Conference Paul Harrison (#40). Shreveport shot 59.4% from 2 and 37.6% from 3 and Enid just could not keep up. Kadavion Evans scored 31 followed by Daylon “Chuck” Guy’s 30. Ricardo Artis had 21 points and 14 rebounds.

Team Market Owner Jonathan Reed said, “We’ve been in this position before. All we have to do is take care of home and we will be fine. We really need the support of the fans to make this happen and bring another championship back to Enid.”

To reach the Central Conference Finals, Shreveport beat the tough Potawatomie Fire twice after losing the first game. First Team All-Conference Guard Bernard
“Paul” Parks (#23) is the Mavericks leading scorer at 23.3 PPG, and Guard Deandre McIntyre (#15) was a finalist for 6th man of the year after averaging 9.6 PPG and 4.2 RPG off the bench, which shows their depth. In the regular season matchups Parks averaged 29 PPG so Enid really has to keep him in check.

As for the Outlaws, Second Team All-Conference Ricardo Artis II has averaged 27 points and 14 rebounds against the Mavs in their 3 games, While newly named First Team All-TBL Point Guard Chuck Guy has averaged his typical all-around excellent numbers of 28 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds.

Tickets start at $10 and can be purchased at stridebankcenter.com or at the door. Torrie Vann, Outlaw Superfan, reminds everyone that they are planning a whiteout for the game, and limited quantities of white shirts available to purchase at the game!

Creating a Digital Marketing Strategy

By
Elizabeth Cummins
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marketing strategy Concept. Chart with keywords and icons. The meeting at the white office table.

Greetings! Creating a Digital Marketing Strategy can be a daunting task. You’ll find a million theories out there that seem to contradict each other. Businesses and people are unique, and there’s not a standard solution that works for everyone.

Strategy is not one size fits all. Wear your own shoe size.

That being said, there are some basic principles that I believe should apply to building any ultimately unique digital marketing strategy.

Step 1: Customer Persona

No matter who you are or what your business is, you need to know all about your target audience and ideal customer. This starts with creating a customer avatar. Your customer avatar should be detailed, and should even mention the type of clothing and car they drive, down to where you’ll find them on a Friday night.

This is discovered through extensive brainstorming and market research. If you need assistance in defining your customer avatar, I recommend my friend Nicole with Happy Hour Marketing. She is stellar at defining target audience and building strategy.

Step 2: Identify and Set Goals

Setting goals must be more specific than, “get more followers and more business.” Now, you might not be able to be super specific yet. If that’s the case, you might need to simply name how much you hope to raise your profit, and how many more followers you hope to gain.

Something to keep in mind: think of quality over quantity. One hundred of the right followers is better than 10,000 people who will never buy your product.

Step 3: Choose Channels/Platforms

Do I sound like a broken record yet? Don’t get caught up in being on every platform available! In fact, if you only pick one thing to focus on, make it Google (and give me a call)!

Choosing the right platforms and channels to promote your business is more important than having every platform available with mediocre content. Again, quality over quantity.

Where does your target audience hang out? There are online “versions” of all the brick and mortar locations they spend time.

Step 4: Automate as Much as Possible

This is a tough one. Once you’ve established your customer avatar, your ideal results and platforms used to get there… It can be daunting to keep up with it all!

Existing automation tools are game changers. Remember to automate responses on your website, so customers hear back after reaching out… long before you’ve even opened the email to see that they contacted you! Remember to automate messenger responses on social media. This will give you some wiggle room, and allow you to seem as responsive as possible. 

Lastly, be sure to use scheduling tools when you need to lift the load. Posting “live” will always be the most effective plan, but posting through Meta’s (cough cough Facebook’s) scheduling tool will give you more margin in your day. Most other scheduling tools on the market are pricey, and Facebook and Instagram algorithms don’t like having a third-party jump in the mix.

Best wishes on your digital marketing efforts!

Until next time.

Cheers,

Elizabeth

Special Sunday Brunch

By
Monica Rorick
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In my quest to cook through my cookbook collection, I have come across several breakfast/brunch recipes. However, the following recipe would be a great “breakfast for dinner” idea as well. And who doesn’t like breakfast for dinner, right? This recipe has all of the typical breakfast characters…eggs, ham, veggies, biscuits, and cheese! (YUM!) And Sundays are Pizza Day at Rorick’s Ranch, so my recipe for this month is for breakfast or brunch. Special Brunch Bake, from Taste of Home’s Best Ever Casseroles cookbook on pg. 99.

So, while I am not normally a big fan of processed foods, this recipe had some ingredients that could not be avoided. I would much rather make my own biscuits for this (and I may try that in the future), this recipe calls for 2 – 4oz tubes of refrigerated biscuits. I could not find that size, so I did just get one 12oz tube. (I do not recommend the larger Grands biscuits, as they may have difficulty baking through with the other ingredients)

Also, I did substitute real eggs whisked with milk for the egg substitute. A 4oz carton of egg substitute is equal to 4 eggs, so I used a dozen eggs with a 1/4 cup of 2% milk. I also added 1/4 tsp salt to the recipe.

Kent and I gave it a 4 out of 5 stars. Let me know if you make it and what you think! Happy cooking!

SPECIAL BRUNCH BREAK

Makes 12 servings

2 tubes (4oz each) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits *I used 1 tube (12oz)
3 cartons (8oz each) frozen egg substitute, thawed. *I used 1 dozen eggs, whisked with 1/4 cup milk
7oz Canadian bacon, chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4tsp black pepper
*I also added 1/4tsp salt

Directions
1) Arrange biscuits in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish
2) Combine all other ingredients and pour directly over the unbaked biscuits, spreading out evenly.
3) Bake, uncovered at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

June Events

By
Rob Houston
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June 1-4
10 am-5 pm
All Aboard: Examining the Orphan Trains
Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center (507 S. 4th St.)

June 1-4
NJCAA Division II World Series
David Allen Memorial Ballpark

June 1
6 pm
Eating Disorders Anonymous Kickoff Meeting
The Holy Cross Church (701 E. Park)
Will meet every Wednesday at 6!

7:30 pm
Trivia!
Settlers Brewing Co. (202 E. Randolph)

9 pm
Karaoke
Boondocks (302 E. Maple)

June 2
7 pm
Trivia!
Enid Brewing Co. (126 S. Independence)

9 pm
Karaoke (No Cover)
The Lounge @ Ramada (21+) (3005 W. Garriott)

June 3
6 pm-9 pm
First Friday: Downtown Dogfest
Downtown Enid
Live music, great shopping, delicious food

7 pm
Best of Enid 2022 Awards Show
Stride Bank Center Grand Ballroom (301 S. Independence)

7 pm
Live Music: Stacey Sanders
Enid Brewing Co. (126 S. Independence)

June 4
9 am-2 pm
The Cottage Market
Champlin Park (1198 Sequoyah)
Homemade goods, herbs, plants & produce

10 am-5 pm
Red Dirt Honor the Fallen Run
Woodring Wall of Honor (1026 S. 66th St.)
Registration begins 8:30 am, first bike out 10 am, last bike in 5 pm at Elks Lodge

11 am – 3 pm
Fundraiser: “Spay-ghetti and No Balls” Lunch benefiting ESPCA ($5-Spaghetti, drink, salad and breadstick)
ESPCA (1116 Overland Trail)

11 am-3 pm
History Alive!
Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center (507 S. 4th St.)
Re-enactment characters portray life at the time of the Cherokee Strip Land Run of 1893

1 pm
Wounded Veterans of Oklahoma Cornhole Tournament
Elks Lodge (700 W. Oxford)
$40 per team

2 pm and 6 pm
Home School Outreach Program Spring Showcase
First Baptist Church (401 W. Maine)
Art Walk, Talent Show, Theater Performance. $5 preorder (580-701-3541) $7 at the door

7 pm
Live Music: Jake Bowers
Enid Brewing Co. (126 S. Independence)

7:30 pm
Auto Racing: Sooner Late Models
Enid Speedway (302 E. Oxford)

9 pm
Karaoke (No Cover)
The Lounge @ Ramada (21+) (3005 W. Garriott)

June 5
5 pm – 8 pm
Live Music: The RevolT
The Alibi Bar (224 W. Broadway)

June 8
7:30 pm
Trivia!
Settlers Brewing Co. (202 E. Randolph)

9 pm
Live Music: Night Caps
The Spot (417 N. Grand)

9 pm
Karaoke
Boondocks (302 E. Maple)

June 9-12
Times TBA
Baseball: Enid Red River Connie Mack Qualifying Tournament
David Allen Memorial Ballpark (301 S. Grand)

June 9
7 pm
Trivia!
Enid Brewing Co. (126 S. Independence)

9 pm
Karaoke (No Cover)
The Lounge @ Ramada (21+) (3005 W. Garriott)

June 10
7 pm
CDSA Wine Tour
The Non-Profit Center (114 S. Independence)
Foods and wines from U.S., France, Spain, Vietnam & Turkey

7 pm
Live Music: Village Sounds-Stacey Sanders
Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center (507 S. 4th St.)

7:30 pm
Live Music: Greg Stong
Settlers Brewing Co. (202 E. Randolph)

9 pm
Live Music: Van Damage
The Alibi Bar (224 W. Broadway)

June 10-12
8 am
US Twirling Association Central Region Championship
Stride Bank Center (302 S. Grand)
Pre-trials Friday at Enid High School, championships Saturday-Sunday at SBC.

June 11-12
8 am
Enid Pickleball Tournament
Oakwood Country Club (1601 N. Oakwood)

June 11
9 am-12 pm
Enid Cars & Coffee
Blazes BBQ (1002 W. Willow)

10 am-2 pm
Sunset Plaza Second Saturday
Sunset Plaza Shopping Center (Garriott and Cleveland)
Maker’s market, vendors, food trucks, axe throwing and more!

2:30-4 pm
Mommy & Me Tea
The Farm on Norman (1401 Norman Rd.)
Aunties, grandmas, and dads are also welcome at tea! Bring your littles and join us at the Farm on Norman for a tea party! Tickets available: square.link/u/QQr95Ac6

7 pm
Live Music: Ben Blankenship
Enid Brewing Co. (126 S. Independence)

7:30 pm
Auto Racing: OCRS Sprints
Enid Speedway (302 E. Oxford)

8 pm
Live Music: Kyle Rainer Band
Moose Lodge (302 E. Purdue)

9 pm
Karaoke (No Cover)
The Lounge @ Ramada (21+) (3005 W. Garriott)

9 pm
A(nything) B(ut) C(lothes) Party!
Boondocks (302 E. Maple)
Prizes for best non clothes related costume! (No Nudity!)

June 12
2 pm
Young Adult (19-49) Video Game Tournament (Super Smash Bros.)
Westminster Church (2217 Constitution Ave)

June 13
United Way Golf Tournament
8 am
Oakwood Country Club (1601 N. Oakwood)

June 14-18
10:30 am, 12 pm & 6:30 pm
Summer Chautauqua: Surviving the Sixties: Sex, Drugs & Rock n Roll
Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center (507 S. 4th St.)
Characters include Allen Ginsberg, Christopher Isherwood, Cass Elliot, Timothy Leary, John Lennon

June 15
7:30 pm
Trivia!
Settlers Brewing Co. (202 E. Randolph)

9 pm
Karaoke
Boondocks (302 E. Maple)

June 16-19
Times TBA
South Plains Hub Qualifier Connie Mack 18U
David Allen Memorial Ballpark (301 S. Grand)

June 16
5:30 pm
Enid Young Professionals Network @ Nite
Enid Brewing Co. (126 S. Independence)

7 pm
Trivia!
Enid Brewing Co. (126 S. Independence)

7:30 pm
Live Music: Turpin Tunes
The Turpin at the Gaslight (221 N. Independence)

9 pm
Karaoke (No Cover)
The Lounge @ Ramada (21+) (3005 W. Garriott)

June 17-18
7 pm-11:30 pm
Van Buren Cruisers
Van Buren St.

June 17
7 pm
Playoff Basketball: Enid Outlaws v. Potawatomi/Shreveport Winner
Stride Bank Center (301 S. Independence)

7:30 pm
Live Music: Brock/Eric
Settlers Brewing Co. (202 E. Randolph)

9 pm
Juneteenth Party!
Boondocks (302 E. Maple)
DJ Stu in the mix, food trucks!

June 18
7 am
Enid Stampede Youth & Adult Triathlon
Champlin Pool (400 W. Cherokee)

7:30 am-10 am
Breakfast Fly-In
Woodring Regional Airport (1026 S. 66th St.)
Fly-in aircraft & static displays on the ramp, Barnstormers breakfast buffet $8

10 am
Pop Ups on Park St.
100 block of W. Park
Vendors, food trucks, artists, more

11 am-3 pm
History Alive!
Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center (507 S. 4th St.)
Re-enactment characters portray life at the time of the Cherokee Strip Land Run of 1893

5 pm-8 pm
Van Buren Cruisers Car Show
Central Christian Church (1111 W. Broadway)

7 pm
Live Music: Brady Nichols
Enid Brewing Co. (126 S. Independence)

7 pm (If necessary)
Playoff Basketball: Enid Outlaws v. Potawatomi/Shreveport Winner
Stride Bank Center (301 S. Independence)

9 pm
Karaoke (No Cover)
The Lounge @ Ramada (21+) (3005 W. Garriott)

9 pm
PRIDE Rave!
Boondocks (302 E. Maple)
Free Glow, Special Guest (DJ Ale) Streaming from Costa Rica! Food Trucks!

June 19
9 am – 2 pm
Father’s Day Brunch
Enid Brewing Co. (126 S. Independence)

June 22
7:30 pm
Trivia!
Settlers Brewing Co. (202 E. Randolph)

8 pm
Live Comedy Show
Enid Brewing Co. (126 S. Independence)
Tickets: enidbrewing.com

9 pm
Karaoke
Boondocks (302 E. Maple)

June 23
7 pm
Trivia!
Enid Brewing Co. (126 S. Independence)

9 pm
Karaoke (No Cover)
The Lounge @ Ramada (21+) (3005 W. Garriott)

June 25-26
7 pm (both nights)
Live Kids Theater: The Little Mermaid
Gaslight Theatre (221 N. Independence)

June 25
10 am-3 pm
Holy Cross Vendor Fair
Holy Cross Church (701 E. Park)

6 pm-8 pm
Cardboard & Duct Tape Boat Races
Champlin Pool (400 W. Cherokee)

7 pm
Live Music: The RevolT
Enid Brewing Co. (126 S. Independence)

8 pm
Live Music: Oklahoma Wind Band
Moose Lodge (302 E. Purdue)

9 pm
Karaoke (No Cover)
The Lounge @ Ramada (21+) (3005 W. Garriott)

June 29
7:30 pm
Trivia!
Settlers Brewing Co. (202 E. Randolph)

9 pm
Karaoke
Boondocks (302 E. Maple)

June 30
7 pm
Trivia!
Enid Brewing Co. (126 S. Independence)

9 pm
Karaoke (No Cover)
The Lounge @ Ramada (21+) (3005 W. Garriott)

One Down, One to Go

By
Robert Faulk
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It was hard not to be confused at tipoff of Game 1 of the second round of The Basketball League playoffs. The Enid Outlaws were scheduled to play Dallas Skyline, however the Outlaws took the court against what appeared to be…the Wichita Prestige? Alas, the Skyline left their uniforms back home in Dallas, along with a couple of players, and apparently their jump shot. Dallas was able to borrow the uniforms of the Wichita and begin the game, albeit shorthanded.

Dallas came out firing, but missed their first 8 shots on the way to a 23-11 deficit at the end of the first quarter and it did not get better for them from there, eventually losing 114-100. Skyline’s best player, Guard Alexander Cooper scored 24 points, but it took him 23 shots to do it, showing the Outlaws excellent defense on the night.

The Outlaws were paced by Guard Daylon “Chuck” guy, who scored 37 points, had 17(!) assists and 7 rebounds against his former team. Four other Outlaws scored in double figures, including double/doubles from both Kierra Moore (17 pts/10 reb) and Ricardo Artis II (19 pts/11 reb).

The two teams will match up again tonight (June 9th) at 7 p.m. at the Stride Bank Center where we can presume Dallas will be more organized (at least in the right uniforms) and present a stiffer challenge. An Outlaw win will propel them to the 3rd round of the playoffs against the winner of the series between the Potawatomie Fire and the Shreveport Mavericks. The Fire is currently leading that series 1-0 after a 113-100 win last night. An Outlaw loss will tie the series at one all and force a deciding Game 3 Friday at 7:00 p.m.

Tickets begin at $10 and are available at www.stridebankcenter.com or at the door. The Outlaws would love to have a great crowd!

Life as a Game Warden – the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

By
Dalen McVay
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A game warden catches an unlicensed fisherman in the act. “You’re going to pay a big fine for all those fish in your bucket” But, officer, I didn’t catch these — they are my pet fish and I just bring them here to swim. When they’re done they jump back into the bucket.

“Oh really? This I’ve got to see. If you can prove it, I’ll let you go.”

The fisherman empties the bucket into the lake and waits patiently. A few minutes go by and nothing happens.

Game warden: So where are the fish?

Fisherman: What fish?

In this month’s article, we’re talking to Blake Cottrill, a good friend of mine as well as the Game Warden for Garfield County. If you know Warden Cottrill, you’ll know he’s got a keen sense of wit yet a no-nonsense approach to his job. Here are his thoughts on his profession:

–What made you want to become a game warden?

For most of my teenage years, I thought I wanted to follow my dad’s footsteps and be a State Trooper- after meeting Marshall Reigh in Grant County while I was in high school at Pond Creek-Hunter, I considered being a Game Worden. I was really into trapping and had to meet up with Marshall several times during the winter to get bobcats tagged. We’ve been great friends ever since. 

While in college, I was torn between the Game Warden route and the Highway Patrol-so I decided I’d try out law enforcement while attending NWOSU in Alva. At 21, I was hired as a patrolman for the City of Alva, attended college during CLEET, and spent 3 years there.  

That three years of experience and gaining a working relationship with now-retired Game Warden Terry Swallow made it clear that I wanted to pursue the Game Warden path. 

Looking back on it, I know it was the right path for me. 

  • What education and training must one complete to become a warden?

Becoming a Game Warden requires a bachelor’s degree in a biology-related field and a laundry list of requirements from the state. Those can be found on the Careers tab on the Department’s website- www.wildlifedepartment.com

  • What if your favorite thing about your job?

My schedule. There’s so much going on in the outdoors that it makes a set schedule almost impossible to follow. One season I might be working duck hunters at 6 am, and the next week checking evening deer hunters at dusk. We find that making our own schedules works best for the manpower we have. There’s a slight disadvantage to making our schedules, however, because I am always on call and must be able to answer my phone and take care of an issue at a moment’s notice. 

  • What is the most disliked thing about your job?

The most disliked……ugh…..this is an issue I have had to come to terms with over the last 15 years of law enforcement. My friends. Sometimes, even good people make mistakes, and that’s understandable. Other times, people blatantly disregard the law-and need to be dealt with. I truly dislike dealing with my friends that need to be dealt with, but it happens. I don’t treat anyone any different, no matter our relationship. Honestly, I’ve even become friends with several people I’ve had to give tickets to. I believe being decent and fair is the reason for that. Maybe that’s a silver lining in the most disliked thing about being a Game Warden. 

  • If there is one piece of advice you’d give to sportsmen/women what would it be?

Always be cautious outdoors. Wear your harness in your deer stand. Wear your life vest if you’re on the water. I don’t want to have to get you out of the field with a broken hip or fish anyone out of the bottom of the lake again. Safety measures will save your life. I’ve seen it go the other way too many times. 

  • What is the citation you probably write the most?

Licensing issues. Let’s face it-people like to save money, right? Well…when you don’t buy a fishing or hunting license, you’re robbing the state of that money that we use for resources. Part of that license money pays me. We are a self-sustaining agency-we DO NOT get any state tax money to help run our agency. With that, we don’t give leniency towards any license issues. That’s a citation just about every time. We are a “pay to play” operation. If you want to play, you have to pay. Oklahoma has some of the lowest license costs in the nation, there’s no good reason to try to cheat the system. 

  • What do you deal with the most this time of year?

During spring and early summer, I get calls daily about “rescued” wildlife. The best advice I can give for someone finding wildlife is to leave them alone. The mother’s instinct is to leave the area when there is a predator around, leaving their young camouflaged in the area. It’s easy to think the young have been abandoned when they are actually safe. Human interference is hardly ever warranted. If you come across wildlife and aren’t sure, you can always reach out to me or any of our area wildlife rehabilitators.

There ya have it folks, straight from the Warden’s mouth. Interested in becoming a Warden, I’m sure he’d be happy to answer any questions you might have about the profession. Until next time. . .

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