Oak Ridge Today

School board approves Blankenship bleacher replacement

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Blankenship Field Visitors Bleachers

Deemed to be unsafe, the visitors bleachers at Blankenship Field have been de, and replacing them could cost more than $500,000.

Note: This story was updated at 9:15 a.m. March 25.

The Oak Ridge Board of Education on Monday unanimously approved a $455,000 project to replace the visitor bleachers at Blankenship Field. The bleachers had been deemed unsafe, and they have already been demolished.

School officials are hoping to replace them before the first home football game on Aug. 29. In a unanimous voice vote Monday, the school board agreed to use the school system’s fund balance to pay for the replacement bleachers.

Board members plan to ask city officials for additional help to finish part of the project, including a $69,000 handicapped ramp with switchbacks from the city-owned parking lot below the field up to the city-owned field, which is at Jack Armstrong Stadium in central Oak Ridge. The ramp could be built when the city renovates the parking lot. [Read more…]

Low bid on Blankenship bleachers: $524,000

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Blankenship Field Visitors Bleachers

Deemed to be unsafe, the visitors bleachers at Blankenship Field have been removed, and replacing them could cost more than $500,000.

The low bid on the bleacher replacement project at Blankenship Field came in at $523,940, a school official said Friday.

The bid on the project to replace the demolished visitor bleachers includes grading work and a handicap sidewalk at Jack Armstrong Stadium. Proposals were accepted through Friday. The recommended proposal from Dant Clayton Corp. of Louisville, Ky., will be considered by the Oak Ridge Board of Education on Monday.

Allen Thacker, Oak Ridge Schools maintenance and operations supervisor, said the project could cost another $40,000 if the Wildcat Crossing stairs on the home side of the field are reconditioned. That would make the total cost $563,940. It was the lowest of two qualified bids.

Thacker said funding for the project has not yet been identified. It’s been discussed at several recent meetings of the Oak Ridge City Council and Board of Education. Municipal and education officials have said options include city funding, school funding, a mix of the two, and donations. Earlier this month, School Board Chair Keys Fillauer told City Council that a funding decision could be made Monday. [Read more…]

Schools seek bids to replace demolished Blankenship bleachers

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Blankenship Field Visitors Bleachers

Declared unsafe, the visitors bleachers at Blankenship Field have been removed, and the project to replace them has been put out for bids.

The visitors bleachers at Blankenship Field have been demolished, and the Oak Ridge Schools are scurrying to replace them by the start of the high school football season this fall.

Project bids are being accepted through March 21, although it’s not clear yet who will pay for the new bleachers and other improvements at Jack Armstrong Stadium. The bids could be considered by the Oak Ridge Board of Education on March 24.

The board could also make a funding decision then, School Board Chair Keys Fillauer told Oak Ridge City Council members during a Monday night meeting. There are a range of options that include city funding, school funding, and donations, among others. [Read more…]

ORHS basketball clinic for Boys, Girls Club league on Monday

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Coach Aaron Green and the Oak Ridge High School basketball staff are hosting a free basketball skills camp on Monday for the Boys and Girls Club league.

The clinic is for children from kindergarten to seventh grade, and it’s from 6-7 p.m. Monday at the Oak Ridge High School Wildcat Arena. There is a coaches’ question-and-answer session from 7 to 7:30 p.m.

Call (865) 482-4433 for more information, or visit the Boys and Girls Club on Facebook.

Registration available for Oak Ridge youth basketball program

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Registration packets are now available at the Oak Ridge Civic Center for teams interested in participating in the City of Oak Ridge Youth Basketball program.

The leagues offered will be Junior Boys and Junior Girls for players in grades 7, 8, and 9, and Senior Boys and Senior Girls for players in grades 10, 11, and 12. The early registration deadline for all leagues is Nov. 11, but late registrations (with a late fee) will be taken through Nov. 15. [Read more…]

Robertsville Rams finish season 8-1, win conference championship

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Robertsville Middle School Rams

The Robertsville Rams capped off a great season Thursday night with a 34-14 win over conference rival Rhea Central Middle School. The Rams finished the season with an 8-1 overall record. (Submitted photo)

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The Robertsville Rams capped off a great season Thursday night with a 34-14 win over conference rival Rhea Central Middle School. The Rams finish the season with an 8-1 overall record, with their only loss coming in a double overtime thriller against Christian Academy of Knoxville.

This team is the first to win a conference championship at Robertsville since 2006. The win over Rhea Central marks an impressive seven-game win streak for the Rams football program led by some strong future Oak Ridge Wildcats.

“This team has been fun to coach. They battle every game. Even in our one loss, they realize and see how close we were,” said Chris Layton, head football coach of Robertsville Middle School. [Read more…]

First Wildcat Day for all sports draws players, fans, Coach Gaddis

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Oak Ridge High School Wildband at Wildcat Day

Members of the Oak Ridge High School Band play at the opening of a Wildcat Day pep rally at the Ben Martin field on Saturday.

Enthusiastic fans and players flocked to Oak Ridge High School on Saturday for a first-of-its-kind pep rally that incorporated all sports and featured a football coach that helped the Wildcats win their last state championship and is leading the team once more.

The pep rally was part of what had officially been proclaimed Wildcat Day by the Oak Ridge City Council. The rally featured short cheerleader routines, music by members of the Oak Ridge High School Band, short speeches from city and school officials, an introduction to the ORHS Wildcats football team and coaches, and fireworks. [Read more…]

CAK takes lead over Robertsville in double overtime

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Robertsville Middle School Rams Play CAK

The Robertsville Middle School Rams lost 18-12 in double overtime Thursday to Christian Academy of Knoxville at Ben Martin Field.

The Robertsville Middle School Rams lost 18-12 in double overtime Thursday to Christian Academy of Knoxville.

The Rams are now 1-1. They beat Webb 22-18 on Aug. 8 and play Wartburg this week at Blankenship Field in Oak Ridge, Coach Chris Layton said.

This past Thursday’s football game had been moved to Ben Martin Field, the Oak Ridge High School practice field, because of field conditions at CAK, where the game had originally been scheduled to be played.

Robertsville Rams play football at home tonight

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The Robertsville Rams football game tonight against Christian Academy of Knoxville has been changed to Ben Martin Field, the Oak Ridge High School practice field, at 6:30 p.m. today.

The game was originally set to be played at CAK, but it has been moved due to field conditions there. Admission is free to everyone, and concessions will be sold to benefit the Robertsville Middle School Football Boosters, a press release said.

The varsity game will kick off at 6:30 p.m., and it will be followed by a JV quarter-game, the release said.

Picture: It’s football time in Tennessee!

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Jefferson Middle School Eagles

The Jefferson Middle School Eagles lost 44-8 to the Rhea County Eagles on Thursday.

The Jefferson Middle School Eagles lost 44-8 to the Rhea County Eagles in their first game of the football season on Thursday.

The Oak Ridge High School Wildcats open their season on Friday, Aug. 30, at Farragut.

The Robertsville Middle School Rams play next at Christian Academy of Knoxville at 7 p.m. Thursday. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge High School cheerleaders: combining spirit and sport

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Oak Ridge High School Cheerleaders

The Oak Ridge High School cheerleaders for the 2013-2014 school year, pictured above, will have a pre-camp exhibition performance at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Wildcat Arena. (Submitted photo)

Community invited to pre-camp performance this Friday

Traditional cheerleading began at the University of Minnesota in 1898, when male cheerleaders encouraged students to show their spirit at athletic events.

This model continued exclusively until the early 1990s, when all-star competitive gyms formed to highlight the athleticism of the cheerleader. Combining tumbling, stunting, and dancing, non-school teams began competing at the regional and national level, drawing more and more girls to the fast growing sport.

At Oak Ridge High School, cheerleaders were maintaining the traditional role, but found they were losing students to the competitive nature of the all-star gym. [Read more…]

Track Club has middle school cross country camp

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The Oak Ridge Track Club Youth Athletics Program has a middle school cross country camp that starts July 29.

This camp at Robertsville Middle School is for athletes planning to compete in middle school cross country during the fall 2013 season. Athletes should be entering 6th, 7th, or 8th grades. All middle school runners are welcome, regardless of school affiliation, a press release said. [Read more…]